painting in dutch

more acadia

2012-03-01T13:14:00.003-05:00

acadia rocks / 5 x 5 / oil on wood

in the shop

lookout / 5 x 5 / oil on wood

in the shop

I think these are the last two of my Acadia National Park series...a very small series. I've been painting my heart out lately and have several more pieces to show in the next couple of days.

Today I spent some time looking through a lot of my older work. It's such an amusing, educational, and sometimes cringe-worthy venture. I somehow made a leap of artistic know-how between 2006 and today. I guess that's what we would call experience, right? I find it so interesting to see how I've taken certain roads at certain times. For instance, when I could have gone the direction of realism I chose to go a bit more abstract. When I could have gone the route of architectural subject matter I went instead with more rural landscapes. The impressionism has solidified a bit more, as well. I also notice that I'm using a lot more color in my work now. That might seem wrong, since much of my earlier work was more centered on the primary color schemes with the use of brighter tones. But I see more contrasting colors in my work, and more broken color in my work now, meaning color that's broken up with varying shades and contrasting colors rather than a swathe of blue in the sky or yellow on the ground. It's harder to say what color you see in my work now, whereas previously you could easily point to a spot and say, that's definitely blue or whew, that's some red.

It's nice to be at a point where I'm happy with my art. I think at each stage I've been more or less content with my work, but right now I'm comfortable. That might all change, considering how I struggled with a small painting yesterday. I won't be able to blame that on the brushes forever...

birthday cake for breakfast

2012-02-27T07:55:00.005-05:00

Birthdays are charmed days, especially when you are turning four. We tried to fill Monday up with some of the things Sam loves best. Of course there were several presents, some sent in from loved ones far away, some given by us. Thank you so much to the grandmas and grandpas and others who love him so much! Being adopted can mean that you have a very large extended family! We spaced out the gift giving through the day, to keep his gift jitters to a minimum.

While Benny napped, Sam and I built a solar system model, one we've talked about doing for a couple of weeks now. It was very simple, with styrofoam balls, markers, twine, paper clips, and some wood rods. Sam dove right in, working first on the Sun and second on Jupiter, his two favorites. For lunch we drove in to Providence to get some samosas (or samosa pies as Sam calls them). This was his idea, we're big fans. Later I drove Sam back to Providence and dropped him off with Peter so he could ride the bus home with Dada. While they traveled home I rushed around the house cleaning, putting up a few more balloons and decorations, frosting the delicious chocolate cake, and making some dinner. I felt like wonderwoman on Monday. Somehow it all got done, and we had a great little family party, just the four of us around our kitchen table. We let Sam stay up late to watch a movie with us on a bed of quilts and pillows on the living room floor. He fell asleep for a brief moment or two, but hopped up afterward ready for the dance party portion of the evening, something we had told him we could do for his party! This child forgets nothing. So, it was two songs (this one and this one) and then off to bed.

Needless to say, Peter and I dropped down exhausted, but happy at the end of the night. It was a magical day, and it was wonderful to see a smile on his face at each turn of events. His birthmom called, and we got to share some of the day with her, too. It's always a special time to remember how Sam came to be with us. Today is actually the anniversary of the day he came home with us. It's the first time in four years (leap day!) that we've been able to celebrate this day with him, so I think that calls for another party. What do you think?!

Happy Birthday and Adoption Day Sam!!

sand beach in acadia

2012-02-24T06:29:00.003-05:00

sand beach in acadia / 5 x 7 / oil on panel

in the shop

My color choices in my paintings are greatly influenced by the weather of my psyche. In the realms of my more contemplative self I am almost always in a mist, with my eyes closed and breathing in the cool air. The mystery of the fog has a hold on my imagination. However, there are times when I am in a more colorful, brightly lit place. I rarely paint the colors of the sunset, but this picture begged to be painted. I have a special place in my heart for Acadia National Park in Maine. In our first visit Sam was only 2 and it was cold and windy. It was where he first learned about following a marked trail through the woods, where we discovered some rather large mushrooms, and where we enjoyed the idea that we were in Maine, which might as well have been Canada to us. It was our first trip to Maine, and, as is often the case when you travel to the northernmost reaches of any country, we felt like we had merged into a completely different place. We live in New England, but Maine somehow lies just outside of New England for me. It stands on its own. Perhaps some of you live in Maine, so this all sounds rather ridiculous. But for me it has still remained a place apart, even after several trips there since that first eventful one. I hope to return again soon.

Perhaps to get more photographs of some paintable places.

the high road

2012-02-22T13:28:00.004-05:00

the high road / 8.5 x 11 / oil on panel

in the shop

I had to do a second photo shoot with this one today since my first round of pictures were much too fuzzy. This painting might actually just have a fuzzy look, since it is a painting of a foggy day out on the moorish highlands... I've never been to Ireland or Scotland or England (except for the airport...), but that doesn't stop me from dreaming about it. Someday I just know I'll be on a trip when I'll get to step foot on this mysterious path. I am sure it will be a foggy day and that I'll be able to snap a few mental pictures to savor later on. Those mental pictures accompanied by all the other 5 senses make for some wonderfully indelible memories. So, someday....maybe I'll make a few of those memories for myself. For now I'll have to be satisfied to make these little windows to the emerald green hills.

The top image is a work in progress shot of this piece. Over time I've come to rely on those earthy orange base coats as a foundation for my cool tones in the sky and my warm yellows in the foreground. I then sketch out a loose version of my intended painting in dusty black charcoal. Afterward I go over and outline with a thin wash of burnt umber, cobalt blue pure, yellow ochre, and cadmium red. Sometimes I want to stop there. The drawings themselves are just hints at what I will create, but they sometimes stand on their own like seashells no longer housing their sea creatures, beautiful skeletons. I like to work from these drawings, they give structure and form to the colors I begin then laying down.

This running theme of misty, foggy weather is not bound to disappear anytime soon, so come back for more if you like this sort of sober, lyrical atmosphere...

backstage in the studio

2012-02-21T09:31:00.003-05:00

When Benjamin went down for his morning nap Sam and I got to work in the studio. Well, mostly I got to work while he lounged around the living room in his pj's. I have more than a dozen new wood panels that I'm gessoing this morning. They are one coat in and a couple more to go. I've got several paintings varnished and ready to package today, which has the studio smelling a bit strong... I also have some expected visitors to my studio in the coming weeks, so I'm busy hanging and sprucing up around here a bit. I used to hang all my completed pieces, but lately I've gotten into the (bad) habit of filing them away in drawers and on shelves. Truth be told, I'm not holding onto many of them for very long, especially the larger paintings, so I don't get around to hanging them these days. This is a very good thing, but I realize that it is nice to have my work more visible to keep it fresh in my mind. And, obviously visitors are going to want to see it on a wall and not in a drawer. It's always fun for me to have collectors come see my work in person, so I'm looking forward to some visits.

In other news, I entered two paintings into an exhibit at a fabulous local gallery. I went to the opening a couple weeks ago. I had to go alone since we didn't get a sitter in time...bummer. I'm not very good at socializing at these events. I've been going to enough of them for a while now that I'm starting to recognize people, but I lack some of the talent and ambition to really talk with them. So, I wander and look at the art. It's nice and it's relaxing, but I usually don't stay too long. I was there long enough to catch a glimpse of my two pieces hanging nondescriptly amidst many other beautiful pieces. It was a comfort to see them there, trying hard to stand tall with their shoulders back and their chins up. With so many discerning eyes on them I know it wasn't easy, but I was proud of them there. As I walked out of the gallery I received a very welcome and unexpected phone call. It was the gallery calling to let me know that someone was interested in purchasing BOTH paintings! They had a question for me, so we discussed it and that was that. I sold both paintings on opening night. I sold both paintings on opening night!! I called Peter right away to give him the good news. It just felt so great. My two brave little pieces really came through for me this time. I was so proud. Unfortunately this means I didn't get good photos of the pieces, so we'll all just have to imagine them in our minds, me included! That's how it goes I suppose.

Now, it's time to get back to work. I really need to replenish the shop. These days it's been hard for me to keep more than 10 or 12 paintings listed. I think that means I need to paint more...which is just fine with me!

vintage inspired

2012-02-17T12:27:00.003-05:00

A little over a year ago, before I was a knitter, I saw a great French film entitled The Chorus. There were so many things to love about this movie. The music, the endearing story of seeing the good in people, and the shenanigans of dozens of unruly boys. The first thing I actually noticed though was the wardrobe. It's post WWII France, and the boys in the school are orphans, poor, and wearing hand knitted sweaters! throughout the film. They are charming designs, and I was inspired then, even as a non-knitter. Perhaps those sweaters were what got me so enthralled with the idea to knit sweaters for my boys, which is the desire that got me into this knitting fix in the first place. I believe stumbling on Amanda Blake Soule's blog, Soulemama, was the next nudge I needed to believe I actually could learn to knit, something I'd always assumed I wouldn't attempt to learn in my lifetime. So I got to work, learning to knit mostly from books and a little from friends. I am still learning, and I have only just touched the tip of the iceberg I believe. Those vintage sweaters from this film have ever after been in my mind and have influenced the styles of sweaters I love to knit and design.

I finished this sweater vest today, all ends woven in! It fits him perfectly, but today he told me he preferred it this way...

I guess I should have knitted him a hat instead.

wintering

2012-02-16T14:08:00.002-05:00

wintering / 5 x 7 / oil on canvas panel

in the shop

You know, the beaches in New England in the winter are simply breathtaking. There's something special about walking in a place that is so obviously void of the typical sunseekers. It's like you can hear the silence, or maybe you can just hear the ocean instead of the noise of people. In winter you'll usually find a fairly empty stretch of sand and rocks, with the ocassional dog and owner, or brave surfer. It's quite lovely. The perfect place and time for personal evaluation, or just for breathing in and out and feeling good about being alive. If you live anywhere near the coast you should get out and visit a beach in the cold. Wear a scarf and hat and mittens, and set no time limits. Enjoy...

what is it about a box?

2012-02-15T06:17:00.002-05:00

There can be a room full of wonderful toys and games, but the stuff never gets the time of day when there's a huge carboard box to play with! The box that Sam's booster carseat came in has been the source of much entertainment around here for several months now. I remember making little forts out of boxes as a child, and my boys definitely have the same idea these days. Of course, there is the occasional battle to see who can take over the entire inside of the box. Sam is serious about these scuffles, and Ben just thinks it's hilarious. Oneday he might actually grasp the fact that Sam isn't playing with him, rather he's trying to push him out of the box. When Benjamin gets kicked out he goes and finds his own littler box. Then I have a couple of box heads on my hands. This was the source of a couple of hour's worth of playtime a couple days ago, and I'm holding on to that box for as long as I can!

I suppose there really is something about a box, seeing as I'm well on my way to completing a wooden box of sorts. This box will have swinging doors, shelves on the inside, and be propped up on four legs. I've almost completed the frame for my ridiculous and hairbrained armoir. My friends now ask me first thing when they see me, "How's the armoir coming?" Well, sometimes I think I'll get it done quickly, and other times I tell them it'll be done by next year. I need to get a new drill bit to go with my new (to me) drill, I need to rip some of the old boards I've collected so that they can fit snugly as sides on the frame, and I need to wait in between work sessions for less than freezing days to go out to the garage to work on it... So, I'll get there eventually! I'm fortunate to have a three year old that thinks it's rad that we're building something in our garage. So, the armoir is coming along, it'll be done for sure by next year:)

beach in winter

2012-02-10T10:22:00.004-05:00

beach in winter / 5 x 5 / oil on wood

in the shop

Several years ago I stumbled on a very talented (and I'm sure well known in that art scene) Cape Cod artist. Anne Packard has a gallery on the Cape in Provincetown. I first saw her work in Newport, RI, and was instantly spellbound. It was the first time I think I really paid attention to texture and color. I lingered in front of the massive Cape Light painting. The entire painting was practically simple blocks of color with only a thin strip of paint cutting through the horizon where the lighthouse was off in the distance. It was so simple, but it had a huge impact on me. I was really impressed by the interest she created in her work by the use of color and texture and light. I think her style influenced me for a long time afterward. Even to this day, if I see her work I stop in my tracks and I study the canvases closely.

This tiny piece of mine is reminiscent of Anne's much larger seascapes. I've done many beach scenes in the past and I'm always trying new things to lend depth and interest to a piece that is made up of mostly large areas of, well, nothing. I love a simple piece of art, one that is calming and uplifting. I think that texture has a lot to do with making such a simple piece stand on its own. There are so many ways to add texture. Simply leaving the brushstrokes unblended is first and foremost for me. I have slowly adopted the technique of laying down just the right color in just the right place, rather than pushing and blending paint all around on the surface. I'm always learning from others, so if you have any techniques you like to see in art please share!

i'm a good walker

2012-02-09T09:48:00.002-05:00

i'm a good walker / 8 x 8 / oil on wood

in the shop

I had fun with this one this morning. I jumped out of bed at 5:01 this morning, and whisked myself out into the studio. I had to wrap up for a few minutes in a wooly blanket and cover my head with a cowl turned snood, but it felt oh so good to be awake. When I got to the easel I was ready to see what would happen. Some days I don't know just what is going to happen with my paintings, and today was one of those days. I didn't wake up with a vivid inspiration about the theme or colors or even mood, but I knew I had to get to work. Often that is the best medicine for stalled creativity. Putting down the charcoal outlines and laying down the first tiny sweeps of thinned paint to define those outlines sent me boldly onward! Just feeling the brushes loading up with thick, buttery paint and then putting down the first swaths of color on my orangey primed panel made me breathe slower. I find that I travel to a new place while I'm painting. I don't realize where the time is going. Only when I hear a little whimper from the boys' room do I come back to my studio at 6:30 in the chilly morning air. Then it's back to reality and the sweet pudge of my baby. Sam slumbers on, while I play in the living room with Benny as the sun just begins to come up.

This morning it was very nice to travel to a dusty path winding through an emerald green Dutch field for a leisurely walk, all before breakfast.

plans and projects

2012-02-07T19:55:00.003-05:00

These sunny winter days are making for some very cheerful moments in our home. We've been busy with dance parties in the living room, paper-chain making, future sweater planning, and even a new sweater finished for the littlest man! I finished his little gnome sweater this afternoon, and he is mightly pleased with it, lucky for me. I didn't follow a pattern for this one, just a simple raglan sleeve cardigan from the bottom up. I followed some loose guidelines for constructing the hood from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac, the tomten jacket. It's my first hooded cardigan, and I'm really in love! This was done up super fast with Lion Brand Wool's Thick & Quick yarn. It's not 100% wool, which I think I've become a snob about, but I had it in my yarn stash and decided to use it up! This is a pretty bulky sweater, so it'll be mainly for our outside adventures. Next up, a similar one for Sam, with not so bulky 100% wool this time around. He is very excited. So am I. I'm thinking green and light brown...

We've also been taking advantage of the mild temperatures to spend some time out working on our current woodworking project. I'm building a small armoir...because I'm overly ambitious. I'll let you know how that works out for me. At least my awesome family is supportive, and I'm doing it at next to no cost. Thank you craigslist for all the free wood I've collected, from South Kingstown to Providence! And thank you ebay for letting me win a jigsaw and drill for next to nothing... As Sam would say these days, "now we're cooking with gas...."

grouping

2012-02-02T06:55:00.003-05:00

grouping / 3 x 7 / oil on panel

sold

As I sit up this morning, seeing the grey light begin to brighten through the window blinds, hearing some early birds singing good morning, I am thinking of Spring. I know, it's only February, but this is the month for me that marks the anticipation, the hope, of Spring. Sam turns four later this month, four! Always just after his birthday I begin to sense that Spring is on its way. For me Spring doesn't necessarily mean lovely weather. It's more a reassurance of hope, family, and life! I need the ever changing seasons. I don't know how I would find renewed energy if I didn't have the seasons to prod me along in life. With each new season I feel excited for what it will bring with it. I feel the need to get busy preparing for what is coming. We have been having an unseasonably warm winter so far, and perhaps that contributes to this whole feeling right now. We were in the garden yesterday, wearing only long sleeve shirts. Sam poked around in the dirt, inspected the wintering strawberry patch, and swung on the tire swing. I replaced the plant stand that fell over in our snow storm a couple of weeks ago, went through the wood pile to see what was salvagable for my latest building project (more on that later), and breathed in the cool air. It felt like a Spring day. So deceiving, yet so delicious!

I will certainly take more winter, please! We need it to gear us up for sunny days to come!

a long walk

2012-02-01T05:46:00.002-05:00

a long walk / 5 x 5 / oil on panel

in my shop

The luscious paint of this one makes me think of thick butter, or "buttah" as Sam puts it these days. I often use my fingers when I'm finishing a painting, to smooth certain areas, or to create texture or interest. It feels good to really be one with my art...

sail on

2012-01-30T09:56:00.000-05:00

sail on / 3 x 5 / oil on panel

in the shop

The sun has really come out today, which just makes me feel so cozy. We have a sunroom in our house, with wall to wall windows. It's not an insulated or heated room, but when the sun comes out it's the warmest room in the house, so we spend a lot of play/knitting time in there together. I'm looking forward to our post lunch playtime in there today. In the meantime, I thought I would get this little painting up in my shop and previewed here for all to see. When working with smaller paintings there is the risk of forgetting about one or two from time to time. This painting sort of got bumped to the bottom of the pile, so to speak, until I found it a couple of days ago and realized I never listed it! It is a gem, so I'm glad I found it. Enjoy, and happy Monday to you all!

underfoot at dawn

2012-01-27T08:51:00.002-05:00

The early morning routine is beginning to take its own pace now. It's really quite wonderful to ease into my day, take my time, and tinker away in my studio. I have it all to myself...usually. Sometimes there is a little welcome addition in the form of one child or another. Today I welcomed Sam first at about 5:40. He wanted to cuddle, which I successfully persuaded him to do back in bed with dad. Sam needs his sleep, so we have to at least try to get him to sleep until around 7:00. Then I came back out to my quiet morning. Then, about an hour later I welcomed Benjamin. I'm always surprised by the focus I'm still able to have when Ben is with me in the early morning. He is so calm and willing to mill around peacefully. There's no clamoring or tugging at my legs or whining. It's just hanging out together, which is pure delight.

It's been a productive week. I managed to finish up a few paintings, package a few more for shipping out, and even work a bit on the business end of things. Now, for the weekend. Plans include scoping out a used wood router, perfecting my dado making abilities, and driving my husband crazy with this new idea of pursuing a woodworking hobby. He didn't know it when he married me that I'd be so hobby-happy. It's lucky for me that he sticks around.

lately...

2012-01-26T05:53:00.003-05:00

Almost a month ago now our baby turned one! Every day is an adventure with him, and we are so blessed because of it. Needless to say, these boys keep me busy these days, and I love the time I'm given to spend with them. Painting has afforded me this amazing opportunity to be with them as they grow and learn and discover. I'm so glad that Peter and I made the decision long ago that I would be home with our children. I wouldn't have it any other way. So, here's to Benjamin's first year!

They are both wearing handknits made by their mama. That's the other thing that keeps me busy around here!

ablaze

2012-01-24T05:36:00.003-05:00

ablaze / 2 x 7 / oil on panel

sold

You know, I didn't go to art school, so I've not really been well versed in painting styles, techniques, surfaces, varnishes, etc... What I've come to see as my painting process is entirely made up, invented. Well, I've read a bunch and I am always asking questions that I need answers to, but for the most part I've learned by trial and error what works and what doesn't...for me anyway. For me, the successful piece doesn't depend as much on being fine as it does on being beautiful. This seems to be true for me no matter the medium. Take woodworking for example. I know, that's just what you thought I was going to say...

I've always been interested in building my own furniture, and I've attempted it a few times. Peter and I built a pantry shelf in one of our first apartments that was completely slanting to the right. Our oldest son's birthmom once saw the shelf and vowed she wouldn't tell her father about it, seeing as he is an expert craftsman. Thank you to her! Since then I've learned a thing or two about a carpenter's square. I've made a few things since then. I have an insatiable desire to build things with my own two hands, but have mostly felt I can't do much without the proper (power) tools. I mean, using a handsaw is really. exhausting. work. However, I recently stumbled on a fabulous blog that I could sit and read all day long. It speaks to this inner me that just wants to build stuff, beautiful stuff. Ariele of brooklyntowest makes beautiful things, beautiful stuff. Her simple and intuitive methods of assembly are inspiring to me. It makes me think I could do more with what I've got. Although, a nice circular saw wouldn't hurt...

Anyway, most times I feel like my art wants to go in that direction, the way I'd rather have worn wooden kitchen countertops over new granite. The way I'd rather pick up old furniture off the side of the road, fix it up, and enjoy it for years to come over a sleek streamlined new piece of furniture. I paint to convey the beauty I see, the beauty I want others to see, as well. I hope it comes through in my work.

changes around here

2012-01-21T12:00:00.002-05:00

I've had these paintings hanging in a gallery for the better part of 2011. There were four originally. Two sold, but these two were still up, so I decided it was time to pull them out. In my gallery experience thus far I've been a little unimpressed. It is no doubt my own fault. I haven't been the most vigilant starving artist in trying to peddle my paintings in brick and mortar establishments. I know that a majority of any gallery experience is going to depend on the relationship I foster with the owner(s). Since I don't feel that I have the time or really even the desire to keep up with multiple galleries, their request for new and rotating work, or the sticky pricing issue, I've decided to be very selective in the future about where I place my work. I want to feel like the gallery owner is genuinely excited about my work and not apt to relegate my paintings to the storage closet without letting me know. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything....hmn...

At any rate, as I drove home from Providence, where I picked up my husband and my paintings yesterday evening, I was happy to see my pieces once again. It's a bit like seeing an old friend again, and I'm able to remember the brushstrokes and the time I worked on them. It's so interesting to see work from a year ago now, to see how my painting style and themes have changed, and also how some things have stayed the same. Now I'm making them available in my shop. I believe this will reach a wider audience, so I hope they won't sit there for the better part of 2012!

shop update

2012-01-20T07:05:00.002-05:00

I'm adding new paintings just about every day now in my shop. Please stop in to see what's new!

before the sun comes up

2012-01-19T05:42:00.002-05:00

Five a.m. does come pretty early, but it's been surprisingly easy for me to pluck myself out of bed this week. I've been waking up close to this time now for about a year, because of sweet little Benjamin, but this is the first time I'm attempting it voluntarily. Peter and I laugh because we never set our alarms anymore. We have two built in alarm clocks, Sam and Ben, and they never fail to wake us up each morning. However, if I'm going to select my own time to work then I have to do it this way, before the sun comes up. It's cold in our house at this morning hour, but worth it for the hour or two of time I've found in my day! I completed a painting yesterday and am about to go begin another right now.

Here's to resolutions!

matunuck beach

2012-01-17T09:31:00.002-05:00

matunuck beach / 7 x 7 / oil on panel

sold

Now that the holiday season is passed and we've officially settled back into real life (I know, it took me an especially long time this year), I have found time to get back to this space. This painting sold the same day I posted it, but I wanted to show it to you anyway.

With the new year I have been giving a lot of thought to the direction I want to go with my art. My productivity has slowed considerably over the last year. It's been a pretty good trade-off, spending more of my time with the boys and less of my time at the easel. However, I am determined to carve out more time for my art. I think the only real way to do that is to sacrifice a bit more sleep. I've always been a night owl, coming from a family of stay-up-laters. But with small children it seems to make so much more sense to go to bed earlier... No matter how much sense something makes, when the time comes to act it doesn't make it any easier to do! I still crave the relaxed free time of the evenings. But, in the handfull of times I've gotten out of bed before the house is awake I've accomplished so much more. Plus, when the little ones finally do rouse themselves it feels like it's on my own time and not on theirs, which is nice. It's less like an alarm clock and more like a pleasant greeting. So, does this mean I will be getting up earlier? Perhaps. I'm going to work on this. It just feels like the way to start my day off right. And, Peter would be so proud of me, which always makes me happy.

To start off the year with a renewed energy for my art, I will be entering three pieces into a show at a fabulous local gallery. I've shown there a couple of times before, and am excited to get back after being out of the art show scene for an entire year!

A couple of my artistic endeavors I'll be pursuing this year:

-Get up earlier to paint

-Seek out more exhibit opportunities

If more ideas come up I'll add them to the list. For now this is a doable (hopefully) list. I'll keep it simple to start off the year!

matunuck dunes

2011-12-16T10:51:00.003-05:00

matunuck dunes / 3 x 4 / oil on panel

sold

The judge that Peter is clerking for (his first job out of law school!!) has a soft spot for Matunuck, Rhode Island. Peter and his fellow co-clerk asked me to do a painting to give the judge as a gift for Christmas. Nice gift! I was happy to oblige. I have painted Matunuck before, so it's nice to revisit the theme. It's been a while since I've actually done any seaside paintings it seems (at least ones that actually include even a glimpse of the sea). While trying to decide just what to paint for the judge I did a couple of preliminary studies. This is the first I did, which actually turned into the larger finished piece later. I have another study that I'll post soon, a true seascape. Until then, enjoy this little picture of the dunes along Matunuck Beach...

middle of the path

2011-12-10T20:22:00.002-05:00

middle of the path / 4 x 4 / oil on panel

now available

Something is on the path in this painting, but I don't really have a clue what it is... I painted it in, and thought about painting it out since I had no real direction to go with it, or anything in particular in mind when I put the simple brushstroke down. But then, as I backed away a bit from the easel to have a broader look I decided that it just sat right with me to keep it there. So, there it is. Use your imagination?? I like it.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

into the wide world

2011-12-09T11:41:00.002-05:00

into the wide world / 4 x 4 / oil painting

now available

Here is another figurative piece, with another red hat. This painting is based on a photograph I took of my boy, Sam, last summer while we were out on the Cape. This one photograph captured the moment when he turned to look at us all marching up the dune following his lead. The expression on his face coupled with the view ahead just made me think of how he will oneday trek off on his own, for real. Thus, he will head into the wide world. I just want to enjoy these choice years when I get to be a part of his excursions out into the world, when I still get to hold his hand and cuddle with him each morning while he warms up to the day. He is a brave boy, and oneday he really will head off into the dunes. I hope I'm ready for it then, because I'm certainly not now.

sneeuw

2011-12-08T08:29:00.002-05:00

Or, a journey into the figurative art world...

sneeuw / 4 x 4 / oil painting

available now

This painting is the first figurative piece I've done in years. If you've followed my work for any length of time, you'll know that I am by nature a landscape painter, but if I'm honest I have to say that some of the work I am most drawn to is figurative. I love the stories that figurative art tells. I have never studied art in a formal setting, so I've always considered my efforts at figurative art completely amateur to say the least. My first subjects as a child were figurative. My mother allowed me to draw pictures in a journal that she saved for me. My first drawings when I was three were large lop-sided circles with four long squiggly lines coming out of them. the caption near the drawings read, "people walking on the head." Later, when my depth perception caught up I was drawing Victorian era ladies in poofy dresses. Then, in high school I often drew stylized ink renditions of men and women with outrageous hair and facial expressions. These were my choices then. It wasn't really until I started painting that I became drawn to landscapes. And that's how it's been for years.

I have, however, always wondered if I could/should try out figures in my work. My very first oil painting actually includes two figures. Very small wisps of paint indicating workers in a field of tulips. For one reason or another I've never had much confidence in my ability to paint people, but I've always wanted to be able to do it. With my new love of knitting...I decided I would try to combine some themes that might come together to create something sparse, magical, and simple. These small landscape format pieces were just the thing. I can combine simple figures that are mostly just blocks of color. they are figures wearing knitted things. Quaint, eh?

Enjoy!