Small Works Studio Sale

Small Works Studio Sale - https://mailchi.mp/b9f569b1bf59/small-works-studio-sale

Best in Acrylic Award!

So excited to win an award at the Newburyport Art Association's Fall Members Juried Show, Pt. 2!
"1 Hr. Service" won the Institution for Savings Charitable Foundation Award for Best in Acrylic.

This was a fun one to paint. I started it a while back (it was actually used in a photo shoot for the local paper when I was first working on it!)

Here are a few "in progress" pics:

With this kind of piece, I lay out the big shapes and colors first, adjusting the composition and all the "parts" before I start getting into all of the fun details of the bulbs, rust, peeling paint, etc. It the basic composition under the whole thing doesn't work, the finished piece won't be very successful - no matter how much detail I lay on top.

The sign is from Roberts Cleaners in Lynn, Mass. It has all of my favorite features - great colors and shapes, colored  light bulbs, and -of course- neon. I have sketched out a number of different compositions with it, so expect to see  more paintings of it!

The show at the NAA ended this weekend, so the painting is back in my studio for the moment. Please contact me if you want any more information about it!

This Weekend!

Ready for a bunch of art this weekend?

First off - come find me at the Boxford Apple Festival on Saturday, September 21 from 10am -3:30pm on Elm Street in East Boxford. It's an old-fashioned community festival - and fun for the whole family. It is one of the very few festivals I will be doing this fall, so I hope to see you there!

And two shows opening at the Newburyport Art Association! Here I am showing you my pieces for both shows.

"1 Hr. Service"

will be in the Master Artist Exhibition through September 29. I am proud and excited to be part of this inaugural group of artists given the level of Master Artist at the NAA.

"Lake Therapy"

is my entry for the Fall Members Show on exhibit through October 12.

Opening reception for both shows is on Saturday, September 21 7-9pm at the Newburyport Art Association in Newburyport, MA.

And finally. a HUGE thank you to everyone who came out to my Open Studio during the very first Haverhill Art Walk last weekend. It was a lot of fun!! You can check out the album of wonderful photos from the evening on The Switchboard's Facebook page HERE.

Summer Shows

The summer is heating up here in the North East!

I've been crazy busy with family stuff, new exhibitions and venues, and lots of commissions. I frequently get asked where people can see my work in person next, so this is just  a little update on my shows for this summer.

Due to family schedules, I am doing fewer fairs and festivals this year. There are still plenty of opportunities to see my work locally - plus I am always happy to schedule studio visits to my studio in downtown Haverhill - just email me to let me know you are interested!

Anyways - exhibits for this summer:

New Hampshire Arts Association at the Sheafe Warehouse
Prescott Park Arts Festival
June 18 - August 25

Greater Haverhill Arts Association Juried Member Exhibit
at the Senate Lobby at the Boston State House
June 21 - August 23

Summer Member Exhibit
Marblehead Art Association
June 22 - August 4

Greater Haverhill Arts Association Members Exhibit
at the Hamilton-Wenham Library
July 1 - August 27

Grass Roots: Emerging Artist Exhibit
Rockport Art Association & Museum
July 13 - August 5

National Association of Woman Artists, MA Chapter
Extremes and In-Betweens
Rocky Next Art Colony
August 1 - September 1

I will be releasing info on my fall fairs very soon!
I am also in the midst of revamping my website, blog and emails - stay tuned...more info to come....

Painting a Nocturne

Painting "Liquors" - 16 x 12", acrylic on panel.....

I have wanted to try a nocturne for a while. The glow of the neon in the Liquors sign at Crispys in Beverly, MA drew my attention as I drove home after dropping off some art and decided I was up for the challenge!

I sketch the composition out first in pencil, and then in ultramarine blue paint.

Sometimes my first pass is flat local color. Other times, especially when I feel that value is going to play a big part in the final piece, I do more of a value study - which I can then layer the color on top.

Starting first layers of color

A few more layers.....

And then the finished piece:

"Liquors" will be avaiable at this weekend's Essex County Greenbelt Association's Art in the Barn, 82 Eastern Ave., Essex, MA

Friday, June 7th: 10am - 3pm
Friday, June 7th - Public Reception: 5 - 8:30 pm.
    Live music, food trucks, beer & wine
Saturday, June 8th: 10am - 5pm
    Live music, kids' activities
Sunday, June 9th: 10am - 5pm

Welcoming April with 2 New Exhibitions!

Two opening exhibitions to start off the month right....

I am very excited that my painting "The Best" was juried into the 33rd Annual Omer T. Lassonde Juried Exhibition at the New Hamsphire Art Association!

The show opens on April 3rd with a reception on April 5, from 5-8pm, and runs through the 27th. The NHAA is located in Portsmouth, NH.

Opening on April 5th, with a reception on Saturday, April 6 from 7-9pm is the Newburyport Art Association's Spring Members Open Exhibit. The painting I will be exhibiting there is "Dyno Records", a 12 x 12" acrylic painting of one of the long-time downtown Newburyport businesses:

Hope you can check out one (or both!) of these shows if you are local. If you want more information about either of these paintings, please contact me!

Realism Guild - and Show!

So many shows and exciting events to write about....I'm going to try to just take one at a time!

For this post, I am excited to announce that I have been juried into membership of the International Guild of Realism! One of my goals for this year was to push myself a little to apply to shows and organizations outside of my immediate area. I figured this Guild was a bit of a reach - a number of artists whose work I really admire and look up to are members. I was thrilled to get accepted! You can check out the website HERE - be sure to take a look at the members' work - very inspiring stuff!

The Guild has a few juried gallery shows each year - and have just added an online winter exhibition. I am very excited to not only be accepted into the Guild, but also got a painting juried into the Winter show.

"Cherry Bomb" 11 x 14in, acrylic on canvas

"Cherry Bomb" was accepted into the 2019 IGOR Winter Salon Online Exhibition! You can see the entire show HERE - my painting is in the still life category. Lots of amazing work there - hope you can take a few minutes and look around.

The show will be online until May 20th.

Feeling "Deserted" - New Work and New Show

Deserted, 10 x 10 inches, acrylic on panel

This was a tough one. I still love working with signs, but every now and then a building (or couple of buildings) catch my eye and stay in my mind. This was an old gas station, feeling forlorn and deserted on a city lot. In my mind I modified it a bit, including situating it in a much more lonely location. I wrestled with this one a bit, trying to get the look that was in my mind, but not really in my reference photos. Here are some process photos:

As you can see, I originally had more power lines - I was thinking of them of a way of showing connection - but I didn't think they really worked in the actual painting. Anyhow, after painting over the top half a few times - and spending way more time on it than I usually would for a 10x10" painting - I finally reached a resolution. I may revisit this some day as a larger piece to see if I can push it a little further. I find I am starting the year off with some challenges outside of my comfort zone, so stay tuned for more!

Happily this painting was juried in to the Newburyport Art Association's Winter Members Juried Show, Pt. 2. It will be on exhibit in Newburyport, Massachusetts through March 2. Please contact me if you would like more information about the painting or the show.

Looking Back - and Forward

"Restless"

one of my favorite paintings from late 2018

Happy New Year!

Hard to believe we are already well into 2019! I've had a busy holiday season, plus some family-related travel, so I am happy to finally be back in the studio for normal hours.

I have had some time to look back over 2018. Lots of changes and some new opportunities have come my way. I've completed a lot of of new work (though I haven't been particularly good about posting it online!) - and some of it going in new directions. I've joined some new art-related groups, including the Concord Art Association, and was juried into the New Hampshire Art Association. I have found some new sales venues - including a wonderful new partnership that I am very excited about with Helen Thomas Simpy Smashing in Andover, Mass. Helen Thomas is carrying a line of my prints as well as a number of originals,  both large and small. It is a wonderful store with lots of home decor items, original art and fun gift ideas. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Part of my holiday display at Helen Thomas Simply Smashing

Looking forward.....I have so many painting ideas! Can't wait to share them with you. I will be looking for more venues to sell my work and reach more people. I plan to post more consistently so that you will know where you can find my work. And I look forward to hearing  more from you - your feedback, your ideas  your stories. I love connecting with my collectors! Feel free to contact me via email or social media. Follow me on instagram to get a peek at what is happening in my studio and the latest works in progress. And join my email list for announcements and new work and occasional special subscriber deals. 

And finally, a big, heartfelt thanks to all of YOU for a great 2018 - I couldn't do it without your support!  I can't wait to see what the new year brings!

Urban Snapshots - A new Series for Small Works Season

Hello - from my Haverhill studio at the start of a new crazy week!

I've been busy! Lots of new work, and lots of exhibitions coming up that I want to share with you. I want to keep this email brief, so I will be just giving the information for this week's events.

First of all, I am very excited to have been accepted to a "Small Works" exhibition at a newish gallery space in downtown Haverhill! The gallery is called The Switchboard and they are located at 43 Washington St. The opening reception for the small works show is Friday, November 2 from 6 to 8pm and the exhibit continues through December 27th.

I've started a new small works series I am calling "Urban Snapshots" and I am thrilled to have 3 pieces from this new series in the show at The Switchboard. These pieces concentrate more on architectural details, shapes and shadows - it's not about the signs or even specific cities/places - these little glimpses could be found in almost any older mill-type city - but I have to admit that at the moment Haverhill is my main inspiration.

Here are the small pieces that will be in the Switchboard exhibition:

 "How St. (No Parking)", 8 x 8", acrylic on panel

"47 (Washington St.)", 8 x 6", acrylic on panel

"Escape (Washington St)", 8 x 6", acrylic on panel

I hope you can come by the show and check them out in person!

Also coming up this week is the annual Wine and Art Reception at Veasey Memorial Park in Groveland. This fun event is Saturday, November 3, from 6 to 9pm. It is always a great time, with lots of great art for sale and a chance to meet and mingle with the artists.

If you are local, I hope you can make it to one (or more!) of my upcoming events. If not, stay tuned to my Instagram account to see the new work, and for your chance to purchase pieces straight from my studio.

Mmmmm....Donuts

Kane's Donuts (Saugus, Mass)

6 x 6 inches

acrylic on cradled panel

I finally got around to a painting of the iconic Kane's Donuts sign. This is a small one - 6 x 6" - and there will probably be a few more while I work out compositions. Eventually I hope to do a large painting - the sign is just so great with the neon and the bulbs, it begs to be painted large!

Anyhow, in response to all the requests made last weekend at the Haverhill Art Festival, I now have prints of the Kane Donut's sign painting available. You can find them HERE on my Etsy site that is just for my prints. I will also have them this weekend at the Boxford Apple Festival - Boxford Center (Elm Street) on Saturday, September 15 from 10 to 4.

Special offer on my ShirleyPrints Etsy site: prints ship FREE if you use the code SHIPFREESEPT at checkout. This offer is only good until the end of September, so get your orders in soon!

LINK TO ETSY SITE

August Exhibitions

Here is a listing of the exhibitions where you can see my work during the month of August:

Weirs Beach, 12 x 12", acrylic on canvas

at Artists Corner & Gallery

"Summertime"

July 19 - August 19

Artists Corner & Gallery

West Acton, MA

Stop, 8 x 8 inches, acrylic on canvas

at the Newburyport Art Association

"Eight Cubed"

August 10 - September 1

Newburyport Art Association

Newburyport, MA

George's Coffee Shop, 20 x 16 inches, acrylic on canvas

at the Rockport Art Association & Museum

"Grassroots: An Emerging Artist Exhibition"

August 10 - September 2

Rockport Art Association & Museum

Rockport, MA

So excited to have my work accepted into so many wonderful exhibitions this month. Hope you get a chance to check them out!

Why I do Art Festivals

I had someone recently ask me why I still do Art Festivals when I also sell my work at shops and galleries and online. Art Festivals are a lot of work! A lot of physical work - carrying in, setting up, breaking down - and often very long hours. But I find that the chance to talk directly to people about my paintings makes all the hard work worthwhile!

Just last month, I showed my work at the Beverly Arts Festival. Crazy busy day. At one point in the afternoon, I was talking to a nice gentleman inside my booth when he looked out at the people outside and said "Look at that. They are all smiling!" And he was right - about a dozen people were lined up outside my booth, looking at my wall of paintings and every single one of them were smiling. THAT'S why I still do shows! To see in person the connections that people make with my work, the nostalgia, the memories as they view the iconic signs, familiar buildings, old cars - even classic toys - that they had forgotten or hadn't thought about in a while. I love hearing the stories of favorite family places, first dates, special occasions, favorite memories....it never gets old!

Speaking of Beverly, here is one of my favorite paintings of the ones I have painted of places in Beverly:

The Cabot

20 x 16 inches

acrylic on canvas

available HERE

Special offer:
As a big THANK YOU to everyone who came out to the Beverly Arts Fest, I am offering a 10% discount on ALL PRINTS in my ShirleyPrints Etsy shop. You can check them out here SHIRLEYPRINTS and use the coupon code BAF10 at checkout to receive the discount. But shop soon - the discount will only be available for the next few weeks until July 23.

Art in the Barn!

Shop Local

20 x 10 inches

acrylic on canvas

Getting into painting food again lately! One of the things I am passionate about is supporting local small farms. I am grateful to live in an area with lots of small farms with a wonderful range of products. I can even get local milk, chicken and beef in addition to produce. This is a painting from some early vegetables that I got from a farm close to my home.

"Shop Local" will  be available this weekend at the Essex County Greenbelt's Art in the Barn at the Cox Reservation in Essex, Massachusetts this coming weekend (June 8-10). It is a beautiful setting for a fun event that raises money for the ECGA. Artwork is displayed in two barns as well as sculpture on the grounds. The reception is always a good time - great music, local brews and food trucks in addition to all the art. If you are local to the Massachusetts/New Hampshire area, you should check it out. Here is the Facebook event with more information: Art in the Barn

Shipping Special!!

As a thank you to all the wonderful people who came out to Melrose Art Festival last weekend - and a thank you to all the Moms out there - I am continuing the fun from last weekend just a bit longer for my email and blog readers. Below I am listing 9 of my small acrylic paintings, all are either 6x6" or 5x7", they are all framed (most of them in a black floater frame, the tomatoes are in a black "panel" frame). Each one of them is available for $125, first come, first served - and as part of the special, if you order before midnight on Monday, May 7, 2018 you will get FREE shipping within the United States - just in time for Mothers Day! (Contact me if you are interested in purchasing - or if you need more information!)

Three of a Kind

Sunny Stingray

The Collection

Serenade

Lena's, Salisbury, MA

Pat's Diner, Salisbury, MA

Happy's, Salisbury Beach, MA

On the Road

New Room

Painting Title

An added bonus:
FREE shipping in the US is also available for any orders placed from my ShirleyPrints Etsy shop if placed before midnight on Monday, May 7, 2018. Use the code THANKSMOM at checkout to get the free shipping. Find a unique gift for Mom - and get it shipped for FREE!

Marty's....and Melrose!

Could it be that spring is here at last?!
After a seemingly endless winter (snow in mid-April anyone?), it seems like we are finally getting a taste of spring. And spring brings with it the start of show season....

I will be doing a lot fewer shows this spring due to commitments with my kids, but will have plenty of exhibitions and other opportunities to see my work. And if you are local to the North Shore of Massachusetts, I always welcome appointments for studio visits to my studio in downtown Haverhill. (Just shoot me an email if you would like to set something up!)

Coming up this weekend is one of my favorite shows of the season - Melrose Arts "Arts in April", April 28 and 29 from 11 to 5 at Memorial Hall, 590 Main Street, Melrose. This is a juried show and is always filled with amazing art.

One of the new pieces I will have at the show is this 20 x 10" acrylic painting of Marty's Donut Land.
Marty's was located in Ipswich, Mass, but sadly closed a few years ago. Here is a quick step-by-step progression:

Quick sketch of the layout - in pencil and then in paint. The angle of this was a bit tough.

Laying out flat areas of color so I can make adjustments before getting into details

Lots of layers - almost a kind of glazing, but I think I actually do more scumbling. 

Just finishing up the details here:

"Marty's Donut Land" will be available this weekend at the Melrose Arts Festival. After that, you will be able to find it on the "Retro Roadside" page of my website HERE.

Hope to see you in Melrose this weekend!