East Side NYC View

East Side View of Manhattan, 60x60"  Acrylic  SOLD

 This is a commission project I was hired for recently, from a city couple who saw one of my paintings on a magazine cover, and wanted their Manhattan East side view painted for display in their Florida apartment. They gave me the exact size to paint  it 60x60", a square, altho the entire view was completely horozontal (see below)The first thing I had  to do was figure out how to squish and stretch and cut and do whatever, to turn the format into a square. Closeups are attached too. It is signed, sealed and headed for sunny florida!

Work in progress

 I just fished this painting out of a pile of old flops that I have been storing forever, knowing that there are problems I have to deal with someday - or just trash it. I had painted a largish figure on the left  walking towards me, and a smaller figure crossing the street. I didn't like either of them for a number of reasons. So... time to paint over them and wrestle with 'now what do i do'. 

The first obvious idea was to cut the panel down to 18x24 now that both focal points are gone.  But panels are so hard to cut and... jeez, what a cop out!  So I stared at it and thought - ah - a biker! I put one in and now the piece is feeling like it has some potential. The reference looks like it was from 19th street and 6th ave - where the old Bed Bath and Beyond was - or still is? Other than the biker, the city reference is long gone, so I will just keep staring at it, keep wondering 'what do i do now" , try out some ideas, and hope for the best!

Look for the peppers...in art stores near you!

"Pepper Party"  8x10, Acrylic  $295  Click for Info

My recently posted pepper painting was commissioned by Strathmore Paper Company, for the front cover of their new product, black canvas paper pads, which you can find in retail art stores. I could not reveal that information until they officially introduced the product on their website.  Nor could I offer the painting for sale because they needed the actual artwork to photograph. It arrived back today, and is available for any would-be collectors.

BTW If you've never worked on a black surface, try it, you'll like it. The colors really pop!
Click here to read more about Strathmore 300 Series Black Canvas Paper.

Chelsea Building, New York City

"Chelsea Fire Escapes"  Acrylic 14x14"  Click for Info

Lately I am working with old paintings that were started but never finished. In this case I barely got the painting going when apparently life got in the way and it got shuffled to some uncommon place, not to be seen for years. Who knows what reference I was using, a sketch? a photo? whatever, it's gone. It can be freeing to work out of my head when no reference is available, and give myself permission to make fresh decisions about how to make the piece work. I decided to work in a triad color scheme - tried and true red, yellow and blue.

Times Square Intersection

"Comings and Goings"  10x10"  Acrylic  SOLD

I've painted this image many times, it's from a photo I took at a Times Square intersection. I like to experiment and use the same reference to take paintings to a new place, try out new ideas. Here's a new place...

Crosswalk at Franklin Street, NYC

"Crosswalk" Acrylic  10x10"  Click for Info

"Crosswalk" Acrylic  10x10"  Click for Info

Way back in August of '2000, I sat at Franklin Street in Tribeca, sketching the view, thinking I might do a painting of it. I never did, but recently ran across the photo and sketches (below). I decided to give it a try, and to my surprise the painting took on a colorful life of its own.

 

23rd Street Watertowers, NYC

"23rd Street Watertowers" Mixed Media 15x15" SOLD

33rd Street Watertowers, NYC

"33rd Street Watertowers"  Acrylic  15x15"  SOLD

Union Square, NYC Sketch

"Union Square"  Mixed Media  16x20"  $350  Click to Buy

I have so many sketches - mostly figures, lots of cityscapes, layover at the airport sketches, etc.  It can be interesting use them as starting point for a painting.
This sketch/painting was from Union Square, NYC, just across from the subway station on Broadway, looking West. I sat on the sidewalk curb and sketched using vine charcoal on an 18x24 pad. The buildings are mostly red brick but the atmosphere was much more colorful, louder, and everything was so in my face -- busses, people, signage etc. I didn't want to work from a photo - that wouldn't have captured the excitement. The zany energy was the real subject here!

Playing with Color Notes

"Jazzy Nude" Acrylic on paper

In early December I went to Florida to attend a 5 day conference sponsored by Golden Paints. The event included presentations by my colleagues on topics such as internet marketing, how to plan travel workshops, intuitive painting techniques, mixed media and collage, and much more. I learned so much my head is exploding.

One of my favorite workshops had us start out in an abstract, spontaneous manner, using a variety of mark making dry and wet materials, and gradually rein in the painting. Here is one of my paintings using that technique. The reference I used was a traditional figure painting I did back in the '90s, painted very realistically. I started out with a quick sketch and explored from there. It's an interesting approach that lends itself to abstraction, intuition and imagination ... a very enjoyable process!

Pepper Fiesta

"Pepper Fiesta" Acrylic, 10x10"

I found the feather duster and have officially dusted off my poor, neglected blog in the hopes that I can start posting again. Life has been busy with traveling workshops, tradeshows and more. My latest adventure was Art Basel, where I showed at the Projects Gallery in Miami, while also attending a 5 day Golden Paints Conference where I learned exciting new painting processes and techniques. Upon return, I had several "past due" deadlines waiting for me, including an illustration for the front cover of a new art product that will be sold in stores soon. My client requested that this new product info stay confidential until it is formally announced. Till then, keep an eye out for this painting, in an art store near you!

Green Bowl

"Green Bowl"  8x8"  Acrylic SOLD

Apples and Cherries

"Opposites Attract"  8x8"  Acrylic  SOLD

I finally got my still life stand and lights functioning in the new studio. It felt great to be back at the easel, working from life, with all my creature comforts nearby. The picture below shows my acrylic corner - and on the other side of the room are my oils and mixed-media work areas. If I get stuck on one project i just move a few feet to the next. Love it!

Nyack Stroll

Nyack Stroll  12x12"  Acrylic on Canvas SOLD

Greece was great! Now I'm back, home sweet home - but not for long. Heading to Carmel, CA to teach a 5 day workshop Oct. 19 - 23. Here's the info - come join us. Learn to  "Loosen Up and Get Painterly!"

Cheers to Dionysus

"Merlot"  8x10" acrylic  Buy Info

As of now, I'm Greek-Isle bound. (Well not exactly, I'm still at JFK). I read an interesting fact today: mythically speaking the island of Skopelos, where I'll be teaching,  is strongly linked to Dionysus, the Greek god of Wine. I consider this a very good omen.  I don't care if the wine is good or bad I'm just glad to be going!

YAH-sas  (Hello/goodbye in Greek)

Amy's Barn

"Amy's Barn"  10x10"  Acrylic  Buy Info

I'm having some fun playing with abstracting my subject and taking a lot of liberty with color. It's a very freeing experience!  (Original Photo by Amy Shawley)

"On the cover of the..."

"Zig Zag Thru Midtown 2"  14x14"   Buy Info

Well its not the cover of the Rolling Stone, but it's a cover! One of my paintings is featured on the front of City Magazine this season. I like the way the art director coordinated the masthead and text with the colors in the painting.
A nice result of this art usage is that the day after it hit newsstands I was commissioned to do a 60"x60" painting of a panoramic view from a high-rise NYC apartment. This view encompasses all of Long Island City to the east, the UN building in front, Lower east side/FDR, Williamsburg Bridge in the far background all the way to the Empire State building on the West.  Its a total horozontal format that I will be turning into a perfect square. Unfortunately there is an obnoxious Trump building on the far right (naturally). But I'm not concerned, it will be edited out of existence. Artistic license... or maybe artistic revenge...

A colorful climb

"Sixty Six Steps"  10x12"  Acrylic  Buy Info

Jersey Girls

"Sunkissed"  14 x 8"  Acrylic

The Girls

Phyllis and Esther  Acrylic 10x10"

Meet my girls - Polish Chickens. They are amazingly personable and quite funny. I was watching them outside my window the other day and decided to grab my paints and paint them - finally! There is a squash plant that is overtaking their coop.  See the series of pictures I took in sequence - they seem to be reacting to my husband AND to each other.  Is that cute or what?