Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Save Me A Seat


I'm thrilled to be included in a fund raising art auction for the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor, Maine. The MDM is the largest children's museum north of Boston and offers a wide range of programs for students and teachers statewide. The museum is a valuable resource that supports teachers with active hands on experiences for their students, encouraging creativity and exploration.
For this year's event called "Save me a Seat", they have chosen the chair as the "canvas" for artistic expression. Each artist is asked to transform a chair of their choice(or one will be provided by the museum) into a work of art going to the highest bidder at the fall '08 auction in November. All proceeds go to scholarship admissions and the museum's operating costs.
There are so many possibilities for chairs and my mind has been conjuring up all kinds of ideas for such an interesting project...I'll keep you posted once the chair has been chosen..
This painting is done in casein and available for purchase...was this image a harbinger of things to come ..?

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Portland's West End Neighborhood

This winter scene is one of Portland's(Maine that is)West End neighborhood where quaint streets are lined with the oldest buildings in the city. Seen here are a few brick Federal and Greek revival styles mixed in with later 19th century homes. I love this area which has had a resurgence in popularity among the city's young hip professionals who are moving in and bringing the buildings back to their glory. This street is just off of Danforth.
I painted this with casein paints on a gallery wrap canvas. Gallery wrap is interesting to work with because when all edges are painted(thank you Maggie) the work can be hung without a frame.
I scared myself initially when the alizaron crimson and purple for the brick buildings went on but there are so many gray hues elsewhere it works.
Everything except the snow in this is very linear...the windows, doors, roof lines and fences.....This painting was really fun to do..
There will be more paintings of Portland coming soon..

Friday, February 1, 2008

The Cob in Winter

Several years ago I decided to get out of horse ownership. It wasn't an easy decision but it was the right one for me. Regardless....I'll always love horses and cherish my memories of the great experiences we had together. Unfortunately there are few photos of my horses that are suitable for reference in my art work( we didn't have a digital camera then)...so, I rely on my horsey friends to get good shots of their wonderful equine companions to paint.
The photo of this Welsh Cob mare reminds me so much of the winters here with my own mares. Their coats became thick and woolly in preparation for our notoriously long cold season in Maine. The luxurious fur fluffed out on especially cold days and it was such a treat to bury my face in their soft warm necks...in my mind I can still smell the hay and fresh clean scent of them...
This is a 10x12 pastel on terra cotta Colourfix paper(what else!)..Available for purchase as well..