As winter comes...

I hate to see the beautiful flowers in my gardens meet their end as winter comes in.
Looking at them fade, I found that I simply had to do something to keep their beauty alive in some way.
Yes...why not create a Torn Paper Painting of them!! So I did.
I had created an earlier piece with daisies, so decided to create a smaller daisy painting with a bit of metallic gold additions. Love the effect.
The next one I did was an assortment of the remaining garden flowers.
I have a cobalt blue vase. It's round with little holes all around it to insert flowers into.
I now have a lasting memory of the last blooms of the season.

Sept....umm...almost Oct

Wow....is it really the last day of Sept already???
Where in the world did it go? Geesh....getting at least one post in here this month just under the wire.

While I may have been absent from my blog....I was certainly busy working on more Torn Paper Paintings. During the month I created Coffee Time & Tea Time as well as Daisies. Two more new ones are in the works as we speak.


With the feel of autumn in the air now I'm sure the work will take on the new season soon.

The latest happening for this month has been the opportunity to see a friend that lives far from me and I haven't see in years. My lovely friend Terri and her husband Jim were vacationing in this area. I was lucky enough to be able to go off and meet them for the afternoon. Such a joy.
We started out our visit by meeting at The Little Beach gallery in Hyannis!!
How lovely to be able to have my art and my friend in the same place that has been so great for my creative journey all this time.
A memorable day and a great way to wrap up the month.
Looking forward to what wonderful things the new month will bring.

September already??

I can't believe it's Sept already. The winters seem to last forever....but not so for the summer!!!
I've been very busy and yes, have neglected my postings once again. Will try to do better this month...but must warn you....this is also the month that my beautiful daughter is getting married....so I may be a bit distracted...lol
To fill you in on what's been going on....lots of art. Yes...that's what keeps me busy in the art room and not so much online. Summer is certainly the busy season...and I'm happy for that!!















Newest pieces....I've done another Bass, different coloring than the first...and since two seagulls recently found new homes, I did another two..."Ben & Jerry"...lol



Right now I'm in the middle of a piece where I'm experimenting with backgrounds. This one is a seahorse. Usually I only do seahorses in the mini size..about 3" high. This one is 16" tall.
Will have to post a pic for you when it's done...but for right now...I'm pretty pleased with the way it's going.


The other update is that I finally got to deliver the four pieces that are becoming part of another corporate collection.
It is a brand new medical facility that is just doing the finishing touches on getting ready to open. I can't wait!!
Will tell you more about that too when the opening is official.

Soo...now that I've made a good start to a brand new month (and season) and have gotten you all up-to-date....fingers crossed that I come by here a bit more often.
At the very least...you can be guaranteed that there will be wedding pics showing up at the months end :)

Two Tails

8"x16"

Whale tails....big & little!!
Previously I had created a Torn Paper Painting of a whale tail. Not a big one....just a nice sized 8"x16". I took it to The Little Beach Gallery and it looked lovely hanging there among the other coastal pieces! Well....since then it seems there have been requests and interest in having a whale tail created in a larger size.
I get it....whales are "Big"...so it makes sense that some folks would want to see them bigger....even though there is a bit of whimsy in seeing something huge done in a more delicate scale!


12"x24"

Soo....I just delivered another....this one is 12"x24". Not huge...but a bit bigger so that we can....ummm...test the water...lol
Although they are the same subject matter....I did try my best to give them each their own personality....and made each of the tails a bit different. Now....let's see what happens!! The season has just begun.

On my way home from the gallery, while stopped in traffic, I noticed the bumper sticker on the car in front of me. Luckily I had my camera beside me...so grabbed a quick shot!!
Need to get me one of those!!

Lola

Another lovely lady of the sea.
Anyone remember the song...."whatever Lola wants, Lola gets".
Seriously...this is what mermaids are all about, aren't they? The sailors never stood a chance around them :)

A Big Oops!!

Yes...I guess mistakes do happen...even in the publishing world.
We of course expect to see it less often since there are numerous eyes that go over everything before going to print....but it still happens.

I'm honored and delighted to be a part of such a terrific publication as Cape Cod Magazine...but admit to being more than a bit disappointed in the mistake that happened in the Aug issue, especially after waiting months from when I was first approached by them till it hit the stands.


Left side - what happened...Right side - the right way



Seems that somewhere between the point where they received the images, to when it went to print, someone switched the orientation of the image...from portrait to landscape!! OH NO!!

I guess some would say an explanation is that the subject, being a fish, nobody could quickly see the mistake before it went to print.



What should have been!!



Well...being the artist...I nearly fell on the floor when I saw it. Seriously, the swimming position in that direction looks a bit unnatural to me. So...with the magic of Photoshop....I scanned that page in and corrected it myself. No, it doesn't help with the magazines out there on the stands....but made me feel better to be able to have this newly corrected page for my own personal use.



Oh well....as my daughter said when she saw it....."at least they didn't flip it the other direction and have it belly up".....lol

Fairs & Fins

It's the time in New England when country & church fairs are plentiful and all the galleries and art groups hold unique shows.

I can't help but to try to go to as many of these as time will allow. This weekend I kept quite busy with fairs, looking for that unexpected treasure. Found one. An absolutely amazing book on "mermaids". Filled to the brim with text on oceans, fish, mermaids, shells, sealife...etc. For a grand total of 50cents....I now have plenty of new text to show up in future pieces. For fifty cents...I don't mind tearing it up!!

click pics to see larger images

Last weekend I spent time at the local art shows. Our local art group held it's summer show...so I volunteered some work time there. Afterward...I went off to see the "Fabulous Fins" that was showing at the Dedee Shattuck Gallery. The participating artists in the local open studios drive were each asked to design a wooden Yellowfin Tuna, to be placed in various locations throughout the area this summer....and will later be auctioned off. 

This particular day was a chance to see all of them in one place together...on the grounds of the gallery!

What a fun showing this was. Always a delight to see what so many different artists will do when given the same exact item to work with.

These pics are just a sample of what was there.

It will be fun as the summer goes on to see where they will be showing up around town!

Flags

Still being involved in a bit of "mail art"....I joined a swap the other day for Prayer Flags. Not sure of what I would do...I did enjoyed looking at them.

This swap would be for flags that were not too heavy in religious themes....and a bit on the artsy side...so I gave it a go.

Gotta tell you....they are such fun to make!! In two days of sewing I did a bunch of them!!

These art swaps are such a great way to take you a bit out of your comfort zone and rev up the creative juices!!

Before I knew it I was in full swing in the art room again and several Torn Paper Paintings are in progress!!

And to top it off...I'll soon have prayer flags from other artists to hang and enjoy!!

A double win.

Intimate Museum



During our trip through Italy last month, we saw many great museums and works by the masters. I do love them all...but sometimes you can reach a peak of big huge museums!!While strolling around in Venice after a long leisurely lunch at an outdoor cafe with friends, we came to the Peggy Guggenheim museum. The friends we'd had lunch with suggested we might enjoy it...so, we decided to give it a go.

 



Love it!! Yes.....it's a wonderful much more intimate style museum. You felt as if you are one on one with the paintings...seeing them in the private home of Ms Guggenheim. Unlike many of the larger museums...you were happily allowed to take photos (without flash) of anything you wished. I certainly took full advantage of that. Some of my all time favorite artists were here....including Dali & Magritte. My husband had his favorite as well...an entire room of Pollock. I've included just a few of the amazing works we saw in the most lovely and relaxed setting yet. While yes, we saw lots of great art...and some we couldn't even get to including a Klimt exhibit going on while there....this will certainly rank as a real favorite for us. If you have limited time and need to choose...pick this one!!



Warming up

Just a tiny bit of yummy goodness to start warming up again for the bigger pieces. Spent lots of time cleaning up the previous mess and am ready to go again.

Vacation's over!!

Inspiration abroad

Sorry for the long delay between posts...but it was all for good reason.
My wonderful husband and I will be married 30yrs this year and we decided to take the long delayed amazing vacation this year in honor of such an event.
We went to Italy...and did a three stop tour. Our first stop, the Cinque Terre, one of the most visually amazing places ever. Second stop, Florence....beautiful city with awesome art everywhere. Third stop, Venice....how more romatic can it get!!!

We hiked the trails between the five villages of the Cinque Terre and enjoyed the beach for a bit as well. Lovely people, amazing vistas, and delicious locally made wines.
In Florence we visited all the "hot" spots. The famous galleries, a visit to see "David", the Ponte Vecchio, and of course a climb to the top of the Duomo. Each evening as we dined outside we were entertained by street musicians.

Venice and the outter islands were simply a feast for the eyes!! We had a beautiful room with a private terrace on a canal. We enjoyed wandering the maze of tiny streets every day as well as taking boats from place to place. We spent a day exploring the island of Murano and its amazing glassworks...as well as the most marvelously colorful island of Burano.

I will be posting to the FanPage other wonderful pics of creativity that I found during this trip. Stop by and check it out when you can.

Website updates

I'm soo delighted to have my Torn Paper Paintings website all cleaned up and fresh faced!!
I've been soo busy lately that I hadn't been able to write up all the revisions I wanted and collect up all the images I need to have changed out and get all this to my awesome web gal...Sarah...from Sarahs Simple Sites. Let me just say...her site work is anything but "simple".
I love my website and I love her work. If you need a great website at a more than fair price...she's your gal.
Thank you Sarah!!

Notecards

One of the advantages of my Torn Paper Paintings has been in making some lovely blank notecards from them. They are bold and colorful and really stand out.
Since I don't get to keep the originals around very long ...this gives me one other way to enjoy them and let others who don't get the chance to see the originals enjoy them as well.
I'm happy to say that for the start of the summer season they are now available at Seeds Studio in Wells, Maine....as well as Partners Village Store in Westport, Ma.
I will be doing a bit of traveling over the next few weeks....but when I return, I'm thinking I may make some available on my Etsy shop as well.
Will keep you posted.

Series

Once again I find I'm working in a "series". Thought you might enjoying seeing a pic of the group together right now. The latest...lawn/beach chairs.
There really is something to be said for doing art in a series. It makes for an actual collection of similiar images, which is great for showing.
It also takes the pressure away from the question, "what will I do next?". You're already excited about the subject you're doing and can't wait to get to the next.
I spent a long time doing the series of beach toys, buckets and shovels. While there may be more to come down the line...I'm now really enjoying this new subject and I know there are more of these.
I have some other subjects in progress, but just this weekend I was down on the dock behind my house taking more reference shots of my chairs.
Yep...there's more coming!!

Treasures

Had a wonderful afternoon yesterday. Spent it with my beautiful daughter. That alone is always a special treat....but to top off the day I found some stunning Japanese handmade papers.

I always have a difficult time finding the great stuff....so I was thrilled to be able to take a batch of these little treasures home with me.

While most people would be careful to treat them with care....I personally can't wait to "rip" into them :)

I told you...

Yes I did!! I said I could see a series coming from these chair pieces.
I guess I'm certainly on my way. Here's the latest. Yes....of course there is more to come!!
Lets face it....there are sooo many colors yet to be done.
And a group of rainbow chairs....yes....can't you see it now....

Back at it...

After having been out of sorts for a number of days with a bug, I finally managed to feel normal enough to get back into the art room. I had started the underpaintings for some smaller pieces with one chair after I had done the piece with the two chairs. I just knew a series was coming from that!

So...back on my feet I've gotten the first one finished.

On to the next!!

Watched

The weather was sooo beautiful today it felt like spring. For New England to be topping 70's in March is far from the norm....but I'll take it.

It was a perfect moment to get outside with my trusty bucket & shovel to set up more reference shots for art pieces.
I went to the pond out back and after a few sandy shots I took it to the dock. Well....I guess I caught the interest of others nearby I hadn't noticed right away.
Before I knew it I had visitors!! They really did seem quite interested in what I was up to. Since they ended up giving me some unexpected reference shots themselves that may very well turn into future paintings....I rewarded them with a little snack.

 Something tells me they may visit again next time too!

Seeds

With spring not too far away now...seeds of all kinds need planting.

a new little seed planted at Seeds Studio

I've been busy doing my "art seeding", with the joining of the co-op gallery to now...being part of a brand new gallery.
This lovely little gallery is not even a year old, but is in a great location on the coast of Maine in Wells. It is quite near Kennebunkport and Ogunquit.
What is especially meaningful is it's name...Seeds Studio.
As thir website explains, "Seeds Studio operates on the idea of planting positive seeds. Building upon the gifts, talents and abilities that each of us posses are the seeds we want to grow."
So..as of last week I have planted nine of my "Torn Paper Paintings" there....and I hope to watch things grow for all of us.
If you are in the area...stop by and take a peek. You'll enjoy what you see!
Check them out on FaceBook too...and be sure to "Like" them to keep up with what's happening!!

Merina

Yes...that's her name.

Have you ever been working on a piece of art and it somehow names itself? Well...every once in a while that happens to me. The name goes through my head every time I work on it.

Hey...who am I to argue. If that's what she wants to be called....so be it. I think it actually suits her.

This is the latest Torn Paper Painting. All she needs now is the varnish layer.

Off to see who swims by next.