Monday, March 23, 2009

Spring in Maine



It was blustery and cold today. I can still walk on top of the snow but see bare patches of ground popping through everywhere. On warm days our driveway is like a mud pit..sucks the boots right off your feet. This back and forth season is typical of spring in Maine. Someday soon it will be summer..the change is that quick.


Today is Gracie's last day with us. She goes home to her real family and Koda will be missing her for sure. We, on the other hand, will not miss having a dog, who feels like a 35lb sack of potatoes wedged between us, sleeping on our bed. I posted an ablum on Facebook of the two playing together..real buds.


My website has been updated with new work from the past few months as older work has been sold and gone to good homes. There is a new photo of me on the artist page. (No..it's not Martha Stewart)


I'm coordinating a member show for the Union of Maine Visual Artists in May. It's going to be a great exhibit..so many talented artists in this group. Information about the show will appear here as time draws closer.


In the mean time I'll be working on new paintings for the show and they'll be posted here as well.

The last blog didn't get sent out..don't know what happened there, but scroll down to read it if you have time.


This is a pastel painting called "Keep to the Right" and is a road not far from here. Right now the field is covered in snow, but soon..it will be just like this.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Silver Moon

I hesitated to put this image on my blog. An artist needs to show consistency in her work and this is very differnet from my ususal style. It's one of my first casein paintings and is a portrait of my Tennesse Walker mare Reggie. She often had a far away look in her eyes...who knows what she was thinking. I always wondered and hoped it wasn't a sadness or longing for something. Guess that's what I was trying express here.
Experimentation with materials, application methods and subject matter are integral to my creative process. The image is mysterious but simple and expressed what I saw in her. It sold quickly so it must have touched a chord with the buyer too.
Maybe there's a lesson in this...
By the way..the reception at the cabaret went very well. One of my favorite paintings sold. Peculiar feeling though..I'm at once thrilled that someone loves it enough to buy it..but tinged with melancholy that I won't see it again.....kind of like what's in this painting.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Artist Reception

This weekend on Sunday, the Freeport Cabaret will be hosting a reception for me between 2-4! I'm very excited about this event because the cabaret is a popular place for fine wine, food and great music in the Freeport area. I've invited alot of people including family, friends and collectors so I hope that everyone will come and enjoy the party. There will be live music as well..piano played by "Flash" Allen! www.freeportcabaret.com
This painting is of a distant view in Aroostook County, Maine...way up country and very rural. The area was known for its large potato farms years ago but has fallen on hard times. When we were at this road intersection we decided not to make the 11 mile drive to Quimby because the sun was going down and we had a schedule. I'll always regret our decision because the soft light lent a mystical look to the distant hills....maybe we'll go back some day to see that little village.
The sky colors and cloud shapes were so unusual that evening..this is watercolor 4.5 x10 and it's part of the 21 paintings in the show.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Afterthoughts


In a recent blog I mentioned that time away from a painting has a way of making one see things from a fresher stand point.
The door frame in the original painting was too bright and distracting ..I wanted it toned down to a warm gray so a mixture of cerulean blue, naples yellow and cadmium orange was scumbled across it. Titanium white was added to lighten it. .. more yellow or orange on areas of reflected light.
The original orange base proved to be helpful and peaks through the final layer. I didn't want a solid color..a broken surface keeps the eye moving.
The wall partition behind the plant needed adjustment on the end..that was cooled down too and helps to keep the focus where it should be ..on the main subject.
Some of the colors are slightly softer in reality..this photo was taken with a flash..
I just gessoed some hard panel boards in preparation for the next few paintings....There's something I always wanted try..

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Just Thinkin'


I've been focused on Koda as my subject for the past several studies and small paintings. Some of those will be used for larger paintings but I've come to a point where some ruminating has to take place before those happen. This last(for now anyway), painting of Koda, was finished late last night. I was inspired by a Wyeth watercolor of his dog Nell called "The Kass'. Wyeth's painting is very simple but so poignant..Nell is lying on the floor in front of an imposing Pennsylvania Dutch armoire called a Kass that was given to Wyeth as a gift from a grateful client. Sunlight pours in bathing Nell and just hitting the elegant carved details of the cabinet. My house is less grand but this scene of our great room was just right.
This is 11 x 14 casein on Jack Richeson pastel board.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

This Is Mine


I couldn't believe my luck when I saw the photo of Koda used for this painting. The picture was taken about a week ago. I clicked away on the digital as she raced around almost running me over with her beloved soccer ball. The ferocious look in her eyes, the weird angle of her tail, and the flying ears just cracked me up. I dare you to catch her when she has this ball! NO CAN DO!..The only way to get her is to wear her out..which wears me out!
This is 5 x7 casein on heavy card stock with terra cotta Colourfix primer as an undercoat..love the stuff..the dog too.