Display at Farley's

As part of the collaboration between Newburyport Art Association and Farley's of Newburyport, I was selected to exhibit some of my selected paintings at Farley's. Today I dropped off 8 pieces that the staff stylist had picked out, and returned this evening for an artist Meet & Greet. It was fun to see how they displayed the paintings for the reception. Here is an example:

Isn't this a great idea? It is a win-win....the store gets some new ideas to build displays around, and the artist gets some good exposure. And the work is available for sale as well. Tomorrow, Farley's Master Stylist will more fully integrate the work into their windows and displays. I can't wait to see what he comes up with!

National Dog Day!

In honor of National Dog Day.....

My faithful companion. No it's not a painting, but a picture of my sweet pup at the end of the dock at our cabin in Maine.
Morgan is a rescue from down South - she had been abused and thrown from a truck on the highway. She is quirky and skittish - and very leery of men -  but she is a sweetheart and we feel lucky to have her as part of our family. Back to  our regularly scheduled program tomorrow  ;-)

Inspiration Monday - Fall in New England

Fall in New England can be often unpredictable, but most always breath-taking beautiful. This year is no exception.  The last two years we had heavy rains and early snows which robbed us of the full range of nature's colors, but this year has been magnificent.

This picture was from one of those absolutely beautiful perfect fall days. Lots of sun, but not hot. Color was not quite at peak, but still amazing. I took my three boys and our dog for a hike at Breakheart Reservation. It really made me wish I had a little more time this fall to get out and paint en plein air.

All too soon the snow will fly - but I am glad I have a bunch of colorful photos to get me through the grey days ahead.....

Inspiration Monday - Local Food

The local Farmer's Markets are winding down for the season...making me very sad.
Some of the markets continue through the winter on a limited schedule, using mainly crafts and prepared foods to keep people coming. But this is really getting to the end of the local produce for the year here in New England.

This year I pledged to myself to buy as much as possible locally throughout the growing season. I have been a frequent visitor to nearby Farmers' Markets and local farms. I have discovered a few new farmstands. I  have been buying mostly local milk, eggs and bread as well. It has been a wonderful experience - I've even gotten the kids to try a few new things! I plan to continue for as long as the apples and squashes hold out - and definitely plan to resume the challenge next year.

In the meanwhile, I will  be working on a few new fruit and veggie paintings.....

Inspiration Mondays - Water!

Yep, back to Maine for this week's inspiration......

I will be working on paintings for an upcoming exhibition at the MixtMedia Gallery in Ipswich, Massachusetts. The name of the newest show is The Four Elements. Water is my inspiration for the pieces I am currently working on. This is a photo of Shin Falls. Its power and beauty always amaze me.

Great Show!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the show at the Wenham Museum on Saturday. The weather was perfect and the show was a lot of fun. I was very happy to see so many of my original paintings find new homes!

My next show will be the Haverhill Cultural Council's Art Faire at the River Ruckus on Saturday, September 7, 2013. More details coming soon......

Inspiration Mondays

Yes, I know I have been MIA, but I have been off the grid in Northern Maine for the last few weeks. Not even cell service without a bit of a hike! While I did manage to make it into town for supplies every few days and check in on my email, I wasn't able to post here. Some day I will get a smart phone and make those tasks a little easier when I am away from home.

At any rate, I am now back in Massachusetts with a crazy busy schedule for the next month or so. Look for details on upcoming shows and exhibitions - I hope to post more information soon.

In the meanwhile, the photo above (taken while in Maine) is the beginning of one of the changes I plan to make in this blog over the upcoming weeks. I do plan a redesign, and I hope to make a few content changes as well. One thing I want to add is  "Inspiration Mondays" - posting something, most usually one of my photos, that provides inspiration for the work that I do. A kind of little peek into the process of creating art - and maybe revealing a little more about myself as well.

The photo above shows just a bit of the landscape in Northern Maine that inspires a lot of the landscapes that I paint. The beauty of that part of the country always takes my breath away - the trees, the mountains, the skies, the water - and I always feel a need to get back to painting landscapes after spending time there.

By the Bottle - Small Acrylic Still Life Painting on Canvas SOLD

By the Bottle

5 x 3 inches

acrylic on canvas
SOLD

Hmmmm, somehow I must have known subconsciously that this was coming when I started this painting....but I'm going to need a few bottles of something tomorrow. Just got the official call of "snow day" and the three kids are dancing around like crazy.

This painting is part of a little grouping going to West Village Provisions tomorrow - well, I guess now it'll have to be Monday.  Wish me luck (and some patience!) for tomorrow.......

Restless....

Well, not much painting got done this weekend. Family obligations, households chores, etc. etc. When I had a little time on Saturday, I was feeling too restless to paint, so I took my dog for a very long walk to check out a few nearby areas that I had been considering for some plein air practice.

We checked out three different places, and I found some lovely spots in all three. It has made me very eager to get back out there painting again - but of course it is supposed to rain all week  ;-(

One area near my house is a tiny little arboretum. My neighborhood once was a nursery for a man who specialized in rhododendrons and azaleas. He was well known for bringing many species from the south to New England. Most of the houses on my street have these huge banks of rhododendrons left over from the nursery days. This arboretum is a tiny bit of his old showing garden that gets maintained by the town's horticultural society. It is a lovely spot, with little paths leading to little somewhat wild gardens with many of the old plantings. It is a little early for the great rhodie showing, but right now there were some lovely Korean Azaleas and Pinkshell Azaleas in bloom. These are the Korean shown below - the petals have little ruffled edges, a little fancier than the standard azaleas we normally see around here.

Now let's hope for a more productive week!

Finally Home!

Yes, we are finally back home!
I've been silent for the last week because we went on a family trip. We flew cross country to California.....visited Legoland....Joshua Tree National Park....the Grand Canyon....the Hoover Dam...ended in Las Vegas. Lots of driving, amazing scenery, and three very exhausted kids (and parents, too!).

Since I was not prepared enough to have some work ready ahead of time like many daily painters do, I haven't been able to post. You may get a few more photographs from our trip (like the one above) while I get back into the swing of things. Since it was a family trip, my paints stayed home - but I hope someday to revisit some of the same areas primarily to paint.

I am so overwhelmed by all the beauty we saw. The Grand Canyon was, of course, amazing. But I was truly stunned by the beauty of the Joshua Tree area. It is going to take my brain a while to process it all. I have a million different scenes that I want to paint, but I feel overwhelmed by trying to portray what I saw in a way that will do it justice. It may be a while before I feel ready to try.

I'm looking forward to getting back into the paint in some form tomorrow - a whole week without painting is torture! Thank you for your patience.