From the Field - Landscape Painting

From the Field

8 x 10 inches

acrylic on canvas

This landscape is for the Wine and Art Reception at Veasey Park in Groveland, Massachusetts this Saturday night, November 2, from 5-8pm. There will be a live band, appetizers, wine tasting, and lots of wonderful local art and artists. It's always a lot of fun - hope to see you there!

In other news, I am so pleased and honored that both my paintings "Soliloquy" and "Morning Cup" were juried in to the Newburyport Art Association's Fall Members Juried Show, Pt. 2. That show runs through the 23rd of November with an opening reception on Saturday, November 2nd from 7-9pm. Yes, they are going to have to clone me  ;-)

Shawsheen Luncheonette - Custom Painting, Building Cityscape

Shawsheen Luncheonette

8 x 6 inches

acrylic on 3/4" cradled board

Just finishing up this commission. I will be taking only a few more commissions for the holidays....please be sure to contact me asap if you are interested in any custom work for gift giving.....

Work in Progress Wednesday - Two Pears

What is on my easel today (and yes, it is Thursday):

Working on a commission....I use a monochromatic underpainting for much of my work, especially if it is large or complex. I also like to use it for many of my commissions - lets me give the customer a "preview" white it is still easy to make changes. I use the underpainting to check values and composition - and I feel like I can still easily make changes as needed a little more freely.

From this point, I start to add layers of color to the painting. I always find it exciting to watch it "come alive".

Morning Cup - Acrylic Still Life Painting with Abstract Shapes

Morning Cup

8 x 10 inches

acrylic on canvas

Working on keeping up with some deadlines......this painting is for an upcoming juried show.  It is actually a new and larger version of a small painting I did a few years ago. It's always an interesting exercise to see how differently you do things the second time - and to see how the way you work changes over a couple of years.

Work-in-Progress Wednesday will have to wait until Thursday......my camera battery needs to be charged, and a certain Red Sox World Series game is calling for my attention.......

Inspiration Monday - Fall in New England

Fall in New England can be often unpredictable, but most always breath-taking beautiful. This year is no exception.  The last two years we had heavy rains and early snows which robbed us of the full range of nature's colors, but this year has been magnificent.

This picture was from one of those absolutely beautiful perfect fall days. Lots of sun, but not hot. Color was not quite at peak, but still amazing. I took my three boys and our dog for a hike at Breakheart Reservation. It really made me wish I had a little more time this fall to get out and paint en plein air.

All too soon the snow will fly - but I am glad I have a bunch of colorful photos to get me through the grey days ahead.....

October Newsletter

My October newsletter is (finally!) available!

You can check it out here
(and there is a subscribe button in the upper left corner if you are interested in getting it in your inbox each month.)

Thanks for stopping by!

Looking Up - Small Landscape ACEO Painting, Cityscape

Looking Up

3-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

A little landscape scene of some of the signs in downtown Haverhill. I always seem to go back to the signs! This little painting will be going to Positive Images Gallery in Haverhill in a few weeks with a few other Haverhill cityscapes.

Interested in a cityscape of your own? I've had people request paintings of favorite signs, favorite places, special locations.....I will be taking holiday orders for only a few more weeks, so contact me soon if you are interested!

Fallen Leaves - Small ACEO Painting for Autumn Decor

Fallen Leaves 4

2-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

Another autumn leaf....this one from one of the beautiful oaks in my yard. This has been a very colorful fall - the weather has been perfect! The last few years the color hasn't been quite so brilliant - we'd get too cold too fast (or even snow while the leaves were still on the trees) or so much wind and rain that the leaves would all fall early. This year the color has been amazing.....and it makes me want to keep right on painting these leaves!

Like the other paintings in this series, this is spot varnished on the painted parts only. It is available for sale here.

Finishing Up....

Finishing up this commission.....it's 12 x 16 inches, acrylic on 1-1/2" gallery wrapped canvas.

And a reminder - original art makes a great gift! If you are interested in commissioning a painting for yourself or someone you love, please get your requests in soon! I only have a few holiday slots left.

Fallen Leaves - Small Painting, ACEO Original

Fallen Leaves 3

2-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

available here

Another one in my popular Fallen Leaves Series. I actually started this series last year (under a different name) but decided to continue them this year.

It seems every time I take my dog for a walk, I pick up a few more beautiful leaves that I want to paint. Sometimes it is the color, sometimes the shape, but something makes me pick up certain ones. I love the simplicity of the colorful leaf with its shadow on a stark white background. I spot varnish the painting of the leaf itself, so it really pops.

This painting is available now on my blog, and in a few days it will be on my Etsy shop with a few options. Because Etsy now allows listing variations, I am going to try listing these with the options of being unframed, matted to 5 x 7, or matted and framed in a 5 x 7 black metal gallery frame. We shall see how people like them best!

Patience - Small Still Life Painting on Canvas Food Art

Patience

4 x 4 inches

acrylic on 3/4" canvas

I had fun with this little grouping. I need to get back to painting more food!  ;-) Oh, so many things to paint, so little time.

Here are the three pieces together:

And they headed over to West Village Provisions today with a few Fall themed pieces.

I am working on getting my first newsletter together! I hope to do a monthly thing,  but if you know me, it'll probably be more like every other month. If you are interested in getting my first one in your inbox sometime soon (I hope!), you can sign up here.

You Belong - Small Still Life of Pepper Kitchen Art

You Belong

4 x 4 inches

acrylic on 3/4" canvas

More food....love pairing the colorful fruit and veggies with my collection of colorful dinnerware. I may have to try a series of larger ones with a patterned background. Hmmm......

No work on the easel today for Work in Progress Wednesday, except for a commission I can't share quite yet. More to come soon!

This little painting, along with the one from yesterday, will be available at West Village Provisions in West Boxford, Massachusetts later this week!

You Belong - $35 + $3 shipping in the US

(please contact me for international shipping)

Second Skin - Small Still Life Painting Food Art SOLD

Second Skin

4 x 4 inches

acrylic on 3/4" canvas
SOLD

The local apples have been really wonderful this year. It will make me very sad when I have to go back to supermarket apples. While we never actually made it out to pick apples this fall, I have been buying plenty from the local farm and farmers' markets. I think the honeycrisps have been the favorite around here this year, though the macouns and cortlands have been really good, too.

This fruit-y painting will be available at West Village Provisions later this week!

Inspiration Monday - Local Food

The local Farmer's Markets are winding down for the season...making me very sad.
Some of the markets continue through the winter on a limited schedule, using mainly crafts and prepared foods to keep people coming. But this is really getting to the end of the local produce for the year here in New England.

This year I pledged to myself to buy as much as possible locally throughout the growing season. I have been a frequent visitor to nearby Farmers' Markets and local farms. I have discovered a few new farmstands. I  have been buying mostly local milk, eggs and bread as well. It has been a wonderful experience - I've even gotten the kids to try a few new things! I plan to continue for as long as the apples and squashes hold out - and definitely plan to resume the challenge next year.

In the meanwhile, I will  be working on a few new fruit and veggie paintings.....

Spectrum - Still Life Painting

Spectrum

6 x 6 inches

acrylic on gessobord panel

Playing around with some glass and colored liquids......

This is one of those paintings where I had an idea in my head,but it didn't quite workout as I had envisioned. I may still play a little with this one, but I need it for a deadline, so we will see.

Work in Progress Wednesday

Just a section from what is on my easel......

What do you think? Can you tell what it is?

I'm still not convinced this one will see the light of day...not quite sure how it will come together.

I'm also working on three commissions right now - one almost finished, one in the sketching stage and one getting its monochromatic underpainting.

I work out of my home while the kids are at school, and when I do still lifes, I frequently set them up on a tray and move them around the house following the light. Today I worked right up until the time I had to run out the door to pick up the kids. I think my kids have gotten accustomed to having a mom who is an artist.....when I went around to pick up things after everyone was in bed, I realized that no one had moved - or even mentioned - the pile of pears on a wooden block right in the middle of the living room where the kids had spent the afternoon playing!

Grateful Gourd - Small Autumn Still Life Painting

Grateful Gourd

2-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches

acrylic on board

available here

A little touch of fall for the first day of October!
Sneaking in a few little ones while I am working on larger projects....