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"Words are as beautiful as wild horses, and sometimes as difficult to corral." - Ted Berkman

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Do you miss the "good old days" when we actually wrote 'real' letters? Remember the way we held on to them, how good that felt?...and special ones we'd tuck away in a drawer to read again and again. And if by chance, you had a really creative friend - maybe you'd have the good fortune to get an 'illustrated' letter once in a while. Did that ever happen in your life? Did you ever dream of it? Something that's small, perhaps inconsequential....but perhaps not. It might be the juicy note you'd want to save...maybe even frame because it's just that pretty!  

Well, I don't think I'd call these "juicy" by today's standards...just "newsy stuff from home"....meaning of course - my home - here in New England. Each month I've painted a scene from my travels around town, and around all of New England.  On top of the painting, I write the news of the month - in the form of a letter....to YOU or to any dear friend you'd like to have receive it!  So in that way - it's personalized for the recipient. Each month, I paint a new scene with the current happenings, and mail it to my subscribers!  What a nice gift for yourself, to be able to go to the mailbox, and once a month receive an illustrated letter from a dear friend (me!).  You may have someone else in mind, someone who needs a bright spot in their day - maybe an elderly parent,  dear friend or special neighbor.  If you choose this as a gift for someone else, I tuck a note in their first illustrated letter explaining that it's from you...and that you chose them to receive it each month as a gift from you.  

Sometimes there will be other delightful ephemera tucked away in your envelope with your letter. Just because, it's fun!

And yes, I AM an oil painter, but one who likes a bit of watercolor sketch-book keeping as well! 

 Here's the September letter in progress! Just another beautiful day in Mystic, CT!

and same with October, a little view from Clyde's Cider Mill here in Mystic. 

November's news was from further afield, up in the Acadia National Park, Maine!

As you go through this Advent season leading up to Christmas, it seems there is always such a rush, and it can be so frustrating to allow ourselves to be caught up in the frenzy. I am frequently reminding myself to 'slow-down'; take care of myself...so that I can help take care of others and enjoy this celebration of the birth of Jesus (and yes, all the things that go along with this). Part of that taking care is keeping things as simple as I can make them...in order to be able to enjoy as much as I can. 

 

Breathe in slowly and fully...and release it ...allowing the extraneous to leave your body...and only the calm to remain. I'd love to hear from you - let's share how we get through the holiday season, and keep ourselves, calm and happy....and remember the reason for the season. 

 

 

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!

Green Tea White Daisies

3.5"x2.5" oil on fine canvas board

Bidding starts at just $1

Here's where I decided to put all the daisies in the green tea pot, I thought they showed up well again that green! If you can't tell by now, this is one gardener who is missing summer!! Luckily, paintings allow us to have a bit of summer all year long!

It has been several years since I have used eBay as a place to sell, but I did enjoy it back in its 'heyday'.  I've begun a new series of ACEOs,  so far all florals - and I knew eBay would be the perfect place to highlight these! These little gems make a perfect gift idea! 

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.  ACEOs also make wonderful gifts!

Green Tea Red Zinnia ACEO Floral Original Oil Painting

3.5"x2.5" oil on fine canvas board

Bidding starts at just $1

While I had all the cut flowers on the back patio table, I did end up second guessing how I wanted to do a lot of these arrangements. I shuffled some blossoms into one container, then moved them to another, trying to figure out how I wanted them all. This ended up being filled with daisies, but there was something interesting about one bright red flower against that green!

It has been several years since I have used eBay as a place to sell, but I did enjoy it back in its 'heyday'.  I've begun a new series of ACEOs,  so far all florals - and I knew eBay would be the perfect place to highlight these! These little gems make a perfect gift idea! 

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.  ACEOs also make wonderful gifts!

Sun & Shade Zinnias ACEO Floral Original Oil Painting

3.5"x2.5" oil on fine canvas board

Bidding starts at just $1

Outside on the edge of the table, sun & shadow of the late afternoon showed off these blossoms so well!

It has been several years since I have used eBay as a place to sell, but I did enjoy it back in its 'heyday'.  I've begun a new series of ACEOs,  so far all florals - and I knew eBay would be the perfect place to highlight these! These little gems make a perfect gift idea! 

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.  ACEOs also make wonderful gifts!

Green Bottle & Zinnias ACEO Floral Original Oil Painting

3.5"x2.5" oil on fine canvas board

Bidding starts at just $1

When I ran out of vases, I was down to odd little containers.  I thought it might be fun to put in just a few short stemmed blossoms! (I couldn't bear to throw them out yet).  Just a few more of my "pre-frost painting frenzy" to go!

It has been several years since I have used eBay as a place to sell, but I did enjoy it back in its 'heyday'.  I've begun a new series of ACEOs,  so far all florals - and I knew eBay would be the perfect place to highlight these! These little gems make a perfect gift idea! 

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.  ACEOs also make wonderful gifts!

Daisies & Zinnias ACEO Floral Original Oil Painting

 

3.5"x2.5" oil on fine canvas board

Bidding starts at just $1 

More in my series of these fun ACEO florals.  You can see in my rush to save as many zinnias & daisies as I could, I cut boodles of them to paint. For a little while, I had all these arrangements setting on the island counter top in my kitchen. It looked like a florists shop in there!   

It has been several years since I have used eBay as a place to sell, but I did enjoy it back in its 'heyday'.  I've begun a new series of ACEOs,  so far all florals - and I knew eBay would be the perfect place to highlight these! These little gems make a perfect gift idea! 

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.  ACEOs also make wonderful gifts!

Zinnias & A Lazy Daisy ACEO Floral Original Painting

3.5"x2.5" oil on fine canvas board

Bidding starts at just $1

  Continuing with this series of floral ACEOs, I had lots more zinnias to paint & a spare Montauk daisy as well!  Right before our first predicted frost, I spent the day cutting all the blossoms I thought I could get painted, filled every vase & container I had! It was like a floral frenzy around here!  So, lots of painting, not much blogging was going on during that time! Painted from life in my studio. 

 

(during some of the pre-frost floral frenzy!)

It has been several years since I have used eBay as a place to sell, but I did enjoy it back in its 'heyday'.  I've begun a new series of ACEOs,  so far all florals - and I knew eBay would be the perfect place to highlight these! These little gems make a perfect gift idea! 

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.  ACEOs also make wonderful gifts!

Autumn Bouquet ACEO Floral Original Painting

3.5"x2.5" oil on fine canvas board

Bidding starts at just $1

And here it is - the fourth one in the series- an Autumn bouquet with all those wonderful warm fall colors, in a tall glass vase. Painted from life in my studio.

It has been several years since I have used eBay as a place to sell, but I did enjoy it back in its 'heyday'.  I've begun a new series of ACEOs,  so far all florals - and I knew eBay would be the perfect place to highlight these! These little gems make a perfect gift idea! 

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.  ACEOs also make wonderful gifts!

Zinnias in the Brown Jar ACEO Floral Original Painting

 

3.5"x2.5" oil on fine canvas board

 

Bidding starts at just $1

 

If you've been following along for the last few days, you're beginning to see a trend here....the third one of my ACEO floral series - Zinnias! We had a bumper crop of them this year. The best thing is, the more you cut, the more blossoms they keep putting out. We had several different varieties, but one that I particularly loved had this deep burgundy maroon color. Of course mixing the color varieties in a bouquet is great fun, too! 

It has been several years since I have used eBay as a place to sell, but I did enjoy it back in its 'heyday'.  I've begun a new series of ACEOs,  so far all florals - and I knew eBay would be the perfect place to highlight these! These little gems make a perfect gift idea! 

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.  ACEOs also make wonderful gifts!

Blue Hydrangeas ACEO Floral Orinigal Painting

3.5"x2.5" oil on fine canvas board

Bidding starts at just $1

Here it is, the second one in my series of floral ACEOs painted from life! These little oil paintings were quite fun to create.  I began this little series in September before the first frost up here in CT, so I was able to bring in lots of nice cuttings from the garden!  I'm usually not great at keeping a secret for very long at all - I wanted to bring this series out in time for Christmas and holiday gift shopping.  Hey, they make nice little hostess gifts for some one even at Thanksgiving! If you bring your hostess live flowers, she's got to stop cooking and put those things in water right away (which can be a problem if you're in a tight cooking schedule in the kitchen).  Give your hostess a painting of flowers - she can be looking at it while she's cooking, doesn't have to stop & get a vase....AND - they NEVER DIE!! woohoo- and that makes you a wonderful guest!

It has been several years since I have used eBay as a place to sell, but I did enjoy it back in its 'heyday'.  I've begun a new series of ACEOs,  so far all florals - and I knew eBay would be the perfect place to highlight these! These little gems make a perfect gift idea! 

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.  ACEOs also make wonderful gifts!

Pink Hydrangeas ACEO Floral Original Painting

3.5"x2.5" oil on fine canvas board

Bidding starts at just $1

It has been several years since I have used eBay as a place to sell, but I did enjoy it back in its 'heyday'.  I've begun a new series of ACEOs,  so far all florals - and I knew eBay would be the perfect place to highlight these! These little gems make a perfect gift idea! 

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.  ACEOs also make wonderful gifts!

High Pony, Irish Wool

6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair." ~Kahlil Gibran


What a delight, wind in the hair, walking on the beach...this late in the year in New England?! Being open and accepting of what the day brings is easier to appreciate when the weather is nice! ;-)

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $150 USD
Or, send me an email

I've received my first batch of calendars- and they're all spoken for. The next order arrives tomorrow, and I have 7 left that are still unclaimed. If you'd like one of these (or more) let me know! Here's the link to see what they look like and order if you'd like! You can pay via Paypal or pay with a personal check. I'll start shipping these out on Monday the 5th!

More fun news- tomorrow (Friday, the 2nd)is Opening Reception of "Deck The Walls" at the Lyme Art Association, from 5-7pm. For more about this show, check out this link for "Deck The Walls"!