Thursday, December 1, 2016

November Works

November is the grayest month of the year.  We have had ice, fog, snow, mists and, yes, gray skies.  Every now and then a bit of very welcome blue sky and a lovely, warm touch of sun.
I've been working steadily on my Daily Artist 2016 work and here are three of my weeklies--slightly enlarged "inches"--maybe 2 1/2" square...


"Bartlett Pear"


"Origami Crane"
and


"Pomfret Weathervane"

Looking back, there are so many weeklies that I never posted here on the blog.  So, here goes...


"Rose of Sharon"



"Mattapoisett Lighthouse"



"Corporation Beach"



"Feast and Field Bonfire"



"Horse Chestnut, Opened"



"Lake Runnemede"



"Rockport Beach"



"Apple on a Tree"

...and finally, my new favorite treat in place of coffee at our favorite cafe....



"Mon Verte Cocoa"

I'm promising to do a better job of staying current--two months (or more?) is waaaaay too long!

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Little Watercolors

It's been awhile since I last posted.  Lately, life has been a bit hectic with showing our apartment to potential tenants, a downstairs bathroom renovation, a sick doggie and a well pump replacement.
Today is a bit quieter being Saturday and I thought I would look back on what I've been creating over the summer....
When I was out working in the garden I found this little robin's nest that had fallen from the maple tree.  Sad to say, then I found the poor little robin that fell with it.  Unfortunately, despite a trip to VINS to help her, she had been so badly injured in her fall that they had to put her to sleep.  Still this next reminds me of her and makes me glad I tried....


One Wednesday morning, I sat in meditation at North Chapel and the candle in the center of the group was so lovely I came home and did this little watercolor of it....


Ahhhh--this is Sea Sea who came to live with us a little while ago.  She is a four and a half year old Portuguese Water Dog, given to us by friends.  She is a wonderful addition  to the family and Addison and Avery (and pretty much everyone else) loves her!


On yoga mornings the thistle outside the studio was abundant and beautiful....


Down in South Woodstock there is a little pond where we take Sea Sea to swim--Portuguese Water Dogs LOVE to swim!  This is a representation of a birch tree beside the pond....


A gorgeous head of romaine from Feast and Field, our Barnard CSA.  A most festive place where every Thursday night we gather to get our veggies, share dinner with friends and listen to the music.  


Addison turned nine here in Woodstock and for breakfast we had pancakes--hers with a birthday candle.  Later on there was an actual birthday dinner with a beautiful cake, made by Addison, but we sang her day in at breakfast.


So, that's some of what's been going on in the studio this summer.  More later....

Thursday, June 2, 2016

A Day at Saint-Gaudens

Yesterday, Sandy and I began our eighth year of painting together with a trip to one of our favorite summer painting sites: Saint-Gaudens National Historical Site in Cornish, New Hampshire.  The gardens were beautiful as always, and the gardener was nice enough to take a photo of us under the grape arbor...


It was a warm late spring day and we enjoyed staying out of the direct sun.


I did a couple of little watercolor studies--this one of the iris...


...and this of one of the oriental poppies.  I mixed in a bit of marker and 
colored pencil at the end just for fun.


Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Vermont Open Studio Weekend at Gallery 33

Please come visit our cooperative studio shared by six artists creating watercolors, oils, pastels, drawings, photographs and fiber arts. In downtown Woodstock on route 4 above Footprints.


 Open Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm.  And I'll be there for sure Saturday and Sunday afternoons!

Friday, May 20, 2016

Fertile Ground

Today from 4:30 to 6:00 pm is the opening reception for the Norman Williams Public Library's Community Gallery exhibit, "Fertile Ground".


My painting of irises was accepted into the show.  I hope you can stop by  this afternoon for the opening!

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Ansel Adams and Me...

After looking at some great Ansel Adams photographs on our southwestern adventure, I played around with a couple of photos of old wood in the desert...

 

...the bright blue sky below looked great in black and white...


...and that dead wood below took on new writhing meaning in black and white...


 It amazes me what my little iphone camera can do....

Sunday, April 10, 2016

This and that...

Here's a little watercolor of tour Easter lily which is now down to two blossoms.  But in it's glory it was so beautiful...


I added some colored pencil to it and now think that was probably a mistake--the purple would have been better if it were watercolored.

On another note, yesterday I attended an all day "Artful Meditation" workshop at Artistree.  It was really great and here are two of my playful creations...


...my collaged box with the "hidden me" on the inside and the "public me" on the outside...


...and my "Island of Ball Trees", a whimsical variation on a project I used to do with my second graders.  It helped me capture the sense of playfulness we all have in childhood!

Monday, April 4, 2016

Painting Studio 33 in Woodstock Village...

Kate and I spent a recent morning in Woodstock Village, painting the studio (with a little help from a friend).  We're getting ready for Vermont Open Studios on Memorial Day weekend....


...our hard working friend...


...me on the hall wall...


...and Kate doing some touch up....

The color we used was Benjamin Moore "Glacial Till".  It makes the wall look sort of "suedesque".  There may be some more touching up after it is completely dry.  With new signage and improved studio design, it is going to look pretty spiffy!

Thursday, March 24, 2016

MUD(season) at Artistree

I submitted my three pieces to the MUD(season) show at Artistree this afternoon.  Adrian was very accommodating even though I was two days LATE--thank you, Adrian.  :o)
Last weekend, not thinking of this show, I was at IKEA in New Haven, CT, looking at their frames and was motivated to (maybe) buy one or two or three and fill them with some of my--larger--Daily Artist 2016 pieces.   Mostly, everything I've done this year is square and I'm loving this constriction--it makes me look at life in a different way.  Here are the three pieces I put in the MUD(season) exhibit at Artistree this year....


"Frozen Puddles"



"Woodpile"


"Oak Leaf"

Please come by for the Opening Reception, April 1st, 5:30 to 7:30.  Hope to see you there!

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Icy Puddle and...

There are such beautiful sights while I walk, even during mud season.  Like this puddle next to the sidewalk.  Some of the ice has frozen and broken, some of it remains solid and the colors are both soft and sharp...


"Icy Puddle"
photograph

The pattern of ice on the grass of the golf course creates simple abstract paintings...


"Winter Golf Course"
photograph

And the broken fence next to Middle Bridge speaks volumes to me about age, tenacity and the beauty of the worn...


"Broken Fence"
photograph

Friday, March 4, 2016

In the Studio...

Daily Artist 2016 is moving along.  March is my chosen month to complete a finished piece of work every day.  Tuesday's was a small mixed media piece based on a photograph taken on River Street...


"Stone Wall in the Snow"
watercolor, pencil and marker

I went for a very cold--14 degree--walk in the village and was struck by the shadow patterns in Middle Bridge....


"Middle Bridge"
photograph

And ice is more evident than snow since this winter has been almost snowless.  Its patterns around stones are interesting...


"Frozen Pebbles"
watercolor, colored pencil and marker

Since I am in the studio a lot these days, I stopped at the library and picked up three books on cd to listen to while I'm working.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Daily Artist 2016

On February first, Daily Artist 2016 began.  I promised to work in the studio every day this year and post once a week.  Here is my first post from last week.  It is the finished drawing of a barn we drove by in the German countryside during our trip to Europe last summer.


"German Barn"
6 1/4" x 9" - soft pencil on gessoed paper

I have a couple of larger concepts for the year, but I'm not ready to reveal them yet....