Spring Travels through Maine

While a possible snowstorm heads it's way to our neck of the woods we'll count our blessings and enjoy the bright sunshine of the past few days..Take'em while you can is our motto!

Winter still has a small grip..but it's weakening and spring is definitely on the way.

Steve had a property to show near the New Hampshire border on tuesday so I went along for some photos of the region....and lunch.

We drove into Rochester, New Hampshire, for a quick bite and stopped on the way back for photos in the pretty village of Alfred and a few other places. The light was perfect for cool shadows and reflected sun. This antique shop's windows are packed with old books and intriguing pieces..we'll have to go back and check it out another time. The mansard roof and dormers remind me of a big fancy victorian hat. The steeple located on Main Street in Rochester stood majestic with the wispy airbrushed looking clouds behind it. New England is still a beautiful place even after a miserable winter.

So many scenes to paint..time just flies...

Painting a Day-or every other day

The Painting a Day has turned into more like a painting every other day but I'm satisfied. I've done more paintings this month than usual and it's been a challenge to get myself up to the studio after working all day.

This little study is of a summer field next to the Basin Recreation Area in Evans Notch..located right on the Maine New Hampshire border. The sky was breathtaking that day...so blue and wonderful cloud formations.

We love this region and go there often. There's a National Park campground that looks inviting too.

The campsites are private and wooded..with hot showers and a small lake nearby. Hiking trails, kayaking and sitting by a fire at night sounds pretty inviting right now.

5 x7 acrylic and available for $75 including shipping.

Painting a Day-Puddy in the Leaves

This fellow's name was "Puddy". He was a big beautiful cat owned by a friend. I used a wonderful photo supplied by her for this portrait study of him walking through the leaves. She has a good eye for photography. The view of him from above and texture of the leafy matter around him made for an interesting perspective and contrast in textures. There was a pretty maple leaf sitting on his back in the shot but it might've drawn too much attention from the main subject so I left it out. I have another photo to work from for a second study and will try that too. This one is for MJ and I hope it brings back fond memories of this special family companion.

Painting a Day-Alburquerque, N.M.

This great classic car was parked on a shady side of the street in the Old Plaza of Alburquerque, when we were there last summer. It was in super condition and drew a lot of attention. I loved the front grill and visor over the windshield. That visor is a real nice feature to have on a car in a places like the Southwest where the sun is intense. It was 113 the day we drove into Tempe, Arizona, and that was a little overwhelming for New Englanders like us, but we found a sweet hotel with a nice refreshing pool and free drinks..that made it easier to take.
The grill on this car kind of looks like a smiling face to me...very welcoming I thought.
We traveled on some sections of Old Route 66.
It isn't at all like it used to be but I'd like to go back to this region some day...
This is called, " A Friendly Face in Alburquerque", acrylic 5 x7
My husband might not let me sell this one.

A scene from lake side in Jefferson Maine last summer. My son and his family rented a cozy little cottage for a week and the weather was fabulous the entire time. They invited us for a cookout that included a boat ride down the entire length of the lake which is about 9 miles.

This region is just a short ride from busy Route One but often overlooked by out of staters.

We love sitting by the campfire on a summer evening and watching the sun go down..just listening to the water gently splash on shore. There's nothing like a few toasted marshmellows to round off a good barbeque.

Acrylic 5 x7. Available for sale.

Painting a Day - Portrait of Steve

This is my husband Steve. He was sitting on a bench at the top of a mountain in New Hampshire during one of our short vacations when I took this great photo. We had just received news that our brother in law had died unexpectedly and our moods had turned somber. The White Mountains are a region we head to frequently to recharge our batteries. The natural beauty of this National Park always puts things in perpective for us so we couldn't have been in a better place to process this tragedy.

Steve thinks I flatter him here..not so. I hope his strength and character come through in this study even a little. He's been knocked down pretty hard by a rare auto immune disease and bounces back every time it hits. On this fine day, with the warm sun on our backs and a breathtaking view of the valley and mountain range stretched before us..we were feeling pretty lucky....

Painting a Day- Dusk in Bristol

I painted this small study of sundown on a winding road in Bristol. There are more great scenes from this area near Pemaquid to paint such as New Harbor, and Chamberlain to name a few. My husband's family once owned a small cottage in that area. It would've been nice to have it now...it was right on the water.

We have dinner guests this evening so I won't post another painting for two days.

As you can see painting telephone and cable lines isn't my forte.

Acrylic 5 x7.