Shimmery Silk

Shimmery Silk

 It was literally 95 degrees and humid when a group of painters gathered in Adams Common in Quincy, MA for a live model paintout.    We had two hours which was enough with that heat.   Our wonderful model wore a pure silk skirt that gathered at the waist and of course only enhanced her perfect physique.

I used sight sizing to capture the drawing and once I switched to color paint I "wiped off" my extra paint repeatedly on the background which started to build up an abstract and harmonious wallpaper.  The added bonus was a multi-cultural concert going on.   It was a happening place!

Turtle in Turquoise

 

 

Turtle in Turquoise

This sea turtle is rehabilitating in Florida thus my close proximity.   They are really magnificent creatures, and hopefully this guy will be back in the deep blue ocean before long.     I took some liberty with the water color - not deep ocean ultramarine but turquoise.   The added design of twirly ripples and glare are the backdrop for this crusty, old guy.

Laura Portrait

This is a life class portrait of a fellow painter who became the model for one night.  She is a spectacular portrait painter and I wanted to do a good job.   As I mentioned in blogs past, the more flawless the face, the more difficult it is to honor the beauty.    I did my best and I reworked the nose area multiple times!   The brushstrokes for hair on the other hand were fun and free flowing.

Laura

Driftway Overlook

Set up

 

What a location!  This "little" North River is a tributary to the "big" part of the North River that separates Scituate, MA from Marshfield, MA.   The tidal flow causes the river levels to rise and fall along with the ocean tides.   At the start of my painting, the riverbanks were expansive yet by the time I finished up, the silty borders had started to diminish.   The stream of kayaks never diminished so I included a few in the painting.    

Stage One

 

This, for me, was also a good example of how distorted color can be in a photograph.  I had held up scoops of paint against each of the major local colors while I was painting. By my judgement, I had achieved  pretty precise color matches. Yet when I printed my reference photo back in the studio, the blues were oh so blue, the lightest shades of sand were white and the reddish undertones of the pilings on the left were black.  The reference was useful then only to check the drawing - not color.

Stage Two

Always let your eyes guide you on color. :)

 

 

 

 

 

Driftway Overlook

Britt Portrait

Britt

 

 

Painting from life is a challenging and rewarding undertaking.   This model had beautiful distinctive features which helped in establishing facial "landmarks."   Her flesh tones seemed pale under the studio spotlights so I took the liberty of giving this lovely woman high color.

Rows of Harbor Slips

Rows of Harbor Slips - In Progress

There is a perfectly located municipal building along the water in Scituate, MA.  Apparently the building is not in use, so I was happy to enjoy the spot for painting,  along with others who had also discovered a view that could only enhance their morning coffee.

 

The wide aspect of this canvas (8x16 inches) was nicely suited for depicting a sweeping vista that included rows of boat slips, the distant Second Cliff, a long dock with boathouse and even the privacy fence of the next property to the south.

Rows of Harbor Slips

 

Best Walk - Shore Walk

Best Walk - Shore Walk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My sister has a keen eye for composition and she often sends me her photo gems that she thinks could make a good painting.   Now anyone who paints knows that you are not supposed to use another person's photos because they technically own the copyrights.    So this little arrangement works out pretty well for me.   This painting was done from a iphone photo she took while scouring Quincy for me as I prepared for the Quincy Arts Festival.    Compositionally it has strong lines and you know I like to paint water.  

The painting did win a special ribbon which was awarded in honor of the late Kelly Cobble (known for her legendary support of all things creative and historical in Quincy, MA).  I was honored to hear that - she went out of her way to make us feel welcome at the Quincy Art Association.

Katherine Middleton Portrait

Duchess

 I hope you immediately recognize this portrait as the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.  My goal was to capture her likeness and keep a loose feel to the painting with mostly soft edges.   This was done from a freeze frame from a video I found.     There is a bit of shine on this photo here, but I'm happy to reveal that it won First Place in Oils at the recent Quincy Artfest.

Yarn Shop Through the Looking Glass

Yarn Shop Through the Looking Glass

Occasionally my husband and I wander through local estate sales. We usually come away with books or DVDs and he is always on the hunt for unusual tools.   Last year I found this solid wood embroidery hoop.     Its sturdy, large size triggered the idea that it could be used as a frame for a piece of painting canvas.   I mounted the canvas and trimmed off the excess and there it sat.    I toyed with the idea of doing some kind of round abstract painting just for fun.   I started making circular marks in southwestern colors. I doodled on it a bit.   I finally decided that whatever it was, I wanted it to relate to fiber art.   Thus, here it is; the interior scene of a yarn shop - a porthole view.

Carrots and Watering Can Mini

I've had this tiny gold leaf frame for some months now. 

Mini Gold Leaf Frame

 

 

 

 

 

 

I painted this little 2.5x3 inch painting to fit.  It really made me happy to think about growing season as we exit winter! The painting was done from a photo and I really did grow those carrots!   And I don't even like carrots. 

Carrots and Watering Can Mini

Beach Shelter in Winter II

Beach Shelter in Winter II

This is a pretty winter scene along Day Boulevard in South Boston.   The painting was done on aluminum which has become one of my favorite sub-surfaces for snowscapes.  The silvery aluminum shines through in some places.  Although the actual scene had very little color, the painting's scheme has blue, green and purple - in a grayish sort of manner.

Jamaican Fisherman

Jamaican Fisherman

Where there is water, there is fishing.  On vacation in Jamaica we noticed that just like in New England, the fishermen are out early and most of the fishing we saw looked something like this scene.  There would be a small, crusty boat with one or two fishermen in the shallows working with nets.  

As for the painting, the vivid turquoise of the water was dazzling bright and it seemed to illuminate - even exaggerate the figure.  This painting was done over a bright orange undertone which was meant to compliment the flesh tones. 

Just Some Trees

Winter Trees from Deck

 

 

A warm day in February is much appreciated.   The snow that was still covering most surfaces had melted off the sunny back deck.   I grabbed my gear and conveniently stepped outside - easy version of plein air - no pack up!  

I decided to practice my tree structures with this loose and easy snowscape painting.   The oaks don't always drop all their leaves and they remain on the branches in orangy clusters.   In this case they offer a nice compliment for the blue snow shadows.

Late Light Bog in Winter

Late Light Bog in Winter

 

 

This bog is just down the road from me so I pass it all the time.    I've painted it before and I think I had become blind to how pretty it can be.   In winter, the cranberry plants become dark alizarin in color, which is part of the crimson/purple color family.   Dramatic long shadows were cast on the bog from the western trees.   Last week's snow was still piled up in a few low-light places.   All of this created an interesting scene, and the fact that it was a balmy 55 degrees made it perfect.    Since I was losing the light to early sunset, I painted quickly and somewhat wildly and was happy that I ended up with a very usable color study.

Two Megs - 2

I like all things "fish."  I'm a Pisces; I truly am "that" in a lot of ways. Ha ha. I eat fish often - usually 3-4 times a week.  I love to swim.   I crave being at the ocean, yet I am enthralled with all water related scenes.   

A favorite painting subject is fishing and fishing boats.  Does it stem from my being a Pisces or is it my ancestral Newfoundland fishing family roots?  Maybe both together?

Anyhow, I painted this exact scene a couple of years ago en plein air, and it sold right away so I decided to enjoy it again, this time from the photo.  The historic and enormous Boston Fish pier is the backdrop and the fishing boat called "Two Megs" in the foreground is picking up the sunshine.

Two Megs II

Frozen Feeder Spring

Frozen Feeder Stream

It occurred to me that one of the main reasons I like to paint sunny snow scenes is that it fulfills my desire to span the entire value spectrum (where value = lightness to darkness).  Whereas a foggy scene would have no super darks or super lights because everything is muted, a bright sunny day in the sun is another story,     Like in last week's Wilton Winter Mill, the darkest darks in the water occur because of winter's low sun angle, yet the snow can be brilliantly light because it is translucent.  

Of course the other reason I like to paint snow is that - usually - that is our reality for at least three months of the year.  Why not embrace it?!

Today's painting is a similar color palette, and has that same wide value range from darkest to lightest.   This painting is my favorite so far this season and was done on an aluminum panel.   On the painting's surface, the metal shows through and where it does, it looks a bit shimmery.  I also scraped off paint with the tip of my palette knife revealing aluminum to represent dry grasses.   

This is a New Hampshire scene along the edge of a pond where a little brook traveled under a footbridge.   Over to my left, there were people ice fishing and even a few vehicles sitting on the ice. Yikes, but this end looked melty and so picturesque!

Wilton Winter Mill

Winter Mill

This 7.5x7.5 inch painting captures a mid-February scene from last year's trip to New Hampshire.   The Souhegan River winds its way around the mill and on downstream.  It's mostly frozen but the water that is showing is a dark, rich, full chroma blue.  The icy edges are a muted chromium green.  I like that chatter of the underbrush on the bottom left balances the warm brick of this massive old mill.Although it looks frigid, I remember enjoying the "mild" temps while taking photos of the scene and the waterfalls (not shown).  

Pegotty

Pegotty

 

Scituate Harbor is sheltered in part by a rising land mass known as "Second Cliff."  From the one-way loop road there is an overlook to Pegotty Beach, the place from which I painted this scene.  It's most interesting landmark was the remarkable beachhouse on tall pilings.  It reminded me more of the sea stilt structures commonly seen on the Outerbanks of North Carolina.  I believe there were many more structures along this shoreline which have been claimed by the Atlantic Ocean over the years - during our notorious Nor'easters.    This beachhouse is still hanging tough!

Flowering Woodland Shrub

Daphne

                                                                                                                                                                                               We were deep into autumn and the temperatures were dropping.   I (suddenly?) realized that I hadn't been outside painting enough.   Soon it would be so cold that I would think twice about venturing out ...brrrr.   This was a good incentive for painting out now!  
This painting depicts a beautiful woodland shrub that is not as well known as our common azaleas and rhododendrons.   I loved the variegated leaves and the cruciferous blossoms of this shrub called Daphne.   Its cool bright/warm dark scheme results in a lively depiction of a day of full blue skies.