Sweet Summer Roses

16"x8" oil on linen mounted on archival panel

For more information, or to purchase, click here.  

Wow, the heat wave finally made it to Connecticut! It was pretty steamy even in the shade.  Lucky for that and some lemonade.  Summer goes too fast around here to ignore it just because of the heat.  I was determined to soak it up while I have the chance.  After all, the roses were calling my name! 

Summer Days Filled With Bouquets! and France of course!

 

Summer days, 

filled with bouquets - 

garden fresh, roses and sweet peas....

The fragrance of a New England Summer.

I'm really enjoying getting back into the sketchbook routine! It was one of my goals that I had hoped to reach while in France...to re-enter that comfort zone of 'playing' in my sketchbook more often. The key was to think of it as 'play' rather than work...and not be so up-tight treating it like a finished drawing...but "just a sketch". That really helped keep that fresh feeling.  After all- they are NOT botanical drawings or architectural renderings!! Yet they are whimsy for my memory and entertainment! 

 I've been asked to put together some classes soon in watercolor sketching here in the Mystic area! If you might be interested in joining us, let me know!  Details to come! 

A big thank-you to Susan Murphy of MA for being a loyal blog subscriber! She is receiving one of my watercolor postcards from France, Lherm Lavender Farm! 

 Two more names will be drawn from the 'purple beret' this Friday and next Friday, too! Hope you'll spread the news to your friends & share the love!

 

Roses In Amberglass ACEO - sold

3.5"x2.5" oil on fine canvas board

Bidding starts at just $1 

(this link goes live at 5pm EST today)

  Lots of painting going on lately, just not much blogging. From super small (like these ACEOs) to super large (the 40x30 that's almost finished on my easel), to some sketches for a commission, and yesterday's first plein air of Spring, the paint is flying, now the fingers on the keyboard need to keep up! Thanks for having a look. Spring is finally making its way to New England, and for that I'm so happy! For my northern hemisphere readers, I hope Spring has reached you by now, or signs of it are showing up!

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!

Roses By North Light (in Old Lyme)

12"x12" oil on board

Summer is so wonderful. 

 I can feel the exuberance blossom in me with every flower that blossoms in my yard!

Whether I paint outside in the garden, or cut the flowers and arrange a still-life to paint, the colors bring such a wonderful feeling! 

This painting, along with 2 other coastal landscape scenes of mine are in the "Summer Painting and Sculpture Exhibit" at Lyme Art Association in Old Lyme, CT (on 90 Lyme Street).  The opening is this evening 6-8pm- and they'll be on view through July 29th. Please come have a look!

Summer Happiness

16"x20" oil on linen mounted on archival board

"Summer is not so much a season as a melody, that tune of contentment we hum as the days begin to beautifully blur." - Sarah Ban Breathnach

Finally, we have reached my favorite time of year. Everything wonderful is starting to bloom in the yard. It's the third summer in our garden, and everything is really reaching a wonderful state of lush! Peonies, Siberian Iris, Knockout roses, catmint; and that's just what's blooming right now. Later there are other rose varieties, hydrangeas, lilies, daisies, black-eyed Susans, and more! After all the still-life florals I painted this winter, it's especially fun to take this outdoors. Out on my back patio, the morning light is wonderful. (well, so is the late afternoon, but that's another painting for another day!). A light breeze to ruffle the hems of the tablecloth is a delight after the gusts of last week. I think this is going to be a good gardening year!

I made a few tweaks on this after bringing it into the studio, I'll need to re-photograph & post an update once I get that done. Thanks for following along with my blog & enjoying summer with me!

For more information about this painting, contact me here.

Citrus Flowers (Commission) - sold

10"x10" oil on stretched Belgian linen

"The question is not....what is life? The question is...what is your experience of living?"
- Bob Burridge

After returning from my San Diego journey, I was home long enough to do some laundry, frame some finished paintings going into the Norfolk "Ballet Virginia International" show, ready my plein air supplies for "Out & About Norfolk" (the plein air portion of the two event show), AND...finish a commission that I had the sketches already prepared for. One of my repeat collectors requested a painting of a favorite bouquet- it had orange roses, red-orangey gerber daisies, and yellow Peruvian lilies (alstroemeria) in a big green glass vase. Lemons & limes in a bowl and a favorite 'kitty' mug (we both have been 'owned' by a big orange cat!) brought all these citrus colors together. It made me think of Florida (where I'm from, and) where she lives! Thanks for the honor Kathy! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I'm thinking that once the weather gets too cold to be out painting, I'll be bringing home some bright colored flowers to paint in my studio! They are so cheery when the skies go gray and cold. My neighbor says there's rumors of snow flurries this Saturday?!?! ACKKK- I'm not quite ready for this kind of cold yet! Guess I'd better be thinking about what kind of flowers I'd like to paint!

Roses Of Late Summer, Crystal Vase & North Light

6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"Flowers are words which even a baby can understand."
- Arthur C. Coxe

We've had a second round of blooms on our Eden rose. It's putting out some big canes- next year this thing should be quite magnificent! They have a delicate fragrance but a full ruffly bloom head - soo nice to cut & bring in the house.....and paint.

To purchase, please visit my gallery store on DailyPainters.com

I'm going to be starting another commission next- a pair of dogs- Australian shepherds, that are part of a wedding party!! and they are sooo pretty! I'm really looking forward to this! Thanks for following along as this artist's life unfolds!


****For all my Virginia & Maryland friends: I'm headed down to Chincoteague, VA this weekend for Seventh Annual Plein Air Event sponsored by the Chincoteague Cultural Alliance! The artists will be out & about on Chincoteague & Assateaugue Islands painting in the open air. Saturday evening ends with a reception, exhibit and sale of the artists' work. This year the event will move to the spacious Paschal Hall at St. Andrew's Church - 6288 Church Street on. The reception is 6-10pm, Saturday, September 11th. Make your summer last a little longer with a delightful trip out to the Eastern shore this weekend!

**Now....for the big secret, if you haven't learned this about me already- just one of the reasons I LOVE going to Chincoteague is because I grew up as one little 'horse-crazed' girl....and "Misty of Chincoteague" was a favorite story of mine. I'm always surprised when I meet folks who don't know of the story- so here's the wiki article!- this is a classic, and a Newbery medal winner (literature for children). Of course- the other reasons I return each year to paint there are: good food, fun friends, and fine art in a beautiful natural setting! What else could you want?! I hope to see you there!


Welcome to my latest new subscribers! I do hope you enjoy the paintings, photos & stories! I always love hearing comments from my readers!!

New England Summer By The Shore

6"x8" oil on museum quality Belgian linen board

"Don't follow the critics too much. Art appreciation, like love, cannot be done by proxy. It is a very personal affair & is necessary to each individual."
~ Robert Henri


My fellow artist & friend Don Watson found this quote by Henri. I was so glad to come across it, it was like another reminder to pull R. Henri's book, "The Art Spirit" off the shelf for another read through.

What a fabulous day we had again today! Now I know if you've followed this blog for more than six months, you've heard me wail about bleak New England winters. But summer is here and life is GREAT! Here on the shoreline, we even get the 'bonus- breeze'. It'll probably get all muggy in a few days, just because I took a notion to brag on the weather up here. Everyone else is sweltering with the heat & humidity....but I think as it moves up past the mid-Atlantic, we'll be having a "fire-cracker" 4th of July like the rest of the Atlantic coast.

We are so lucky to have Harkness Park as a state park, here in CT. It is one of the lovliest places I've ever seen...and that's in all seasons. Right now, everything is blooming like crazy! There's a large rose arbor to the left, it's tall enough for even very tall people to walk under. Today I could hear the birds echoing inside the thing from across the lawn while I painted. The day lilies are in full bloom, in so many wonderful colors, from pale yellow, peachy cream, orange, all the way to a deep burgundy red. The air was clear and the water sparkled off in the distance, and the breeze was certainly welcomed today. Ahh, can you tell I'm loving summer? By the sounds of all the happy people today, I know I'm not the only one!

While it's wet & unframed:

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $125 USD plus $10 USD s/h
Or, send me an email

Eden Roses In The Dragonfly Teapot - sold

8"x8" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"One may live without bread, not without roses.”

- Jean Richepin

I thought we were expecting a line of thundershowers across our end to the state today...of course, it never materialized. By that time I had cut off several blossoms to fill this favorite teapot that I use for holding flowers. This variety of rose has a soft fragrance (but not overpowering) and is climbing part of our fence-line...draping over it just beautifully!