Monday, August 17, 2015

FIFTY Paintings of FIFTY STATES!

Michigan   
New York

My project over the last six years is complete. I painted a plein air pastel painting - on location - in every state. One early watercolor was grandfathered in because it was my first of a long tradition of looking for funky, homey, beautiful American scenes to paint while I sat outside in Beach Haven, NJ with a line of fishermen's shacks in front of me. Some of those flowers were plastic as I recall.
New Jersey

Wyoming


California

 I look forward to exhibiting selections of the project. I am in the phase of looking at venues to show these relatively small pastels.

Idaho
 The place that you can look at all of them right now is here. Please read my brief travelogue of ups and downs and faux pas along the way. Travel is always amusing, at least. Then let me know of your travels, art work, etc.

Vermont
Ohio
Pennsylvania

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Garden Watercolors

Camassia and Tulips
(SOLD - inquire about similar work)
I am all about my garden at this time of year and am painting some small (4" x 10") watercolors in it...of it.

Hate to tear myself away, but Alaska calls...and Oregon and Washington.  When I return I hope I can see the 36" tall poppy heads over the weeds...and I am dreaming of the fabulous roses of the northwest...and the Cascade Mountains, Columbia River, Kenai Peninsula, and midnight sun.   These are the last 3 states for my Fifty State Plein Air Painting Project 
which you may have heard me mention...a few thousand times...over the last 7 years...yes? 

Tell me about your trips, garden, paintings, dogs or plans. (bunions, bad knees, periodontists...no thanks).    North to the Future!

See side bar for the exhibit at Butternut of Garden art work .

Monday, May 18, 2015

FOCUS!

Highlights of my week (and it was a wonderful one):

Spent Mothers' Day helping my daughter at her booth in SOWA Fine Arts Market in Boston. Yes, it was crowded and hot but we braved it together and anticipated a great get-away week to follow. Mothers Day is good, but I will always turn it into a week if I can.  (Zoe's Etsy shop...new things!)

my pen and ink sketch in Arnold Arboretum

We walked all over Back Bay/ South End; ate some very nice food (Barcelona); visited Arnold Arboretum at the height of lilac season; took in Hokusai show at Museum of Fine Arts; drank coffee at the Buttery; and did just what we wanted to. Then headed up to Portsmouth for some fresh clean salt air and more food - Black Truffle - paella to die for with fiddleheads, asparagus, shrimp and chorizo. 


Finally I returned home to the good news that my charcoal drawing of Woman in Big Hat had won an award in focus juried exhibit at Butternut Gallery in Montrose, PA. Saturday night opening was a hard one for me to miss. Yes, I do miss my friends and artists in NE Pennsylvania. Maybe you missed it, too? Maybe you over-indulged in a little too much chocolate and wine? You can still see all the ART...go before focus closes on June 7.  regular gallery hours: Thursday-Saturday 11am-5pm. 570-278-4011. 


 Write and tell me what I missed...and any other news you have. I will gladly send you my photo of Charley Parker flying.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Still Drawing Daily

Now I'm working out of two sketchbooks; a Moleskine and a Strathmore watercolor,  both 5.5 x 8 inches, but with different orientations. I am posting some of them below including one from the "unfinished and/or abandoned or total failure" category.

Most of us experience different levels of inspiration at different times or days. When I committed (on January first 2015) to drawing daily I knew there would be some duds. I do not dwell on those, but I usually let them live in (besmirch) my sketchbooks. The ebb and flow of inspiration is quite apparent when you do not have any days off...or pages ripped out.

 


The three sketches above were all done with a combination of Lamy fountain pen, Copic marker and transparent watercolor. Lamy pens are clog-free due largely to their use of water-soluble ink. This can be worked with and I went from the first drawing which was a total surprise to me...to more control and forethought by the third one. It has a unique look.





The three above, are watercolor, no ink.



 There is something to be learned from this sketch of the Connecticut River bank and Brattleboro;
1. Try to plan your time so you can finish in one sitting on location. At the very least, get enough down on paper so you can complete later and not lose the feeling of the day. 
2. Avoid putting a boring object in the foreground (never draw another patio heater?). 
3. Quit only when you have clearly lost the game! 

How have you been surviving this long winter into spring? (Or, to quote the parking meter attendant..."sprinter"; the season just before MUD in Vermont.)
Let me know what you have been doing, painting, writing, traveling, seeing.



Saturday, April 04, 2015

The Garden Pool


A new pastel painting that I just sent to Butternut Gallery and Second Story Books,  Montrose, PA. This 8 x 10 nocturne is priced to sell. Four other new paintings, too. Hope you will stop in to have a look at all their exhibits, this year. The original art, gifts and well-chosen books make it a Northeastern Pennsylvania hidden treasure.


Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Sketching/Drawing




 4am....why am I the only one up?









This year I have done a drawing/sketch every day. I look forward to it. It is my time to do what I want. I've been inspired and UN-inspired....in that case, I draw anyway...it is only paper. Un-inspired often turns into something when you actually put pen to paper. Good to know that I actually can keep one New Years resolution (for 7 weeks, so far)!

Drawing is my attempt to control the chaos...for a little while. It is also how I learn things; the number of petals on a blossom, the infinite shapes humans take, the glorious and kooky hats worn by Vermonters in winter. Of course drawings go much deeper than that...there are scars and kisses and mysterious amazing tattoos and musicians' fingers and gardeners' souls to look at.

A lot of time is spent looking at the drawings of other artists, which I often find more interesting than the paintings they were done in preparation for. Smudges and erasures and start-overs; all unique and unguarded. My fave time waster is Urban Sketchers...traveling the world through sketchbooks.

Happy Mardi Gras to all! Let me know what You are doing, ok? I am also working on new pastel paintings to be posted in future post.




Saturday, January 03, 2015

Bench with Boxwoods

WISHES; Happy New Year! I hope you are feeling hopeful and curious and ready to give it another go. I spent New Years' Day drawing with my sketch group. It was auspicious and I look forward to many Thursday afternoons sketching and catching up with my drawing friends.


HOPES: This year I look forward to making a few paintings; looking at art; seeing my daughter and son in law move in to their new home (with basic amenities).

DREAMS: Are you sitting down? My husband is joining me on a summer trip to Alaska....the only state I have never visited and one of three to go on the Fifty State Plein Air Painting Project. I intend to exhibit a selection of the 50 state paintings.

I wish you a year of doing what you want, health, hope and prosperity. Please tell me what you are up to...I'm losing patience with FB.

The above painting, Bench with Boxwoods, was never published here in it's final finished version and now it is SOLD. So long......make someone happy.




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