American Interior - finished!

"American Interior"
6" x 6"
(watercolor on aquabord)

(what this painting could look like framed)

Click here to bid.

I didn't think I'd get this painting done today as I went on a wild goose chase . . . ahem . . . wild DOG chase today.  We have the slipperiest (is that a word!?) canines ever!  They busted out of the fence AND electric fence to roam around the woods and backroads for about 3 hours.  It's such a nightmare.  But I digress . . . the dogs are home and after a long period of decompression (I'm always emotionally drained after they take off and return) I got to painting and was able to finish, photograph, post on DPW and blog.  Whew!  And now I'm going to bed.  Thinking of all those hit hard by Hurricane Sandy . . . check out the fundraiser that Daily Paintworks is running here:  original paintings donated for a good cause.  

Have a great day/night . . . wherever you are and thank you for stopping by.  :)

Being Bold

"American Interior"
6" x 6"

One of the most difficult things for me when painting, is getting the values right.  While I was working on this painting today, I just couldn't seem to get the glow on the window's mullions, nor was I achieving the overall drama that I wanted. So I took a photo of my painting, desaturated it in Photoshop (turning it into a black and white image) then compared it to a black and white image of the real photo. Wow! I was sooo off. It's hard to remember sometimes, that in order to create "popping" whites, you have to have the dark contrasts. Because I have a tendency to overwork my paintings, I'm often gun-shy when it comes to pushing the values and achieving those darkest darks. But as long as I remember to use a full range of values, creating the contrast I need, I'll be able to obtain those glowing whites.  And the black and white image "trick" is VERY helpful as I have a very difficult time seeing the value in color. I still have some work to do before I can call this painting done, but I feel much better that I'm headed in the right direction.

Below you'll see my before and after value images, along with the original photo. Happy painting!

(the "before" value image --  notice that the wall
and the outside values are all wrong)

the actual photo's value image

(the "after" value image -- this is from the color
painting image at the beginning of this post)

Pumpkin Cart - Work in Progress

"Pumpkin Cart" - wip
8" x 8"

So after a day of laundry, cooking, filling bathtubs with water in case our power goes out and we lose access to our well (grrr) . . . I sat down and started this painting while talking on the phone with a dear friend of mine from Virginia.  She was checking to see how the weather was . . . things weren't too bad yet where she is.  The wind and rain have definitely picked up here a bit . . . it's now 8:30 pm and luckily we still have power (famous last words -- I hope I didn't just jinx us!)  :) 

Oh . . . but about this painting.  I took a bunch of photos a few weeks back at a lovely farm stand in Northampton, MA.  The morning sunlight was crazy brilliant and all the oranges and cool violet hues were just too much to pass over.  This one is on aquabord.  I'm pleased with the progress I made tonight.  (Kathy -- you're a good influence!)  :)  Now that I'm well into it, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I don't kill it. So at present, I have about 7 paintings going, not to mention three that I've semi-abandoned and can't figure out how to proceed or whether I even should.  I'm actually thinking of re-starting them on aquabord.  Yes.  I'm hooked on this stuff.  I just love it.  In the meantime, I must finish something.  Aaaah . . . looking forward to tomorrow.  :)

Anyway, I hope everyone on the east coast and in the way of Sandy are faring well tonight.  Stay safe and God Bless!  And thank you for stopping by.

Number 12

"Number 12"
6" x 6"
(watercolor on aquabord)

(what this painting could look like framed)

Click here to bid.

Well it's been a while since I painted something to post and auction directly on Daily Paintworks, I've had so many other projects going on.  Anyhoo . . . I hope you like this one.  It doesn't need to be placed under glass and thus has been coated with a matte, UV protective finish. However it's always wise to keep paintings out of direct sunlight and you would only want to dust lightly with a dry cloth -- no water or solvents.

Thanks so much for looking!  I'm heading to veg on the couch and hunker down for the storm.  I hope all of you out there in Sandy's path stay safe and sound.

More Works In Progress

"American Interior" - wip
6" x 6"

"Number 12"
6" x 6"

I'm about to leave for the Petersham Art Show reception but wanted to put up my progress on these two paintings.  I did more work on "Number 12" since I took this picture . . . just tweaks, probably not even really too noticeable, but enough that I think enhances the painting.  So that's about it.  Have a great weekend and thank you for visiting.

Petersham Cultural Council Show

These four paintings are on display and for sale at the Petersham Cultural Council's annual art show in Petersham, MA.  The show's opening is this Friday, October 26th from 7-9pm at the Town Hall.  The show runs through the weekend.

In other news . . . The Edward Hopper House Art Center's "Small Matters of Great Importance 2012" exhibit begins Saturday, October 27th and runs until December 23rd.  After a little bump in the road (a UPS substitute driver -- just my luck!)  my work arrived and is on display.  For those just new to my blog, the following three paintings are included in this show and I am very grateful and excited.

Thank you for visiting . . . have a great day!

Number 12 - WIP

"Number 12" - work in progress
6" x 6"

I've been working on a secret Christmas present that I can't post yet, but in the meantime, here is a little one that I just started and hope to finish tomorrow.  It's on aquabord.  I'm making this post short and sweet as I'm headed off to bed.  Thanks for stopping by and happy painting!!

Special Delivery

"Special Delivery"
6" x 6"

I finished this little painting and gave it to my cousin at her baby shower.  My friend June helped me name it  --  she is very clever!  :)  I'm excited to start the new week . . . I have lots of paintings going, ones I am finishing up and some ready to start.  I also mailed out my little landscape paintings on Friday for the Edward Hopper Art House exhibit.  Cheers!

A Gift

I just started a few new paintings while working on some old ones. This one is a gift . . . it's small . . . 6" x 6" . . . but I have to finish it tomorrow.  :) And just as an aside . . . I was sending a friend some corny photos I had and since it's almost Halloween I thought I'd share this little ditty with you. Oh my goodness, it's so freakin' ridiculous. I'm the "Jack-in-the-Box" and my brother (who's probably going to kill me when he finds out I posted this) is "The Wolfman." He had fake fur glued to his face and hands!  Luckily it came off or he would've been the only kid in the fourth grade with a beard. I think I had a crank on the side so I wouldn't just look like some weird clown package. Gotta love old middle school pictures. Aaaahhh . . . good times . . . good times. Have a great day and thanks for visiting!

Great Weekend

I thought I'd share some photos of my studio from the Backroads Studio Tour last weekend. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures once the tour got underway because I was so busy! :) It was a tremendous weekend. Saturday, the weather was a little chilly but the light was gorgeous. It was sunny and really beautiful . . . quintessential New England Fall weather. Sunday was warmer but rainy in the morning and overcast most of the day. However that didn't stop the tourists. Both days I met lots of terrific people and thanks to them, made many sales. It far exceeded my expectations. I am very grateful.

So these photos show the new set-up. My hubby made me some great shelves so that I can prop up my framed pieces and not have to put holes in the walls to display them anymore. We decided to make a shelf that runs the length of the room, so that I could repair the wall and paint without having to go all the way to the peak. Gitty-up! 

I have an old tea-cart that is a wonderful side table that holds my palette, brushes and paints.  I can roll it around if I need to,  store things on the shelf underneath and in the drawer.  I can also use the glass tray to quickly move items on top if I need a clean surface.  And I could probably use it as a palette if I painted in oils or acrylics.

In the far corner by the door to the kitchen, I hang my primitive paintings on 3 old, hinged shutters.

The table in the middle of the room is where I usually paint during the day.  My roll-top is where I do my paperwork.

The little red box on the bottom left has a little t.v. in it and I often have that on while I paint.  :)  The top shelf continues across the room so that I didn't have to climb up the wall to paint the peak!

Lots of notecards!

I am very grateful to have sold many notecards, prints and original paintings. It was a great weekend!

Guests helped themselves to warm cider and brownies on my old wooden ironing board, which by the way is a great make-shift table when another flat surface is needed.

I kind of took today off to rest, although just finished up the second class for my workshop tonight. I love my ladies and they're doing great! I'm also excited to get back to my own painting tomorrow and into my routine again . . . in my nice, new and clean studio! Thanks for checking in . . . have a great day.

Getting Ready

I've been busy preparing for my "Open Studio" during the Backroads Studio Tour this weekend, so I've been a little neglectful with regards to this blog.  Over the weekend I found myself painting walls and re-designing my studio for the new workshop I'm giving.  (There's nothing like a deadline to get you motivated!)  The 5-week class began Monday night and was terrific! I have four great students, all of whom are eager to learn.  And because I was able to rid myself of the couch over the weekend (gotta love Craig's List!) there's a ton more room for everyone to have ample space.  (Although the dogs are beside themselves because their "napping bed" is now missing.)  Anyway . . . I'll be sure to take pictures this weekend so you can see what I've done.

So I'm going to get back to work preparing prints and attending to last minute details.  If you are in the area and are looking for something to do, come on out.  It looks like it's going to be a great weekend weather-wise and there are lots of Fall things to do in addition to visiting artist studios -- antique and gift shops, great places to eat, orchards to visit and lots of places to get pumpkins!  You can visit www.backroadsstudiotour.com  or click on the image above, for a map and more information.  We hope to see you!

What's For Dinner - WIP

''What's For Dinner" - wip
11" x 14"

I got #3 in my series started today; thought you might like to take a look.  Have a good night and thanks for stopping by.

At The Theatre and At The Dentist . . .

"On Line At The Theatre" -- wip
11" x 14"

"At The Dentist"
11" x 14"

Moving along on these two paintings and I started a couple more that I will post soon.  Have a good night and thank you for visiting!

More Little People

two Little People paintings well under way

So I'm finally getting back to normal (well . . . whatever that means!) and back to painting. So I'm hoping to finish up "On Line . . . "  soon and have started "At the Dentist." My hope is to do a series of three or four of these to submit to a Boston hospital's cancer wing for jury into their waiting room exhibits. That's been my plan since beginning these larger "little people" paintings. So now you know. I'm hoping that these happy little paintings might make people smile at a very scary and uncertain time. We'll see if the hospital feels the same way. I'll keep you posted. Of course, I need to finish them first!  

"On Line At The Theatre" - wip
11" x 14"

Moving along with my Open House endeavors . . . I received my second wave of notecards that need to be packaged up for sale.

more notecards are in!

Thanks for stopping by . . . Happy Painting!