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....

Day 22 - Small Fruit Still Life

A Little Competition

6 x 4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

Day 22 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge! Hard to believe there is just over  a week left.
It has been a great exercise - not only in motivating me to get the work finished, but also in disciplining me to post each painting. I do intend on getting back to my "Inspiration Mondays" and "Work in Progress Wednesdays" once the challenge is over.

It has been a super crazy couple of weeks...lots of shows and deadlines all while the kids were trying to get back into the school routine and all of their activities. Yesterday was my last outdoor show for the season. I keep getting tempted to pick up one more, but I think I need to take a few weeks to catch up - and paint like crazy before the holidays are here. My local shops are all asking for new stock for next month, too - so I will still be pretty busy!

I did get to end my summer show schedule with a really great one. The Boxford Apple Festival yesterday was a lot of fun. It was a beautiful day, and wonderful to see so many familiar faces. Thank you to everyone who made it out.

A Little Competition is available here.

Chit Chat - Small Acrylic Painting of Red & Yellow Peppers - Kitchen Art

Chit Chat

6 x 4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

Another one for the Relationships Series. These two peppers just seem like they are sharing a little gossip, don't they? I'm having so much fun with my fruits and vegetables, I may have to do some more when I finish the commission I am currently working on.

Summer craziness has set in - way too busy a schedule for summer lately! Isn't this when we are supposed to slow down a little and take it easy? Oh well, maybe next week.

This piece is currently available at West Village Provisions in West Boxford, Massachusetts.

Whispers - Still Life Acrylic Painting Kitchen Art

Whispers

6 x 4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

It's Farmer's Market time again!

By the way, look at my haul from today:

I love, love buying fresh from the farmer!
(And I think there may be more vegetable paintings in the future......)

I actually painted this one while in Ohio. It is part of my "Relationship Series" - fruits and vegetables that make great kitchen art. This series has been especially popular at my shows, and at the last show I had a request for "MORE VEGETABLES"! I am only too happy to oblige  ;-)

This piece will be available at West Village Provisions in West Boxford, Massachusetts later this week.

Making Plans - $30 (unframed) + $2.50 shipping in the US

(please contact me for international shipping)

Day 6/30 - The Adventure - Small Still Life Painting of Strawberries

#6 - The Adventure

6 x 4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

After I finished the apples from yesterday, my mind just screamed at me "STRAWBERRIES"! So  here they are....another one in the Relationships Series. With the spot varnish the berries really "pop"!

I'm always glad to add a few paintings to this series...they are fun to do, and the series has been really popular with my collectors. At some point I need to look back and see how many I have done, I know I have sold at least 10-12 pieces in this series, and I rarely have more than 3 or 4 available for very long. This pair (the apples and the strawberries) will be going to West Village Provisions in West Boxford, MA this week.

Thanks for stopping by my blog - I really appreciate all the people keeping up with me and this 30 Day Challenge!

Stacked - Small Still Life Painting on Paper, Kitchen Art

#5 - Stacked

6 x 4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

Yep - a bit of a break from the flowers. And a break from the other pieces I was going to do as well. I have one or two of these in my head, so I thought I'd go ahead and get them on paper. This  is part of My "Relationships" series - they are all fruits and/or vegetables in acrylic on watercolor paper with just their shadows and a plain unpainted background. I then varnish the painted areas only, and they really "pop" off the paper.

I like the way that acrylic works on the cold pressed watercolor paper. I work it in kind of a watercolor style - lots of thin layers. And when I do these pieces where I leave the background white, there are no do-overs - if I get a stray mark on the white, there is  no way to lift it off. I had one night when I was working on a few of these that I needed to finish and I was really tired - I kept nodding off and my brush would  make a stray mark on the page and I would have to start all over again! I do like how acrylic looks on the paper though, and I always say I have to experiment with it a little more - maybe it will happen this year  ;-)

This piece will be going to West Village Provisions in West Boxford, MA early next week.

Sneak Attack - Small Still Life Painting, Kitchen Art

Sneak Attack

Relationships Series

6 x 4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

The pear in back looks like he is sneaking up on the other one, don't you think?!
I finished this before the weekend, but have had a busy weekend full of family things, so no posting until now. We had (exhausting!) fun at the Topsfield Fair on Saturday. Paid a quick visit to the art exhibit, where it looks like a number of my paintings have sold (yay!) and took lots of pictures so I can work on  my carnival series this winter when I can't work outside.

I'm going to take this week to finish up some new little pieces for West Village Provisions and then a few larger pieces for upcoming juried exhibitions. The I'm sure the holiday season will be coming fast and furious at that point! I'm doing at least two holiday shows, and participating in at least two holiday shops, so I expect I will be pretty busy. I will share the details on all the exciting stuff soon.

This piece is available unframed through me now, or will be at West Village Provisions in Boxford, MA next week.

Sneak Attack - $30 + $2.50 shipping in the US

(please contact me for international shipping)

"In Cooperation" Kitchen Decor Vegetable Still Life SOLD

In Cooperation

6x4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper
SOLD

I can't decide if these guys are plotting mischief, or just trying to be helpful. If something goes wrong, I think it will be the red one's fault  ;-)

I have a few more for this series sketched out, but I am going to take a break from them for now to paint my daisies before they wilt - and then to get ready for my next show.......

Admiration - Still Life Kitchen Art SOLD

Admiration

6x4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

SOLD

Another one for my Relationships Series.
The red on this didn't scan very well as usual. I have to figure out the secret to scanning reds!
Now I am looking forward to doing a few more of these fun little paintings to replenish my Etsy shop - then onward full force in preparation for one more show!

Admiration will be available at West Village Provisions, West Boxford, Massachusetts for the month of April.

Contemplation - Kitchen Art Still Life SOLD

Contemplation

6x4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

SOLD

I realized I hadn't made any additions to my popular "Relationships" series lately, so I decided to remedy that!

This series is about focusing on 2 or 3 pieces of fruit or vegetables, their shapes and their shadows, and seeing how they "relate" to each other. So often the objects take on a personality of their own, so I decided to concentrate on just that, without getting the background or any other objects involved.

The paintings look kinda cool in person. The acrylic is painted in thin layers, then the rest of the cold pressed textured watercolor paper is left unpainted. I apply a spot varnish with a satin finish to only the painted areas.

These paintings are always a fun break from my other work. I plan on displaying the first two locally, but then hope to squeeze in a few more to add to my Etsy store.

Contemplation will be on exhibit for the month of April at West Village Provisions, West Boxford, Massachusetts.

Congenial - SOLD

Congenial

Relationships Series

6x4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper
SOLD

One last one for the show this weekend - and probably the last one for this week as well! I hope to get a little painting done in the evenings, but I can not believe all the framing and labeling, etc. I have to do before setup on Thursday. The show is at the Wenham Museum in Wenham, Massachusetts. It runs Friday and Saturday, November 18th and 19th 10-4 and Sunday, November 20th 12-4. There is also a big fancy party for museum members and donors on Friday night. I've got a big pile of work to take...so come visit if you are local!!

Pleased to Meet You - SOLD

Pleased to Meet You

6x4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

SOLD

Yes, this is one from late last fall. I was in a fall mood and decided to repost it since I didn't have anything new to post!

It's been a busy family weekend. We spent a day at York Wild Kingdom - a smallish zoo and old amusement park. This trip was by special request of my oldest son (his "birthday trip") and I figured the kids would be bored to death because the place is really geared more toward the preschooler set. The zoo is small and the rides are old and fewer in number than you find at most county fairs. Happily, we had a great time and the kids declared it "one of the best trips ever"!

these guys always crack me up!

Today we spent time exploring two of the old stonework forts along the seacoast of New Hampshire. My three little boys seem to be obsessed with these mostly abandoned military forts - we have visited many! But they are lots of fun to explore, steeped in history, in beautiful coastal areas - and are usually free. I snapped TONS of pictures today and have a few compositions for some additions to my Abandoned Series.

The kids start school tomorrow with a half day. Part of me is happy to have more painting time. But part of me is really, really sad to see the summer end. Back to the grind of the kids' schedules, activities, sports and homework.....

Intertwined - New Painting SOLD

Intertwined

Relationships Series

6x4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper
SOLD

One more pepper painting!
I am really enjoying the shapes, colors and shine of these peppers. I will be taking a break from them now - I have some paintings I need to get done before the next local show. But don't be surprised if the peppers show up again.....

Piquant - (or The Peppers Have a Name!)

Piquant

Relationships Series
6x4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

Yes, it is the same painting as in the last post (and I am actually working on another painting of these peppers!) - but I finally have a name and a price, so I decided to create a new post because I needed a clean link for DailyPaintworks.com

I didn't get much painting done in the last two days - definitely a family weekend. Between soccer games, a little town fair in the town where my husband grew up and a long rail trail bike ride, the brushed remain untouched...all the more incentive for a productive week coming up! And I did get a few ideas from the fair for a few more paintings to add to my Carnival Series, so look for those soon.....

"Piquant" - $33 includes shipping and handling in the US

(please contact me for international shipping)

The Flirtation - SOLD

I think the tomato enjoys the attention......

The Flirtation

6x4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper
SOLD

Comfortable Silence - SOLD

"Comfortable Silence"

Relationships Series

6x4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

SOLD

I think this will be the last of these pears in this series for a while!

I like the idea of taking two or three objects and looking at them in different arrangements or at different angles to explore their relationship to each other. I like working with food, because each piece is unique...and it is also free of some of the associations we might have with other kinds of objects. In this series I am leaving the backgrounds unpainted because I want the focus to be totally on the objects, their shapes, their shadows and the negative space around them. There will be more to come!

Encounter

So many colors in these brown pears....and they have such unique shapes. They really have been fun to work with. Two more to go, and then I think it will be time to take a rest from the pears!

"Encounter"

Relationships Series

6x4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

purchase information

Another Pear Painting - SOLD

Still a few more yet to go!
I enoyed putting in all the different colors on these russet pears - there is actually quite a bit of yellow, red, purple and green in there!

"Happy Together"

Relationships Series

6x4 inches

acrylic on 140 lb. watercolor paper

SOLD

Original Still Life Painting of Pears - SOLD

Does it qualify as an obsession yet?
Here is the newest:

"Three's A Crowd"

Relationships Series

6x4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper
SOLD

I will be taking a one painting hiatus - I want to complete a painting for the FindingFineArt Team February challenge. Then back to more pears!!

More Pears....

Yes, more pears. I think I will be painting these for a few weeks more.
I am so in love with the colors of these red pears. I also love their bumpy imperfectness.

"Committed"

Relationships Series
6x4 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper
SOLD