doggie - 8" square

Very busy past couple of days! I thought I would get this post in between things and then couldn't get onto my blog because I forgot my password and had to reset it.

tulips - 14x11

Well, I got my photo lesson this morning and have a better photo.......I also did a quick still life before the agonizing pain of an infected toenail forced me to call the doctor. I spent my afternoon there and feel much better with treatment and some antibiotics. Since the pain actually woke me up in the middle of the night and got steadily worse as I stood and painted this morning I felt like I didn't have much choice but to go.

friends - 8" square

This isn't quite done but I am doing an experiment. I am going to ask my friend Mary (a graphic designer with mega computer skills) to actually demonstrate to me on my own camera how to take a reproduction-quality photo of this tomorrow morning. So, expect to see a vastly better image in Thursday's post (really).

nuevo laredo - 10x8"

I took a bunch of pictures a few years ago when I was in Mexico.........I love the white hot light of the place. This guy was leaning up against a very cool turquoise wrought iron fence and there were coca cola signs everywhere.

home again

I finished this one after I got home this morning. The weather is completely intense at the moment; very high winds and pouring rain. My outer front door actually blew off and broke! I might have some more touches to finish this when the sun comes out and I can see the true color.

winter light - 12x9"

I wasn't going to post this until it was completed but I have been rushing around all day and cooking. I am leaving for NY to visit my dad tomorrow so won't be be able to paint or post for a couple of days. My sisters and I have been trying to make our specialties in large batches when we visit so he can freeze them and not have to worry about cooking - I am bringing beef stew and kale soup. I might get to paint a little later, we shall see. Anyway, the background of this picture is beginning to emerge.........I have redrawn it once already.

profusion of leaves - 6x8"

I am working on some larger things so decided to do a quick study to catch the fleeting light of the plants on the windowsill over my sink. The abstract quality of this many leaves is important since there would be no way of accurately drawing each leaf without killing the impact of the entire scene. Mixed results but it was fun!

quick study

Figure group this morning and we had a model I have never painted before. Well, back to work on studio things now.

suspenders - 8" sq

This is a scene from Fall River's farmer's market. I just loved the fact that this guy was holding his sweatpants up with suspenders! I am not exactly a fashion plate......but, please just shoot me if I ever do this. I love taking pictures at the market and they sure come in handy during the winter.

sunset boats - 10x8

Enough time spent for a study. Sometimes I get so wrapped up that I forget the purpose of studies and don't move on.

experiment

I don't know if this is going to work but I just had to attempt it. I had an annoying day yesterday with computer problems and some wiping out of work but one just has to keep at it. I actually "cleaned up" my computer following the instructions in help and felt quite proud of myself for not crashing it! Plus, I was glued to the news of Haiti and horrified that the devil's spawn Pat Robertson still has a tv show and was actually blaming the people of Haiti for what had happened.........how disgusting.

afternoon view - 10x8

This is the view I see from my front porch in the late afternoon. I really do love the winter light and am actually enjoying winter this year!

sakonnet pier - 8" square

I liked the colors of the puddles and the equipment; especially the abstract qualities of the scene. Sakonnet Pier has become pretty inaccessible since they built a new yacht club building - this area is where the working boats come in and by far more appealing to me.

sunflower seller - 8x8

It is snowing as I finish this. After all of the recent grayness I felt as strong desire to use some bright colors. This woman sells flowers at the Aquidneck Growers market in Middletown, RI.

dead end street - 8x8

Just another winter scene today. I had to drop off a painting for the "Art Among Friends" show which is opening at the Tiverton, RI Town Hall on Jan. 17. This show will be up until Feb. 24 and is a members show for the Sakonnet Arts Network.

study - 10x8

For some reason I remain a little reluctant to post nude studies on the internet - either my puritanical upbringing or my years of meeting truly creepy sex offenders and their delight in the invention of the internet. At any rate, I felt this one was discreet enough to post. I really love working from the model and feel it is truly important for development as an artist. I notice when I take a few weeks off that I am quite rusty for a bit.

continuing - portrait commission

I work on Mondays at the Central Village Art Gallery and have been bringing larger works with me to work on while I am there. I worked on this yesterday, refining and redrawing a bit, continuing roughing in and developing the forms.

gang speak - 8" square

This is sort of a blast from the past for me...........I couldn't resist attempting to try to paint some gang graffiti. After years of doing gang investigation I can read all of the symbols and let you know this is a memorial/death threat from a local gangster disciple (or related "folk nation" group) set in my neighborhood. This display appeared on the back doors of a local closed elementary school up the street from me - I saw it when I went for a walk with my camera. The 6 pointed stars and numeral "360" are some of their most frequently used symbols - the upside down "5"s are intended to disrespect members of a rival "people set" (most likely a local Blood gang) who use the number 5 in their graffiti. My challenge was to make an inherently ugly visual picture interesting and to see if I could paint the graffiti to look like graffiti.

happy new year!

It is still snowing and the light remains low - so, here is the best photo I am likely to get for a bit. I have always been fascinated by the decor of this building in my neighborhood. The challenge of making the building hold together despite its many shades and colors and depict the shadows of the bare tree across the street was my goal. Most of the houses in Fall River have been "upgraded" by siding them with vinyl siding - this makes them pretty uninteresting to paint in their uninspiring colors and the way the trim obscures their architectural character.