Paintings Make Great Gifts! Part 4

I thought I'd highlight some paintings from Maine, Upstate New York and Rhode Island that are in my Etsy shop. These are smalls, most 6"x6" and all are under $50. Some are watercolor, some are pastel, some were painted plein air and some while not actually painted plein air, were painted from photos I took in in my travels.
I've included the links to the Etsy shop directly, as well as the original blog post about the painting.
They all come in an archival acid free clear plastic sleeve
They look fabulous matted and framed, but I will leave that you and your decor.
Thanks for looking!

Gull at Otter Cliffs, Colored pencil on black paper.

Monhegan Island Lighthouse Buildings

The blog post about this is here.

Hazy Light

This is one of the small out buildings at Pt Judith, Rhode Island.

The blog post is here.

Big Red Barn

We had a fun weekend in upstate New York – this barn was seen along the way.

Blog post here.

Monhegan Lighthouse

Painted from the window of my hotel. It rained and rained and rained.

The blog post about this painting is here.

Monhegan Lighthouse Study

SOLD

Loon on Jordon Pond

Wide Open

Lobster Boat in New Harbor, Maine.

Blog post is here.

Two Boats

Somewhere in Maine

Little Yellow Car

Beacon, NY

The blog post is here.

30 Paintings in 31 Days - Painting in Maine

Painting plein air has been sort of a challenge this week here in Maine. All the days have been overcast and breezy. Grey/blue/purple clouds, no cast shadows and values nearly all the same.

Today we painted in Manset at the Moorings, a lovely inn that was very accommodating. The view is amazing - a working harbor, the little Cranberry Isle ferry/mailboat going back and forth, a yacht builder hauling boats out for the season, and people going for their last sail of the season. You can see all the way up Somes Sound and across to Bear Island & Sutton Island and the mountains beyond.

Tomorrow they promise there will be sunny skies! Even thought the challenge is technically over, I'll post a few more paintings in the coming days. I have a few I've started, some from photos, some were the second painting of the day.

I'd like to direct you to my Etsy page. Please consider purchasing a painting because, a. Christmas is coming, and these little paintings really make nice gifts, and/or b. the mermaid needs to buy some picture frames for the big solo show and selling a couple of these little guys would be a BIG help!

I'd also like to suggest that you sign up on the right side of this page for emails (not every day), and the follow button to get notifications when this blog is updated (for this month nearly every day, most times, not so much).

Day 3 - 30/30 Challenge - Abandoned

Abandoned

$35, watercolor, 6" x 6"

Available in my Etsy shop

I came across this boat on an afternoon walk after a snowfall at a nearby marina. I am always drawn to derelict and forgotten structures, old buildings, old cars and old boats. This boat has likely been in this spot, abandoned and forgotten, since Hurricane Sandy.

This the third painting the January 2014, 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. It is watercolor on 140lb cold press Arches watercolor paper. I used a limited pallet of only four colors, quinacridome gold, alizarin crimson, burnt siena and prussian blue.

Day 30 - 30/30 Challenge - Painting 25 - Teddy Roosevelt Park

Summer's Over

10.25" x 8.5", watercolor, $85

Soon to be in my Etsy shop. If you are interested, please contact me below.

Puffy clouds, blue. blue skies, warm sunny day in late September. some of my favorite things.  I confess, I did see another local artist paint this scene at Teddy Roosevelt Park in Oyster Bay, a week or so ago...I just loved it, so I went and painted my own rendition. (Thanks Noel Darvie!)

When I wasn't painting, I watched people put their boats in the water for one final fling around the bay, or read a book. (Chocolat, by Joanne Harris - Yes, the same story that was made into a movie with Johnny Depp & Juliette Binoche. She's an excellent writer.) 

I afraid this may be the last of summer for real this time.

Day 19 - 30/30 Challenge - End of Season & Doug Dawson Demo

End of Season

6" x 6", watercolor, $35

Available in my Etsy shop - just click here!

I need to keep this simple, but this morning I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with deadlines to meet and [more] catching up to do. A client is on a deadline, another has an interesting proposition, and I need to choose paintings for the two upcoming shows for the Art Guild.

I went down to the beach late in the afternoon, to clear my head. I love it there this time of year - quiet and not too hot - a lovely place to read a book for an hour or so. All the kayaks and canoes are lined up waiting for somewhere to go -  all the kids are off doing homework or sports, the adults are back to their regular work schedules - and the sun sets earlier every day. Officially, Fall's a few days away. and the leaves on the trees are getting that crispy brown/green/reddish tinge.


Wednesday night I went to a pastel portrait demo by Doug Dawson at the Art Guild. It was very interesting and he had some great insights that I think will apply to landscape as well as portrait. I'm really looking forward to Saturday's class and wish I could go today and tomorrow, but the aforementioned commitments have to come first!

Day 2 - 30/30 Challenge - Plus arriving in Monhegan

Sunflowers for Lisa, $35, Watercolor, 6" x 6"

Now Available in my Etsy Shop - just click!

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I did this watercolor sketch of sunflowers on Saturday in anticipation of having limited painting time on Sunday. 

The rest of Saturday was filled with the Hopkinton State Fair in NH. Lots of cows/steer and sheep and pigs. There were some horses (for equestrian events), and chickens and rabbits, but mostly cattle. I took quite a few photos for reference. It's funny how sometimes a photo that's great as a photo isn't the photo you want to paint. I feel as though there's a different criteria. 

These for instance are sort of a "who cares"? photo in a "roll" of photos of the day. "Why would you want a picture of that? Do you know those people?" or "Why a picture of a food booth?" 

And for me the answer is, because I think they might be interesting compositionally. I particularly like the Tickets one.

Sunday I drove up to New Harbor and caught the boat to Monhegan...here are a couple of quick images. Today is sort of a rainy day - but I may be able to take advantage of a lull in rain and take a hike.

 Enjoy!

Day 10 - 30/30 Marketing Your Art Challenge + Four Boats & Save The Mermaid Parade

Four Boats, Bernard Maine

Colored pencil and ink on canvas, 9"h x 11"w - framed in a lovely walnut frame 13.5"h x 16.5"w 

$350

Today's Challenge on Leslie Saeta's blog was to start researching galleries to sell your art.
This is more of an ongoing challenge - not really something you can really do in half-an-hour - but it plants the seed and she gives a really clear check list including gathering, names and addresses, websites and phone numbers, researching who already exhibits there.
I am looking forward to the day when I have a body of work big enough, and consistent enough to approach a gallery.
Looking forward to tomorrow's challenge.

About the Painting
This painting was created after taking a class with Robert Kogge at the Art Student League, NYC. It's a really interesting technique that involves drawing with colored pencils on a clay-primed canvas. At certain points in the process you wash over your drawing with colored inks. when it dries, you continue to build up the color again. It is time consuming, but it really creates a unique illusion of depth and illumination. The photo reference is my own, taken in Bernard, Maine at the working dock and waterfront. Dozens of dingies in all shapes and sizes, wood, fiberglass and aluminum, line the docks on any given day, creating all sorts of interesting shapes shadows and reflections.
The painting has been shown at the Fire Island Lighthouse Annual Art Show 2010, The Monclair College, Robert Kogge Student Show, March/April 2011, and The Art Guild of Port Washington, Member Show 2011

Help Save the Mermaid Parade

And now a plug for one of my favorite events in NYC - The Coney Island Mermaid Parade. Superstorm/Hurricane Sandy was devastating to the Coney Island area. There was over four feet of ocean flowing through the museum, through the amusement parks, Nathans, and many other Brooklyn landmarks. They've been rebuilding as fast as they can, but it's expensive AND throwing one of the biggest and craziest parades in NYC is expensive too! With nearly a million people watching and participating in the parade, the financial boost to the neighborhood on the first weekend of the summer is key to the survival of hundreds of businesses.
If you live in the NY/NJ area - I highly recommend attending. It's like Mardi Gras meets the NYC Halloween Parade meets the Mummers meets the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Everyone is happy and dancing, there are hula hoops and glitter and pasties and endless imaginative costumes and floats. Not to mention thousands of mermaids and pirates, and sea (and space) creatures made of bubble wrap and solo cups.
Please, check out and give if you can to the Coney Island Mermaid Parade Kickstarter Program. I've provided a link to the site on the top right.

Thanks for looking!