Paint-Out Event to benefit Alzheimer Assoc.

SOLD

"Dappled Garden" -Unfinished version of one of the paintings that I did for the paint-out on Thursday .

Yesterday was Summerville, an assisted living facility in Venice, Florida's first annual paint-out to benefit the Alzheimer Foundation.

I started painting at 9 in the morning and by 3pm I had completed 2 paintings of the same scene- one in morning light and one in afternoon light. A friend of mine was nice enough to snap a picture of one of the paintings while I was working on it, and I'm grateful that he did that because I never had a chance to take a photo of the finished paintings as they looked in the beautiful sunshine. I had just enough time to run home, frame the paintings, change my clothes and get back to Summerville by 5:30, which is when the cocktail party began. There was a wet paint sale held on the veranda under the moonlight, with art proceeds to benefit the Alzheimer foundation.

Happily, both of my paintings sold, and I am looking forward to next year's event, which will probably be even more fun and profitable for the foundation!

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Alzheimer Foundation benefit,
Florida assisted living paintings.

Plein air hibiscus

SOLD "Towards the Light", 8x10, oil on canvas panel

This pretty hibiscus was painted en plein air from this cutie in my garden. I used a palette knife for everything but the thingie sticking out of the flower-whatever that's called.

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Simple Gifts, 16x20, oil on linen

"Simple Gifts"- 16x 20, oil on linen

Simple gifts seemed an appropriate name for this painting, which I thankfully finally finished today! The fruit basket, eggs, wine and orchids all seemed to indicate the sense of bounty and overall prosperity that we as a nation sometimes take for granted in these United States. I do hope the painting imparts a sense of thankfulness to viewers as well. We are truly fortunate to have what we have, despite rising gas prices and a falling dollar.

May everyone have a thankful, joyful and peaceful Thanksgiving!

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Mixed Roses in a Blue Vase, 16x2o

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Mixed Roses in a Blue Vase, 16x20, oil on linen

For those of you who have reminded me that I haven't done a floral in quite a while- here goes.

The mixed roses and scattered daisies are complimented by the luscious fruits and the blue vase is enhanced by the complimentary colors in the roses and peaches.

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Historic Buildings in Pennsylvania, Inn at Yellow Springs

SOLD Inn at Yellow Springs, (the Washington Building), 18x24, oil on linen



I worked on this a bit more today, and I'm pretty satisfied with it now. I still haven't decided whether or not to take the long drive up to Chester Springs next week, for the jurying of the Annual Yellow Springs art show, which is in May of 2008. But if I decide to do it, this is one of the paintings that I'll take with me, though it certainly is not a good example of my best work. Since they would have to retire regular artists in order to accept new ones, I think my chances of getting into the show are pretty remote. Also, since the hubby and I put about 6000 miles on our car this summer road-tripping, I'm definitely not in the mood for another road trip. Sigh. I do need to make up my mind in the next day or two, but for now, I'm just happy I finished this sucker.


For more info on the fascinating history of the Village of Yellow Springs, in Chester Springs, Pa. just click on this link.

Historic Yellow Springs

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Inn at Yellow Springs, Washington Bldg.

Inn at Yellow Springs/ Washington Building, 18x24, oil on linen I decided to paint this building, even though I suck at painting buildings. (Note: finished product is better than photo! Click on the picture for more detail.)

Please let me know what you think of the final product. I painted it from the photo below, which is a picture of the Washington Building in historic Yellow Springs, Pa. where I lived before moving to Florida.

If you would like to learn more about the village of Yellow Springs, in Chester County, Pa., please click on this link:

Historic Yellow Springs

a Painting a day, Daily painters, original art , affordable original art, home decor art, colorist art,contemporary impressionism, historic Yellow Springs, Chester County landscapes,Pennsylvania landscapes,quaint places.

After Argenteuil- remembering Monet

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"After Argenteuil", 8x10, oil on canvas


I think the hubby and I are done road-tripping for a while and after returning home last night I was anxious to paint. It's funny, but having been away from daily painting for over a month- I felt LOST today when I took out my paints!


I hardly knew where to begin. Finally, in desperation, I focused on what I think I know best- the French Impressionists. Their time at Argenteuil was fruitful. This painting was for me as well , as it marked the very first time in my history that I felt that I'd actually done a true IMPRESSIONIST painting. Most of my paintings are a cross between, impressionism, realism and expressionism. My artist friends have called my work New Age art, though I don't consider that a compliment. I've been painting now since the Spring of 2005- a little more than 2 years, and just about a year and a half with oils, so I shouldn't be too hard on myself. But having had the opportunity to travel to different galleries lately and see the works of other artists, I do find that I envy artists who began their careers at an early age and had the benefit of extensive training. I know I need to continue to work on my technique.


In the end, I would like to think that It's all coming out the way I suppose it was meant to come out, my art included!

I'd like to thank all the wonderful people who began collecting my paintings this year. It was a good year for me- and proved to me that I should continue to paint as people obviously enjoy the work that I produce. With a miserable economy here in the US, I only hope that people will continue to collect art which makes them feel happy, and I for one will endeavor to keep my prices low to permit middle class collectors to own an original oil painting composed by a person who only has a small number of good years to produce works that she and her collectors can be proud of.





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Picking Poppies, 18x24

SOLD "Picking Poppies" 18 by24, oil on gallery-wrapped canvas

I enjoyed painting a smaller version of this scene a few weeks back, so I decided to do a larger one over the weekend. The little girl has been placed to help lead the eye up into the European seaside village and finally to the sailboat in the distance. This time I used more brushwork than knife so although it's less painterly, it's more refined. If it doesn't sell, I'll keep it for my family room because it really is a cheery piece!

This painting can be purchased for $500.00 with free shipping and handling. Many people emailed me back in May and June about commissioning a larger poppy painting than the ones I had been doing. Unfortunately, my email folder was accidently deleted last month so I no longer have the email addresses of those who contacted me. My paintings are sold on a first come, first serve basis, so if you are interested in this one, please use the Paypal button below. If you are not interested in this one, but have contacted me before, please email me again so I'll have your name and email address once more.

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Summer Day Salt Marsh, en plein air

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Summer Day Salt Marsh, 8x10, oil on canvas


This week's rain has thankfully put a little more water into our Florida eco system, though much more is needed than what we've received. I hope this post qualifies as a weed or wildflower post for today's Daily Painter's challenge. A marsh in Florida after all, is pretty darned full of everything- including weeds, flowers and gators.

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The Peaceful Kingdom, Final Version

SOLD

"A Peaceful Kingdom", final version, 24 x24, oil on masonite, (Note: you can click on the image to see more detail)

Being me, I couldn't let this alone today, because I knew there were spots that needed additional development. The problem is that the more you mess with a painting, the less spontaneous it becomes. In this case, I'm glad I worked it a little more. I worked on the water, the sky, the distant mountains, and a bit of the foreground. I may wait until it's completely dry and add a final glaze to unify it overall, but other than that I'm definitely done with this one.


The painting has a really lovely ethereal quality throughout the water and sky patterns, that just can't be captured with a camera or seen with a computer monitor. In spite of all the color, it definitely has a peaceful feel to it, and I may save it for a show, if it doesn't sell.



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A Peaceful Kingdom

"A Peaceful Kingdom", oil on masonite, 24x24



I finished this today, in spite of a miserable backache. I decided to title it "A Peacful Kingdom", because it just looks like it IS!

untitled, a work in progress

Untitled and unfinished, 24x24

I started working on this a few days ago. It's turning into a bit of a phantasy piece-a combination of some of my favorite paintings I've done and places that I've seen. There's elements of Provence, Sardinia, Tuscany and Big Sur in this painting, as anyone who has been following my work can probably see. It was dark when I photographed it. The color in the water is actually very interesting, though it's pretty hard to tell from this photo.

The foreground is looking pretty good to me now. The middle and background still need a lot of development, which I'll be doing in the next few days. Overall, I like the way it's coming together though. I just need to figure out how to unify it, so it doesn't look like a menage a quatre, or cinq.... or six....

A Man Crucified

NFS

"A Man Crucified", oil on canvas

A while back someone emailed me and asked me to please paint my own interpretation of Jesus crucified. I told the person that I really wasn't up to the task, and would hardly know how to begin. Yesterday, I was very depressed , but knew I needed to fill up the time. Unable to concentrate, I just let the spirit decide what I should paint. This was the result. And although I held the paintbrush, I really don't feel as though I actually painted this myself. As one of the other daily painters remarked recently on her blog, "When you allow yourself to be a vessel, you will be filled."

Thank-you Jesus, for getting me through a rough day.

A Good Year, a painting of wine and roses

SOLD "A Good Year", 12x16, oil on Claussens linen panel

Back in March, the hubby and I took a fun trip up the coast of California, which included a visit of course to wine country! There were so many wineries in Napa and Sonoma Valley that it became difficult to determine which to visit and which ones to pass over. We found 2 fabulous finds that day, but I'll save #2 for another day. We thoroughly enjoyed the winery of August Briggs in Calistoga and have wine in our rack to prove it. This is one of the very few wineries in California that does not charge a tasting fee, and yet the education that accompanied our journey into that very special wine cellar was almost as stellar as the samplings that we enjoyed. Although I prefer white wine over red, the robust and fragrant reds that I experienced that day could convert me into a cross-drinker! I highly recommend this winery for many reasons, and that is why I decided to include one of the August Briggs bottles in one of my very rare realism paintings.

This past weekend I determined that it was high time that I invested another effort into my realism painting. Although I find colorist impressionism much more fun to do than realism, I truly appreciate the paintstaking efforts that go into realistic still life paintings. One of my biggest problems in attempting believable still life paintings, is a total lack of north light indoor lighting inside my home. So, instead of fighting against confusing light sources in my studio, I finally decided to take the setting out to my front porch, where I was able to catch a very nice north light (albeit outdoor) on my bottle of August Briggs cabernet. I also pulled out a tablecloth that I'd purchased in Heidelburg, Germany, and a lovely hand-painted carafe that I'd purchased in Strasbourg, France, and the overall composition seemed as ripe and lively as the grapes that most certainly went into that cabernet sauvignon.

I titled this painting "A Good Year" after Peter Mayle's book and the delightful movie starring Russell Crowe, (which incidently had little resemblance to the novel itself). The title also serves as a swan song to my endless drivel about the benefits of living in Pennsylvania over Florida. Yes, for me, it's been a very good year.

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A Good Year

SOLD
"A Good Year", 12x16, oil on Raymar panel

I realize that I haven't made any entries in this blog for a very long time, but that hasn't precluded me from thinking about my friends that I once had here. I hope that almost everyone's doing well (though I do know that some of you are not) and blogging away happily still. Today, I decided that I could probably still write better than a 5th grader, so here I am back on my old blog, where I once incessantly wrote my heart out. If you have ever wondered what happened to the Globetrotter, she's been painting her heart out and posting regularly over on her paint blog at PaintDance.

Hopefully an old friend or two will still remember me and possibly drop a line to say hello.

Back in March, the hubby and I took a fun trip up the coast of California, which included a visit of course to wine country! There were so many wineries in Napa and Sonoma Valley that it became difficult to determine which to visit and which ones to pass over. We found 2 fabulous finds that day, but I'll save #2 for another day. We totally enjoyed the winery of August Briggs in Calistoga and have wine in our rack to prove it. This is one of the very few wineries in California that does not charge a tasting fee, and the education that accompanied our journey into that very special wine cellar was almost as stellar as the samplings we enjoyed. I highly recommend this winery for many reasons, and that is why I decided to include one of the August bottles in one of my very rare realism paintings.

Over the weekend I determined that it was high time to invest another effort into my realism painting. Although I find colorist impressionism much more fun to do than realism, I truly appreciate the paintstaking efforts that go into realistic still life paintings. One of my biggest problems in attempting realistic still life paintings, is a total lack of north light indoor lighting in my home. So, instead of fighting against confusing light sources, I finally decided to take the setting out to my front porch, where I was able to catch a very nice north light (albeit outdoor) on my bottle of August Briggs cabernet. I also pulled out a tablecloth that I'd purchased in Heidelburg, Germany, and a lovely ceramic carafe that I'd purchased in Strasbourg, France, and the overall composition seemed as ripe and lively as the grapes that most certainly went into that cabernet sauvignon.

I titled this painting "A Good Year" after Peter Mayle's book and the delightful movie starring Russell Crowe, (which incidently had little resemblance to the novel itself). The title also serves as a swan song to my endless drivel about the benefits of living in Pennsylvania over Florida. Yes, for me, it's been a very good year.

If you'd like to see what I've been up to for the past 6 months, just check out my art website here. Otherwise drop me any email (as some of you still do), and let me know what's going on in your lives.


a Painting a day, Daily painters, original art , affordable art, still lif paintings,home decor paintings,Napa Valley Art Art,gardens and florals,colorist art,California Art, Calistoga Wineries, August Briggs winery.
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