Saturday, September 29, 2007

The Beauty of Fall

"Gourd", 5" x 7", Oil on Board
Fall is my favorite season here in Maine. I found this simple, small gourd at a roadside farm stand the other day. Gourds, pumpkins, squash, etc... make great subjects to paint. I actually finished this yesterday but I was too exhausted to get it posted. Hopefully, I can get outside to paint some of the changing colors of the trees because this time of year is just unbelievable. Hot tip: To help you judge the colors in nature you can create your own color isolator by punching a hole in a white, grey or a black piece of cardstock. You look through the hole to evaluate a particular color.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Stonington Landscape

"Stonington Boats", 5" x 7", Oil Primed Linen Panel

It stopped raining long enough to get a photo of this outside today. I tried photographing this last night but the artificial lighting made too much of a glare on the painting. I'm not sure what I'm going to paint next but it will probably be a still life. Well, it's time to get into the studio and I'm hoping my next painting will be better.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Finished Late

It's kind of late but I wanted to check in to say hello! I finished a small landscape of Stonington harbor about a half hour ago. I photographed it but have decided to take new photos in the morning in natural lighting. As soon as I do that, the photo will be posted. I've tried different kinds of lighting inside but I'm never happy with the results. I'll post the new painting tomorrow. It's not one of my favorites but I'm putting it on here anyway.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

I'm still at it!

"Cherries", 6" x 6", Oil on Canvas
I hope everyone likes this one even though it's kind of simple. I've also been busy working on a small landscape; however, it may end up in the garbage...I'm not crazy about it! I've also been preparing my own pastel paper with Reaves BFK and a pumice ground...I'd like to keep up my pastel work. I would like to take the time to thank all of the visitors and other artists who have left comments here on my blog. You've all been so supportive of me and my work. I would like to say that oil painting has been a wonderful experience; however, I have arthritis and I'm having a difficult time gripping paint brushes. Some of them feel so long and heavy. Does anyone out there know of a brand of paint brushes that are more lightweight/shorter? I plan on continuing with oils but the pain and stiffness is slowing me down. I've found over the past few years that some of the best advice I've received has come from other artists.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

"Maine Fishing Boat"

"Maine Fishing Boat", 8" x 10", Oil on Canvas
This is a painting I did over the summer. I spend a lot of time on the coast and one of my favorite places is Stonington. It's a beautiful spot and I have an uncle who is a lobster fisherman there. My family have lived and fished off the island for about 150 years or so. This is one of the boats I saw in the harbor.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

My Favorite Candy

"M & M's", 5" x 7", Oil on Board
Here's my recent painting...obviously I love M & M's. Capturing the look of the package was difficult but I hope I pulled it off convincingly. For my daily paintings, I will probably attempt subjects that are less detailed because I end up spending way too much time on it or I can work on changing my style and trying to paint looser. At this point, I'm not sure which way I will go. I'm open for comments or suggestions from viewers. I will be adding a link to this painting to Ebay.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Finished the Paintings

"Scarborough Marsh", 8" x 10", Oil on Canvas

This is the landscape painting I finished two days ago of the Scarborough Marsh here in Maine. As you can see from the photo below, even the folks in the canoe were enjoying the beautiful day It's a scenic state to live in until you hit January then you feel like you're going to freeze to death every time you go outside and the only thing you're going to see are snow flurries. The marsh painting will actually go to the gallery in Westbrook in a couple of weeks. I also finished my still life for the painting a day today. I will list that painting tomorrow. I would like to list it on Ebay only I'm not sure of how to link it to my blog. Maybe there is a blogging for idiots article somewhere on the Internet that I could research.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Started a New Painting

Scarborough Marsh in The Fall

I started a new still life painting today and no it's not finished. That's my problem...I'm slow. I realize that I'm going to need to pick up the pace if I'm ever going to paint a painting a day. That's my goal! It was beautiful here today and yet I spent half the day dealing with issues and errands instead I wish I could have gone over to the coast to paint. A missed opportunity!! Last night I finished a landscape of the Scarborough Marsh in oil, maybe I'll post a photo of that when I get the chance. Above is a photo of the Scarborough Marsh this time of year.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Vintage Water Pitcher

"Vintage Water Pitcher", 8" x 10", Oil on Canvas

I found this vintage water pitcher at an antique store here in Maine and fell in love with its simplicity. I hope to paint more still lifes with reflective surfaces. Let me know what you think!

Two Months Painting With Oils

"Three Amigos", 5" x 7", Oil on Board

I just started painting with oils about two months ago and the paintings that I will be listing are some of my first in oil. The strong sunlight of a window was really my source of inspiration for "Three Amigos" and the title just seemed to fit! Eventually, when I learn how to create a blog a little better, I will be creating a painting a day or nearly every day. I will be creating most work on a small format anywhere from 6" x 6" to 6" x 8". I may on occasion post images of larger works. I may even throw in some of my Maine pastel landscapes. As I am so new to oils, I welcome all feedback!