Autumn Sun-Sebago Farm

The more I paint the more I realize how much my experiences and environment influence my work. This is the best way to describe the subjects that end up in my paintings.

While on a short day trip with my husband, who is a real estate broker and was headed to an appraisal, we passed this grand old farm in the town of Sebago.

It was a fine Autumn day and the brilliant overhead sun cast strong shadows everywhere.

The connected buildings are typical in Maine and were designed to make farm work easier during our long, cold winters. Farmers could move from living space to the barns to care for their stock without exposure to the harsh elements. I love the way the buildings hunker into the ground and settle as time passes.

The lack of detail caused by this kind of sunlight intrigued me so we stopped to take photos for future painting reference.

The maple tree had lost most of it's leaves but those remaining were so bright that they provided reflected light near the house. I find it sad to see beautiful farms like this one not working anymore but the ingenuity of it's design remains as a testiment to the people who lived and worked it years ago..

Acrylic and casein. 12 x 14

Old Shoe

Arctic air has slipped into Maine and that means we have to face the fact that winter is just around the corner. It's not such a bad thing especially for a painter like me who loves to work in a nice warm studio as I did tonight .

Anyway..now that it's getting colder and all the "people from away" have hightailed it back to the city we Mainers have a chance to enjoy the scenery again..without getting stuck in lines of traffic, and fighting crowds everywhere. The light now is very intriguing too and casts a rosy glow with long shadows in the afternoon. Compound that atmospheric phenomenon with deserted summer homes and cottages and I find great subjects to paint.

This neat little place is on a favorite lake of ours and caught my eye while Steve and I were headed to one of his real estate jobs. I love the roof shape, the tidiness of it and the trees. Even the propane tanks provided inspiration with dappled sunlight hitting them just so. There was an old sneaker laying in the sand in front of the cottage..but I chose not to paint it. The deep snow will cover and protect it and it'll probably be there next summer when the owners come back, just like the old cottage.

This is acrylic 12 x 15

Gone to the Dogs

Every year the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor puts on a big auction and gala to help raise funds for their great children's museum. This year they provided artists with a neat wooden storage container that is 24 inches high, has a lid and is suitable for all kinds of things. I'm a little late with mine but finished just in time for the auction and dinner which will be held Nov. 6. at the Bangor Hilton. Preview is at 5, then at 5:30 the fun begins with the "Not So Silent" Auction and a scrumptious 4 course dinner at 7.. Tickets are $50 a person with RSVP by October 29th. For more info click onto http://www.mainediscoverymuseum.org/ . While on their site be sure to check out the fabulous containers painted by all the other Maine artists who participated ..their versions blow me away!

There are so many dog lovers out there that I thought this theme would have broad appeal...4 very different dogs, doing 4 different things...

"Home Grown" Exhibition

I'm happy to be participating in Skyline Farm and Carriage Museum's Annual Fall Art Show that is coming up right away. The 2010 show is titled, "Home Grown" and features painters, photographers, sculptors and craftspeople from the great state of Maine. As an added bonus Skyline Farm is collaborating with Chef Jeff Landry of the 'Farmer’s Table' restaurant in Portland. He is generously giving his time and talent to present a fabulous Harvest Dinner in the Skyline Farm Museum Exhibition Hall. Jeff will be preparing a feast of foods harvested within 25 miles of the farm. Jeff Landry arrived on the Portland dining scene when he opened the popular restaurant ‘Cinque Terre’ where he served as Executive Chef. He has also served as Executive Chef at ‘Eve’s at the Garden’ at the Portland Harbor Hotel and had a long relationship with the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport. Jeff is dedicated to serving local, organically-produced meals at the 'Farmer's Table' and in 2006, he was awarded Maine’s "Chef of the Year" by the Maine Restaurant Association. He's been actively involved in fund raisers for “Share the Strength”, a nonprofit organization which strives to end childhood hunger. As you can tell from this brief bio, Jeff is a very generous and talented person who believes in giving back to the community. The menu looks scrumptious and will feature mead, beer, wine, artisan cheeses, organic meat, poultry and fresh vegetables made or grown in Maine.
Some of the victual providers will be on hand to talk about their locally made products.

The Fine Art & Crafts Show will be on view the evening of the dinner on September 25, but the artist opening reception is October 2 from 5-7. Throughout the show, which ends on Dec. 4, many weekends will feature artisan demonstrations, a class or two, and guest musicians!

Stop in to meet the artists and see what Maine has to offer. There will be a silent auction of donated items to bid on as well...just in time for your holiday entertaining or gift giving. For more info http://www.skylinefarm.org/

"The Green Monster" is one of several paintings I'll be putting in the show. 20 x 20 pastel on prepared archival foam core. I hope to see you there!

The gift of sight

This is for my artist friend Gerry Merriman. Gerry and I met while I was managing a small shop in Kennebunk one summer several years ago. Her sister Jane worked in the office of a survey company in the same building and she stopped in one day to tell me that her sister was an artist and made 'flower paintings'. Jane said her sister Gerry was a very prolific painter...with flowers, that is, and that she had hundreds of images of portraits, figures, landscapes, still lifes, ........all comprised of flower petals, leaves, stems, buds etc. She wondered if I would take some for the shop.
Jane mentioned that Gerry had diabetes since she was 12 and because of that had related health issues but continued to paint and create regardless. Needless to say I wanted to meet her and see her work.
Gerry came in the next day and we hit it off immediately! Gerry is vivacious, funny and passionate about her work. Her astonishing portfolio literally consists of book after book of her flower paintings...hundreds of beautiful works. The originals are small...done on 5 x 7 card stock. When finished they are photoed and printed on archival papers. Most images are enlarged to 8 x 10..some are much larger. I own about 10 from notecard size to poster. The images become even more powerful the bigger they are.
Gerry was on the verge of loosing her sight because of diabetes but she received a series of new laser treatments that prevented that from happening. Her short compelling testimony is on the link provided here..and also some of her work. http://wods.radio.com/2010/06/14/mass-eye-ear-patient-testimonials-gerry/
I am so grateful for the special care she's received and look forward to seeing many new 'flower paintings'.

Brick Store Museum

Today was a glorious day here in southern Maine weather wise. No way was I staying inside to do chores or anything else! My husband had a real estate closing(Yay Steve!) in Kennebunk so I decided to tag along for the ride. Kennebunk's Main St. is still a charming little village area dotted with locally owned shops and businesses, so while Steve took care of business I took a walk. After browsing through a lovely beautique filled with stunning garden and home accessories(I wanted one of everything) I headed up to The Brick Store Museum a few blocks away. The Pastel Painters of Maine 11th International Juried Show will be exhibited there from May 22-June 13 and I wanted to check out the gallery space. I introduced myself to two staff members who just happened to be clearing out for the PPoM exhibition. They were excited about the show coming into the museum which is turning over three rooms for the 60 pastel paintings from all over the US. I'm thrilled to be included in this year's show too!

I wandered through some of the permanent collection and then headed outside to enjoy the garden behind the museum. Spurred on and inspired by a group of plein air painters on my Facebook page (you know who you are)I decided to bring my sketchbook with me just in case...
Steve's meeting would end soon so I drew quickly. The private garden is tucked behind the three connected museum buildings offering visitors a place of rest and contemplation away from busy Main St. I sketched these original old windows and shutters because I liked the shapes and cast shadows.

I'll post one more announcement about the show just before it opens with a reception May 22 4-6 p.m at the museum.

For more info about PPoM and the show http://www.pastelpaintersofmaine.com/

Denzel

This is one of my first pastel portraits and was done in 1997....13 years ago. Denzel was a Hanovarian- Thoroughbred cross owned by a woman whom I worked for and I did this in exchange for some riding lessons. I think I got the better deal in the arrangement. Denzel's owner Carol, is a superb horsewoman and a very good teacher. I made some breakthroughs while riding for her that I will always remember. Carol specializes in Dressage and still runs her training and breeding facility in a neighboring town. It was inspiring to watch her ride(awesome in fact) and I stopped many times while doing barn chores to catch her during schooling sessions. She had a retired thoroughbred named Gulliver who had competed at Grand Prix level(Olympic) in Germany. "Gully" as he was known, was aged and arthritic but he really loved his job and would perform upper level movements, at the ripe old age of 27, for Carol, that astonished everyone. Carol used Gully as a schooling horse and I can tell you he scared the pants off me a few times during my lessons...he was a master.

It's always interesting to go back and look over past work to see if there is progress in my painting. Just like riding, there are breakthroughs, plateaus and "Gullys".