in the water - 16" square

Not done yet but I wanted to get one last post in before the end of the month. Wow, what a week.......the trial I had to testify in is over (it was as awful and as big a waste of time as I remember) and I broke a tooth the night before! We are expecting a nor'easter tonight and it is very gloomy and cold. I can't stand being cold anymore so I jacked the heat up to 62 and am waiting for it to come on so I can finish this. Where is spring?

crowded beach - 12" square completed

Not fully happy with this but went as far as I could with it - I will really have to try to do multiple figures on site (when it warms up). In the summers, Rhode Island beaches get really crowded and noisy and the parking fees are quite steep so I tend to stay away. From Labor Day to Memorial Day is my time to go for walks and painting. It does have to warm up soon!

crowded beach - 12" square

This is an experiment - I am trying to retain the gestures of tiny figures against a rather complicated landscape while keeping the size relationships, values and colors accurate without getting picky. We shall see. It is a bit frustrating and there has been a lot of scraping and re-doing.....it may reach a point when I decide I have "learned enough."

all done - 14x11"

I actually finished this on the last day I posted it and have moved on to other things. We are expecting a snowstorm tonight and it isn't supposed to get above the forties for the next 10 days.......I can't stand it!

ocean layers - 14x11" (stage 1)

The step-like quality of organized heavy surf really appeals to me and that is what I am trying to do here......March is shaping up to be a really, really disorganized month for me. I found out that I have to go to court again on an old case from my former career......I hope that these cases will eventually disappear (one can dream) and they leave me alone!

girl with pointy shoes - 12" square

I finished this and finished my taxes so I am satisfied to some degree. However, I continue to be horrified by the news from Japan and nearly as horrified by the insane reaction of our government and many of our citizens. How on earth can anyone support the use of any form of nuclear technology? I have always loved the natural world above everything else and it just sickens me that we, as humans beings,  feel that we can toy with that world's very survival. I find this exteremely depressing and don't want to be correct in my assessment that western culture is on a suicide path. I try very hard to keep my political thoughts absent from this blog but sometimes (and way too frequently) events are just so monumental, I cannot help myself.

pointy shoes - 12" square

Bad photo, bad day, bad week......I usually use picasa to upload photos but it wouldn't work at all tonight! (I had to use photoshop) I actually feel fortunate to have gotten to paint at all today since I have been so busy with business stuff this week. I am truly addicted to painting since I feel an enormous amount of tension when I am unable to do so. I shouldn't complain since my life is pretty awesome and the steady background noise on the radio is all disaster. I do not have a tv because I refuse to pay for advertising so I get all of my news and information from either the internet or the radio (probably  better sources anyway). But it was WARM today and I do not have to do anything business related tommorow. Yipee!

little black dress - 11x14"

I absolutely have to get going on my taxes so I may be a bit off the grid this week........I blew it off yesterday and went to Second Beach instead. I swear half of Newport was there with their dogs and everyone was happy. This scene is from the same beach ( a warmer day, however). I had to stop listening to the news from Japan......way too worrisome and scary.

into the fog - 9" square

I love the look of kyaks and have thought of buying one but I would probably kill myself going out in a storm or something......I will just paint one for now!

Tiverton Farmers - completed - 12" square

Today is finish stuff day! I have several things that are lingering and then have to organize my books to get ready for a tax appointment with my accountant (ick).

two boys - 14x11"

This is the portrait commission I hope to finish this week. I had started a larger canvas but their heads looked way too big so I downsized it to this. I was really busy this week since I had to get ready to change all of my work at the gallery and no matter how organized I try to be, there are always details that seem to take forever - trips to the hardware store and things like that.  So, anyone in the area who might be interested, you are welcome to the opening reception for "Spring Ahead" at Gallery Eleven Fine Art, 11 State St. in Bristol, RI from 5-7 PM this Friday...........hope to see you there.

the surf caster - 14x11"

I now have an iphone! Have yet to totally figure it out (including the camera) but it is very neat. It is still damn cold here so I went to my photos of warmer days and imagined myself on this beach. I have always been amazed at the sheer size and emptiness of the southern beaches I have visited..........for anyone who knows New England, this emptiness would not be possible at Horseneck or Second Beach even in the midst of a blizzard.

Tiverton Farmers pt 2

This isn't done yet but I have been working pretty steadily on it (as well as a portrait commission which I cannot post at this time). Today I finally bit the bullet and ordered an iphone from verizon since my 3 year old LG is about to die for real.......I am very excited about its camera. So, this picture should be done for sure by tomorrow. I worked a shift at the gallery today and, despite a strong wind and cold temperatures, it seemed as if there were more people out and about......the longer days seem to announce spring and my fingers are crossed.