KO - Acrylic Painting of Vintage Neon Sign by Debbie Shirley

KO

(Saugus, Massachusetts)

16 x 12 inches

acrylic on 1-1/2" canvas

Ending the year with one last post for 2014. I've been working on a bunch of these roadside sign painting in between commissions. I will be hanging an exhibition at the Hamilton-Wenham library in early January with many of these paintings - more details to come!

And once again, I will be participating in the Fun-A-Day Project in January. A full explanation will come tomorrow - but expect to see many more signs!

Meanwhile - A Happy New Year to all!!
I sincerely thank you for all your support during 2014. Best wishes for a happy and healthy year ahead.

Frosty Ho - Small Acrylic Painting Holiday Snowman Fun

Frosty Ho

6 x 4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

Yes, it seems that "Santa Ho" had a friend....I love these little vintage push-up toys and couldn't resist painting the second one. I think I  may have one more hidden away here somewhere, but he may have to wait until next year.......

I have been super busy  - with top secret commissions, last minute holiday orders, and preparing for a big show at the start of the New Year - so I haven't been blogging much. And I will probably be pretty quiet through the end of the year, so please hang in there!

Tier Tel - Acrylic Painting of Neon Sign Roadside Motel Vintage Neon

Tier Tel

12 x 9 inches

acrylic on 1-1/2" canvas

Another view of one of my favorite local neon signs - from the Whittier Motel in Ipswich, Massachusetts. I understand that the motel has been remodeling recently - and I believe they took down the sign.

I went back into this one to re-work a bit after I thought I had finished it. I don't do that very often, but I was glad to be able to correct a few things that were bugging me!

This  piece will be available at Newbury Art Association's Winter Members Exhibition and Sale through December.

Tomato & Eggplant - Commissioned Acrylic Painting Still Life Kitchen Art

Tomato & Eggplant

10 x 10 inches

acrylic on cradled panel

SOLD

A favorite subject revisited as part of a 4 panel commission. This was a lot of fun to paint! And I enjoyed working a little larger than life. Still thinking about some REALLY big fruits & veggies. We will see.....

Santa Ho - Small Acrylic Painting for Holiday Art Santa Toy Still Life

Santa Ho

6 x 4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

How is this for a fun little painting?
I've been raiding my kids' toys lately...and I couldn't resist this guy!

This painting is part of Newburyport Art Association's Members Holiday Postcard Art Show - a great way to shop for very affordable little pieces of art for everyone on your shopping list.

AND.....
I am so excited and honored to be the Spotlight Artist on DailyPaintworks this week! You can follow the link below to read my interview and to find out how to win one of my little paintings:

DPW Spotlight Interview

Celery - Commissioned Acrylic Painting Kitchen Art

Celery

10 x 10 inches

acrylic on cradled panel 

This was the third of four panels done for a recent commission. The couple had decided on vegetables to decorate a spot in their kitchen. They picked out tomatoes and peppers from some paintings I had done previously. When the client said "celery!", I wasn't really sure how it would work out. But it was actually a lot of fun once I decided on a lay out! And with all the purples and ochres and turquoises among the greens it did a great job of pulling out other colors in the client's room. So I may end up giving celery another shot some time soon ;-)

Bride and Groom- Small Acrylic Painting Commission Classic Toy Still Life

Bride & Groom

5 x 5 inches

acrylic on cradled panel

How much fun is this?
This was a little commissioned piece for a wedding gift. It was extra fun to add some facial features from the actual couple getting married.
Interested in getting a custom creation of your own? Contact me dshirleyart@yahoo.com!

Being Thankful

The Gathering

7 x 5 inches

acrylic on gessobord panel

Happy Thanksgiving!

Being thankful.....

I am oh, so thankful this holiday season! I am thankful for family (and that I got to go home this year for Thanksgiving!). And thankful for friends and the support of other artists. And thankful for all my collectors - it is because of them that I get to do what I love every day.

And I am thankful that this little autumn-themed piece has gotten a bit of a second life lately. The Newburyport Art Association printed it on their thank you postcard that went out to artists and supporters. What fun it was to find it in my mailbox!

Mixed Pepper Painting - Acrylic Painting Still Life Kitchen Art

10 x 10 inches

acrylic on 3/4" cradled panel

And another of the panels from a recent commission. I was surprised to see how much I enjoyed working on this size panel - a year ago, 10 x 10 inches would have seemed huge! I ordered a  bunch more of these boards, so I definitely will be painting more pieces this size. I like doing fruits and vegetables at this scale - larger than life size - but not too huge. But then again, I might have to try going huge some time......

I'm baa--aack! - Painting of tomato, Still life painting kitchen art

I'm baa--aack!
Well, I never really went anywhere, but things were so crazy, that I really didn't get a chance to post recently.

One of the things I have been working on is a painting commission for 4 10x10"cradled panels - on a tight deadline, of course! Here is one of the panels:

10 x 10  inches

acrylic on 3/4" cradled panel

Getting Ready to Vote.....

Now that Election Day is over for those of us in the US, here is another chance to vote!

I will be getting together an email in the next few days giving you directions on how to vote for your favorite two "fruit paintings" from my recent collection. After I tally all the votes, the top vote-getters will become my very first set of limited edition prints! AND, one of the voters will WIN a free set of those prints!

So, what should you do?
Well, if you haven't subscribed to my newsletter yet, then please do. That is how I am going to send out the instructions on how to vote. You can sign up here:
http://eepurl.com/Jh-tv

However, if you really, really don't want to sign up, don't despair! I will post here on my blog how to vote without having to subscribe to  my newsletter.

So please.....stay tuned!

Repose - Small Still Life Painting Original Acrylic Kitchen Art Pear in a Vintage Green Bowl

Repose

4 x 4 inches

acrylic on cradled panel

This is the last of the little paintings for Fruit a Day October! It has been a lot of fun pairing up various fruit and colorful vintage tableware with the backgrounds. In the next few days, I will be giving out the information on how to vote for your favorites and enter in the drawing for free prints.

There will be more of these colorful little pieces as I experiment with various set ups. And some of them may become larger paintings as well....we will see! And, as always, if there is something particular that you would like to see me give a try, please feel free to contact me.

Whir Pool - Acrylic Painting of Vintage Roadside Motel

Whir Pool

12 x 12 inches

acrylic on canvas

In looking back over the last few weeks, I realized that I missed posting this painting!

Fern's is an old motel on Route One in Saugus. And while this is not a super old sign, it still maintains a somewhat vintage look to me. People frequently ask me why I choose the signs and buildings to paint that I do. It's hard to say exactly why. Often it is a sign that catches my eye - and most signs that I like are old and - especially - NEON!! I love vintage lettering and graphics - the new signs tend to not have as much character in my eyes.

And sometimes it just happens to be the way the light catches part of a building - the shadows created by architectural details, the shapes and colors. Once again - it is the older buildings that are more interesting to me, the sleeker new designs don't make me want to rush to get out the paints!

I can remember Fern's old sign - maybe 20 years ago? They kept the same shape of the sign - but changed the graphics and color scheme. I love the "retro" feel of the old sign with the architecture of the old motel. I'd love to so a series of painting about motels from an earlier era. And maybe a little road tripping (in the name of research, of course!).

This painting is currently hanging in the Haverhill Arts Association Exhibition currently showing at the Haverhill Public Library through the month of November.

Go On Together - Small Still Life Painting - Mini Painting for Kitchen decor

Go On Together

3 x 3 inches

acrylic on mdf panel

I've been working on some top secret commissions, so these little guys have been coming out much more slowly lately. I still plan to be ready for voting by this weekend, so stay tuned!

And speaking of commissions.....if you are thinking about purchasing a custom painting for someone special in your life for the holidays, don't delay! Contact me soon - I am booked into the beginning of December and only have a few more slots for the holidays.

Turn My Way - Small Acrylic Painting - Still Life Painting Kitchen Art

Turn My Way

4 x 4 inches

acrylic on cradled panel

Wow - crazy day!
Quite the Nor'easter here - crazy windy, tons of rain, thunder, the whole nine yards. Two of my kids actually had the day off because their schools were without power. So, this is only October - something tells me that we are going to have a tough year with snow days.....

I've been getting things ready for a couple of local shops - and I have some new calendars this year! I am putting them all together now and plan to have them up on Etsy before too long. Lots of new paintings to list in my Etsy shop as well, so I hope that you will check it out from time to time.

Free Falling - Small Acrylic Painting - Original Still Life Mini Painting for Kitchen Decor

Free Falling

3 x 3  inches

acrylic on MDF panel

This is number 12 of the 20 that I will painting for you all to vote on your favorite two. I will be experimenting with the actual print sizes this week. I am looking forward to seeing how these little prints come out!

Tight Squeeze - Mini Acrylic Painting, Small Still Life Kitchen Art by Debbie Shirley

Tight Squeeze

3 x 3 inches

acrylic on MDF panel

Just squeezing in a little lemon still life here on a late night. I've got a few commissions underway, so my posting is going to have to be a bit short for a few days!

Better Things - Mini Painting - Small Acrylic Painting of Apple Kitchen Art

Better Things

3 x 3 inches

acrylic on MDF panel

Still celebrating the end of the local apple crop. I get so spoiled by the local apples, it is months before I can even consider buying apples at the grocery store. For now, I am hoarding as many local apples as I can......

For right now, this little painting is available on my Daily Paintworks page, but soon many of the remaining little guys will be going out to some local shops and galleries.

From the Beginning - Small Acrylic Painting Kitchen Art by Debbie Shirley

From the Beginning

4 x 4 inches

acrylic on cradled panel

Some of these weekends are crazy busy with family stuff...and posting becomes really difficult when I am away from the computer all day.

At any rate, this is number 9 of the 20 you will be voting on. Almost halfway there!

And by the way, I don't think I ever posted it here, but my painting "Surplus" was accepted into the Newburyport Art Association's Fall Members Juried Show!

Surplus

16 x 12 inches

acrylic on 1-1/2" canvas

Living on the Edge - Small Acrylic Painting - Fruit Still Life for Kitchen Art

Living on the Edge

4 x 4 inches

acrylic on 3/4" cradled panel

Mmmmm, strawberries!
This is number 8 of the 20 paintings I will be doing for "Fruit A Day October". It is going to be interesting to see how people vote!

Hide Away - Small Still Life Painting - Original Acrylic Art for the Kitchen

Hide Away

3 x 3 inches

acrylic on MDF panel

One of my favorite things about fall in New England - besides pumpkin EVERYTHING (yes, I am one of THOSE people!)  - the wonderful local apples.

This was a tough apple year after a pretty incredible one last year. Apple picking season was very short - but the apples themselves have been extra sweet. I love trying all the different varieties that the local farms have to offer.

Back Around - Small Still Life Painting - Original Acrylic Kitchen Art by Debbie Shirley

Back Around

3 x 3 inches

acrylic on MDF panel

available here

Little cherry tomatoes! So sweet - and so fun to paint  ;-)

This is the 6th painting for "Fruit a Day October". Do you have any favorites yet? Stay tuned.....14 more to come!

And if you haven't signed up yet for my newsletter - you can right here.

In a Round - Small Still Life Painting - Original Acrylic Kitchen Art

In a Round

3 x 3 inches

acrylic on MDF panel

Well, after a very active weekend, I managed to fall asleep last night before I posted the painting for the day. So here is the next one - and don't worry, I will post all 20 before I ask you to vote!!

The original painting is available here.

Slanted - Small Acrylic Painting, Colorful Small Still Life with Pear Kitchen Art

Slanted

3 x 3 inches

acrylic on MDF panel

Lovely pears - always fun to paint with their interesting shapes and subtle colors. I'm thinking that another trip to the farmers' market is needed to find what other produce is now in season!

Don't forget this is Fruit A Day October.....and I will be asking you to vote for a favorite later this month.

Summer Ripe - Acrylic Mini Painting, Colorful Kitchen Art

Summer Ripe

3 x 3 inches

acrylic on MDF panel

Tomatoes....stripes....how could it go wrong?! I like using these little pieces to experiment a little with  layout and color and pattern. I seem to be having a thing for the stripes lately. Maybe I need to make a stop to shop for some new background patterns soon! Keep in mind that I will be asking you to vote for two favorites later this month.

I've been working on a number of other pieces lately, too, lots of shows to try to enter this time of year. The piece below - "Owl Cigar" was in Newburyport Art Association's "In & Around  Newburyport" exhibition. I was very pleased to find out that it won the "Viewers Choice Award"!

Owl Cigar

14 x 11

acrylic on 1-1/2" canvas

On the Dot - Small Acrylic Painting, Kitchen Art, Tomato Still Life

On the Dot

3 x 3 inches

acrylic on 1/2" MDF board

SOLD

Day 2 of my Fruit A Day October! This little piece already sold.......but if it is a top vote-getter, you maybe able to win a  print!

Have you signed up for my newsletter yet? Well, what are you waiting for?!! You can sign up here:
http://eepurl.com/Jh-tv

On the Edge - Mini Acrylic Painting, Small Still Life, Kitchen Art by Debbie Shirley

On the Edge

3x3 inches

acrylic on panel

Love these little MDF panels!  They make the cutest little paintings - thick enough to stand on their own, but also hang great on the wall. This colorful little piece is available for purchase here.

This is the first day of my "Fruit a Day" October. Stay tuned for 20 little fruit paintings -then help me pick which ones will be made into a set of limited edition prints by voting for your favorites later this month. More to come!

Yin and Yang - Small Acrylic Still Life Painting, Gourds for Autumn Decor

Yin and Yang

5 x 7 inches

acrylic on gessobord panel

I know, I totally fell behind on posting for the 30 Day Painting Challenge. Never fear! I am giving myself a new challenge for October - and there is a challenge in there for you, too!

First off, I couldn't resist these little lumpy little gourds for a seasonal still life. Too much fun to paint!
This painting will be heading to Sage Art Gallery for their October exhibit. If you are interested in purchasing the painting, it will be available through by DailyPaintworks page.

Now for next month....just a little teaser. I will be calling it "Fruit a Day October". For the first 20 days of these month, I will be painting and posting one of my little square colorful kitchen art pieces. Now for the exciting twist.....I plan to start offering a small number of limited edition prints! These prints will be available in sets of four in the beginning. For the first release, the set will be made from these kitchen art pieces. What I will be asking you all to do is to take a look at the 20 paintings that I post this month and vote for your favorite two. The top four vote-getters will become the images for the first set of prints. And one of the voters will win a set of the prints for themselves!

Fun, right? More details coming soon......

Johnson's Farm - Small ACEO Painting of Raspberries

Johnson's Farm

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

acrylic on watercolor paper

SOLD

Well, since I had the blueberries and strawberries going, I had to add some raspberries. This one sold as soon as I got it into the frame  ;-)
I enjoy doing these little botanical pieces....maybe a few more in the future? What do you think?

By the way, the title is kind of an obscure reference to Prince's "Raspberry Beret". I couldn't resist!

Living is Easy - ACEO Painting, Small Strawberry Painting

Living is Easy

2-1/2 x 3-1.2 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

Some strawberries to go with yesterday's blueberries....and yes, I couldn't get "Strawberry Fields" out of my head while I painted this one.....

Available soon in my Etsy Shop.

Touch of Blue - Small ACEO Painting, Botanical Art Blueberries

Touch of Blue

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

acrylic on watercolor paper

Yes, it seems like I totally bailed on the 30 Paintings in 30 Day Challenge!
But, quite honestly, the paintings have been getting done, and I just have not had the time to post them. One festival after another - and some tight deadlines as well - had led to some crazy busy days (and nights!) lately. Still - lots of painting getting done, just not much computer time to post it all.

The last outdoor festival for me for the season was this past weekend. Every weekend this month has been filled with art-related fairs and other venues, but now I will slow down a bit as my kids' schedules get busier - and I start to prepare for the holiday (!) craziness.

And for those of you who have purchased my little painted canvas ornaments in the past....I'm not sure that I will be posting many of them here on my blog this year. If you are interested in the ornaments, please keep an eye on my Etsy shop (there is a separate ornament section that I will be adding to shortly) or you can email me to see what is available.

Spring Start - Small Acrylic Painting, Floral Art Purple Crocuses

Spring Start

6 x 4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

Crazy busy weekend- and week! - so I have fallen behind on  posting my 30 paintings in 30 days.
And the craziness isn't going to let up quite  yet!

Had a great day at the Haverhill Art Festival on Saturday - except when my tent blew over, that is. And this coming Saturday is the Boxford Apple Festival! Lots of fun stuff to do in the fall in New England.

This little floral will be available in the Art Room in Coolidge Hall at the Topsfield Fair through October 13th.

Pretty Peppers - Small Acrylic Painting, Still Life of Peppers, Kitchen Art

Pretty Peppers

6 x 6 inches 

acrylic on gessobord panel

Can't stay away from all the lovely local produce.....my favorite time of year.

Quick post as I am getting ready for the Haverhill Art Festival tomorrow. Eeeeeeek!

Clustered - Small Original Painting ACEO, Still Life Painting of Grapes

Clustered

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

acrylic on watercolor paper

A little ACEO for Day 9 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge. I am trying to finish up a commission today as well....

This piece will be available in the Art Room in Coolidge Hall at the Topsfield Fair, October 3-13.

Trouble - Small Still Life Painting, Colorful Kitchen Art

Trouble

4 x 4 inches

acrylic on cradled panel

Yes, this one gave me a little "trouble" - but the title mostly refers to the fact I was listening to Joni Mitchell's "Trouble Child" while I was painting this  ;-)

Day 8 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge - I have a few bigger pieces that need to get done this week, plus prepping for the Haverhill Art Association Art Festival this coming weekend. I just may fall behind here, but I will keep up with the challenge the best I can......

Last Two - Small Painting, Original Kitchen Art, Contemporary Still Life Painting with Strawberries

Last Two

4 x 4 inches

acrylic on cradled panel

Love these little 4x4 panels! They are a great surface to paint on, and make super cute little paintings - and look great hung in groupings, They are also thick enough (3/4") that you can actually set them on a shelf or ledge. And of course I like doing the little food-themed still lifes - so they would naturally make great kitchen art. Maybe a unique gift idea for the holidays or hostess gift as well.

This is day 7 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge.... and this little painting will be available at Positive Images Gallery in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

In A Round - Small Acrylic Painting, Original Kitchen Art Cherry Tomatoes

In A Round

4x4 inches

acrylic on cradled panel

More tomatoes! I've been buying tons of cherry tomatoes this year. So incredibly sweet and irresistible.

I'm loving these little kitchen paintings on the cradled panel - and they have been selling like hotcakes. They look so cute in a grouping - a great idea for kitchen decor. This piece is  now available at Positive Images Gallery in Haverhill, Massachusetts

The River Ruckus is tomorrow September 6th. Be sure to stop by the Sage Art Gallery, 136 Washington St in Haverhill to see the "Flow" exhibition and to check out my open studio in the back.

Summer Trio - Small ACEO Painting, Still Life Painting of Tomatoes

Summer Trio

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

acrylic on watercolor paper

A little ACEO - perfect for the season! Been getting wonderfully field-ripe tomatoes from a nearby farm in the last week. Yum! And this is Day 4 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge.

This little guy will be matted and up for sale in the Art Room In Coolidge Hall at the Topsfield Fair in October.

Meeting Shadows - ACEO Painting Haverhill Building Cityscape Landscape

Meeting Shadows

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

acrylic on watercolor paper

Another little painting of a Haverhill building. I have painted this building a few times....I love the simplicity of the shapes and colors and how the light falls on it to make wonderful shadows.

I am busy getting ready for the River Ruckus in Haverhill this weekend. I am planning to hold an Open Studio at my studio at the Sage Art Gallery during the Juried Exhibition this Saturday, September 6th. Hope to see you there!

On the Corner - Small ACEO Painting Cityscape, Old Woolworths Building in Haverhill, Massachusetts

On The Corner

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

acrylic on watercolor paper

Day 2 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge. We are supposed to pick a theme....I considered going back to the "Things from my Kitchen" that I did for the Fun-A-Day Project in January since I had such a good time with that. Then I considered doing smaller versions of some of my "Roadside Retro" paintings as warmups for the shows I have coming up for that series. And then I considered doing a month of my mini ornament paintings to get ready for the holidays. But you know what?  September is such an incredibly crazy month for me, I didn't want to add to the stress. So basically my theme is just to "Get It Done". In whatever form it takes.

This is a familiar corner to people who live near Haverhill. It was once a Woolworths, but has been closed and empty for many decades. It is scheduled to be demolished this month as part of a new downtown development. I took a number of pictures around the back of the building, which I can see possibly becoming a series of its own at one point. I wish I had a chance to see the inside of the building before it goes.....

This piece is going to Positive Images Gallery on Wingate Street in Haverhill, Massachusetts later this week.

Side Entrance - Small ACEO Painting, Original Art Painting of Old New England House

Side Entrance

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

acrylic on watercolor paper

A  little view of the side entrance of an old house that makes up part of the Boxford Town Library. I did a similar painting last year and was asked for one from a local friend. The older one had a few perspective issues that I wanted to address, so I decided to do a re-do instead of giving her the older one.

I enjoy painting old homes and buildings - especially the doorways which seem to lend so much of the character to a building. Sometimes just a little piece of the house - a doorway, an architectural detail - can make for a more interesting painting than including the entire building.

This is Day 1  of a new 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge from Leslie Saeta. I am going to try to keep up this month (this will be my third time entering the challenge!) but it will be a super busy month, so we will see how many paintings I actually complete.

Cherry Rounds - Small Still Life Painting - Kitchen Art

Cherry Rounds

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

acrylic on various wood/MDF surfaces

A little experiment......
I want to create some really small paintings for some shops and maybe upcoming shows. I really  liked working on the 3x3 size that I used for my Fun-A-Day Project, but I would like a better surface.

I purchased a few samples on Etsy: one is a pine block, one is canvas mounted on pine and one is MDF board (they all have hanging slots on the back). When the samples came, I thought I would definitely prefer the pine blocks. I coated them with 2 thin coats of GAC, then three thin coats of gesso, sanding in between. At that point, I was starting to lean a little more towards the block with the mounted canvas. Then I painted. They each took paint in a different way -  no clear winner at this stage.  But then when I varnished them....wow! I was very surprised to find how much I liked the MDF panel. So the first batch of these little guys with be on MDF - stay tuned to see more.....

(the winner!)

Owl Cigar - Acrylic Painting Modern Retro Sign Fowles Newburyport

Owl Cigar

14 x 11 inches

acrylic on 1-1/2 inch canvas

Another vintage sign. This one is in Newburyport, Massachusetts. I painted this sign before in a smaller size, and recently decided to paint it larger and in a rectangular format for the Newburyport Art Association's Fall Exhibition, "In &Around Newburyport".

"In &Around Newburyport" will be on display at the Newburyport Art Association from September 12 -27, 2014 with a public reception on September 13 from 7-9pm. Hope to see you there!

Benson's - Small Acrylic Painting, Boxford, Massachusetts

Benson's

6 x 8 inches

acrylic on 3/4" cradled panel

Yes, you've seen this scene many times in my work. A favorite local haunt, this ice cream shop has been run by the same family for generations. They make all their own ice cream including special seasonal fruit flavors as the local fruit comes available. Their ice cream is amazing! And I felt I couldn't do a local exhibit without including a scene from Benson's.

This painting, along with 13 others from my "Along the Way" series are now hanging at the Boxford Town Library though September 17, 2014. There will be an artist reception on August 26 from 6-7;30 pm for those of you who are local to Massachusetts. It seems like this series will be going "on tour" over the next year, so stay tuned for details for more venues where it can be seen!

West Village Provisions - Small Landscape Painting of a Local Building in Boxford

West Village Provisions

8 x 6 inches

acrylic on 3/4" cradled panel

I started this little painting of a local business during their anniversary open house a few months ago. I didn't quite finish it that day, so I let it sit and recently decided to finish it up to hang in the show at my local library.

West Village Provisions is one of my favorite places in town. From it's historical beginnings as a general store, it is now THE place to get a yummy and healthy breakfast or lunch, the best coffee around, and some specialty groceries and gifts. The owners are very friendly and the food is great. They really support local farmers and businesses, and did I mention that they sell some of my paintings there as well?!!

This painting, along with 13 others from my "Along the Way" series are now hanging at the Boxford Town Library though September 17, 2014. There will be an artist reception on August 26 from 6-7;30 pm for those of you who are local to Massachusetts. It seems like this series will be going "on tour" over the next year, so stay tuned for details for more venues where it can be seen!

Tripoli - Acrylic Painting of Neon Sign, Retro Signage Art

Tripoli

12 x 12 inches

acrylic on 3/4" canvas

Oh my, so far behind on posting!
I've been painting like a madwoman, though. But with the kids out of school, all of their activities (and keeping them busy), endless games of baseball (go Bombers!), other family stuff, and then painting in any spare moments day and night, I just haven't had the time to keep up online. So the next few weeks will remain sporadic in posting, and then hopefully things will get back to a more normal routine.

This neon sign is for Tripoli Pizza in Salisbury, Massachusetts. I painted the sign once before in a 6 x 6 inch format and decided to try it larger. I'm thinking of going even larger with it - I have an 18 x 18 inch canvas, so maybe I will give it a try!

As far as the pizza goes, I haven't had it from this location, but I did recently try Tripoli Pizza in North Andover. My oldest son (14 years old) informed me that this is called "beach pizza". I never knew that there was a name for it! It is pizza that is hand rolled into large rectangular trays, a slightly sweet tomato sauce and just a sprinkle of cheese over a fairly crisp crust. Much of the pizza in New England is Greek-style, so this is definitely a change of pace.

This painting, along with 13 others from my "Along the Way" series are now hanging at the Boxford Town Library though September 17, 2014. There will be an artist reception on August 26 from 6-7;30 pm for those of you who are local to Massachusetts. It seems like this series will be going "on tour" over the next year, so stay tuned for details for more venues where it can be seen!

Left Behind - Floral Still Life Painting

Left Behind

8 x 8 inches

acrylic on canvas

I had this one in my head for a while and sketched from a set up I did a few months ago. I needed another 8 x 8" piece for the "Eight Cubed" exhibition at the Newburyport Art Association, so I thought I'd give it a go. I kept going back and forth on the painting and was very, very close to sanding and gessoing the canvas and starting again, but at one point the flower started to come together. Still not quite what I had in my head, but I think it is as far as I'm going to get at this time.

Can I say I really love doing 8 x 8 inch paintings? Such a great size!

The "Eight Cubed" exhibition runs from August 8-24 at the Newburyport Art Association in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The reception will be August 16, 6-8pm. This show was very popular last year - I am looking forward to seeing what this year will bring.