I'm excited! I have a solo show at the beautiful Thayer Memorial Library in Lancaster, MA. My paintings and collages will be there till the end of June. Spring has finally arrived in New England and having the show at such a historical, timeless setting is a wonderful feeling. The library is right next to the First Church of Christ Unitarian, which was designed by Charles Bulfinch. Flowering trees and pretty plantings around the buildings make this such a pretty place to visit.
Giclee prints are available for most of the paintings. Please sign my guest book if you st
Mallards At Play won a second place ribbon in a pastel category at the Leominster Art Association spring exhibit. It was a wonderful exhibit this year and I love looking at all the artists' work. It inspires me and never ceases to give me new ideas about painting!
Below are pictures of a chair I painted just recently for ARC Community Services in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. This wonderful organization is trying to raise money and asked local artists to paint these old chairs with the intention of auctioning them off. I had a lot of fun painting this eagle, then sponge painting the rest of the chair with an Americana theme! The auction is going to be at the Fitchburg Art museum on May
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Below is a monotype I did recently. A monotype is a printing technique that transfers a single painting. You can do this at home with no printing press. I used Createx monotype paints. I painted this directly onto a piece of plexiglass. Then I dampened a piece of printing paper and placed the painting face down onto the paper. The image is transfered by applying a lot of pressure onto the back of the plexiglass. I used an old heavy rolling pin I keep just for this purpose. Monotypes are fun and a great way to loosen up before you get involved in some more de
I found this new art book that covers so much about painting! It's called Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice, by Mitchell Albala.
This is one of those books that become a reference you will read cover to cover, and go back to as a reference when you need it.
It is hard to find an artbook where the author explains painting concepts so well, that you just sit back and say, "Okay, I get that now. That makes sense!" Albala works in oils, but it all translates into acrylic painting or pastels, as well. Plein Air landscape painting is complex, because you have to learn to simplify atmosphere, shapes, value, etc.. all before the light changes. And this book validates all that I have learned so far. It will help an artist at every stage of his or her development.
It is so clearly written, and I love that!
Well, I've finally done it. Like most artists, all I really would like to do it PAINT. But there are so many sides to being an artist, and one of them is dealing with the marketing of my work. So in order to make my collages more available to people, I have made high quality archival prints of my two favorite collages.
One collector said she wanted a print of "A Star Is Born" to hang on her daughter's bedroom wall, to remind her that she "IS" a star. A friend of mine wanted a print of Blue Heaven because it reminds her that love is eternal, and she wants to place it in her family room.
I will sign each one, and ship them in a heavy duty shipping tube. The new owners can frame them as they desire. If anyone has questions, feel free to contact me from my contact page. I prefer to work through paypal, because it is easy to do credit cards that way, but if someone has other ways they wish to pay, please let me know and I will try to accommodate you. I will have more information on my contact page, if I find people have questions that I have not addressed. Thank you to all who have inquired about me making my collages into prints.
I take a lot of pictures of New England beaches. This is a photo I took at a beach in Gloucester, Mass. It will make a great painting. I love the shape and look of this sand dune. I will probably simplify the people and the houses a bit, but this is what I love to paint!
I have just added a new page for one of my latest artworks. I have rediscovered pen & ink, and combined it with another medium, watercolor. I am in love with how these two art forms look together!!
Over the years I have done many "portaits" of people's houses in pen & ink. The look and texture of a simple black and white rendering is delightful. But now that I've come to enjoy watercolor painting so much, I couldn't resist putting these two types of painting together, and I'm very intrigued with the results.
The painting of Pickety Place was bound to happen. It is a very rural New England landmark, and the place that inspired the poem "Little Red Riding Hood." It is a restaurant I bring friends to, where the food is made with their own spices from their own gardens. The last time I went to this magical place I took a ton of pictures. When I saw this scene, I knew it was the one to try in pen and ink with watercolor! Enjoy.
It's been a busy summer but I've gotten involved in some new art shows. Right now my "West Boylston Church" watercolor is in a juried show at the Post Road Art Center in Marlborough, MA. It's a wonderful show and can be viewed at www.postroadartcenter.com The actual show runs till Sept. 3rd.
Also coming up in my hometown of Leominster, Mass is the first annual art stroll. Local artists are going to have their artwork displayed in downtown stores from Sept. 26th through Oct. 3rd. My paintings and collages will be in the Century 21 office windows, with a reception on Oct. 3rd. It's a good thing!
Right now I'm working on a mixed media painting...watercolor and pen & ink. I have done many pen & ink renderings of local buildings and love the wonderful textured look of this art form. Now I'm anxious to combine that art form with watercolor and see what happens.
People ask me all the time about my collages, what paints I use, what are the materials involved. And like most collage artists, I collect all sorts of odds and ends to use in this art form.
It can be quite addictive, all this collecting. After you've done a few collages you find yourself looking around your environment with different eyes. I started plucking off buttons from old blouses I was about to give to the Salvation Army. Kitchen utensils will take on a whole different use, as I suddenly started using them to make unusual patterns on freshly painted paper. (You will have to replace them in that case, as you wont want to use them around food again.) Take a walk in the woods, and see what natural things you come across. Feathers, seeds, and dried flowers are great in collaging.
Collect lace, ribbons, material, stamps, maps, playing cards, comic strips. Odd papers such as movie tickets, price tags,wallpaper,and wrapping paper are all fair game. And that junk mail...what a great way to use it, rather than putting it into the landfill. I love recycling!!
Yes, you will find yourself with a good pile of "stuff." I organize the paper stuff into a few bins, the material into another.Try to find a good space in your closet to store it all. And sometimes, just by looking through one of your bins, you will be inspired to start a new collage.
