Rt. 1 Mini Golf - Neon Sign Painting

Rt. 1 Miniature Golf

24 x 18 inches

acrylic on canvas

Gotta love the miniature golf course along Route 1 with the orange dinosaur. But - ack! - it is no longer there! Not only do I miss seeing the dinosaur, but it was also a fun course to play - with batting cages and an ice cream stand as well. While the developers promise to keep the orange dinosaur on site, it just isn't the same when he isn't lording over the edge of the course right next to the highway. This painting is part of the neon sign that also accompanied the business. The sign no longer stands - I had painted it previously as a small painting, but knew I needed to preserve the memories in a larger format.

Progress pictures:

 Sketching in the composition and laying out the sky color

 Refining the composition and filling in blocks of color before adding details

Hey there - it's me! I don't often include myself in pictures, but decided to change it up a bit!

Want to see it in person? "Rt. 1 Miniature Golf" will be on exhibit late March through the 27th of April at the Salisbury Public Library in Salisbury, Massachusetts. (Click on image to see it larger.)

Circle Game - and Fun at the Fair

So....moving along on our retro roadtrip....who doesn't love a great fair?!!

Even before we had kids, my husband and I have always been into country fairs and small town carnivals. Kitschy to the max, yes, but great old-fashioned fun. We also love the old little amusement parks - think old wooden roller coasters, ferris wheels, arcade games, old-fashioned carousels....

And thankfully, our kids have happily followed along with our adventures. Save one trip to LegoLand, we have avoided the big theme parks, Disney, etc and have stuck with the small old-time places - some of the coolest parks are over 100 years old!

Over the years I have taken hundreds of pictures at fairs and amusement parks. The lights, the neon, the old painted attractions have always fascinated me in their worn but colorful gaudiness. Have you ever looked closely at the faces of the animals on old kids' rides or the wooden horses on older carousels? Some of them are a lot freakier-looking than you might think!

I revisit my photos from time to time and get inspired to paint a few more pieces for my ongoing "Fairs and Carnivals" collection. I love painting old carousel horses - the expression on their faces, the movement indicated in their positioning and detailing. Loved this horse's face - this is one of those paintings that just flew off the brush. I have to admit the Joni Mitchell song was stuck in my mind the entire time, so I had to name it "Circle Game"

"And the seasons they go round and round

And the painted ponies go up and down

We're captive on the carousel of time

We can't return we can only look behind

From where we came

And go round and round and round

In the circle game"

In progress photos: 

I am excited to be showing this painting and about a dozen others next weekend at the Melrose Arts Festival! This is may first year participating - I am very excited to have been juried in to show with 43 other awesome artists. If you are local stop by! 

If you are interested in more information about purchasing "Circle Game" please contact me.

Time Traveler

I frequently get asked about how I come up with a set up for still lifes. This is how I came up with the arrangement that I used for "Time Traveler" - one of my newest acrylic paintings.

I was faced with the deadline for a juried exhibit with a theme. I kinda love exhibitions with a theme - they tend to make me think a little outside of the box. The theme of this show is "The Art of Mapping" - the art had to be related to maps in some way.

So, into my mind pops the idea of using an really old, ornate map in a still life, along with an antique pocket watch I picked up at a flea market and a small old wood chest - with the whole thing just kind of talking about the past. Well, as I searched my prop shelf for the pocket watch, I ran across a tin toy version of a 40's woodie station wagon. I love tin toys - and I start thinking to myself, "why haven't I used this in a painting yet?" I've been thinking a lot lately about how much of my art is about 1940's and 50's era things - signs, diners, motels, toys, cars, etc. Then, with the car, my thoughts turn to the idea of a 50's road trip. I started looking for a 50's era map so that I could align with the mapping theme and I ran into the colorful United States kids' jigsaw puzzle from that same period. Perfect!

A little juggling around with the layout, and soon I come up with a layout that made me happy. Somewhat different from my standard still lifes, but a lot of fun to paint - and it gave me lots of ideas for more paintings.

Time Traveler

10 x 10 inches, acrylic on canvas

And - best of all - "Time Traveler" was accepted into the juried exhibition "The Art of Mapping" at the Newburyport Art Association in Newburyport, Massachusetts. It will be on display through March 19th.

Spuds found a new home!

Spuds found a new home!

"Spuds Surrenders" was one of a number of my original paintings that sold this past weekend at the Haverhill Arts Association's Annual Art Festival. Lots of prints - and new calendars sold as well! A big thanks to everyone who came out and made it such a fun day.

Did you miss out on the Art Festival? I also be selling my work this weekend (September 17th) at the Boxford Apple Festival. And next Saturday, at the Haverhill Art Market. Feel free to contact me if you want more information!

Bill - ACEO Acrylic Painting of Toy Man

Bill

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

acrylic on watercolor paper

Back to my Lego friends.....hadn't done one in a little while, so I thought I would do a quick one in an ACEO size to add to my display at the West Village Provisions.

Mischief - Small Acrylic Painting of Mr Potatohead

Mischief

3 x 3 inches

acrylic on mdf panel

Doing a mix of little pieces for shops and some bigger pieces for exhibitions. Keeps me on my toes!
This little piece is available at Zenobia in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Gotta keep going back to the Mr. Potatohead. Each one has such a distinct personality - makes it so much fun to paint!

I am pretty much moved into my new studio - still some little things to be done, but I am pretty swamped with work, so I can't take any more down time. It will all get done eventually - right?!!

Duck Down - Small Acrylic Painting of a Rubber Ducky

Duck Down

3 x 3 inches

acrylic on 1/2" MDF board

available at Zenobia 

A few little cuties for one of my gallery shops. The rubber ducks have been popular!

My computer is giving me fits, hence I have been blogging less, but I am still painting lots and will have some larger pieces to show very soon......

Along for the Ride - Acrylic Painting of a Classic Toy by Debbie Shirley

Along for the Ride

12 x 12 inches

acrylic on canvas

I liked the little 3x3" painting of these Fisher-Price Little People so much, that I needed to do a larger one! It was great fun to paint. Now I am thinking I need to do more large Little People paintings. I love the irony - Little People who aren't so little. A child's toy becomes almost threatening when its head is bigger than your own. Too crazy?