espresso daily painting

6" by 6" daily pastel painting, unframed

Occasionally I don't blend my pastels and just focus on the shapes to get the impression of the object. This is an example of that. I'm more of a cappuccino girl but I enjoyed painting this while I had my morning coffee.
It's a beautiful day outside here in New England so the rest of the day will be spent storing the outdoor furniture I forgot about and taking a walk along the canal down the street from us in the state park.

SOLD

pink rose cupcake

6" by 6" daily pastel painting, unframed
SOLD

It was a bit difficult to get started today mostly because I wasn't sure what to paint, so I searched my hard drive and picked a random cupcake photo to work from.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. My sister and her family came from New York and they all stayed overnight. We had a wonderful celebration!

I've been busy with web design work for the past week. I've designed a few blog banners and edited some php and css code. I used a wordpress template to design the sites but you'd never know because I recoded it. Now the owner of the websites can edit her site from the backend in wordpress without having to ftp. You can see them here and here. Once I get started with web design and coding it's almost like painting. It's so much fun that it's hard to switch gears. Yes, I'm a bit of a geek.

Anyway, while working I thought it might be fun and useful to create a site for bloggers who need some help with coding, image preparation and anything else that could be a potential question. I made a new blog with information that I learned over the years. Here's the link - Blogging Basics and More. I'm hoping to update it on a weekly basis.

No, it's not a painting but I just had to upload it. I was cleaning the pool deck and there was a wasp (I think it's a wasp) in a dormant state inside the umbrella. I carefully removed it thinking it might "wake up" but it stayed on the table unable to move. I had to run inside to get my camera. Feel free to grab this image if you have a use for it.

Hiroshige

This is an acrylic painting that I did some years ago for my sister. The size is about 6 x 4 feet. It took me a long time to finish and she was very patient with me.
It's a copy of Ando Hiroshige's "Rain-Storm at Shono" which was actually a color woodblock print. Having worked in graphic arts I know how time consuming his work must have been. You can see an image of the print here although I think the colors are off. The one I used was in a book.

I submitted it today to Following the Masters painting challenge which I participate in frequently. Challenge Nine was to paint something by a master artist you are inspired by. From what I've read Hiroshige was not considered a master in his time, but if Van Gogh chose to copy one his paintings I think it's safe to assume that he was master enough. Not that I really care. I've always loved his work which was much more colorful than his contemporaries in Japan.

mystery tree

7" x 7" pastel painting, unframed

Another painting for our Play on Words blog.
To read more about the inspiration behind this painting please visit the blog that my husband Gary and I share. You'll also be able to purchase it there.
Any ideas what phrase this represents? Share your guess in a comment at Play on Words.

Mason Jar with Marbles

7" by 7" daily pastel painting, unframed

You may already know that I have a collection of marbles. I bought this mason jar full of marbles on EBay. It was quite a steal!
I set up this still life yesterday hoping that the sun would shine through the studio skylight today but it didn't. Light is the most important factor as a painter. It makes me want to move to a sunny state on days like today. I'm still pleased with the outcome.

$120 with free shipping and handling in the US. Please email me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

coffee press daily painting

5" by 7" daily pastel painting, unframed

I set up this still life last winter in a cardboard still life box and took photos of it which I saved. I really like the composition. I used red fabric for the back drop and a colorful fabric under the objects.
What is so interesting to me is that the painting frequently looks better than the actual still life set-up. It took me a while to realize this. Once I did I knew I didn't need to limit myself to beautiful objects because the painting is what gives them beauty.
Now I'm inspired to set up some more compositions in my cardboard box.
I'm also ready for a really good flea market to buy more props. If you live in Massachusetts and know of any I'd love to hear from you.

$110 with free shipping and handling in the US. Please email me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

blue teapot

'Tetley Tea Time'
5" by 7" daily pastel painting, unframed

Every day, 2 times a day, at the exact same time each day, my parents have tea time. It's an old Dutch tradition which has remained theirs as long as I can remember.

The tea is always in a teapot under the flame of a tea light.

I haven't appreciated it lately until after I finished this painting. There's something nostalgic about it in our technologically driven culture.

The original paintings hues are slightly different. My scanner doesn't like to give me the cerulean hues I always want. But it's very close.

Please email me for purchasing information.

6 marbles daily painting

6" by 6" daily pastel painting, unframed

Sometimes I check my hard drive for photos which I never got around to painting. I came across various compositions I took last year of marble groupings.

I bought a few batches of marbles in mason jars off EBay.

Working small scale can be hard on the eyes and hands and sometimes my back. I'm toying with the idea of working large scale again just to give myself a break. Besides, I think it would be awesome to paint some larger than life objects.

I was inspired by a Chuck Close documentary last week. If you've never seen his work live and admire the work of photo-realists, I highly recommend finding his work somewhere.

$100 with free shipping and handling in the US. Please email me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

lobster roll

6" x 6" pastel painting, unframed

Another painting for our "Play on Words" blog. To see Gary's drawing that inspired this painting and for purchasing info please visit the blog.

Tonight we'll be going to the first anniversary of the gallery that offered to represent my work - thanks Matt. I always want to go incognito. That's impossible if the gallery owner is there or if you invite friends. One of these days I will find a way.

creamy pink cupcake

6" by 6" daily pastel painting, unframed

I love painting food, especially cupcakes. When the comments imply that salivation was a response I feel that I've accomplished my goal.

I had to think about what colors to use for the icing shadows. I started with a complimentary green underneath the reds and pinks which worked out well.

The weekend is almost here which means I'll have more focused time to paint a detailed work while my husband slaves away at the stove. He's taken that job on the weekends so I can stay in the studio.

SOLD

Peggy's Point, Halifax

6" by 6" daily pastel painting, unframed
Peggy's Lighthouse
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Painted for the Virtual Paintout challenge.
It was easy finding an image on Google maps with this one, probably because Nova Scotia isn't that populated.
I tried to keep this minimalist in my approach.

$100 with free shipping and handling in the US. Please email me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Different Strokes Art Challenge

6" by 6" daily pastel painting, unframed

My interpretation of Different Strokes from Different Folks art challenge.
I had limited time to paint today so I decided to abstract the subject as much as possible. That can be quite a challenge for me since I tend to focus on detail. Fun piece and I'm happy with the colors.
Thanks to everyone who commented or emailed on my new blog. More is coming!

Good news! If you live in or near Massachusetts I will be part of a group show at the Preservation Framer Gallery in North Attleboro, MA. on Saturday, November 7th. Thanks to Matt, some of my paintings will be displayed regularly on the walls and of course, available for purchasing.

$100 with free shipping and handling in the US. Please email me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Oh, by the way, I just added google's "friend connect" or "followers" widget to my menu on the right. I use the old version of blogger and searched for a way to get the widget code without needing to change over to the updated blogger.

crab cake and new blog

5" by 7" daily pastel painting, unframed

My husband Gary and I have a new project. He loves words and I love to paint. Read about the inspiration behind this painting on our new blog, Play on Words Art. There's more to see than I've shown you here.

$120 with free shipping and handling in the US. Please email me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.