Off Wickendon-sold

Oil on canvas, 6" x 6"
I really like this particular group of buildings; they look interesting no matter the time of day.

The Parkside

Oil on canvas, 14" x 18"
The finished piece. While the color in this still isn't completely accurate, it's as close as I could get.

The hostess-sold

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"
We had a Groupon coupon to eat at this restaurant on Federal Hill in Providence. I do love getting those coupons, as they get you to go to places you might not otherwise. I loved the pink lamp! Contact me for price.

Girls at the beach-sold

Oil on panel, 6" x 8"
This is similar to one I did several months ago- both sold to the same person as gifts for her daughters.

Oranges and berries- sold

Oil on canvas, 12" x 16"
Another one of my favorites.

Carnations-sold

Oil on canvas, 12" x 16"
I've been laid low by a nasty cold this week, and still have Christmas commissions to finish, so I decided to post some of my favorite paintings from the past. Everyone commented on the lace on this one, but it was painting the white carnations that was REALLY difficult. Painting lace is actually quite easy. You just need a very fine brush and a steady hand.

Work in progress- sold

Oil on canvas, 14" x 18"
Now that the Foundry sale is over, I hope to have a little more time to paint. This is a painting I started last week that just needs some tweaking. It's the interior of the Parkside restaurant on South Main St. in Providence.

How about them Sox-sold

Oil on canvas, 12" x 16"
I actually started this painting over a year ago, then put it on hold because I couldn't seem to bring it to a finish. I pulled it out this morning and worked on it for a few hours, lightening some areas and defining some things a bit more. I'm pretty happy with it now.
The Foundry Show continues this weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Come on down and pick up a nice little painting for that hard to please person!

The dinner specials-sold

Oil on panel, 6" x 8"
I'm really pleased with the way this one turned out- the fact that half of it is only minimally painted (put the paintbrush DOWN and leave it alone), the red/green color scheme, and the gestures of all the characters. I'll take bids on this, starting at $125.00, to be decided Friday morning. Email me.

Waterfire-sold

Oil on panel, 6" x 8"
Waterfire is Providence's signature event. Braziers of wood in the middle of the river are lit on fire while music plays and gondolas cruise. It's fun, and it's fun to paint.

Beach buddies-sold

Oil on panel, 6" x 8"

Business lunch- sold

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"
The Foundry Show opens this Thursday night! Stop by if you're in the area. Live music and refreshments add some fun to your holiday shopping.

In the shallows-sold

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
I've been wanting to paint these skiffs for a while, thought they would make a nice pair.

Skiff-sold

Oil on board, 6" x 6"

The Christmas season has started

Last night I attended the opening for the "Artists for Save the Bay" show at Save the Bay headquarters in Providence. It was a really great time with a lot of beautiful paintings and photos. This painting of mine is is the show- "Skipping Stones", oil, 16" x 16". If you purchase a painting, you can take it home immediately, so get over there and check out the show before all the best stuff is gone!

A portrait in four colors

Oil on canvas paper
Last night I went to Kate's Studio (Monday night is portrait night). It can be so relaxing to paint something from life, as opposed to the commissions I've been working on lately which have all been from photos!

 I may be teaching a workshop in the spring about using a very limited color palette, specifically the one used by Anders Zorn, a famous Swedish painter. Four colors- ivory black, white, yellow ochre, and cad. red light. I've been experimenting with that palette and used it for this painting. Not only will those colors give you a wonderful variety of skin and hair colors, but all the colors relate to each other in a way that they don't with a larger palette. And, as a bonus, it seems to give you more space on your palette, because when you're mixing colors, you can often use something you've already mixed and just add to it.

Roses

Oil on canvas, 6" x 8"
$100.00

Cleaning up again-sold

Oil on linen, 8" x 10"
I did a small version of this a while back, wanted to try something a little larger.

If you're in the Providence area, just a reminder-  Save the Bay's 5th annual "Artists for Save the Bay" opens next week. Tickets for the opening are $25.00, well worth it and for a very good cause, so get your ticket and come see paintings by some of Little Rhody's finest artists.

If you REALLY can't afford it, the show is open to the public, free, during business hours until December 28.

Afternoon at Rick's-sold

Oil on linen, 8" x 10"
Saturday afternoon I was in Boston delivering work for the Copley Society Holiday Small Works show and I kind of sneaked into the opening of Don Demers show at the Vose Gallery just up the street. Really nice work- Don is a master of the land/seascape. If you're going to be in Boston make sure you take some time for a Newbury St. art stroll!

Wickford 2

Oil on canvas, 6" x 6"
$100.00

One of the students Mike and I had at the landscape painting workshop in Portsmouth wrote a wonderful account of it. You can read it at D. Gehman's Art Emporium .

Autumn at the golf course

Oil on canvas, 6" x 6"
I've been busy with a number of commissions lately and have had very little time to paint things to post here. I did this painting the other day, a golf course near my house; there's something about this particular building that always intrigues me, no matter what time of day or season.
$125.00

Bristol Harbor- sold

Oil on panel, 8" x 10"
Did this on my home home from Newport on Sunday afternoon.

Wickford

Oil on panel, 8" x 10"
This is from a couple of weeks ago. I went out painting with Jon McPhillips, Mark Fernandez and Cindy Baron in Wickford. I had a hard time painting the water, it changes constantly, every breeze making different ripples and reflections, and the brightest reflections also moving across the water as the sun moves across the sky.

Upcoming shows:
Holiday Small Works

The Copley Society, 158 Newbury St., Boston MA

Nov. 18-28

Artists for Save the Bay

Save the Bay headquarters, Providence RI

Opens Thursday, Nov. 18

The Gift of Art

St. Martin's Episcopal Church,

50 Orchard Ave., Providence RI

Nov. 19-20

The Foundry Artists Show

172 Exchange St., Pawtucket RI

Dec. 2-5, 10-12

The Squantum Club-sold

Oil on panel, 8" x 10"
My friend Ann and I went to the East Bay Bike Path yesterday to paint. I've done a number of paintings of this building, and right now the foliage colors are really beautiful.

We were there for about an hour when some guy I've never seen before rode by on a bike, stopped and said hi, then told me that if I ever needed a male model, he was the guy.

HUH? Tell me, my male painter friends, when was the last time this happened to you? And ladies, what would you have said?

Teapot and begonia-sold

Oil on canvas, 6" x 6"

Workshop

Mike Rooney and I finished our landscape painting workshop today at the Portsmouth Art Guild. It was an excellent time. A great group of students who worked really hard!

Squash-sold

Oil on canvas, 6" x 6"
I found this squash at a roadside stand and realized it was star material, just destined to play the leading role in its own painting. Then I found the berries to play supporting roles when I was walking on the East Bay Bike Path.

Portraits

Oil on linen, 8" x 10"
Erin and Sean are getting married today. I was commissioned to do this portrait by friends of theirs. Best wishes to a lovely couple!

I went to Kate Huntington's portrait group in Providence on Monday night. I used to do portraits all the time but it's been a while. It felt good to get back to it, although when I look at this, I think of John Singer Sargent's quote, "A portrait is a picture where there's something wrong with the mouth."

Restaurant scenes-sold

A couple more from this series

The wine bar, oil, 6" x 8"

                                                          Guests dining, oil, 6" x 8"

Snow-sold

Oil on canvas panel, 6" x 8"
Another image for the restaurant group. (They provided the photos.) This one was a great exercise in value control!

The chef-sold

Oil on canvas panel, 6" x 8"
Another from the Newport restaurant group series.

Restaurants and bars-sold

Oil on canvas panel, 6" x 8"
I've been busy this week working on a commission for the Newport Restaurant Group, a series of paintings for a brochure. They first saw my work on this blog, and, well, one thing leads to another (see, mom, hanging out in barrooms can have good results).

This is the first painting, the Waterman Grille at night.

Sunrise, Sabin Point

Oil on canvas, 12" x 12"

I've got several commissions that all arrived at the same time and need to be done next week so I haven't had much time for anything else lately. This is a painting I did right after I got home from Cape Cod. It was interesting to do but I don't recommend painting looking into the sun...

I did teach my painting group Saturday morning in downtown Providence. It was a little crazy- there was a 5k being run for breast cancer research, and probably about 1000 people ended up running or walking past us in their pink T-shirts, some with dogs with pink shirts or bandannas or fur. They were also getting ready for a Waterfire Saturday night, so the boats were in the river, stacking up the wood in the braziers. And as for the weather- it just doesn't get any better.

Morning at India Point Park

Oil on panel, 8" x 10"
I met some of my students this past Saturday at India Point Park in Providence. It was a really beautiful day, everyone was out walking themselves or their dogs or riding their bikes. We'll be out again this coming Saturday, if you want to join us. The location is South Water St. in Providence, near Hemenway's restaurant, 8:30 AM. Join us if you'd like!

Windy day at Rock Harbor

Oil on canvas, 12" x 16"
The weather was good during our stay at the cape, but we did get some very windy days, partly the remnants of a hurricane. Most of the time I was working on this painting, I was holding onto it with one hand and painting with the other.  I walked away from it for a minute to get my camera and the wind blew the easel over. That's when I called it quits for that day. Two days later I went back to try to finish it but it was still really windy. I struggled for a while, then packed it up and finished it at home.
Email me for price.

High and dry

Oil on panel, 8" x 10"
Another painting from the cape. This was on Great Island in Wellfleet.

Fort Hill morning

Oil on canvas, 12" x 16"
This is the view looking south from the top of Fort Hill. We painted there several times during our stay at the cape.
Email me for price.

Swim and boat at your own risk-sold

Oil on canvas, 9" x 12"
The cottage that we rented for the week was on a pond, and this green cottage was the one next door. It was a cute, quiet place, as only two other cottages were occupied, and they were the ones furthest away from us. (Ours was in the middle.) There was a little sandy beach and a dock with rowboats, which I didn't include in this painting. (I couldn't resist the clothesline though.) Does it remind you of places your parents took you when you were kids?
$400.00 plus shipping.

Rock Harbor afternoon-sold

Oil on panel, 8" x 10"
This was the third painting I did on this particular day. By the time Janice and I headed back to our cottage, we were dead on our feet.

Rock Harbor morning

Oil on panel, 8"x10"
During the summer, you can't paint from this spot because you need a permit to get into the parking lot. That's why painting on the Cape is better in September- the weather is still really good but most of the tourists have gone home. No parking lot attendants anywhere.
Email me for price.

Fort Hill I

Oil on panel, 8" x 10"
Fort Hill is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, a really beautiful place with a spectacular view. I did a few paintings here that I'll be posting this week. I really liked the curve of this road as it goes up the hill to the parking lot.

Painting on Cape Cod

Janice Reading
Oil on panel, 8" x 10"
I've been on a painting trip to Cape Cod for the last week,  renting a cottage with some friends who are also painters. We painted landscapes during the day, and at night, we decided, we would model for each other. That lasted the first three nights, then we kind of ran out of steam. This is my favorite, my friend Janice with a glass of wine and a good book.