It was a very crafty Christmas

Have you seen the Tree Change Dolls that Sonia Singh creates from discarded Bratz dolls? If not, watch this video she has posted about how she got started. Her story inspired me to create some dollies for me and my two sisters for Christmas. Even though we are adults, I think you never out grow loving dolls. While I did not use Bratz dolls, I found these cute Sparkle Girlz dolls and decided to make them several outfits and accessories to go along with them. Then, as Sonia does, they also had a photo shoot outside before they were shipped out.

The artist in the middle of this picture is my doll. Her name is Nina. She is an artist, and yes that is a palette knife in her pocket. My sisters dolls are Gina (the tennis player) and Luna (the yoga master). 

I discovered during this experience that I am a terrible seamstress, so anything that I could glue or stick on instead was much preferred. I used a lot of velcro as fasteners. Here is a photo of my work table during production. I molded them each a pair of sneakers using Crayola's model magic. So much fun.

My sisters and I all live far away from one another so I am looking forward to the next time we meet up as our dolls will travel along with us and most likely have another photo shoot together. I found 3 of these matching wine bottle boxes that were the perfect size for transporting them and their outfits.

If you ever try this yourself you will see how addictive it can be.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

The Red Inn in Winter III

12' by 24" by .75"

Oil with a palette knife on Ampersand Gessobord

I have painted many Red Inns in summer, but occasionally, I like to throw in a winter scene. With Christmas just around the corner, I really love the way the inn looks all dressed up in white and bright lights. While I am not looking forward to snow, I am looking forward to the holiday season. Happy shopping everyone!

The Lobster Pot, Provincetown

The Lobster Pot

10" x  8" x .75"

Oil with palette knife on cradled board
SOLD

I have been wanting to paint this iconic restaurant in Provincetown for awhile now so when a collector asked if I had any paintings of the Lobster Pot available, it encouraged me to get it done this weekend. I loved the night scenes that show the bright red neon sign and glow from the door. It's tough to capture, but was a good challenge nonetheless.

Picnic in the Public Gardens

Picnic in the Public Gardens

16" x 16" x 1.5"

Oil with a palette knife on Ampersand Gessobord
SOLD

I am still hanging on to summer!

Occasionally during the summer, my husband and I have a lunch picnic in the Public Gardens which is only a few blocks from where I work. I took some photos during the last one we had this year because the colors were so crisp and clear that day.

This painting was started at a demo that I did for the Framklin Art Association and then I finished it up at home. I originally had the lady in red on the right side of the painting, but during the demo, much to the surprise of the audience,  I decided to spontaneously move her to the left so she is walking in to the painting instead. It was kind of a great way to show how as an artist you can change things up to make the painting work better. This is also a new panel size I am trying out from Ampersand- 16 by 16. Its not too big but not too small. Just right for a scene like this.

Here are a few photos from the demo. Thanks to FAA for inviting me-it was great fun.

A new family portrait commission

Molly's Family

8" x 10"

Oil with a palette knife on Ampersand Gessobord
commission

My aunt asked if I could paint a portrait of Molly and her family as a thank you present. It was just dry enough to ship out so she should receive it shortly. Fun stuff!

The Red Inn Number TEN!

The Red Inn X

Oil with a palette knife on Ampersand Gessobord

12" by 36" by 2"
SOLD

Yes, that right folks, this is number 10. You aren't seeing things. This is the 10th time I have painted this beautiful place because people who have visited or stayed here just can't get enough! It is celebrating it's 100th year anniversary this year-I hope it stays around for at least 100 more!

Inspired by Wyeth

Mini Wyeth, after Christina's World

3" by 5" oil with a palette knife
SOLD

I love painting these little mini masters. I had some extra time while working at the gallery last weekend so I painted this along with the Mini Cassatt I posted on Monday. So fun but challenging to capture the essence of a painting on such a small canvas.

Here is it on it's mini easel...

Inspired by Mary Cassatt, again

"Mini Cassatt, after Children Playing on the Beach"

8" x 6" oil with a palette knife

SOLD

I had some extra time this weekend while working at the Artists Studio and Gallery at Patriot Place to paint a couple of Mini Masters. This one was inspired by a Mary Cassatt painting. It is so fun to do these and they work up quickly, so I like to squeeze them in when I can. I guess I am not ready to let go of summer yet.

Entering Provincetown for a third time

Entering Provincetown III

12" x 12" x 2"

Oil with a  palette knife on Ampersand Gessobord
SOLD

This third version of this painting was done slightly smaller than the other 2. At this size I was able to complete this painting in about 3 hours-the same amount of time that it took the New England Patriots to pounce on the Jaguars during Sunday's game. I painted this while working at The Artist's Studio and Gallery at Patriot Place during Sunday's game-that's how I know!

Workshop on Cape Cod

Cute Koi Cottage

10" x 8" x .75"

Oil with a palette knife on Blick Studio Artist Board

NFS

My workshop this past weekend was so much fun. Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day for painting as you can see in the photos below. Everyone's paintings came out great and we all had such a good time thanks to the generosity and hospitality of our hosts John and Pat from The Inn at Cook Street. I am looking forward to the next one already!

 

Number Nine!

The Red Inn IX

12" x 36" x 2"

Oil with a palette knife on Ampersand Gessobord
SOLD

Yes, that's right, this is the ninth version of this painting I have completed. The Red Inn is a magical place for so many people and many want a painting to help them remember their stay. The inn is celebrating it's 100 year and it is still going strong and looking good!

A new dog portrait commission

Sweet Sadie

10" x 10" x 1.5"

Oil with a palette knife on cradled Blick Studio Artist board
commission

Callie asked if I would paint a portrait of her best friend's best friend-this cute German Shepard mix named Sadie. Callie's mother previously had a painting done of Callie's dog Niko which you may have seen in a post back in January so Callie wanted her friend to have one too.

Only a few weeks left to sign up for my workshop on beautiful Cape Cod

Paprika

Paprika

6" x 6"

Oil with a palette knife on Ampersand Gessobord
NFS

This is my friend Danielle's cat, Paprika who she recently had to say goodbye to. I wanted to paint a portrait of her so she could always look at that sweet face and remember her girl.

The Red Inn in Summer

The Red Inn in Summer IV

6" x 18" x 2"

Oil with a palette knife on Ampersand Gessobord
SOLD

Summer is my favorite time of year, and this is one of my favorite summer places. If this looks familiar, it is because I've painted this scene many, many times. Almost too many to count. At this smaller size, this is the fourth time. I like this smaller size because it works up quickly and I can't get detailed with the knife at all.

Provincetown Library

Provincetown Library

24" x 18" x 2"

Oil with a palette knife on Ampersand Gessobord
SOLD

I had a very productive weekend while working at The Artists Studio & Gallery at Patriot Place this past weekend. This was the first of the 3 paintings I completed-the beautiful library in Provincetown.

Entering Provincetown again

Entering Provincetown II

18" x 18" x 1.5"

Oil with a palette knife of Blick Studio Artist Board
SOLD

Kevin saw the first painting I had done of the "Entering Provincetown" sign hanging at The Red Inn with a SOLD sign on it and asked if I could paint another one for him. As a special request, he asked if there was someway I could include his dog, Henry into the painting. You can't really seem him from this far away, but if you look very, very closely in the lower left hand corner, I painted a loose interpretation of tiny Henry hanging out int the dunes.

Here is a close up photo of that section.

Penny On The Porch

Penny On The Porch

18" x 18" x 1.5"

Oil with a palette knife on Blick Studio Artist Board
SOLD

Sam asked me if I would paint a portrait of his Old English Bulldog, Penny. She is sitting so attentively on the steps of her house in Charlestown, MA welcoming you to her home.

My Palette Knife Workshop on Cape Cod

The Inn At Cook Street

12" x 24" x 2"

Oil with a palette knife on Ampersand Gessobord
SOLD

I am thrilled to announce my upcoming palette knife workshop to take place at the picturesque Inn at Cook Street in Provincetown on Cape Cod. The workshop will take place the weekend of Sept 11 which is a lovely time to be on the cape. John Jay and Patrick, the owners of the inn, put together this great rack card to promote the workshop. I am excited to be the first artist to be asked to conduct a workshop as they hope to continue promoting art workshops at their inn for years to come.

If you want to check out more photos of what this beautiful place looks like, here are links to their website The Inn at Cook Street and their Facebook page. For more information or to reserve your spot, call 508-487-3894.

Dad and Nana

Dad and Nana

24" x 12" x 2"

Oil with a palette knife on Ampersand Gessobord
SOLD

I got a chance to squeeze in another family portrait a few weekends ago while working at the Artists Studio and Gallery at Patriot Place. This was done from a black and white photo of my dad and his mom-my nana. Below is a photo I took of my set up outside. Such fun to paint.

Summertime is here!

Mini Hopper

2" by 3.5"

Oil with a palette knife on canvas board
SOLD

I love painting these Mini Masters. I painted this one last weekend at the Artists Studio and Gallery at Patriot Place where it is currently for sale. Below you can see it on its easel and get a better sense of its wee size. I thought it appropriate to post this on Memorial Day weekend-the unofficial start of summer my favorite season.

Another Big Postcard and hanging art at the Red Inn

The Red Inn 1805-1915

30" x 40" x 2"

Oil with a palette knife on Ampersand Gessobord
SOLD

This painting was inspired by yet another old postcard that Paul sent me of the Red Inn from the early 1900s. It is the view from the water and shows how the inn looked before the more recent expansion renovations. Here are a couple of process shots I took along the way.

Last week, Polo and I attended the opening party for the red inn and while we were in town, also hung some more of our paintings in the hallway. Here is a shot of how it looks. I was pleased to see that 4 of my paintings already had red dots on them. Exciting!

The party was well attended with fabulous food, drinks, and people watching. Here is a link to a really cool video that David A. Cox took during the party with a drone camera:

11184205_10205191905170995_1481826870_n.mp4

Arts Festival and Paint Out

Stars and Stripes on the Beach

12" x 9" x 3/4"

Oil with a palette knife on Blick Studio Artists Board

SOLD

This past weekend, I participated in a Paint Out during an Arts Festival at Patriot Place. I painted from a photo reference that John Jay and Patrick sent me of Provincetown. It was a beautiful day and several artists set up outside the Art Gallery to paint. 

A fellow artist, Joanne Willoughby set up next to me and decided to paint me painting. She actually did a palette knife painting of me painting with a palette knife. How fun is that?

 It came out great-she really captured me!

And as I like to do, here are a few close ups of my painting so you get a sense of the thick texture.