Large Boston painting reveal

Looking up Berkeley Street III

Oil with a palette knife on 2" cradled board

36" x 24"
SOLD

This past week I took a couple of days off of work so I could have a two day self imposed painting marathon. Although I was completely fried by Friday night, it was worth it. I was able to finish this large painting I have been working on for awhile now, phew. As well as finishing up a few others that will appear in later posts.

I had previously posted several stages of this painting and this time I was hoping to get a better sense of the size of this painting when I photographed it. The one above is on the easel which kind of shows the scale, but then I recruited Polo and shot this one too. What a hoot. Here is my painting with a hat and legs.

And here is a detail.

And an abstract close up.

It's now ready for it's debut at our June 4 art reception and show. 

Happy 50 Lynnie!

My sister Lyn turned 50 this year. Woo hoo, sister. She still has got the spirit and energy of a, well I don't know, someone MUCH younger! She lives in Texas and recently got certified to teach adaptive yoga. She wants to help war veterans and others who can still benefit from the healing and strengthening powers of yoga, but might need adaptive versions of the yoga poses . There is no holdin' this sister back!

This week, our family surprised her with this painting, called Tri Yoga, by the talented artist, Jill Pankey, also from Texas. It's large, 3' by 4', and so full of color and energy, just like my sister.

Jill had done a similar painting which is currently hanging in a gallery in Santa Fe so she offered to do another version as a special surprise for my sister's birthday. Check out Jill's website and her other paintings. They celebrate woman of all shapes and sizes and well, they are just so much FUN.

Thanks Jill.

A few Mini Masters for Mothers Day

Mini Morisot

Oil with a palette knife on unstretched canvas

Click on the image to enlarge
$65 unframed

Mini Cassatt

Oil with a palette knife on unstretched canvas

Click on the image to enlarge
$75 unframed

Mini Renoir

Oil with a palette knife on unstretched canvas

Click on the image to enlarge
$50 unframed

Mini Renoir

Oil with a palette knife on unstretched canvas

Click on the image to enlarge
SOLD

In honor of Mothers Day, I thought I would gather a few selections from my Mini Masters series to showcase today. Have a great day all you mothers out there.

Our house is ready for summer!

Our House in Summer

Oil with a palette knife on unstretched canvas

6" x 8"

Click on the image to enlarge
NFS

This past weekend was an amazing taste of summer in New England. It hit 90 degrees on Sunday. We were lovin' it. It inspired us to wash the deck, unload the deck furniture out of the shed, and get set up for the business of summer.

I did a quick patch job of two different photos here cuz I wanted to get in the thermometer that was reading almost 90. Despite the heat during the day, it cooled down enough in the evening for us to fire up the chiminea for it's inaugural burn.

I JUST LOVE SUMMER!

Feeling a little melancholy

I am feeling a little melancholy today. I think partly because of the unexpected news of the passing of a former colleague this week. And partly because I am feeling that there is so much more I'd still like to do with my art, my life, my future. 

Ever hear a song on the radio that you've probably heard a hundred times and suddenly you really listen to the words and they speak to you?  That happened to me the other day with this song by Natasha Bedingfield. 

Unwritten

Natasha Bedingfield

I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined

I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you

Open up the dirty window

Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance

So close you can almost taste it

Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten

Ok-I'm staring at the blank canvas before me, ready to release my inhibitions. Bring it on.

SOLD

Looking Down

Oil with a palette knife on board

8" x 8"

Click on the image to enlarge

SOLD

I'm excited because a painting of mine hanging at 13Forest Gallery sold this month.  If it looks familiar, that may be because I've posted it before when I entered it into Karin Jurick's blog Different Strokes from Different Folks challenge last year. I just read that Karin may be starting up this blog again which has been on hiatus for several months.  I've really enjoy participating in this blog because it's challenged me to paint subject matter that I probably would never have thought to paint myself. I think the pieces I've painted for those challenges are some of my strongest pieces. You can see the entire collection by clicking here.

A new blog just for Palette Knife Painters

I was recently invited to join a new blog just for Palette Knife Painters. It was started by the talented artist, Judy Mackey whose work I have been following for awhile. I'm excited to have another venue to share my work and to be inspired by other artists who share the same passion for using the blades! I think there is a great variety of style and subject matter.

The longest porch in the world

Alice and Dani, Summer of '68

Oil with a palette knife on cradled artist board

12" x 9" x 1.5"

Click on the image to enlarge
SOLD

This is a recent painting from my family photos series. This was painted from a photo of my good friend Danielle and her mother Alice taken in 1968 at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. This hotel boasts the longest porch in the world and it is one of Danielle's favorite childhood memories. Danielle, an only child, lost her mother earlier this year, but she told me that this is one of the most treasured photos of them together. So of course, I had to paint it.

And now for some macro zoom photo fun with the painting. I love the abstract quality of these. 

This is the start of something BIG

It's not done yet, but I wanted to share some progress on a larger painting I'm working on.

Sketch Stage

Stage 2

Stage 3

This painting is 36" by 24" on a 2" cradled artists panel. Holy cow. That's a much bigger size than I usually paint. I've been working on this painting in stages for about a year, leaving it for long periods of time and coming back to it. I've taken photos along the way and I thought it would be interesting to see the progress. I've painted this view down Berkeley Street in Boston not once, but twice before (both SOLD) but those were about one sixth of this size. It's quite a different experience painting it so large.

I find it less daunting to think of it as several smaller paintings so that I don't get too anxious and try to finish everything at once (I normally can complete a painting in 1 or 2 sittings). It's been fun using my larger painting knives and adding the impasto helped when I hadn't mixed up enough of a certain color.

Next time I photograph it, I think I need to include something to show the scale. The goal is to complete it by our show in June so stay tuned for the reveal of the final piece.

My pre-palette knife era

Red Poppy

24" x 24"

Acrylic on canvas

$200 unframed

Yellow Flower

24" x 24"

Acrylic on canvas

$200 unframed

One good thing about the recent basement flooding we had was discovering some old artwork that needed rescuing. I rediscovered these two pieces that I painted with acrylic in 1998. I remember that I had them hanging in my old condo to cover up the electrical panel in the hallway. Ha! They are quite large (each about 2 1/2 feet square) and have quite an "in your face" presence about them. Bright and colorful, they still make me feel good.

I've always wanted to be a famous catalog model

Hey. This is exciting. I just found out that one of my paintings will be featured on the painting knives page of the national Fall 2010 catalog for Dick Blick art supplies. How cool is that? The designer was nice enough to send me his layout for the page. Doesn't it look great? I am thrilled. And it makes me want to buy every knife on the page (although I own most of them already). I feel so famous.

Boylston Street Boston

Lunch on Boylston Street

Oil with a palette knife on cradled artist board

12" x 9" x 1.5"

SOLD

I went for a walk the other day during my lunch hour and took some photos around the Back Bay area. I liked this one because it was a nice juxtaposition between the old and new architecture that makes Boston so unique. I had fun adding dabs of people walking by and eating at the restaurant in the bottom left corner. Here is a photo I took using that Macro Zoom feature on my camera. It focused in so well that you can even see a little fuzzy that had landed on my painting. So cool.

Happy Easter

What a beautiful Easter weekend we had here in New England. Much deserved after the horrible rains and flooding we've had in March. Last Friday, I had a wonderful conversation with my good friend Joan. She posted a photo of a charm on her blog that looked so professional and so I asked her about what kind of camera she had. She told me she took it using the Macro Zoom feature on her digital camera. She gets in really close, like 1/4" away from the subject, and then points her finger where she wants the camera to focus in the photo before she shoots-you know, how you hold the button down halfway to focus before shooting?

I remembered seeing that Macro Zoom feature on my camera so I couldn't wait to try the technique out for myself on this amazing bouquet of yellow roses we purchased at Costco last week. (Yes- purchased last week and still opening bright, brilliant, sunny yellow. My favorite color next to red.)  I think this feature probably works best in the daytime, but I wanted to give it a try just using the existing light in the room. Cameras are really incredible these days, aren't they?

Urban Canyon

Urban Canyon

Oil with a palette knife on cradled artist board

12" x 9" x 1.5"

SOLD

I've been wanting to paint some more city scenes of Boston and last Thursday in my painting class, Frank gave me a photo he had taken in downtown Boston. I had been wondering what I was going to paint that night, and well, problem solved. His photo had a lot of great qualities-good light, space and perspective, and windows galore. I think I may have gotten caught up in all those windows, but it was great fun. A palette knife challenge for sure.

Finding your voice

I admit. I love American Idol. I've watched every season. It's one of only a few shows that I rearrange my activities around in order to watch. Just recently, I've made an interesting connection to art. Kind of an "AHA" moment.

Every year, the judges critiques include comments like, "I don't get a sense of who you are or who you want to be as a recording artist." It's clear that many of the contestants just do what they think the judges will like or want them to do. My favorite contestant this year is Chrystal Bowersox. I love her because she is not the usual contestant you see every year. She does not seem to give in to all the hype, glamour, or apparently the pressure to do whatever the judges advise her to do. This past Wednesday night, Ryan said to her, "Kara is telling you to put down the guitar, Simon is telling you to keep the guitar, who do you listen to?" and she replied without missing a beat, "me." End of story.

I believe that the same is true for art. It's so easy to get caught up into what you think galleries are looking for, what people tell you is marketable, or what will sell quickly. But if you don't paint what you enjoy, what's the point? I am a firm believer in painting what you're excited about or can't wait to create. I think that will show in your work and soon others will feel it too.

I recently saw this quote on Katherine A. Cartwright's blog "Don't try to paint a good landscapes. Paint canvases that will show how interesting the landscape looks to you-your pleasure in the thing." And another that said, "don't paint the pig, paint the squeal." Those really resonate with me as I struggle to find my voice and express who I want to be as an artist. Gotta go find that squeal...

Who Does She Think She Is?

I just love that title!

I went to an event at the Norfolk library tonight to view this movie which was followed by a panel discussion. It is extremely well done film, directed by Pamela Tanner Boll, that follows a group of diverse woman struggling to fit their artistic passion into their busy family life. I found it thoughtful, inspirational, and extremely moving. If you can find the full movie (about an hour 20 minutes long) I would highly recommend seeing it. Please let me know if you do and what you think. Click here to see a trailer.

New City View

City View 3

Oil with a palette knife on cradled artist board

8" x 8" x .75"

Click on the image to enlarge
SOLD

I've been painting some more city views from photographs I had taken in NYC. The architecture and juxtaposition of all of the different building styles is so fascinating. I like combining different buildings into my own composition, like this one.

Third palette knife value study

Franny and Boggie

Oil with a palette knife on cradled artist board

8" x 8" x 1.5"

Click on the image to enlarge

Cindy lent me this great photo of her parents to paint. I just loved their poses as well as the classic car. This time I decided to leave the white border and add the date that matched the photograph. These black and white value studies have been a great learning experience. I will probably do some more, but for now, I think I'll go back to color for awhile.

Here is what Cindy wrote about her memory of this photo:

"At the time the picture was taken, my parents would have been 40 years old.  Elderly, in the eyes of a child!  The reference for this painting was taken along the road to Bristol, New Hampshire, before any highways were built.  With 6 people in the car, it was a long trip. My mother always packed a lunch and we stopped somewhere “scenic” to eat.   What I remember most about these trips is my question to my father:  “how much longer, daddy?” and his reply, “over the next hill!”  

It's like an artist's version of Oscar night

Last night I attended our monthly Foxboro Art Association meeting looking forward to the evening's scheduled demonstrator, Eli Cedrone. Her paintings are so inspiring.

But during the first part of the meeting they planned to announce the ribbon winners for the current Spring Member's show. The room we hold our meetings in is the same room where they hang the paintings for the shows. What a wonderful display of talent. I am always so impressed. Well, I can't even tell you my delight and surprise when I heard my name called as the winner of an Honorable Mention ribbon in the Oil/Acrylic category. I've never won a ribbon before (and was so glad there were no speeches required. Ha!) Here is the painting that won called Afternoon in the City.

But wait, there's more.

When the announcement for the Best In Show was read, well that was my name too. I can't even explain how surprised, delighted, and absolutely thrilled I was as I accepted the beautiful light colored teal ribbon. You would have had to have been there to see my face. "You've got to be kidding, right?" Here is the painting that won called Abstract #1.

I'm so proud. What a wonderful honor.

Happiness is...

Mini Me Dolls

Oil with a palette knife on cradled artist board

10" x 10" x 1.5"

This was painted from a photo that my friend Robin had posted on her facebook page. I just loved it. They look so happy with their new bride dolls that look just like them. And I think they must have just gotten their hair done that day to match their new dolls. So cute.

And here is what Robin had to say about her picture:

"I think the dolls might have been gifts in our Easter baskets because my sister and I are wearing the Easter outfits (minus the hats and gloves) that my mother made for us that year. Mine had an apple appliqued on the bodice and my sister's had different colored triangles along the waistband. I actually remember more about the dresses than I do the dolls, interestingly enough, although we do appear to be thrilled with them."