Wednesday 30 June 2010

kennedy park - 14x11"

I did a wicked ugly garden study yesterday so decided not to post! I started early this morning and went to Kennedy Park which is quite lovely (and has parking) to work on my greens. Lots of times there are really strange people hanging out there but this morning was really quiet.

Sunday 27 June 2010

beach series 5 - 10x22"


I am building layers with this one so it isn't done yet..........thought I would post it anyway since I have been so busy with business stuff that I have been working on finishing some works in progress rather than smaller daily stuff.

Thursday 24 June 2010

roses - 8x10"

I started this last summer but didn't have time to finish. I figured that I would be able to finish it this year but unfortunately this bush died over the winter. I looked at it yesterday and decided I could cut the painting down so it would not seem unfinished (it is on a panel) but I decided that I liked the unfinished quality of it.

Wednesday 23 June 2010

b-ball - 9" square

Nothing like a playground basketball game to say "summer" - except the beach of course. The busy-ness continues and I wish this frenzy of getting ready for shows and open studios could take place during February when it wasn't so nice outside. I got a ton of stuff framed and delivered and then spent all of yesterday assembling stuff for the South Coast Studio Tour. It's all good though!

Monday 21 June 2010

Tibetan Yak Farm - 11x14"

Believe it or not this location is a yak farm in Little Compton, RI.....one of our Monday morning plein air group's spots. I chose to do this view rather than the view of the yak's pasture. Despite the heat and their very heavy coats they were quite frisky and it was pretty nice to hear them behind me. They were also very sweet and one of them let me scratch her behind the horn.

Thursday 17 June 2010

Central Village Art Gallery - reopening

The Central Village Art Gallery in Westport, MA is re-opening! This is the front cover of the postcard for the event.....the opening is Friday, June 27, 2010 and the gallery is located in the same plaza as Marguerite's Restaurant - all are welcome to stop by from 5-8 pm.

Wednesday 16 June 2010

Art in the Garden - 14x11"

Today was the "Art in the Garden" fundraiser for the Westport Art Group. There were 16 or so locations on a tour of some fantastic homes and gardens with two artists painting at each spot. I was thrilled when I saw the beautiful swimming pool in the back of the property I was painting at.

Monday 14 June 2010

outdoor concert - 16x12

I am trying not to post unfinished things too much but this week is wicked busy and I might be stretched a bit to get dailies done. Plus, I  have done things a little differently with this one (I still began with a neutral underpainting of values) - I am attempting to really focus on the planes of each figure and sort of fitting them together in space and with color. I went out to paint with the Monday morning group this morning but was totally unable to find the place after a half an hour of driving so I came home and signed a ton of pictures and worked on business stuff and the (GD) portrait that I am really,  really, really almost done with.

Sunday 13 June 2010

swinging - 9" square

When I volunteer with the kids at EFA (english for action), one of their favorite activities is to go to the school's playground. I loved the shadows that were created by the activity of swinging. This is one of those situations where a camera is a very good tool since there is no way to remember some of these patterns. It is also a good idea to keep alert when you are watching 10 or so kids on a public playground and not think about composing a painting!

Friday 11 June 2010

warren's point stairs - 9" square

I  have always loved these rocks and their weird, rickety, imbedded stair case.

Thursday 10 June 2010

somerset stone - 11x14"

I fell in love with this little building when I went exploring on Tuesday....there was even a small area to park! The building looks out over the Taunton River. After I parked I noticed a beautiful Japanese garden off to the side as well; I will definitely go back to paint that. The weather was pretty changeable and I ended up having to finish this at home. The owner stopped by and said I could come back to paint again.

Tuesday 8 June 2010

white house - 10" square

Yesterday's painting -  the Westport Art Group met near here at Adamsville Landing, a place I have painted several times before. I chose to stand with my back to the marsh and painted this scene.

Monday 7 June 2010

garden flowers - 8x16"


I am beginning to get flowers from my garden. I almost posted this yesterday but we had a very surreal afternoon with high wind, dramatic clouds and tornado warnings! I actually sat on the porch and stared at the sky and water for most of the afternoon - I just couldn't tear myself away from experiencing it. I had to close the windows because paintings were blowing off my "drying wall" and crashing to the floor.

Friday 4 June 2010

industrial/fall river line & trains - 12x9"

I decided to stick close to home today - besides the fact that I am totally in love with painting industrial things, I decided I had to conquer my resistance to painting in the "hood." This mostly stems from my former career (I know so many felons who told me that they would look me up when they got out of prison) but also from the truly creepy people that tend to hang around the public space here. I just set some guidelines about visibility (other people seeing me) and safety and had a great time. I know it will take me a few more times before I am really comfortable but I only had one browser today and he was ok.

Thursday 3 June 2010

doorway study - 12x9

We had an unsettled weather day here today - I went to the charter dock in Tiverton to paint in fog this morning and came home after noon (in sunshine) to try to resolve this study done in Bristol last week. Now that I see the photo I see some other things I have to do but I like the feel of it. Now it has gotten so dark that I had to put the lights on and we seem like we are to get a thunderstorm!

Wednesday 2 June 2010

I promise!!!

I am really getting there with this. I usually only worry about composition, gesture, color and that stuff but when you add  likeness as one of the mandatory elements it becomes a bit more demanding. I have redone each child a couple of times but am getting to the point that I am nearly satisfied. When I say "I promise" I mean that I will definitely post a brand new painting tomorrow. I really need to let this sit for a day or so anyway since the paint is pretty difficult to work with.

Tuesday 1 June 2010

portrait update two

I am still working on this - I did do several unrelated outdoor color studies (nothing I wanted to take a picture of) but wanted to remain pretty much focused on this until it is done. It is taking a lot longer than I thought it would! Anyway, I started feeling guilty that I haven't posted.