Yellow Sun Hat

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     When I spied this woman sitting on her towel with that terrific yellow hat on her head, I grabbed my camera. She was a painting just waiting to be painted. I'm very happy with this one.

Grey Morning at Hook Pond

                                                                              

     Stepped out of my comfort zone yesterday and painted out of doors with other artists! This is very, very big for me. As a certifiably certified perfectionist, I only want people to see the artwork when it is done... never in process. So this was big - as I have already stated.
     The group of artists belong to the Artist Alliance of Easthampton NY. They are a great bunch and we met at Hook Pond. While the sun never actually stuck its head out all morning, at least it did not rain. Ironically, when I packed up my paints earlier in the day to set out on my new plein aire adventure, I threw in a tube of grey - not a regular in my palette. As the title of this painting implies...  grabbing the grey turned out to be a perfect idea!

Alone Time?

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     This little painting is my submission to the weekly challenge hosted by Daily Paint Works. Must say, I found the background a bit tough going. I am happy with the finished piece, and especially like her  bag and shoes.

Sea Dog Run

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         This little guy wore me out chasing him around the beach with my camera last summer - hence the title!  It was worth the effort, though, because I got quite a few good shots of him. This is my first dog painting - and it was quite fun. I might paint another - perhaps this old dog has learned a new trick! (Had to go there.)

Sisters and Sunflowers

    This is one of my first commissions. I remember how nervous I was driving to the client's home to take photos. My mind was racing with ideas of how to pose the girls. Sitting? Standing? Looking at the camera?  Each other? Still anticipating the shoot, I spied a flower stand on the side of the road.
  

   

     I pulled over and bought a bunch of sunflowers. Those flowers calmed me. They ended up working beautifully as a way to tie the girls together. They were a graceful touch to the finished painting. And now, any time I see sunflowers, I think about that day and smile.

Colorful Crew

 

   Upon arrival at the home of this family for our photo shoot, I was struck by all the artwork in the house. The dad, it turns out, is an avid collector of living artists' work. I was shocked and humbled to see, among his collection, several of my pieces. It was such a terrific feeling - one I'll never forget.









Nor will I soon forget the energy of his vibrant family, from the caring nature of the eldest sister to the silly antics of the littlest, who kept the others laughing that day. Always good for a shoot! Overall they were a colorful crew, and so it is that the commission was painted with bright and warm colors, reflecting happy times in the sun.

Still Brother and Sister

    
     There is a quietness about this painting that I think reflects the personalities of the featured siblings.  They were such a peaceful duo, and when I was painting this commission, I feel like I infused their stillness into the sky and sea and even the sand around them. My brushwork is subtle and the colors, subdued. It amazes me how many elements can be incorporated, beyond likeness, into a painting to create a true portrait.

The Gang

                                                                                      

     Remember that group of friends who made summer so extra special and fun? The ones you joked with, the one you had the crush on? The ones you hung out with from early morning long into those warm summer nights?

        
    This is a painting of a group of summer friends. I was commissioned by one mother to paint the whole group, "the gang," as she referred to them. I think she had a fondness for all of them, simply because they were such good company for each other. They are all through college by now, or just about. Funny, no matter how many years go by, the memories of the summer gang, are always warm ones.

Orange You Glad We Came?

oil on 9"x12" canvas

      Nothing cuter than a little one fresh out of the ocean, wrapped in a cozy towel. Nothing better then  spending a little time together, seaside.
      This painting was inspired by the Daily Paint Works color challenge this week. Had to think about complementary or split-complementary colors. I had this great photo of a big orange umbrella with a beautiful blue sky that I had been thinking about painting for some time. The challenge gave me a push...as it usually does. You can see other colorful paintings by visiting. www.dailypaintworks.com.
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A Girl's Bike

oil on 6"x6" panel

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     Remember how important your bike was when you were growing up? For me, it was escape and freedom. I can still feel the happiness of pedaling through the streets in my neighborhood and feeling the air moving past me. Up someone's driveway cut and then down off the curb with a thump. It was also very important that if you were a boy you had a boy bike - with the bar. If you were a girl - no bar and maybe pink! This painting is my entry to the Daily Paint Works weekly challenge. It was all about color this week. I used split-complementary colors, namely, red, turquoise and lime-green.

Little Miss Olivia

     Even without seeing her face, anyone who knows her would recognize little Miss Olivia in this painting. This child has contained a stillness and a peacefulness about her since she was born. What others of us might take a lifetime to attain - the gift of being okay with who we are - this little girl has had from the beginning. She's ten or eleven now, and I am happy to say, has retained her strong center and carries it with her in all the ways she's living her life.

    
     Its amazing to me how much of her you can see in this simple pose, even though you can't actually see her face. Painting people and children from this angle has shown me how posture captures a person's essence sometimes even more than facial expression.

Umbrella-ella-ella

18"x36" oil on panel

detail

     This is a typical scene at the end of the summer after seasonal hurricanes start reclaiming the beaches on Eastern Long Island. Without fail, just around Labor Day, sunbathers have to huddle together on the sections of beach not yet washed away. Gratefully, Mother Nature has never failed to replenish and restore our beaches and to re-gift them to us just in time for a new summer season.

The Door Next Door

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I cannot get enough of Sag Harbor's exquisite architectural details. The love and pride of the shopkeepers is so evident. I don't know what fills me more: being in that little village, or painting it! So glad I don't have to choose.

I'm Not Chicken!

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I told my husband that this week's challenge was to paint a chicken. Then I showed him my finished painting. His response: "That's a rooster." In that moment the title was born, "I'm Not Chicken!" You can see other chickens and maybe some roosters at www.dailypaintworks.com.
                                      
                      

Summer Vacation

This family was summering in Southampton, New York a few years back and wandered into the gallery that shows my work, Chrysalis Gallery. They inquired about a commissioning an oil painting. Happily, their vacation was long enough and we were able to schedule a photo shoot. I had to substitute a pose of the middle brother from another photograph taken during the shoot to make the overall composition work. Fortunately, everybody was happy when the finished painting reached them back in Virginia.  

Sunshine Up Ahead

   A recent challenge sponsored by my favorite daily painters' website, www.dailypaintworks.com, was to work from a photograph of a winding German country road. Here is my submission. Love the juxtaposition of shade and sunshine and simple shapes. This painting is oil on 6"x6" panel.
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