Meadow with Goldenrod- sold

Oil on canvas, approx. 7" x 14"
This is a painting I did last year. I did most of it on location; then pulled it out recently and realized it was much too dark. Getting the values right can be a challenge when you're painting something complex and don't have much time. Luckily I had taken a photo so I reworked it more to my satisfaction.

Yellow Hollyhocks- sold

Back to the hollyhocks that I liked painting so much last summer, only this time they're yellow.
Oil on panel, 6" x 6"

Sketching at the Coffee Depot

I was so happy when this girl with the red cap sat down at the table right in front of me.

 Pencil, colored pencil and white paint on gray paper, approx. 9" x 12"

Recent portraits

Oil, 12"x16"

Oil, 12" x 16"

Oil, 9" x 12"

I've been enjoying painting portraits again. Here are a few done recently. I'm scheduled to teach a few classes in the spring, at the Portsmouth Arts Guild and the South County Art Association in Rhode Island and a workshop in Westport, Massachusetts. Email me if you want more info.

Drawing the music

It's great to be able to listen to music and sketch at the same time.
The other night I attended a practice session of a group of musicians who meet every other Wednesday night at the Barrington Community Center in Barrington RI to play from the Django Rinehart songbook. They are a fantastic group, and I couldn't believe that my friend and I were the only ones there listening to them.

There were about eight people, including this accordion player, another guitar player and a pianist hidden in the corner.

The frying pan and spoon playing was at a different event in early September, the Fiddle and Folk Fest, at Haines Park, also in Barrington. It's been going on for several years now and it's free. If you like this kind of music and live nearby, put it on your calendar for next year.

Take a deep breath

"Fall Foliage", oil, 5" x 7"

I've been thinking of resuming blogging for a few weeks now but have been putting it off because I didn't know what to say. The last time I posted on my blog was May 29, when my husband was in the hospital. He passed away in early July.

We were together for almost 40 years, so adjusting to life without him has been sad, uncomfortable,  lonely. I'm so grateful to the friends and family who have helped me get through this difficult time.

Recently I started painting again, going out with my friend Ann for a few plein air excursions and meeting up with the portrait group I've been going to for quite a few years. Keeping busy, putting one foot in front of the other, you get used to your "new normal". Time does heal, slowly, and getting out on a warm autumn day in the woods is restorative.

The Harpist- sold

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"
I've been spending a lot of time in the hospital lately as my husband recovers from surgery. It has occasional bright moments, such as this harpist sitting in a shaft of sunlight by the escalator.

Black and white

Another portrait done with Panpastel and Sofft knife, charcoal pencil and white pencil on gray paper.

A few portraits

 I'm going to be painting a portrait demo at the Westport Art Group this Tuesday night. Open to the public- suggested donation $10.00.

 So nice to get back to my portrait painting group at the Portsmouth Arts Guild! The lovely Lauren modeled for this 20 minute demo I did for the class, using the Zorn palette.

I've been going to figure drawing more often lately and trying to do at least one portrait drawing while I'm there. This was done with a Sofft knife and Panpastel on gray paper, highlighted with white.

Oil on canvas paper.
Monday night's model. There's still room in my Portsmouth Arts Guild portrait painting class on Wednesday mornings starting March 30.

Panpastel on gray Canford paper with white highlights.
My portrait drawing class at the Portsmouth Arts Guild starts Wednesday morning, 3/16. Two weeks of drawing before the painting class starts, all levels.

The Sofft knife

I found out about the Sofft knife last year when I was watching a David Jon Kassan video. It's a plastic palette knife with a small triangular blade, over which you slip a foam covering. You swipe it across a Pan Pastel and draw with it. I've fallen in love with it- the color is rich, the marks are soft and wide if you use the flat part of the blade, but then you can draw with the edge of the blade. You can also use black charcoal and white pencil to accent/highlight. They don't seem to be sold in any of the local art stores; I ordered mine from Amazon.

Painting Faces...

Carlos was our model last night.
 On March 7 at 7PM I'll be doing a portrait painting demonstration at the East Providence library. It's free, stop by if you're interested.

Classes I'll be teaching this spring- I'm going to be pretty busy for a month or two:
The Portsmouth Arts Guild-
Portrait drawing and painting,  on Wednesday mornings starting March 16.

The Westport Art Group- A first for me, a portrait WORKSHOP!
 Two days, Friday and Saturday, tentative dates are May 13 and 14.
Portrait demo open to the public on Tuesday, April 12 at 6:30.

And, South County Art Association, Portrait Drawing and painting, Thursday mornings at 10AM, starting March 31, 10AM.

Hangin' with mom- sold

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"
Horses and chickens roam freely on Vieques Island. These two were on the side of the road when we stopped to look at the 300 year old Ceiba Tree. I painted this from a photo after I got home.

You can read more about our trip to Puerto Rico at my blog RideWalkHikeBike. http://ridewalkhikebike.blogspot.com

A few more sketches from Vieques

I really don't want to let go of the time spent there! The weather was so great, and I had a sketching partner, Ed Huff- you can see his work here- we spent some lovely mornings in Isabel Segunda with our sketchbooks and watercolors.

 One of the potted plants on the deck...

 Cantina La Reina, downtown Isabel Segunda.

There was a little park in the center of town where we could find shade and sketch the surroundings, like this church tower.

 This was a coffee and breakfast kiosk in the park. The smells of the cooking were wonderful.

Playa Grande was a beach like no other I've ever been on- miles of sandy beach that we had all to ourselves.

Watercoloring on Vieques Island

I did a number of little watercolors while I was on Vieques last week. Most are done on a 6"x 6" block of Fluid watercolor paper. The horizontals are half sheets, about 6" x 3".

These were done at Playa Media Luna (Half Moon Beach), a lovely protected cove (although there should be more space between the two paintings than there is.) My advice, if you're going to paint on a tropical island- bring turquoise!

Vieques, Puerto Rico

Watercolor, 8" x 5"

Puerto Rico was warm and sunny last week, unlike Rhode Island... boy, did we pick the right week to be away. This is the view from the deck of the house that we rented with friends on the island of Vieques, just off the southeast coast of the main island of Puerto Rico. Painting palm trees is a challenge, and the absolute BEST time to attempt it is in the middle of the winter.

Green Skiff, coast of Maine

Oil, 6" x 6"
Another skiff, beached on the coast of Maine. I loved the turquoise color and the distressed surface.

Oil on canvas paper, 12" x 16"

A (disappointed) Patriots fan was our model last night...

Classes I'll be teaching this spring- I'm going to be pretty busy for a month or two:
The Portsmouth Arts Guild- Portrait drawing and painting,  on Wednesday mornings starting March 16.
The Westport Art Group- A first for me, a portrait WORKSHOP! The information is not on their website yet. Two days, Friday and Saturday, tentative dates are May 13 and 14.
Portrait demo open to the public on Tuesday, April 12 at 6:30.
And, South County Art Association, Portrait Drawing and painting, Thursday mornings at 10AM, starting March 31, 10AM.

Bus stop

"Bus Stop", oil on canvas paper, approx. 8.5" x 11"

I wanted to try using some different color combinations than the usual ones so I went to the Pantone website and found a number of combinations using their  "2016 Colors of the Year", Rose Quartz and Serenity (for the rest of us, that's pink and blue).

This particular group of colors seemed perfect for the painting I wanted to do. I tried to stick to these colors or something very close, and of course needed to add a very pale yellow for the lightest areas. Because the painting was going to have a lot of cool colors, I used a pink ground underneath that peeks through here and there.

Save the Bay closing reception

Oil, 8" x 10"- SOLD
The annual Artists for the Bay Show and Sale ends soon. There is a closing reception on the last day, January 30, from 1-3 PM where light refreshments, Bloody Marys and Mimosas will be served. In addition, that day you can get 10% off any art or jewelry purchase. It's such a good cause, consider stopping in and making a purchase- you'll be supporting both local artists and a wonderful organization.

Portrait drawing and painting classes

It's so nice when the portrait model wears something fun to paint! I thanked her for wearing this red scarf.

I have some portrait events coming up this spring. First, a demonstration (!) at the Weaver Library here in East Providence, RI on Monday, March 7 at 7PM. I've never done a demo for the general public before and I'm just a wee bit nervous about it. Second, I'm  going to be at the Westport Art Group for a demo on Tuesday, April 12 at 6:30 PM.

Classes I'll be teaching this spring- I'm going to be pretty busy for a month or two:

The Portsmouth Arts Guild- Portrait drawing and painting,  on Wednesday mornings starting March 16.
The Westport Art Group- A first for me, a portrait WORKSHOP! The information is not on their website yet. Two days, Friday and Saturday, tentative dates are May 13 and 14.
And, South County Art Association, Portrait Drawing and painting, Thursday mornings at 10AM, starting March 31, 10AM.

Paddling in pink-sold

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"
Another in my sometime series of skiffs.You don't normally see the inside painted pink; it certainly caught my eye.
If you're thinking about buying for Valentine's Day, please purchase by the end of January, as I won't be able to ship the beginning of February.

Green chair and geraniums in the garden- sold

Another scene from my trip to Maine, this old green-ish chair with red geraniums was irresistible. Just sittin' in the sun, watching the bees and butterflies...
Email me for purchase info.

Geraniums by the water- sold

Oil om panel, 5" x 7"
I was going through photos of a trip to Maine last year and found a number of images that I had forgotten and really wanted to paint. (I really have a soft spot for geraniums, especially pink ones.)

Incoming

Oil, 6" x 6"