Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Gimme Some Sugar!



6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite archival artboard

"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous."
-Ingrid Bergman


Just helpin' you get ready for Valentine's Day. Another sweet one from 'the vault'. Back to 2008 prices and free shipping until Valentines, just to give you a helping hand in saying the very thing you want to tell your loved one! It's dry and ready to ship!

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $100 USD

Labels: , , , , , ,

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Loves Me, Love Me Not, Loves Me



6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite archival panel

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." -Lao Tzu


Another one from the vault to help you be ready for Valentine's Day. And yes, what a perfect way to honor the one you love, with art! I have a few select pieces that I will offer at a special price unframed for Valentines day, perfect for displaying on a small table-top easel. It is dry and ready to ship!

Don't let those petals fool you, it's LOVE!!

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $100 USD

Labels: , , , , ,

Friday, January 27, 2012

Pink Two Lips- sold!



8"x8" oil on gessoed masonite archival panel


"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves." ~Albert Einstein


One from the vault- are you ready for Valentines Day? What a perfect way to say, "I love you" with art. I have a few select pieces that I will offer at a special price unframed for Valentines day, perfect for displaying on a small table-top easel. It is dry and ready to ship!

Labels: , , , , ,

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Scout's Honor - sold!



6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite archival panel

"On my honor I will do my best
to do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
to help other people at all times;
to keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight." - Scout Oath, Boy Scouts of America



This has been quite a fun challenge for me. It's given me some insights into my husband, a cousin, and my father's scouting days. A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent....goes the Scout Law.

This young fellow pictured is the grandson of one of my collectors. At thirteen, he is one of the youngest in his region to earn both Eagle Scout and God & Church Awards. He is a fine young man, and has quite a wonderful future ahead of him! I am thrilled to have the opportunity to paint him.

For more information about this painting, or how to commission a painting, contact me here.

Labels: , , , ,

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Winter Walk in the Marsh




6"x8" oil on linen mounted on archival board

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." -Albert Camus

Yesterday I mother nature provided exactly what I needed, a gorgeous sunny day mid-winter here in Connecticut. I'm sure it hit at least mid-forties. It truly felt like spring and of course I knew I'd take the opportunity to go outside and paint.

I kept my supplies small, so I could bring along the least amount of weight, and hopefully get a painting in quickly before the wind picked up and froze me out! This little 'thumb-box' pochade is something I found at the Utrecht Art Supply store a few years ago. I don't use it that often as the egdes that hold your panel in make it difficult to paint with a knife. So I figured, I'd use knife AND brush on this one. It holds a 6x8" panel, and the palette slides in & out to store a few small tubes of paint underneath as well as brushes (short ones!). Finding special plein air supplies can be such fun- and less calories than going through the candy store!

Here's a link to buy this pochade box at Utrecht, scroll down the page to "Utrecht Wooden Pochade Box w/ Shoulder Strap, Lightweight" they're asking $89.99 for it, but watch for some of their online coupons and specials.

I take this little box when I truly am interested in hiking out to a spot and don't want to lug much at all. I'll put that little box, along with 7 tubes of paint inside (a warm & cool of each primary + white)and brushes & painting knife too, inside a tote bag, with some paper towels, plastic bags for trash, small camera (or cell phone camera), 'hand-warmers', a pair of pliers, a 'bulldog' clip to hold the trash bag on to the tote (so it doesn't blow away). It's all pretty light to carry this tote bag on one shoulder, while the on the other side, I'm carrying a little 3-legged folding camp-stool to sit on to paint. Yes, normally I'm standing to paint, but for winter painting, I try to be as comfortable and warm as possible. I figure keeping a low profile will keep me out of the wind, or at least be less of a target!

The other handy thing to go with this little box, is short handled brushes. Now you can either just tote along your regular long handled brushes, or saw them off to fit in your box, ...or just get some short handled brushes that are made to fit into a small pochade. Judson's Art Outfitters carries some that I've been using for many years now (when I bring along the small box). They offer filberts and flats and mine have held up quite well over the years.

When mother nature provides the sunshine, it's up to me to show up! and just paint!!

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $200 USD

Labels: , , , , , , ,

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Bluebird of Happiness, Come By My Way




6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite archival art board

"Birds have a way of putting things in perspective. They forge ahead and carry on no matter what happens. No dwelling on the past, no regrets, sheer 100% survival..and beauty."
- Susan Halpin, 2008

"The bird feeder is a premium channel"
- Jim Shea, Hartford Courant, 2010

"And when he sings to you, Though you're deep in blue, You will see a ray of light creep through,
And so remember this, life is no abyss, Somewhere there's a bluebird of happiness. Life is sweet, tender and complete, when you find the bluebird of happiness."
- Bluebird of Happiness, lyrics by Edward Heyman & Harry Parr Davies, 1934


I've had bluebirds on my mind for the last couple days. I refilled the feeders outside as they were cleaned out fast! I've been missing my blue birds this winter, but love seeing all the others that show up! Found the reference for this little painting on Wet Canvas, a website for painters/artists that share reference photos copyright free, for other artists to use in their work. I haven't used this site before, but found there's a wealth of images of everything imaginable on there. I still prefer to paint from my own photos, but there are some things we experience and wish to paint, where a good reference photo can be difficult to find or snap when you see it. I'm already looking forward to spring, and the return of the bluebirds to our neighborhood!

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $150 USD

Labels: , , , ,

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Tea Blend



6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"Tea is drunk to forget the din of the world." ~T'ien Yiheng


Two blends of tea can sometimes be better than one... in this case a green tea, brewed with a bag of raspberry tea. What a nice combination - late in the evening - warmth, aroma, soothing calm after a very harried week.

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $150 USD plus $10 USD s/h

Labels: , , , ,

Sunday, January 8, 2012

"A Good Start"



16"x12" oil on stretched linen canvas

"Your horse is a mirror to your soul..." -Buck Branneman


Over the Christmas holidays I was able to see the documentary "Buck" about horse trainer, Buck Branneman. It reminded me of the years I spent with horses- and so was in my head while I was painting this.

A friend's beautiful young daughter and her bond with her horse. "Your horse is a mirror to your soul..." according to Buck. Very true. The calm and trust between these two is a beautiful thing to witness.

Hoping to re-photograph this in decent light tomorrow. There's still a bit of reflective sheen from dark wet paint.

I do take commissions to paint your favorite memories, contact me here, for more information.

Labels: , , , , ,

Thursday, January 5, 2012

A Good Start



20"x16" charcoal on paper

Just the beginnings of a sketch, yet to be adjusted, for a commissioned painting that's up on the easel next. What is it about a "girl and her horse"? During my 30s and 40s my bond with my own horse made me feel eternally young.

Do you have special memories you'd like to see on canvas? Whether it's yourself or a family member, contact me to find out more about commissioning a painting.

Labels: , , ,

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Kerry Cow Calling - sold! Prints Available!



8"x10" oil original sold, prints now available!

There are those paintings that have connected with a lot of people, this is one of them. I've finally taken the step of offering prints for sell through Imagekind, a print-on-demand service that has come highly recommended by so many of my artist friends.

I've started with three favorites- 2 from Ireland, and one from Chincoteague. I'll be adding new ones often, so check back from time to time.


For a direct link you can hop right over to my page on Imagekind or- you can always access it from my website

Labels: , , ,

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Down To Earth Sinks The Sun



11"x14" oil on linen mounted on archival board, currently unframed

Ah, the brilliant light show at the end of some days, the last rays of light transforming the surface of land into a rich velvet blanket of deep color...until total darkness sets in. There's something calming, and very satisfying seeing that transition of dusk. This is a place I pass by on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, on my way down to Norfolk (from last October).

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $480 USD plus $15 USD s/h

Labels: , , , , , ,

Monday, January 2, 2012

Life Savor!



6"x6" oil on gallery wrapped linen

It feels so good to be back in the studio again, with lots to do to start off the new year. Fresh flowers in the house during the holidays made me realize how much I've missed these. During summer, I always have fresh flowers cut from our garden. For now, the grocery store variety will do just fine...they do brighten your outlook on a cold day.

Savor life....is what I've been spending the last two weeks doing. The week before Christmas, I spent some time with my brother who was hospitalized for a long term illness. The week between Christmas and New Years, our daughters came up to visit from Virginia. It was so much fun to reconnect with family friends over the holiday! Our loved ones (family AND friends) are the best gifts of the holidays or any time!

Lots of things I'm excited to be working on: a new commission, more 'little faces', small still-life, and some larger landscapes.

For the folks that have been following me for a few years, you may remember that I had quite a series of paintings of Ireland. I am in the process of making some of these available as prints! More news on this later in the week!

Happy New Year 2012 - and remember to take a deep breath, ....and savor life!

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $150 USD plus $10 USD s/h

Labels: , , , , , ,