ACEO - Red Zinnias - A Fine Summer Bounty

ACEO (Art Cards Editions and Originals) original oil painting 

2 ½ x 3 ½  inches

oil on ⅛ inch archival canvas • gloss varnish (UV protective)

sold unframed

This painting, "A Fine Summer Bounty" -  painted from life- zinnias from my garden! -  These are set up in my studio to paint.  When the weather gets dicey, I love to set up flowers and arrange the lighting like a stage set for my still life paintings!   I'm getting close to the season where most of my flowers will come from the florist or grocery store! 

These ACEOs are available at auction on ebay! You'll find them by clicking here.

You can also find my other floral paintings in my "Online Flower and Garden Show" by clicking here!  I do hope you enjoy the 'show'!! 

ACEOs - Iris Stand - purple swoon-worthy swath of color!

ACEO (Art Cards Editions and Originals) original oil painting 

2 ½ x 3 ½  inches

oil on ⅛ inch archival canvas • gloss varnish (UV protective)

sold unframed

Second in the series of 10 ACEOs,  I'm always thrilled to see a large planting of these together. As an individual flower, the golden yellow fuzzy throats are so incredible! Simply hard to resist! This collectible piece is available at auction on Ebay right here.

Mid-Summer Festival in Old Lyme-Saturday-July 30th

I hope you can make it!! For those of you living in traveling distance, take exit 70 off of I-95 in CT. Go to historic Lyme Street in Old Lyme. There's lots of events happening in several places here. I'll be outdoors under the BIG tent at Lyme Academy College of Fine Art with the other alums with many of my recent paintings; florals, landscapes, small, medium and LARGE.  

And, if you haven't seen my solo show "Touching Water" at the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library, now is a great time to visit! The weather is supposed to be fabulous, so come on out!  

For the full schedule of events, go to:

OldLymeMidsummerFestival.com

Please do come by and say "Hi"! I look forward to meeting you! 

"I'll Take You To Italy"- a wonderful love story painted!!!

 

18"x24" oil on cradled birch panel

Commissioned work

When I get the opportunity to work on commissioned pieces for my collectors, I feel like the luckiest person in the world. I truly appreciate my 'job'. It dawned on me recently that almost all of my commissions (actually perhaps every single one) is a love story of some type or another.  Each story has been as sweet, and beautiful as the next.  

This couple met at a charity auction, and both were bidding on a trip to Italy.  Neither of them won the bid. The woman was disappointed, but the man (who was obviously smitten) offered, "I'll take you to Italy"!  A few years later, this is where they stayed- and now, I get to paint it for them! 

Travel memories are some of our strongest and fondest memories - especially when romance is involved! It's especially wonderful to commemorate and celebrate these wonderful times in our lives.  It's another way of "making your love visible in the world"...an outward sign of inner joy.  

Make sure you don't miss my next post! I'll tell you why choosing a good name for your painting is as important as naming your child!  

Roses and Red Bowl

12"x12"x1" oil on cradled archival panel

For more information, or to purchase, click here. 

  

Roses from my garden in June, a red and ivory bowl from a visit to France, and an antique tea cup rimmed in blue and gold....just a few of my favorite things!

Roses and Phlox - Tender Mercies

20"x16" oil on 1" deep gallery wrapped stretched canvas

For more information, or to purchase, click here. 

This one was finished sometime in April, though I haven't spent much time blogging. I've been working on a rather large commission (and traveling here  and there, too)! These were florist flowers, which I had bought because nothing was blooming in our yard at the time! Now things are busting out all over, weather is finally looking great, but I am working hard to finish a rather large landscape/gardenscene in my studio, that I'm rather excited about!! I'll be talking more about that in the next upcoming posts! Hope your Spring has been a beautiful one, and you have plans for some great summer fun coming up! 

Blossom Connoisseurs, Commissions, and painting during winter

5"x7" oil on archival panel

For more information or to purchase, click here. 

As you continue to send out love, the energy returns to you in a regenerating spiral... As love accumulates, it keeps your system in balance and harmony. Love is the tool, and more love is the end product. 

- Sara Paddison, "Hidden Power of the Heart"

One of the things I love to do is complete commissions for others! There is nothing like collaborating on a project to help someone satisfy their vision - whether it is a commemoration of a special event, an anniversary, a birthday, a new home. 

These kitties are a small study for a larger painting that was commissioned as a birthday gift for her dear friend. I kept it under wraps for a long time...so as not to "blow the surprise".  It makes me so happy to be a part of this...especially to watch the giver and receiver, and the joy they experience.  The larger piece (in a square format), is now hanging in her home! 

 This winter I've been painting orchids in my studio while the snow continued to pile up outside. I did take a couple trips down to Florida to visit my mom, once for a beach trip, then to stay with her during cataract surgery. 

While my 2 orchid plants are blooming, I'm getting a lot of mileage out of them! And in the middle of these, I've begun the process for another commissioned piece that I'm VERY excited about! 

 

Provencal Pears and Orchids

24"x18"x1" deep, oil on gallery wrapped canvas

For more information, or to purchase, click here. 

Life is short,

Break the RULES -

FORGIVE quickly, 

KISS slowly, LOVE truly,

LAUGH uncontrollably, 

and NEVER REGRET anything that made you smile.

 

I'm so in love with this orchid plant...I painted this one the night before I flew down to my mom's in Florida last week.  I went to stay with her during surgery, and give her "moral support" for a few days.

Who knew that this one single white orchid could bring me so much delight during a cold snowy winter in Connecticut? And pulling out the table cloth from Provence brings out the warmth of "far-away" places, allowing me to dream and plan....not only how I want to spend summer, but what I want to bring into my life....for the duration of the journey. 

Color, joy, beauty, great memories, and anticipation of greater things to come.  

Orchids and Apples

20"x24" x 1.5" deep cradled birch panel

For more information, or to purchase, click here.

"Tenderness is greater proof of love than the most passionate of vows." - Marlene Dietrich

Sometimes those small, kind gestures can show how much you are loved and cared for. No need to be stingy with them, you won't run out...in fact, you will receive multitudes in return.


 

Exotic Dancer (Orchids with Mango & Papaya)

40"x30"x1.5" deep gallery wrap canvas

For more information, or to purchase, click here.  

"It is through the cracks in our brains that ecstacy creeps in." - Logan Pearsall Smith

Each on their own, fairly simple things,

 a piece of tropical fruit, a lovely string of flowers....

Yet it is mid-winter -

and they are from the tropics.

Each of them reminding me

that snow won't last forever.

Another blossom opens, 

wings open to fly,

and dance...

in the most exotic way. 

 

Orchids and Oranges - with thoughts on Wise People from Alexandra Stoddard

30"x24" x1.5" deep gallery wrapped canvas

For more information, or to purchase, click here.  

"Love is exactly as strong as life." - Joesph Campbell

"The wise people who accomplish much in their lifetime know the secret of happiness, which is to act out one's own interior stirrings and make them concrete. There is no greater joy than to find and bring forth personal truths."

- Alexandra Stoddard, from 'Grace Notes'

One more bloom opened on my orchid, and it makes another wonderful shape for me to notice. Each day there is more to see as another blossom slowly reveals itself in its gentle unfolding. The light follows the smooth curves until they bend into shadow...gracefully, in some small grandness.  

White Orchids and Provence Linens/Studio Views

18" x 18" x 1.5" deep gallery wrapped canvas

For more information, or to purchase, please click here.  

 It was only a sunny smile,

And little it cost in the giving.

But like morning light, 

it scattered the night,

And made the day worth living.

- anonymous

Hope is some extraordinary spiritual grace that God gives us to control our fears, not to oust them.

- Vincent McNabb 

Every time my orchids bloom, I am so grateful! Finally, I have discovered what it takes to get them to re-bloom...which happens to be - the right amount of sunlight, a significant degree difference in their day and night temperatures, weak feedings weekly, and just the right amount of luck! 

For you painters - here's a photo of my studio set-up:

 I've been shoving furniture around ever since I got home from my visit with mom last week.  I think I've come up with more room in here, and I'm liking my space for still-life set-ups all the more! I'll show another view of the whole studio once I'm finished with the major clean-out! Wow- does this feel good! 

ACEO-Coral Begonias - Day 8 #jan30in30

3.5"x2.5"

Click here to bid!

 

This one is a color study for an upcoming commission (not the same design, but will have coral colored flowers in it).  So after painting a snowy scene, I'm back to my bliss, flowers in my sunlit garden. My neighbor had one of the most gorgeous begonias I had ever seen. The thing was huge, with these amazing flowers draping down. It's been on my mind, and another one of those things that I wanted to paint during this 30 day feat!

 

For those of you not familiar with the acronym ACEO, it stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals.  The miniature paintings are the size of a baseball trading card, 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.  This category of art has become increasingly popular on eBay the last couple of years.  These can be displayed on their own, or with a tiny little easel (like the kind you can find in Michaels Arts & Crafts type stores) on a display shelf, or these beautiful gems can be elegantly matted and framed with perhaps a mat of 4 inches wide. 

Winter Warmup-ACEO-Day 4 #jan30in30

3.5"x2.5"

Click here to bid!

 

If winter has anything decent about it, it does give us some planning time for our garden...a time for a bit of rest, introspection, and appreciation. The older I get the more I appreciate the 'rest' part! By the time Spring finally breaks ground here....we are dying to get outside! 

 

Winter studio time finds me either painting from life (with grocery store flowers, not bad), or photos & memories of summers past flowers, wonderful things grown in our own garden, lovingly arranged and photographed out there, too. And for painters, I know you've heard it a million times, "painting from life is better" - YES it is, as it teaches you how to 'SEE', as in really. see. color. And then the lesson of "don't be a slave to your photo" kicks in..... if you use one for reference...as they DO tell lies...shadows are frequently 'dead black holes' in photographs....when in reality, shadows can be incredibly full of color. 

  

For those of you not familiar with the acronym ACEO, it stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals.  The miniature paintings are the size of a baseball trading card, 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.  This category of art has become increasingly popular on eBay the last couple of years.  These can be displayed on their own, or with a tiny little easel (like the kind you can find in Michaels Arts & Crafts type stores) on a display shelf, or these beautiful gems can be elegantly matted and framed with perhaps a mat of 4 inches wide. 

ACEO - Peony Ruffles-SOLD!

3.5"x2.5"

Click here to bid!

Another absolute garden favorite is our white peony! It's fragrant, and would make the most exquisite perfume (in my humble opinion)! It's not over-powering, delicate...but able to hold its own among others in the garden.  Perfect for a wedding...that's what's on my brain lately. I'm down in DC, painting while my daughter is at work this morning. Late this afternoon, her sister and I are going to join her for wedding dress shopping!! Yes, we have a wedding to plan in our family!!! Happy times!!

  

For those of you not familiar with the acronym ACEO, it stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals.  The miniature paintings are the size of a baseball trading card, 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.  This category of art has become increasingly popular on eBay the last couple of years.  These can be displayed on their own, or with a tiny little easel (like the kind you can find in Michaels Arts & Crafts type stores) on a display shelf, or these beautiful gems can be elegantly matted and framed with perhaps a mat of 4 inches wide.  

So, each year I have time to make just a few of these...and there's never any leftover. Here's your chance to join in on the fun and have one of these dear little mini's.  If you've just GOT to have it, and you can get to it before the first bid is placed, you may buy it out-right (and avoid the whole bidding process) at the buy it now price.  AND, my Christmas gift to you, FREE shipping!

Pink Peonies

 

6"x6" oil on gessoed archival panel

For more information, or to purchase, click here!  

 In our friends, 

we see our own humanity, 

our frailties, 

as well as our best sides.

A mirror of ourselves, 

reminding us that we are not invincible...

but we are loved.

Recently I've been thinking of a dear friend and neighbor who passed away following a long struggle with ovarian cancer. It had been difficult to paint during that time. I'm slowly getting back to the paints, back to the plein air work out doors, and back to the studio on days when weather doesn't cooperate.  I'm in the middle of one commission, and another waiting in the wings...as well as another show of my Barn Island paintings coming up.  I'm grateful that these things are here for me, and I'm able to share these paintings with you all.  But I do still miss my friend. 

 ***

This one was a bit of experimenting with color. I came back in with a muted/grayed blue green to soften the effect of the background and allow these pink peonies to really 'sing'. Much happier with them now! This large bouquet was in my studio window, back-lit from the window on a bright day. The piece is finished with a light coat of varnish, ready to frame, or to display on a small table-top easel. I can recommend a beautiful silver frame for this piece, just contact me!

Stop! You're Making Me Blush!

6"x6" oil on archival panel

For more information, or to purchase, click here

or here.  
You're telling me these things that make me blush a little self-consciously.....Stop! You're making me blush! 

Bring a little blush to your face, sans cosmetic!

Peonies in the Sunshine! - Mentoring Mondays

 

12"x12" oil on archival panel

Click here for more information, or to purchase. 

Got to share another bouquet with a fellow artist on "Mentoring Monday", a class I teach at my home/studio/gardens. Here we dragged the table out into the sun, while we stood under the cool shade to paint. (Love this garden my hubby & I designed, all that hard work is paying off in fun painting time!). "Peonies in the Sunshine". New diagnosis: POCD....peony obsessive compulsive disorder. 

Lilac Season - Floral Bouquet

8"x10" oil on .75" deep wrapped canvas

For more information or to purchase, click here.  

There it is, purple cones of tiny flowerettes, all ganging up to make a mass of fragrance wafting on the air. Spring finally made it to New England, and now it is starting to go by so quickly. Blossoms fade and drift to the ground, painting the path with what looks like pink snowdrift. 

This is our set-up from the Monday Mentoring class I teach (this past Monday's class).  We'll skip the Memorial Holiday class, but I'll offer the first three Mondays in June for plein air classes here in my garden!  

Fiery Flair Tulips

 

12"x12" oil on gessobord

For more information, or to purchase, click here. 

I am continuing to will it to be warmer weather up here lately (with these hot colors I've been painting with!).  I think it's working. I actually went outside without a jacket on and didn't freeze! I'm guessing it must have been in the upper 40s? Our own tulips are about 4 or 5 inches out of the ground so far! I'm hoping they'll come up in a beautiful display like they have the last several years! It's such an incredible sight to see! Don't you just love it when Spring really starts to show her face? It'll be time to start digging in the dirt once again!