Mimi's Bouquet

If there was ever a flower that personified little Mimi, it is clearly the daisy. Simple, cheerful, bright, spirited, sweet, happy. I bought a bouquet of daisies to honor her on the day we had to put her down, I placed them near her bed. We had a vet come to the house for her transition.
I needed to paint these daisies before they wilted. It has only been 12 days, and they are showing no signs of winding down. Mimi went full-tilt till the very end - lived exhuberantly, found/invented games in unremarkable situations, offered up love and laughs generously. She was simply a conduit to joy, that I could access whenever I needed a "hit".  It's spring, the flowers and emerging buds remind me that I'm still surrounded by joy, it's just a matter of remembering to let it in.

Mimi's Bouquet
11x11" Acrylic,  Not for Sale

'Ol Brown Jug

After little Mimi's passing last Saturday, we decided to get away for a couple of days to extract ourselves from all the reminders around the house. I'm thinking lets hit a nice Hudson Valley B&B, cozy fireplace, page-turner novel, hot toddies. My husband was thinking lets hit Vermont, snowboard down a 4,000 ft. mountain, adrenalin rush, peppermint schnapps. He won out, as usual. As distractions go, it worked. Now that we are back, I will gladly exchange snowboarding for painting to keep my mind occupied.  Its safer and I'm better at it. Not feeling particularly colorful, I've been working on my greys lately, here is a piece that has a little bit of grey mixed in with almost every color, painted on a very grey day.

'Ol Brown Jug

11x11" Acrylic on Paper, Price on request

Pink Rose in a Coffee Mug

I guess its time to start doing what I normally do in life, in lieu of recent happenings. I've told myself that it's time start painting again, blogging, exercising, dealing with planet earth responsibilities, etc etc... I honestly feel like i'm carrying around a bowling ball in my heart area.  Doing what I normally do does seem to create a simulation that a certain normal-ness prevails, even if it doesn't.

I started teaching an 8 week class at my studio last Saturday. I always start off with a demo to show my process - how I begin, the brushes I use, the paint/ paint consistency, what I block in first, etc etc.  I always choose a simple subject- usually apples or pears for the first demo. For the second demo (next Saturday) I will paint something more structurally complicated, like a rose or shoes or something. I decided to do a "practice" rose in a cup, just to get the paint flowing again, and get prepared.  I took photos of each step along the way, that I will hand out to the students, so they can have something they can review that shows the order and the progression. This was done on a heavy paper, which absorbs the acrylic paint so fast, I have to work even faster than I normally do. Thats OK - it forces me to really practice what I preach - "fast, loose and bold."

I thank everyone for their heartfelt responses to my last blog post. Truly, your reaching out with love helps me deal, more than I can say.

Thanks everyone the nice comments about my recent cleaning product paintings, kind of a funny subject matter, I know, but what the hey. I was working on another painting last night, at about 2 am when I noticed my dog was breathing strange. I kinda freaked out and made an emergency call/trip to the vet. Long story short, blood tests and xrays reveals that she has cancer, with a few days to live. 12 years ago my husband (boyfriend at the time) and I were on our way to a friend's wedding in Long Island and stopped off at an animal shelter on the way. We saw a little week-old puppy, surrounded by a crowd of admirers. We edged into the crowd and when she passed our way we took ahold and never let go. She has been an inextricable, joyous part of our everyday life since, our best buddy, our constant companion and playmate, our "only child", as we have no kids. I fear the dark inevitable void coming my way, and know I can't paint my way out of it. Hopefully painting will help me around it, tho, it is my loyal buddy too. It has calmed and soothed me thru the darkest of times, always helped me cope.  For now, I had an impulse to share this with to you, my fellow painters and art supporters. Please don't feel obliged to respond, that wasn't my intention... I just appreciate your listening. Her name is Mimi,  a loyal loving friend for what seems like a lifetime. Death is a part of life, and life goes on. Sharing helps. Thanks for letting me do that.

Mimi and The Girls (our 3 polish chickens)

Partners in Grime

OMG Mr. Clean is still around! Where have I been? (clearly not spending much time in the cleaning aisle at the grocery store). He's still looking great after all these years... how does he do it?  I found him hiding out under the bathroom sink at my studio building and quietly abducted him and his pal AJAX. So much for clean living - nothing is safe around me...  

Partners in Grime

Oil on Board, 8x8" Price on request

Blues Brothers

These colorful cleaning agents don't get much use around my studio for what they are supposed to do, but they have caught my eye many times as lovely models, begging to be painted, so I finally did. Now the Comet, 409, and Pine Sol will probably be nagging me to pay attention to them too...

Blues Brothers

Oil on Board 8x8" Price on Request

Rochester workshop

"...On the road again".... I hope I won't be singing that tune anytime soon. I've been on the road since February 7, and finally pulled in my own driveway last night at 9 PM. My days and nights were spent teaching at colleges and art associations in several upstate NY cities, then spending a few days recently with my parents in Syracuse, NY. The first thing I did when I got home, to wind down and relax, was pull out my trusty paints and push color around. Ahhhh.... this is my idea of "home".

I'm posting a picture from the last workshop I taught in Rochester NY. They were a great group of gals to work with, and some of them are showing off their 15 minute paintings in the photo...they didn't believe it could be done. Trying out acrylic paint and using big brushes was a new experience for many of them, especially the watercolorists - but they caught on quickly! I provided all the paint, so there was no excuse to skimp. Thick paint, fat brushes, little time, big fun!

Pitcher and Tangerine

9x9" Acrylic on Paper, Price on Request

Tangerine Reflections

I just returned from a trip to Rome. Don't turn green with envy, I'm talking Rome New York, and Albany and Utica, where I was cordially invited to present my work, lecture and demo. The Romans are awesome folks (as are the Albanians and Uticans) and have been invited back to teach a more extensive painting workshop. Saturday I leave for Rochester NY where I will be speaking at R.I.T., Nazareth College, and to several local Art Groups, then teaching a workshop in "How to Paint Fast, Loose and Bold with Acrylics". All this hoopla and meeting other artists is great but ... as every artist knows, we just want to stay put and paint!

Tangerine Reflections/class demo

Acrylic on Paper 8x9" Price on Request

The Bigger Apple

There is something about these Apple billboards that seems so iconic of our times. I've been an Apple user forever, including when it was such an underdog to Microsoft - and now it's surpassed Exxon Mobil in net worth, who would have imagined. These billboards are everywhere, elegant in their color and simplicity, somehow balancing out the chaotic backdrop.

I painted two versions of this scene on Canal Street, one in oil, the other in acrylics. I was not completely happy with the oils version, too much detail, too much brown, too much like the photo. With the acrylics version I did my homework before picking up the brush and designed my value structure rather than just mimicking the photo. I think it reads better and I felt much free-er with the paint, knowing that my values were worked out.

The Bigger Apple

12x12 Oil on Board (sold)

8x8 Acrylic on Paper

Price on Request

River View

Reuniting with this painting felt like meeting up with an old friend. I painted it in 2008 and it has been sitting in a gallery in CT for several years, or so I thought. The problem with turning your work over to a gallery is that if it doesn't sell right away, it's very easily "forgotten"... the years drag on, the painting hasn't sold and before you know it, the gallery owner has stopped displaying it and forgotten you (and it) exist.

The reality is that the artist would prefer their work to be displayed in a gallery rather than collecting dust in their studio, so they don't nag the owner about getting the piece back. By the time the artist decides to recall their work, things have changed. I had a difficult time getting the owner to acknowledge my phone calls/emails. That's always an unsettling feeling. When I finally did make contact, it turns out he could not find the piece. Hmmm, how does one lose a 44x44" painting? (Easy - sell it!) Long story short, the piece was stashed in a basement somewhere, but was eventually found, and as of yesterday, returned to it's owner. If this story sounds all too familiar to a previous post (NFS), it is because this is an age old problem for all artists. Bottom line, once you hand over your work to a gallery, beware! Know that it can be the last time you see it, and if it sells, there is no guarantee you will see the money. It has happened to me and many other artists more than once, and its a bitter pill to swallow.

OK - now, I need a gallery to move that 44x44" painting which is taking up precious space and collecting new dust in my studio!

River View

44x44" Oil on canvas, Price on request

Field of Dreams

Tuscany - a feast for the senses and the soul. I will be teaching a workshop there in September 2012. The itinerary is packed with painting choices - in the ancient town of Cortona, to nearby lakes, the gorgeous hillside vistas, and more. Sprinkled around the painting sessions will be wine tasting, chocolate sampling, restaurant hopping and local shopping. Whats not to love? If you want to experience a bit of heaven on earth, come join me!

Tuscan Field of Dreams

Acrylic on Canvas, 6x6" Price on Request

Poppysilk Red

Good old Revlon #714. I've only been wearing this shade of lipstick for a bazillion years. I gave up on nail polish a long time ago, it seemed pointless since my hands and fingernails are always covered with lovely, festive blobs of paint.

Yesterday I painted this setup in oil, and then decided it would be a fun exercise to see how it translated to acrylic, using much larger (and much cheaper) brushes than I use for oil. I thought the two paintings would be totally different, but was surprised to see they are fairly similar. The acrylic painting went very fast because I had the advantage of already "knowing" it. If it's not immediately obvious, the acrylic version has the slightly bluer background.

In any setup, there is often one thing that catches my eye and moves me to paint ... in this case it was that blue-green color spot reflecting up into the metallic paint tube.

Poppysilk Red

6x6" oil and acrylic (each) on canvas, Price on request

Apple Demo

I'm back home from a week on the road, (many thanks to everyone who sent me their laryngitis remedies!) and now back to classes. Today I started teaching a 10 week class, which always begins with a "Fast and Bold Demo", (usually apples or some easy shape) along with my standard lecture that nothing is boring (even apples) - its all about what we bring to the painting. All sorts of colors are lurking in unexpected places, and its up to us to find them and lure them out. Squint to see the values, open wide to see color. So easy, right? mmm, not exactly!

Two Apples

Acrylic 8x8" Price on request

Speechless

I'm in upstate New York this week so I won't be able to post paintings. I gave a two hour lecture/demo last night to the lovely folks of the Cazenovia Watercolor Society and on Saturday I am speaking to an audience of 115 artists at in Syracuse. I was looking forward to it until I woke up this morning with complete laryngitis. Life, always throws curveballs when one least needs it. I'm off to the homeopathic store to pick up some wacky sounding remedies that I read about on the web. If anyone has any legit cures, do speak up (for those who can't).

Texting with Toto

A classic slice of everyday life in the city, which is what I love about painting New York. Everyone is just being who they are, oblivious to the hoards of people and chaos going on around them.

Texting with Toto

Acrylic on canvas, 6x6" Price on Request

The Big Apple

Anyone who has spent time on the streets of NYC knows that its all about energy, movement, a cacophoany of swirling colors, a symphony of sounds. It's truly a feast for all the senses. Capturing that spirit is what makes painting the city so challenging. In my recent explorations of working texture into my paintings, I decided to tackle the city and see what would happen. Pastes, paints, gels, ink, paper, magazines, cardboard, stamping, stencils... I threw in everything but the kitchen sink. Thats kinda what NY is - its all right there, right in your face.

The Big Apple

10x8" Mixed Media on board, Price on Request

Tuscan Hillside

I'm messing around with texture by adding some new elements to my painting besides the gels, pastes and paints - I cut up an Italian newspaper and adhered pieces of that to my board as another visual element. It adds a little spice and interest in otherwise flat areas. There is no end to the amount of cool effects you can incorporate when you 'let go of the side of the pool', so to speak. The layers just keep adding up and contributing to the overall effect.

Tuscan Hillside

8.5 x 7" Acrylic on Board, Price on Request

Tuscan Church

I've been experimenting with texture lately, using various mediums on my board, and using different tools to apply paint. The challenge in this piece was to communicate an intricate, weathered old building on such a tiny canvas. It seemed impossible at first but I realized I needed to approach it in a less detailed, more abstract way. Using pattern and texture, rather than rendering, to convey the landscape foliage was an interesting way to approach that.

Tuscan Church

6x6" Acrylic on Canvas, Price on request

Sunlogged

Sometimes one wonders why they chose the subject matter they did. Not in this case. With frigid cold weather that cuts right to the bone, I'm wishing I could be transported to this scene, like now.

I experimented with a prepared surface (Light Molding Paste), which was very absorbent and textured, and did a washy underpainting first. I spread it on with a palette knife so that it was bumpy. The paint went on very different than the slick surface I normally paint on. In hindsight, I probably chose the wrong subject matter for a textured surface (small figures). Next time I work with texture I'll pick a simpler subject that is less detailed, so I can take better advantage of it.

Sunlogged

Acrylic on board prepped with LMP

5"x4" Price on request

Incredible Edible

Yesterday my students brought in amazing stuff to eat and drink for our Holiday celebration class. Crab quiche, cookies galore, exotic cheeses and dips, champagne, wine, etc. While I was shopping for some treats to bring in too, I saw this lone delectable pastry sitting all by itself on a deli shelf. In typical form, my natural inclination is to paint it rather than eat it. I did a demo on paper, having forgotten to bring a better support to work on. Its almost impossible to do a really bad painting when your subject is so spectacular. Hmmm, maybe more pastry paintings are in my near future...

Incredible Edible

8x8" Acrylic on Paper