Friday, November 11, 2016

Shadow Slope. 6" x 6", oil on gessobord

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One of my favorite places I used to walk my dog to, in Chatham on Cape Cod. The shadows would sweep across the sloping grass and across the marsh below, always creating a cool view. 

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Cody Canyon, 5" x 7", oil on gessobord

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This was done from a rather old photo, one of many I kept after living in Cody, WY for a few years. I painted it rather quickly, thinking of how it would be if I were standing there right now and had only a short time before the sun moved and changed the lighting in this small canyon. I really liked the way the sage glows... probably only recognizable as sagebrush to me! No matter; this was about the light and glow and purple-orange-ness of the rocks.

Monday, November 7, 2016

Sunday Sunsheep, 6" x 6", oil on gessobord

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I was entranced by the soft colors on this little goat's fur... while it's easy to get caught up in facial details etc I still tried for a loose look and feel.

Friday, November 4, 2016

Sharing Secrets, 6" x 6", oil on gessobord

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These two horses are best friends and do everything together. They are totally unrelated in their genetics but they act like twin sons of different mothers, and they do look alike - other than one being chestnut and the other bay. They are quite funny to watch eating, lounging, rolling, walking or just standing - together.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

"Rumblers", 12" x 24", canvas digital print

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I am always inspired by horses running or playing or otherwise interacting. These two were about to run off with energy building... I tried to capture some of that energy through the brushwork.
This is available as a fine art print.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Surf Runners, Digital Canvas Print, 8" x 12"

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Sanderlings are the super-active, tiny shorebirds that you see chasing the waves back and forth along the shore.
I've spent many hours watching them scurry, taking lots of photos of poor quality! Luckily I can amend things by painting them!

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Sunlit Siesta, 10" x 10", oil on cradled gessobord

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I absolutely love the view I get at times from my little barn apartment in Florida. I have many photos of the horses, pastures and giant live oaks with the dangling spanish moss, but this view intrigued me the most. Although the vegetation was in its typical desaturated, fall state, the sunlight brought to it a stunning mixture of soft lavenders and oranges. On top of the gorgeous colors, I wanted to experiment with just HOW to go about capturing the drifting light and super-highlighting across the two Paso Fino horses next door. I settled on this approach and am very happy with it. 

Sunlit Siesta, 10" x 10", oil on cradled gessobord

View of the 2" cradling, allowing the painting to be hung without a frame.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Early Risers, Oil on deep cradled gessobord, 10" x 10"

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Yet another image from the view of my studio in Eastham. These birds are "merely" gulls but they could have been exotic parrots for the orange glow they got from the rising sun this morning.  Fall clouds behind them just amplified the colors of the morning.

Early Risers, Oil on deep cradled gessobord, 10" x 10" (view of cradling)

This view shows the 2" cradling. It can be hung without  frame for a clean presentation.

Friday, October 28, 2016

Waitin' on a Song (Song Sparrow), 6" x 6", oil on panel

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Song sparrows may seem dull to the everyday man, but they are full of spirit and have a captivating song. I love hearing them as they announce the day.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Idle Threat (Cardinal) 10" x 10", oil on cradled gessobord

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Who doesn't love a brilliantly-colored male cardinal!? They really stand out now as the fall foliage changes hues. I redid this background many times, finally settling on the colors I had seen in my most recent ride with my horse through the coastal shrub/woodland.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Songster (Song Sparrow), 6" x 6", oil on gessobord panel

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My summer studio just happens to be by the seaside in MA, and song sparrows, although somewhat dull in appearance, have a beautiful and (in my opinion) joyful trilling song that I got very accustomed to when I lived with my aging father, also fairly close to the shore. I've wanted to paint the guys for awhile so finally took some awful photos and embellished for this painting.

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Blue Monday, 10" x 10", oil on deep cradled gessoboard

A beautiful morning and this shell fisherman brought his little boat out right in front of me. I didn't have to exaggerate the colors. Perhaps he may consider his work a grind but it created a few nice work days for me! This piece is the first larger one at 10" X 10", and took longer to do than the 6 x 6's, but the colors were so compelling that I felt it deserved a bigger showcase. Also I painted this on a cradled board so there isn't necessarily a need to frame.

The cradle is painted a neutral grey although it does look black here.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Donkey Duo, 6" x 6", oil on panel

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A friend has a number of mini donkeys on her horse farm. I took a few photos while there a few years ago and have wanted to paint them ever since. There is no way that is is my last donkey painting!

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Perched Pause (Chickadee), 6" x 6", oil on panel

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I love the way light works on white animals (or anything really)... sometimes it is so bright that you can't even see a hint of a shadow. That was the case here but I pushed it a bit and was happy with the result.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

"Kodiak Splash", watercolor, 22" X 30"

Available as a fine art print. Email at the address on THIS page
I did this piece years ago but it is my piece for today. because I have never posted it anywhere (I don't think!). I painted it for a friend who had visited Kodiak Island in Alaska, just to watch bears. He gave me a couple of nice photographs and they served as reference. At the time I painted this, my skills in wet-on-wet watercolor were better than they are now! I was very pleased with the management of looseness - almost abstract - in the water, and not over-saturating the blues, as the water is very dark there.

"Overseeing" (Titmouse), 6" x 6", oil on panel

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The day was pale ochre and gray… at least from a bird’s perspective in the trees. This soft palette was appealing to me while I was watching chickadees chirp, flit, and rest, among the oaks. Spots of yellow from the flowering oak catkins lended just a hint of interest to the image. This is a Black-capped chickadee from my old backyard. I am still working from photos - I hope to move to plein aire, at some point!

Monday, October 17, 2016

Fat Chickadee, 6" x 6", oil on panel

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The day was pale ochre and gray... at least from a bird's perspective in the trees. This soft palette was appealing to me while I was watching chickadees chirp, flit, and rest, among the oaks. Spots of yellow from the flowering oak catkins lended just a hint of interest. This is a Black-capped chickadee from my old backyard. This was done from a rough photo - I hope to move to plein aire, at some point!

Cove Boat #1, 6" x 6", oil on panel

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I am lucky enough to have a summer/fall studio in a friend's house that overlooks Town Cove between Orleans and Eastham, MA. I see the fishing boats going out each day and the water is ever-changing. The sun as it moves from east to west makes for some compelling sights. I guess it is inevitable that I would want to paint a few boats while here. The biggest challenge is not to nit-pick too much, which is definitely my tendency!

Friday, October 14, 2016

Back Door Hydrangea, 6" X 6", oil on panel

My second painting for Daily Paintworks. Trying to keep it loose. A hydrangea bush behind my friend's frame shop had such crazy color a month or so back, I photographed it and knew it would become a painting of some sort. Most of the hydrangeas here on Cape Cod are the classic blue which I DO love, but this one in the sunlight that day captured me for that moment.

Hummer Girl, 6" X 6" oil on panel

My first Daily Painting!
Nothing beats a hummingbird if you love color and birds and flowers. This little guy (I mean girl) visited the feeder and garden frequently. With their microsecond wingbeats, I wasn't sure initially how to approach the painting to create the feeling of that motion, but I was happy with this solution. I plan to do more like this, featuring her, or perhaps some of the Rufous hummers I had at my feeders when I lived in Wyoming!

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Joining the Daily Painters!!

BIG NEW UPDATE!! I have not been keeping up with this blog as I have been somewhat distant to fine art for the last number of years, working instead on my science illustration and murals. Today I am embarking on a new adventure and joining the Daily Paintworks site, painting one small painting a day. I will be posting in the evenings for publication on the site the for the following day. I will also post to my Facebook art page. I'm excited to produce some new fresh work!