Painting My World

Cat Bath

2008-07-18T10:43:00.002-04:00

'Angel's Bath' 7x5 pastel

I am off today on a painting adventure with Jayne. I have my new art cart packed and my cameras all charged and ready and the weather is supposed to be good! I do hope we get some plein air painting done. I am so out of practice! I will post the results when I return.

Time for Cake! SOLD

2008-07-17T13:33:00.003-04:00

'Time for Cake' 6x6 pastel

It just so happened that I had a request for a cake painting on my birthday! It was fun to paint cake but would be even more fun to eat a piece!

Iris Mini Painting ACEO

2008-07-16T15:10:00.003-04:00

Today's painting is another miniature or 3.5 x 2.5 inch ACEO. I really enjoy unwinding at the end of the day by painting these small works. I found a source on ebay to supply the mats so I can easily frame them in standard size frames. They make great gifts too!
I will be going on a painting trip with Jayne this weekend. We are headed to Frankin NC to do some gem mining and to try out our new plein air carts. I hope the weather cooperates!

Beach Baby

2008-07-15T14:15:00.002-04:00

'Beach Baby' 8x10 pastel

I was going to bring this to class to work on since we are supposed to be working on scenes with people. I had some free time this afternoon and started it.....and just couldn't stop. I will bring it with me tonight to see what else I should do but I didn't want to start fiddling with it. I rarely paint people so this is out of my comfort zone. Marsha wants us to slow down and be more deliberate....I guess I have trained myself to get my ideas and impressions down quickly and it is very difficult to go slow. I feel like I start getting too fussy. It will be a challenge!

Red Poppies

2008-07-14T15:45:00.002-04:00

'Poppy Dance' 7x5 pastel

It is fun to paint with colors you don't normally use....like red. I love my red pastels. I have a set of Mount Vision reds and my Terry Ludwig reds and they are so much fun to use. This was a fun little painting to do. It is from a photo I took of the poppies in the median up in Murphy North Carolina. I have a painting I want to do of the entire field of poppies. It is on my list!

iphone Sketches on Etch-A-Sketch

2008-07-13T17:19:00.006-04:00

Today it was my turn to sit at the gallery for the Southeastern Pastel Society Show. It was a gray rainy day and we had only four people come by. I spent my time playing with my new iPhone. I downloaded an Etch-A-Sketch program to my phone and had the best time drawing. You could use the simulated knobs but I enjoyed using my finger to draw right on the screen. And when you are finished....just shake the phone like a real etch-a-sketch. How cool is that!! Here is one of my sketches. (you can also save your drawings and email them too)

Miniature pastel Painitng ACEO Dragonfly SOLD

2008-07-12T14:56:00.004-04:00

'Tiny Jewel' 2.5x3.5 pastel

Here is another small dragonfly painting. They are so much fun to paint. My favorites are the bright blue ones. I am having way too much fun today playing with my new IPhone. I had intended to paint but I got sidetracked looking at all the games and cool things you can do with the phone. The funny thing is I never could figure out half the things my old phone did but this one is just too easy to use!

Miniature Pastel Painting ACEO Sunflowers Sold

2008-07-11T14:37:00.004-04:00

I will hopefully have time to paint this weekend. I have a few ideas I want to try. Today's painting is a miniature 3.5 x 2.5 inches. Remember, they look much more important matted and framed and are great for small spaces!
Saturday evening at 6:00 pm is the opening reception for 'Metro Montage' a juried exhibition at the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art. I have a painting in the show and will be there. If you are in the area, I'd love for you to stop by!

Cape Cod National Seashore

2008-07-10T14:49:00.004-04:00

'Cape Cod View' 7x5 pastel

This was a wonderful short hike through fields of wildflowers with a beautiful view of the sea in the distance. One of my favorite places on Cape Cod! I think I would like to paint this scene larger. Maybe this weekend I will have more time. I am trying to decide on an easel for plein air. I have two painting trips coming up and I am rethinking my set-up. I will keep you posted.

Eastern Phoebe Fledglings

2008-07-09T13:55:00.004-04:00

'Getting Ready to Fly' 10x8 pastel

These adorable babies left the nest for the first time just minutes after I took their photo. This is the third family that a pair of Eastern Phoebes have raised this year. The nest is under the roof covering the hot tub at my parent's house. They have enjoyed watching these pretty little birds.

Cat in the Garden

2008-07-08T16:29:00.003-04:00

'Garden Cat' 5x7 pastel

What a great spot for a nap! My daughter spotted this big cat asleep in the garden of a shop on Nantucket. She finds cats wherever we are! There were actually three cates here and everytime we passed by, they were sleeping!

Published!

2008-07-08T14:47:00.002-04:00

My strawberry Daiquiri painting was chosen to illustrate an article in the lastest issue of Oxford American, a magazine of southern writing. My painting illustrates an article about daiquiris in 'The Best of the South 2008' section. You can learn more about the magazine at their website. It is fun seeing my work in print!

Maine Wildflowers

2008-07-07T09:39:00.002-04:00

'Edge of the Woods' 10x8 pastel

I don't know what was more spectacular...the wonderful fields of Lupines or this little patch of grass at the edge of the woods that was just exploding with the colors and textures of the wildflowers. I am not sure what the tall purple ones are but they are my new favorites!

Cape Cod Beach Rose Study

2008-07-04T11:18:00.002-04:00

'First Encounter' 2.5 x 3.5 pastel

I sometimes like to paint these little paintings to work out compositions and colors for larger works. I love the beach roses that line the beach here at First Encounter Beach in Eastham. They smell so good! I am off to the mountains to spend time with my family on the houseboat. I am bringing some pastels so hopefully I will have some time to paint! I hope you all have a relaxing and enjoyable holiday!

Mountain Farm

2008-07-03T15:40:00.003-04:00

'Mountain Farm' 2.5 x 3.5 pastel

I'm headed to the North Carolina Mountains for the Fourth of July weekend. This is one of the old barns we pass on the way. I painted a few ACEO's this week. They are tiny paintings that measure 2.5 x 3.5 but look great when matted and framed. They are also very relaxing to paint.

Maine Lupines #2

2008-07-02T13:52:00.002-04:00

'Dream Field' 11x14 pastel

We drove by so many beautiful fields of lupines on our trip to Maine but couldn't stop for photos. We finally found one that was easy to access and I was able to get some reference photos. The foggy,overcast day made the colors of the fowers even more vibrant.

Acadia National Park Rocks!

2008-07-01T15:20:00.002-04:00

'Calm' 10x8 pastel

I love Acadia National Park in Maine. One of my favorite spots to visit is Little Hunter's Beach. A great trail through the forest leads to this quiet beach made entirely of granite cobbles. I could spend all day there looking at the rocks....their colors are subtle and beautiful. People have arranged them into piles which are fascinating to me. Painting these rocks was very calming and I hope it brings calm to my viewers as well.

Maine Buoy Painting

2008-06-30T14:30:00.002-04:00

I loved all the bright colors on these wonderful old buoys. I found them on the side of a fishing shack on our trip to Maine. I knew this would be one of my first paintings. I plan on doing some larger and I have more photos to work from....more colors to play with!
Don't forget to have a look at my studio sale in my Ebay store. I will be listing a painting everyday at great opening bids. See the link at the bottom of this page.

Maine Lupines

2008-06-29T18:50:00.002-04:00

'One Morning in Maine' 5x7 pastel

One morning in Maine on the way to our hike of the day we passed this wonderful field of lupines. I had my husband back the car up so I could get some photos. This would have been a fun place to set up and paint. Just down from the house were two blue adironack chairs...look for a painting of them soon!

Surfside Beach Nantucket Island

2008-06-28T17:32:00.002-04:00

'Daisies at Surfside' 7x5 pastel

What could be better...one of my favorite flowers growing at the edge of the sea! Nantucket met and exceeded all of my expectations. I could easily stay in a little cottage and paint all summer on this beautiful island. Today I spent time organizing my studio...what a mess that can get. I will be having a summer studio sale to make room for my new work. Check out the link on the bottom of this page for my ebay store. I will be listing new paintings daily at low opening bids.

Cape Cod Sunset

2008-06-27T13:38:00.002-04:00

'Dune Light' 9x12 pastel

We arrived at First Encounter Beach in Eastham about two hours before the sunset. We were in luck because it was low tide and there was much to photograph in the magic light. I loved how the dunes turned coral and pink and the grasses looked as if they were on fire. It was the perfect end to a wonderful trip.

Nantucket Island Beach Roses

2008-06-26T16:28:00.002-04:00

'Nantucket Beach Roses' 7x5 pastel

This is a scene at Surfside Beach on Nantucket. The bluffs were covered with wonderfully fragrant beach roses and daisies. The water and sky were a brilliant shade of blue. I was in heaven. Our trip to Nantucket was made even more special because we were able to spend time with family we had never met....and they were wonderful! They were both born and raised on the island so we had a true insider's tour. I have discovered that our family can trace it's roots back to the first settlers of Nantucket. Is that why I am so drawn to the sea?

Exhibition News

2008-06-26T14:13:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share the news that my painting of Angel was accepted into the Atlanta Fine Arts League's 2nd Annual National Exhibition.The opening reception will be on August 1st at the Roswel Visual Arts Center Gallery. I hope to see my Atlanta friends there.

Also if you will be in the area on July 12th, please come by the opening reception of 'Metro Montage VIII' at the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art. I have a marsh painting that was accepted into this exhibition. The reception is from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

A New Dragonfly Painting Sold

2008-06-25T12:44:00.004-04:00

'Dragonfly Delight' 7x5 pastel

I was excited to find dragonflies on our last full day in Cape Cod. They were all along the trail near the visitor center at the Cape Cod National Seashore in Eastham. I was able to take several photos. I may have a new location very close to home for dragonfly photos....a friend has a pond in her backyard. I need to get over to her house to check it out!

The Osprey Nest

2008-06-24T17:35:00.002-04:00

'The Osprey Nest' 5x7 pastel

My all time favorite bird is the osprey. I look for them wherever I go. I have even seen them here in Georgia at the lake. I saw many osprey in Maine and on Cape Cod. Their big nests just fascinate me!