Throwback Thursday

"Baby Dahlia"
8" x 8"
(framed watercolor on aquabord)
$175

Click here to purchase.

I'm throwing it back to this little ditty. A couple of years ago, a delightful man who visited my studio during The Backroads Studio Tour brought me a bouquet of dahlias from his yard. This little one was just so sweet it begged to be painted. It has spent some time in my studio and is now looking to find its "forever home."  With Christmas approaching, perhaps it will get lucky.

Have a happy Thursday!

Lights . . . Camera . . . Auction!

"Daisies Squared"
6" x 6"
(watercolor on aquabord)

Click here to bid.

After struggling a bit on the background I finally came up with something I like.  "Daisies Squared" is a square composition of an earlier painting I did on paper (that one was a long rectangle).  I decided to put this little one up for auction on my DailyPaintworks site. Bidding begins at $100. This painting doesn't come framed, however the image below shows what it could look like when framed.

(although this painting does not come framed, this is what it could look like)

Thanks so much for visiting!  I'm off to paint the next . . .

Hydrangea Progress

14" x 11" - watercolor on cradled aquabord - work in progress

I worked on this little ditty today among other projects that I'm excited to share . . . so stay tuned to my blog this week! 

Have a lovely day!

Peony in Glass

"Peony in Glass" - 12" x 12" - watercolor on clayboard - $350

Click here to purchase.

This another peony painting that has been on display at the Palmer Public Library in Palmer, MA.  I think painting flowers is difficult business and peonies is NO exception!  So kudos to all you flower painters!

The image below is of this painting in its frame.  Since the painting is on aquabord, it has been treated with a UV protective finish.  It's gloss and has a little texture . . . like the painting has been painted on linen.  Just an experiment for me, but I think it turned out quite nice. 

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

Baby Dahlia - WIP

work in progress
8" x 8"
(watercolor on clayboard)

I guess this mild winter has me thinking of flowers.  Here's another floral still life I began recently.  It's a baby dahlia.  :)

Thank you for popping by.

Irons In The Fire

A Study In Neutrals
6" x 6"
(watercolor on aquabord)

I have lots of irons in the fire lately.  Don't worry, I haven't given up on the piggy though - still need to finish a couple more whiskers. 

I spent some time with my dad yesterday morning of course and then later in the afternoon attended The Salem Cross Inn's Drover's Roast, where I painted the little painting above. It's just about done although I may tweak a shadow or two to create a little more drama.  

Below is the peony painting I began at the end of last week. I'm excited to paint the background.  It's going to be very dark. I got a little advice from the amazing Ali Cavanaugh who was kind enough to share with me how she tackles dark backgrounds on aquabord. Basically it just comes down to layers. Doesn't everything?  :)  So here's my first one.

Thank you for stopping by.

"Picket Fence Daisies"

"Picket Fence Daisies"
6.25" x 5"
(watercolor on paper)

Click here to bid.  Starting bid:  $75

I finished this little study yesterday.  I'm trying to learn how to handle foliage better and work with some looser washes (hard to tell with this one!).  I had fun with the initial washes on this one, but still have lots of practice ahead of me.  Thank you for viewing my work.

(this image serves as an example of what
this painting could look like when framed)

June Review

JUNE 2014
click here to visit my gallery

I like how Nora Bergman recaps each month with a collage of her paintings, so I thought I would give it a go.  (If you aren't familiar with Nora's work be sure to check it out here. She paints beautiful oils.)

2014 has been kind of a slow year for me, painting-wise but June happened to be a pretty productive month. I've only painted 23 paintings so far, 7 of those in June so hopefully I can pick up the pace for the rest of the year. Also -- if you'd like to make your own collage, visit www.picmonkey.com -- you can upload your images and edit them all for free. It's a great site.  

Have a great weekend.  :)

Almost

WIP
watercolor on aquabord

I'm so close to finishing, I can taste it!  As the snow came down, I worked on the little flowers to the left (I have no idea what those are even called -- shame on me!)  and more of the glass today. For me, it takes lots of putting down pigment and then picking it back up to achieve a somewhat realistic look to the glass.  In some places I'm done and it's working, in others, I still have work to do. I also fiddled some with the background, mainly to play with value. In fact I should mention that this photo is kind of weird -- I think the background is more neutral in real life.  It's dark now in my studio and I had to take the photo without natural light, so the colors are off a bit -- maybe a little too saturated, especially the pinky/purple background.  I'll take a better picture tomorrow.  Maybe by then it will be done -- I certainly hope so. Thank you for taking peek, have a good night!

The Doggy Post

work in progress - aquabord
12" x 12

Oh boy, I'm at again:  barely moving on my flowers.  I had some painting interruptions last week (in addition to the regular ones consisting of typical household chores and MANY doggy needs: wanting to go out, come back in . . . go out again . . . come back in . . . pretend to want to go out but really just want attention . . . doggy lunch . . . go out again . . .  come back in . . . you get the picture).  But I'm determined to make some real dents in these two paintings this week.  You've seen the flowers before, however the one below is for my friend/student, Sue -- to whom I owe so much -- it's her Louis.  He's her special love.  So I really need to finish this for her.  I had originally wanted it to be a surprise but got excited and blew that!  :)

Speaking of doggies - I caught some of Puppy Bowl X yesterday and was completely enamored.  I had never watched any in the past but was flipping around the t.v. while working on my miniature kitchen and found it -- so stinkin' cute!  Puppies make for just plain, feel good t.v.  :)  Admittedly, I didn't watch the Superbowl, but after seeing the score I think it's safe to say that Puppy Bowl X was probably more riveting!  

Have a great day and thank you for stopping by.

work in progress - aquabord
8" x 8"

A Little More Work

detail

Well, I'm still plugging along.  I find it very relaxing working on the details, although there's little to show when I post my progress. I also spent quite a while fixing some areas, so I'm not sure you'll even notice much difference from my last post.  Also I think the color is off somewhat in both these photos, so please forgive me.  I didn't have the time to color correct. There are a lot of subtle differences on the daisy petals that has gotten got lost.  Anyway, I just wanted to check in and let you know I haven't abandoned my painting.  :)

I also would also like to mention that I had a great time yesterday morning, giving a watercolor demonstration to a high school art class on illustration.  My long-time friend and former-co-worker, Bill, invited me in to show his students some techniques for an editorial cartoon lesson they are working on.  Hopefully they learned some things in between our hysterical laughter!  Bill and I go back a long way and I must say, have pretty good comedic timing with each other.  :) He's an amazing teacher and they are a very talented group of kids, so together I'm sure their final pieces will be magic!  :)  So thank you to Bill and his class -- it was a great morning!

Have a great day and thank you for stopping by.

I Just . . . Couldn't . . . Help . . . Myself

"Country Nosegay"
12" x 12"
watercolor on aquabord

I was in the mood for an aquabord, was in need of a little spring and am still on a painting glass kick, (practicing for my upcoming class at Workshop13) so I started another painting.  Gaaaah!  We all  know how that goes with me  Will I finish?  Hopefully.  I have a few unfinished numbers around here (to say the least . . . I know, I know . . . I'll get to `em, someday!)  In the meantime I just couldn't help myself.  

And if you're in the mood for some more paintings of glass, check out Carrie Waller's blog -- she is the queen of painting glass.  She's painting a series of lightbulbs now -- amazing stuff!

Thanks for stopping by . . . have a great day!

Kitchen Window Daisies

"Kitchen Window Daisies"
8.5" x 5.5"
watercolor on hot-pressed paper

Click here to bid.

I love fresh flowers. And I particularly enjoy daisies.  Meg Ryan, in one of my favorite movies ("You've Got Mail"), once described daisies as "the friendliest flower."  I must agree.  Anyway . . .  I plucked these little gems from my garden last week and put them on my kitchen window sill. I hope you enjoy them.

In case you're interested, I put a few progress shots below.

Have a lovely day!

A Moment's Rest

"A Moment's Rest"
13" x 10.5"
(watercolor on Fabriano hot pressed paper- 300 lb.)

Click here for a closer look, or to purchase.

A while back I posted an "almost done" image of this painting, here and on Facebook, and asked for your help regarding names.  I got a few responses -- all were really good and very helpful.  I decided on "A Moment's Rest" -- a suggestion from my friend June.  I thought it captured the serenity of the image while offering a story for the viewer to fill in.  I've decided to put all the suggestions/names in a hat and pull out one winner who will receive a small gift.  If you didn't get a chance to offer a name for this painting, don't worry . . . I spent some time yesterday preparing new paintings and will be asking for your help again.

Another little tidbit . . . I had a wonderful time a couple weeks ago presenting a workshop on blogging at the Concord Art Association.  I think the day was a success . . . I know I had a good time and enjoyed meeting some very nice and talented people.  I had very eager students who added to a great discussion on art, blogging and online marketing.  So if you attended the class and are reading this -- THANK YOU for a great day!  :)

Finally . . . I'm working on two little paintings that I'll be posting in the next couple days.  Below is one in progress.  Can you tell I'm looking forward to Spring?  Also, on Monday we had the first class of a 5-week watercolor workshop I'm teaching here at my studio and it was a blast!!  I'm already looking forward to next Monday and seeing what everyone produces.  So far we have four beautiful preliminary washes!  It really is very exciting. 

"Springtime" - wip
6" x 6"
(watercolor on aquabord)

Thank you for stopping by . . . and happy painting!

Hydrangea II -- Completed

"Hydrangea II"
8" x 8"
watercolor on aquabord

Click here to bid.

`Finished this one this afternoon, hope you like it.  I'm back doing some final touches on my raspberry painting and laying down washes on my other new one. How's that for suspense? I'm hoping to post that one all finished by Friday. I better get moving!

Hydrangea II - continued

Hydrangea II - wip
8" x 8"

I was hoping I would have this finished by now, but I worked on another unfinished piece and started another painting. :o (Forgive me, I couldn't resist -- oh and that's my surprise face in case you couldn't tell.) BUT like I said, I am working on other unfinished paintings as well, so it's all good. :) I still could finish this one by tonight, but I wouldn't be able to photograph it until it's dark out, so I decided to give you what I have right now. And just think, you now can look forward to reading my next few posts where I reveal a few new surprises: hopefully a couple finished paintings and a new one revealed!  Have a great night and thanks for reading.

Hydrangea I

"Hydrangea I"
6" x 6"
(watercolor on Aquabord)

Click here to bid.

I'm hopefully on a roll and will be finishing some of my unfinished work this week. (Although I'm sure I won't be able to contain myself and will start some new ones as well.)  :)  Have a great day.

New Hydrangea

"Hydrangea" - wip
6" x 6"

Please excuse me . . . I think I'm stuck in some kind of new painting vortex.  I just keep starting these new paintings and not finishing anything.  I promise I will get some things done this week.  In the meantime, here's my latest.  Still has a ways to go, but I'm having so much fun!  Oh and it's on aquabord.

In The Works

"Black-eyed Susans" -- wip

"Black-eyed Susans" (detail)

"Black-eyed Susans" (detail)

Here's the old painting that I mentioned in a previous post.  I recently unearthed it and decided to work on it again.  It's a big one for me -- 16" x 16" -- especially for all this detail.  I'm not sure how accurate the colors are to the original painting as I didn't spend any time trying to even calibrate them to my monitor -- but you can at least get an idea of what the heck I'm doing.  The last image is a little blurry -- oh well.  Thanks for looking and have a great weekend!