Updating

"Cape Cod Roses"
Framed UV Protected Giclee
outer dimensions:  11" x 7"
$65

Click here to purchase.

I spent a lot of time over the past few days working on my website and updating my online presence at storenvy and DPW.  I am now offering framed prints of my work.  The best part is that they are UV protected giclees, archivally mounted so that they needn't be placed under glass and look like the original paintings on aquabord (like "Cape Cod Roses" above -- this is a photo of the actual framed giclee). The prints are very lightweight and easy to ship, and a fraction of what the originals sell for.  I only have two to offer right now, but am planning to get a few more together.  I'm hoping I can do some serious marketing for these this winter.

I also put up a couple new card images and giclee images for sale and I have a new shipment of 2017 calendars due in this week.

The new 2017 wall calendars are on their way!
$20

Order your 2017 wall calendar here!

I struggle with keeping up on my marketing and am always vowing to do better.  And when I'm pressed for time, I usually choose to paint instead of market.  Perhaps someday I'll strike a workable balance.  There's always hope, eh?   :)

Have a great week!

Woods Memorial Library

"Two Tomatoes"
11" x 14"
(watercolor on aquabord)
on display at the Woods Memorial Library
$225

I have a few paintings hanging at the Woods Memorial Library in Barre, MA for the month of June. What a lovely place! If you are in the vicinity be sure to check it out.

"The Attorney's Door"
18" x 24"
(watercolor on aquabord)
on display at the Woods Memorial Library
$1850

"Baby Dahlia"
8" x 8"
(watercolor on aquabord)
on display at the Woods Memorial Library
$225

"July Geraniums - small"
6" x 6"
(watercolor on aquabord)
on display at the Woods Memorial Library
$300

In more news . . . 

On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending a one year anniversary reception at Pompanoosuc Mills in Natick with a couple of my Backroads Studio Tour friends, Tracy Crane and Frank White.  Tracy's work is on the walls behind us . . . the Campbell's Soup can is made out of buttons!  And Frank White is a master at turning wooden bowls . . . but they are much more than that, as you can see in the photo below.

I am also pleased to share that "Pristine" and "Homestead" have found new forever homes!  I extend a big thank you to my collectors.

"Pristine"
8" x 8"
(watercolor on aquabord)
SOLD

"Homestead"
6" x 6"
(watercolor on aquabord)
SOLD

Have a great day!

"Baby Dahlia"

"Baby Dahlia"
8" x 8"
watercolor on aquabord - unframed
opening bid:  $150
"buy now:"  $175

Click here to bid.

Yippee!  My first completed painting in 2016 is "Baby Dahlia."  The image below shows what this painting could look like framed.  Have a great day!

Thank You, Vistaprint!

desktop calendars and lined notebook

I just had a great experience with Vistaprint's customer service -- they were very helpful and accommodating on an order I had just placed (some more new merchandise for my Open Studio and online store I'm creating).  I told them I would pass along via my blog, my pleasure with their quality and service.  I use a few different online printing sources for different items and I'm definitely going to use Vistaprint more in the future.  I'm very excited!

In addition I wanted to share images of my new Vistaprint desktop calendar and a lined notebook I ordered.  I'm working out my pricing and will have these items up soon for sale.  I'll be sure to let you know.  I'm very pleased . . . I hope you like them too.

cover close-up

Thanks for popping by.

New Class!!

I think I posted this little sketch the other day before I toned down the shadows, so I'm posting it again for you to compare. 

I've been busy working on other things like bookkeeping, photographing/editing still lifes for future paintings, planning classes, learning new software programs, and making updates to my website. Some of my changes have been uploaded while others are still in the works, so I haven't gotten much painting done.  One thing that has been updated, is my "Workshops" page - both here and on my website.  (I really do have to get better about updating my site.  I was amazed at how long it's been and how outdated my info was - yeesh!)  So check out my new class, I think it's going to be fun.

It's late on Tuesday -- so I'm off to bed -- have a great night!

Life

"Life"
6" x 6"
watercolor on paper

Click here to bid - starting bid:  $45

In preparation for a much larger painting, I did this smaller version to work out some colors and techniques.  Thank you for viewing my work.

New and Stylish

blue calendar holder

"What the heck is this?" you ask -- well let me tell you!  :)  My husband and I collaborated on a little project for my Backroads Studio Tour back in October, but I never too any photos until now.  Sigh.  This is a calendar holder, fit to hold my 2014 calendars.  I have two holders still available - one in red and one in blue -- both antiqued for a slightly aged, more subdued finish.  Each one is outfitted with a vintage knob as a unique detail.  I am hoping to sell these last two holders before the holidays -- they would make a lovely gift.  Or what a great little housewarming present? I have posted them on my 2014 Calendar page.

Thank you for visiting and reading my shameless little plug.  :)  Now I'm off to paint!  (more images below).

  

red calendar holder - antique knob detail

red calendar holder - close-up

red calendar holder (calendar not included)

30 Day Challenge - Painting #8

"The Grump"
5"x 5"
watercolor on paper
SOLD

Click here to bid.

This little guy always made me laugh -- what is it that's making him so grumpy!?  I assure you this isn't a reflection of how I'm feeling about this challenge!  :)

I started the bidding at $35 for this painting. You may wonder why some of the paintings in this series are more expensive than others, given they're of similar subjects and are all the same size. I take a few things into consideration when pricing my work -- the time it takes to paint, my level of satisfaction, the subject matter, to name a few. This piece may strike a chord with someone, and so I don't want to just toss it aside without giving someone the opportunity to purchase it, (or for me to sell it), but as far as my level of satisfaction -- I experimented a little more with this one, working on some things that I wanted to try on a small scale. While all of these little paintings are helping me improve (I hope), they're allowing me to focus on particular things that I want to try out -- different colors, mixtures, techniques. Some things work and others not so much. I learned a great deal from this one, but it's just not as involved as some of the others and so I wanted the price to reflect that difference . . . same with the painting from yesterday.

Anyway . . . that's just a little insight into my pricing process for those of you who may be interested. I don't know if it's right or wrong, but it feels right to me.

Happy painting!  And I'm excited about the new FP paintings I started for next week!  :)

30 Day Challenge - Painting #2

"Farming"
5" x 5"
watercolor on paper
SOLD

Click here to bid. -- bidding begins 9/3/13

So far so good . . . I'm keeping up . . . although it's only day 2! Ha!  :)  Thanks for coming by and viewing my work.

Commission Sneak Peek

I think it's safe to show you these little snippets from my latest commission as my clients have seen it thus far.  I'm expecting to have the painting part done by today or tomorrow. The painting is a 22" x 42" acrylic on panel. A little different than watercolor, but still a water medium. The colors in these images haven't been corrected so each one may look a little off -- but you get the idea. 

I hope you have a lovely day and weekend and as always, I appreciate you stopping by to check out my blog. I'm excited to share with you the final painting all framed up.  So stay tuned . . . same bat channel . . . 

So Proud

"all together now . . ."  

Well, tonight was the last night of my watercolor workshop.  I am sooo proud of my "On the Vine" students and happy to share their paintings with you.  Look at how well they turned out.  While they are all the same subject, each one has its own style and personality.  And pretty much these are all from first time painters!  I'm so proud of "my ladies'" patience and commitment.  I mean, look at the depth on some of these tomatoes!  :)  What a great class -- thank you so much Donna, Jacqui, Joanne and June.  

Donna

Jacqui

Joanne

June

Tomato Class

Here are a couple more progress shots of the work my students are doing in my "On The Vine" workshop. Because of vacations and such, we've decided to extend the class one more week, so I'll post the finished images next week. There's one more student, but she took hers home before I had a chance to photograph it.  Aren't these looking great!?

And here's what I've begun . . . 

Lots O' News!

HALLOOOOO!!  Ever since my "hiatus" I have found myself almost getting self-conscious about posting something new -- hence the sporadic postings. Has that ever happened to you? I was feeling "blog-shy." Isn't that weird? So it's taken me some time to actually write this post. I think also, because I've been running around so much, I haven't had the time to photograph the new things I've painting and/or the progress I've made on my older paintings and because I always like to post an image with my text, I've been "afraid" to post. How dumb is that?

Well anyway . . . I decided to bite the bullet, grabbed this photo of the Hardwick Winery . . . and just . . . well . . . started writing. I'll be teaching this Sunday, May 19th, at the Winery -- you can get more information here or just email me if you're in the Massachusetts area and feel like a little Watercolor & Wine. Last month we had a LOVELY time!  You can read about it in my previous post, if you haven't already.

Also . . . I'd like to mention the wonderful time I had judging an art show at the Parish Center for the Arts in Westford, MA. Oh my goodness!! What a lovely group of people who hosted me - and what a beautiful show. I can't say enough good things about their art community . . . not to mention all their kindness and generosity . . . and food!!  :) (I was lucky enough to stay for lunch AND dinner -- so DELICIOUS!  Thank you Betty and Dick!) And many thanks to Laurie for inviting me. In case you listen to AHA (Artists Helping Artists) you will recognize the Laurie I'm referring to as Laurie G. Miller, a frequent guest hostess with Leslie Saeta. Laurie does beautiful paintings, mainly in oil. You can visit her blog here . . . (she has a great post of the show with beautiful photos) and I will be adding her to my list of inspiring artists.

Oh and one last bit of news . . . Tuesday night is the night WCVB Boston's Chronicle will be airing the  feature they shot in my hometown -- with a little snippet of me in my studio. So if you are in the New England area and can tune in . . . be sure to watch!  (I'm a little nervous!)  :)

Thanks for checking in . . . and for being so patient regarding my sporadic postings.  Think Paint!  :)

Winery Class

This post comes to you a little late as I was battling some serious stomach issues this week stemming from what was supposed to be a lovely date night with my husband. Oy!  Luckily the problems developed long after conducting the watercolor and wine tasting class at the Hardwick Winery. (And I assure you were unrelated -- "stomach issues" is not code for "helluva hangover!")   :)

It was our first event of this nature and we had a beautiful day!  My talented ladies enjoyed their wine, cheese and fruit all while working on their small paintings of one of the Winery's side doors.  Here are a couple pictures from the sunny day spent painting on the deck in our beautiful New England surroundings.  My next class is May 19th and I'm already counting down the days.

Springtime

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

(what this painting could look like framed)

Click here to bid

I finished this painting this morning . . . just in time for a winter pummeling!  Ha!  I must admit -- I got VERY frustrated with it, and actually started a new one yesterday afternoon.  I'm not really a "flower" painter -- and have a LOT to learn.  I don't know how Arena Shawn and Jacqueline Gnott and all you other flower painters do it.  It's not easy.  But I digress . . . I eventually decided to finish up the painting I had started.  I'm going to give it a gloss finish that I think will suit it.  I also wanted to show you what it could look like in a frame as I think it makes a huge difference.  Anyway . . . that's all . . . and to all my blogging friends in the Northeast -- be safe and drink some cocoa.

Here's An Idea

Elizabeth Bennett is about to receive a gift certificate from Mr. Darcy for watercolor lessons from me!!  How exciting is THAT?  Seriously, I recently received a call from a clever customer asking if they could purchase a gift certificate for private lessons.  Well, what a good idea . . . I never even thought of that!  Perhaps many of my artist friends already provide these, but if not -- here's another marketing idea.  And for anyone interested in a gift certificate towards a purchase, lessons ($25/hr) or a commissioned pet portrait, please feel free to email me.  

Ok . . . back to work now. . . so much to do before the holidays!  Thank you for stopping by.  Wishing you all a great day!

He's a Beautiful Boy!

"Virgil" (a German Short-haired Pointer)
8" x 8"
watercolor on aquabord
Sold

Virgil in his frame

So here's Virgil -- what a beautiful boy!!  He's a show dog and it's no wonder. and I'm happy to report that his mom was pleased with the painting -- (big sigh of relief).  You just never know.  I was pleased, but my feelings don't really matter so much when there's a mom out there who REALLY knows her baby boy.  :)  I spent this morning "trying on" different frames and I think I'm going to go with this one -- simple, sleek and black.  I like the contrast.  And I love this aquabord -- no need for matting or glass.  I think it has a very classic look to it.  

I'm also working on finishing up the Little People circus train painting -- just a few more tiny little details and I'm dragging my feet.  Go figure.  Then there's much cleaning and decorating to do --- gaaaaahhhh!!!  I'm kind of bad at decorating -- takes me forever to get things up, then it's about May by the time everything comes down.  Well, maybe not May, but close.  So that's my "true confession" for the day.  :)  Have a great weekend!  Thanks for coming by.

New Workshop, New Painting, New Prints and a Shameless Plug

Good grief!  How'd ya' like this post's title?  I would LOVE to share with you the painting I'm finishing but alas I can't.  It's a gift and I'm not sure if the recipient reads my posts. So to be on the safe side, I'm just going to have to wait until after Christmas. But believe me it's all I can do to contain myself . . . in fact I'm having a heck of a time keeping the secret. This is why I can never shop early: I get so excited I want to give out all my presents early.

Oh . . . and so I'm sure you're wondering why I have posted a picture of "Steam Heat." I've decided that this is going to be the subject of my next Watercolor Workshop. You can read about the specifics of this 5-week course under "workshops" located on the navigation bar above. Students can choose their own "wallpaper" and color -- so at least they will have some choice while we all tackle basically the same project.  I think it should be fun and am really looking forward to it.

At the end of January I'm also presenting a workshop at the Concord Art Association on online marketing and social media -- sharing all I know about blogging and Facebook, DPW, printed marketing materials, how to make a website, and anything else that could help artists sell their work. I'm still learning myself, as it's a very long and never-ending process, but I'm looking forward to passing along to other artists, whatever I can, including great resources I've found. I'm finding the journey into becoming a "self-employed" artist VERY challenging, but extremely exciting and rewarding. And I just love and appreciate all the online support from other artists and art-lovers (you all!) and want to share what a positive online experience I've had with others. You can read about my upcoming workshops and other shows under "news and events" on the navigation bar above.

Hmmm . . . what else . . . oh yeah, the "shameless plug" part.  I just want to remind you that I have calendars and notecards for sale -- they can make great teacher gifts and/or stocking stuffers. And I also have a few prints. So check out the nav bar above for links to these items. In fact below are four new small prints. They are $10 each (plus tax and shipping where applicable). I'll be putting them up with their specs and links for purchasing later today or tomorrow -- so keep checking back. You can always email me if you'd like to make an order.

"Fireside Chat"

"Best Friends"

"What Not To Wear"

"Nostalgia I -- First Day of School"

Sorry for the long post -- just lots to catch up on!  Thanks for visiting!