Motel - Small Acrylic Painting Old Neon Sign

Motel

5 x 7 inches

acrylic on cradled panel

Yet another visit to one of my favorite signs in Ipswich, Massachusetts, the old Whittier Motel sign. The neon has fairly recently been replaced with plastic back lit lettering, and the art deco base removed and replaced with two white pillars. Not quite the same  ;-(

However, thanks to a featured artist show at Zenobia Gallery (just down the street from the Whittier), this painting has sold. And there will be a whole bunch more Whittier pieces coming up as I took in quite a few commissions as a result of the show.

Interested in a painting of the Whittier for your own collection? Contact me!

Marty's Donut Land - Acrylic Painting of Iconic Storefront in Ipswich, Massachusetts by Debbie Shirley

Marty's

7 x 5 inches

acrylic on cradled panel

SOLD

I have painted Marty's Donut Land before.....it has since been bought out and changed hands. There are a lot of Ipswich people who have fond memories of Marty's - of the fresh hot donuts, right out of the fryer, that you had to show up for very, very early (or late for the party crowd) and get before the sun rose. I have had a bunch of requests for more, so I am doing some more small paintings - slightly different crops and orientations - so that people can have a piece of Ipswich history for their own. Please contact me if you would like a Marty's painting to capture some of your own memories.

Clam Box Painting - Small Acrylic Painting of Iconic Clam Shack Ipswich, Massachusetts

Clam Box

(Ipswich, Massachusetts)

6 x 6 inches

acrylic on cradled panel

SOLD

The Iconic Clam Box in Ipswich, Massachusetts! An interesting building - shaped like a take-out box. Love the red and white accents - and of course, the fried clams. Stop by on a warm summer evening, and the line goes all the way around the building. A place not to be missed by visitors to the area.

It is a fun building to paint - I am always trying to find a slightly different angle or crop to it. This is a popular subject with my customers, so I do end up painting it a lot! If you are interested in a "Clam Box" painting of your own. please contact me!

Clam Box - Small Acrylic Painting of New England Clam Shack

Clam Box

(Ipswich, Massachusetts)

7 x 5 inches

acrylic on cradled panel

One of my favorite clam shacks to paint - and not a bad place to get fried clams, either ;-)

Just a reminder - I am happy to paint custom versions of these little paintings if you want a different size, or perhaps a painting of YOUR favorite clam shack!

Clam Box - Small Acrylic Painting by Debbie Shirley

"Wish You Were Here" Project

Clam  Box

Ipswich, Massachusetts

6 x 4 inches, acrylic on watercolor paper

SOLD

Mmmmm.....clams.........

Clam Box - Small Acrylic Painting of building in Ipswich. Massachusetts

"Wish You Were Here"

Clam Box

Ipswich, Massachusetts, 6 x 4 inches, acrylic on watercolor paper

A little touch of summer during this super cold weather and 100+ inches of snow....the iconic Clam Box in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

The details are starting to come together for the Fun-A-Day Boston group exhibition - more information soon....

Whittier - Small Acrylic Painting of Neon Motel Sign

"Wish You Were Here"

Whittier

Ipswich, Massachusetts

6 x 4 inches, acrylic on watercolor paper

This is number 15 (I think!)  in my Fun-A-Day Project - still a ways to go until they are all posted!

The sign for the Whittier Motel is one of my favorite motel signs to paint. Alas the sign has been recently replaced - the new version isn't nearly as visually interesting. Something about the composition of this one... it is making me think that I may need to do a large version of it.......

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.

Summer Taste - Cityscape Landscape Painting of Clam Box in Ipswich, Massachusetts

Summer Taste

6 x 8 inches

acrylic on 3/4" cradled board

Been painting like crazy! Posting? Not so much  ;-)
Lots going on with family stuff, kids winding up the school year, and the start of the outdoor festival season. Busy is good, right?

The Topsfield Strawberry Festival was great. Started out as a rainy day, but ended up  being just mostly gray, no downpours. Here is a (not so great) picture of my set up. Not the best angle! I really needed a back wall this time, but had used my walls on the sides because of the rain. Thanks to everyone who came out! It was great to see some familiar faces.

The painting at the top of the post is the Clam Box in Ipswich, Massachusetts. You will be seeing a lot of my "location" paintings over the next month or so. A bunch of gallery requests - and some exciting shows - to tell you about soon.

This painting will be going to Pop Gallery in Gloucester, Massachusetts in the next few days.

Adding Some Neon - New Work!

Busy, busy this week!

First off - here is my latest finished painting. This is for the Newburyport Art Association's "Eight Cubed" show, which runs from August 8 to September 1, 2013.  The opening reception is August 10th, from 7 to 9 pm. This should be a fun show of 200  8 x 8" works by member artists hung in two rows in the gallery.

Neon El

8 x 8 inches

acrylic on 3/4" canvas

On another note, I may be quiet here for the next few weeks. We will be taking off in a few days for northern Maine. Kinda off the grid, so I only get occasional internet access when we go into town - I am not sure how much posting I will do. But in September, look for a  blog redesign and all kinds of exciting things coming up!

Old Agawam - Landscape Cityscape Painting, Old Building in Massachusetts SOLD

Old Agawam

8 x 6 inches

acrylic on cradled board

SOLD

I have painted this old building before.....but I had a client who wanted a similar painting  slightly larger and on a cradled panel. The sign is from the old Agawam Hardware in Ipswich, Massachusetts. They actually totally remodeled the building weeks after I visited it and the sign is now gone.

It was fun to revisit this subject for this custom order...please feel free to contact me if you are interested in a custom painting of your own!  ;-)

OT - Neon Sign Painting

OT

8x10 inches

acrylic on canvas

A slightly larger one for the "Sense of Place" show opening Thursday (yikes!). I am playing with the scale a little here - it is one of the "bigger" paintings in the groupings, but it is also the most tightly cropped. The opening reception for the featured show is Thursday night, September 27th, 6-8:30 at the Sage Art Gallery. The "Ag & Arts" show will be in the front of the gallery - so you can check them both out at the same time!

Motor Hotel - Small painting of motel neon sign SOLD

Motor Hotel

4 x 8 inches

acrylic on board
SOLD

Did you know that "motel" was coined from the combination of "motor hotel" in the 1920's?
Motels sprung up along highways as car travel became more popular - having their heydays in the 60's. Their numbers declined in the 80's as interstate freeways replaced the older highways.

I love the old neon, and the fun shapes and colors of the unique old signs. I really would love to document all the motel signs I can - they are disappearing quickly. I hope to have a few more for the upcoming show in Haverhill.

Marty's - Small Cityscape Painting, Ipswich, MA SOLD

Marty's

8 x 4.5 inches

acrylic on board
SOLD

Another local haunt! Marty's Donut Land is in Ipswich, MA. I've never actually bought anything there, but I hear that the secret is to knock on the door just after midnight when the lights are only on the in kitchen, and the man there will let you buy the fresh, hot, just dipped donuts as he makes them.

This painting is available at MiXtMedia Gallery as part of the Ipswich-themed exhibition.

Hope everyone has had a lovely Labor Day weekend. It was nice to enjoy some family time - a little relaxing, a trip to an amusement park, lots of barbecuing. The kids are back to school later this week, and I will be back at the easel, working on more of these little paintings of local scenes for a featured artist exhibit at Sage Art Gallery. More details to come!

Summer Classic - Small Painting of Local Scenes, Summer, Ipswich

Summer Classic

6.125 x 5 inches

acrylic on board

Back to the Clam Box in Ipswich!
I really am enjoying painting all these signs and buildings. And there will be a bunch more as I will be the featured artist at Sage Art Gallery at the end of September - and the theme will  be having to do with local signs and buildings (still deciding on a name!).

The grouping I did of buildings in Ipswich for MiXtMedia Gallery has been popular, so  now I am doing a few more to replace the ones that have sold over the last two months. "Summer Classic" is now available at MiXtMedia.

I hope every one has a wonderful Labor Day weekend!
I plan to spend some family time - maybe some fun adventures with the boys before school starts again next week....

U-Rent-It - Another Ipswich Sign Painting SOLD

U-Rent-It

5.5 x 6.625 inches

acrylic on board
SOLD

This sign had all kinds of peeling paint! I really liked the various angles on this when I cropped the composition really closely. This piece, and all the other signs of Ipswich, will go to MiXtMedia Gallery on Saturday. I have sketched out a few more paintings for this series, but I have run out of time. I probably will still do them some time this summer - and maybe add them to the show at a later date.

I'm keeping up the crazy schedule for at least a few more weeks. The reception for the Regional Juried Show at Newburyport Art Association is this Sunday - 3-5pm, so please check it out if you are local, it is a great show!

I hope to have some exciting news to share about a new gallery next month. And I'm also going to be participating in a Pop-Up Shop for Creative Haverhill on June 2nd. More details to come.....

Agawam - New Architectural Painting

Agawam

8 x 4.5 inches

acrylic on board

Another building in Ipswich, Massachusetts for the MiXtMedia show. I'm not sure why I find some of the simpler buildings more interesting. I think it was the sign that drew me to this one! I am working on another one from a different corner of the same building that I hope to post tomorrow.

Clams - New Painting SOLD

Clams

6x6 inches

acrylic on board
SOLD

This painting is of the iconic Clam Box in Ipswich, Massachusetts. I'm getting down to the wire getting ready for the Ipswich exhibit - hoping to finish a few more.....

I went to check out the Juried Regional Exhibit at the Newburyport Art Association this past weekend. It is a wonderful show - lots of amazing work. It was very exciting to see my work there in the gallery! The show runs through June 9th - be sure to check it out if you are in the area.

Bottled Liquors - Neon Sign Painting SOLD

Bottled Liquors 2

8 x 4.5 inches

acrylic on board
SOLD

Hmmm- I'm seeing a few little things that I want to fix on this - but that will have to be tomorrow. One more for the Ipswich show - should have been done yesterday, but I need to get a little sleep some time, right?

I've got some exciting news to share soon, I hope, - some great exhibition opportunities and possibly a new gallery....stay tuned!

Bottled Liquors 1 - Neon Sign Painting SOLD

Bottled Liquors 1

6x6 inches

acrylic on board
SOLD

Different sign....same town. Honestly, I think Ipswich only has two neon signs in the whole town. I'm thinking that some time soon I will have to do a series of just neon signs. I'm also thinking I would love to redo these paintings really LARGE. Right now I am working on a table easel (thanks, Dad!) in the corner of my kids' playroom, so 8x10 is about as large as I can handle. But maybe someday I will be able to get back to larger work.....

This piece will be on exhibit at MiXtMedia Gallery later this month.