Saint-Édouard, QC

Saint-Édouard, QC   8 x 10 pastel

Day 1 — A snowy field on the way home from Montreal. This is a very rough, homemade board that adds nice texture for landscapes.

With a Twist

With a Twist  7 x 5 pastel

This seemed like a fitting way to end the old and bring in the new year.

Tomorrow begins the 30 Painting in 30 Days Challenge— hard to believe this will be my fifth one, but my overflowing flat files are proof that a lot of work gets generated during these challenges. For the moment I have no theme for the month, so stay tuned and see what happens.

Laimingų Naujųjų metų!

Button, Button, Who's Got The Buton?

Button, Button, Who's Got The Button?  16 x 19 pastel

I have held off showing this painting until it made the rounds in a few juried shows, but it is now back home so I thought I would share it.

I don't normally work on paintings for a long time, but this one took a few weeks. We said goodbye to our dear dog Ursa during this time, so this painting has a special meaning for me. I dedicated one of the buttons to her, maybe you can find it.

On The Edge

On The Edge  14 x 19  pastel

This painting had a very strange beginning. It started as a bucolic country scene in CT. It didn't work, but I liked the terracotta surface and some foreground shapes that looked like the Southwest, so I just had fun making it up.

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Freckle Face

Freckle Face  11 x 14  pastel

I am not sure where I shot this reference photo, but if cows could have freckles...

Ruby's Slipper

Ruby's Slipper  8 x 10 pastel

I am waiting to hear from my neighbor which daughter owns this shoe, but given the pun in the title I am going for Ruby. I started this a few weeks ago, abandoned it, and brought it out again today.

Pint of Honey

Pint of Honey  6 x 6   pastel

We came home from Lithuania with a kilo of honey, and this is about all that is left. I have also signed up for another Thirty Paintings in 30 Days Challenge, so look for that starting Jan 1, 2016!

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KitchenAid Ultra Power

KitchenAid Ultra Power  14 x 11 pastel

I really love these mixers. I don't own one because I am not much of a baker, and I don't think I can make up my mind what color I want. Currently there are 32 colors on the Williams-Sonoma website.

This painting was almost a wipe out, then I put in the background color and got all excited about it again. See, it's all about the color...

Yellow Pearl

Yellow Pearl  5 x 7 pastel  NFS

This was a commission from 2 years ago. Seemed fitting to follow the last post with another oyster painting, and tomorrow is Pearl Harbor Day.

Only In a Month With R

Only In a Month With R  11 x 14  pastel

I have wanted to paint this since our neighbor gave us some extra oysters she scored for Valentine's Day.

Commitment award

Commitment  20 x 24 pastel

Just heard the good news that "Commitment" has won the Pastel Society of America Award at the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club* 119th Annual Open Juried Exhibition.

The exhibit represents women from all over the United States, Canada and Europe in a variety of mediums. Stop by if you are in the city:

The exhibition is open to the public from December 1 - 18.
Monday through Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM.
National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, NYC

*The Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club is one of the oldest women's art clubs in the country and was founded in 1896 in honor of Miss Wolfe, a prominent New York philanthropist and an avid art collector. She was the only woman among the 106 founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Club's home base, where monthly meetings are held, is the historic Grace Church on Broadway in New York City. The club's original function was to provide aid and counsel to women art students who found life in New York a struggle. In the 1950's the Club's focus shifted to serving women artists of professional standing throughout the United States. The Club now organizes exhibitions, lectures, scholarships and other art related activities. Today's Members are represented in museums, galleries and prestigious art collections all over the world.

Anohue Tumblers

Anohue Tumblers  7 x 5 pastel

Here is another vintage item from my past. It's odd to be old enough to have a vintage item from my past, 

but great to have Google to look it all up!

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Pyrex

Pyrex  6 x 6  pastel

Did you know this is the 100th year anniversary of Pyrex?

I grew up with these bowls. We ate everything in them— ice cream, My-T-Fine pudding, soft boiled eggs— but they are officially called Custard Cups on the website.

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Pomegranate

Pomegranate 6 x 7  pastel

I have wanted to paint a pomegranate for a long time.

Double Sink

Double Sink  11 x 14  pastel

When my friend sees this she will know why I wanted to take pictures in her basement. 
Great basement, great friend, too.

Sugar Pond

Sugar Pond  5 x 7 pastel

This is a lovely spot that all dog owners know in my town.

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Triplets II

Triplets II  6x6 pastel

 

Another in the Blue Plate Specials series. I have painted this before and remembered it was on the blue plate 

so I thought I would do it again.

Fall

Fall  8 x 10 pastel 

I became attached to Autumn and she sold right away, so I decided to try her again, but she needed her own name.
No two cows are ever the same.

Renaissance In Pastel Exhibit, Stamford, CT

"Button, Button, Who's Got The Button?"  16 x 19 pastel

The Connecticut Pastel Society’s 2015 Renaissance in Pastel national juried exhibition will be open to the public November 9 through December 12, 2015 at the UConn Stamford Art Gallery, One University Place, Stamford, Connecticut. Admission is free.

There will be an opening reception on Saturday, November 21 from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. with a demo by Julie Friedman 12:00 – 2:00. Presentation of awards will take place at 3:00 p.m.

Yankee Drill

Yankee Drill  12 x 6  pastel

I have been collecting old tools for a while now, and I am especially fond of hand drills.
This one may be the start of a series.

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Turkey Trot

Turkey Trot  12 x 12 pastel

This started with just the tom, but seemed boring so I added the others. I think it's a lot more interesting when you have your friends with you.

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Another Gourd

Another Gourd  6x6 pastel

Another Gourd for the Blue Plate Specials. Decided to paint ahead — I will be at UConn/Stamford all day
tomorrow helping with receiving and hanging for the Connecticut Pastel Society's Renaissance in Pastel
Exhibition from Nov 9 - Dec 12.

Autumn

Autumn  8 x 10 pastel

Taking a break from the Blue Plate Specials and felt like painting a cow. Autumn seemed like
the perfect name for this gal.

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When Life Hands You Lemons...

When Life Hands You Lemons...   6 x 6  pastel

I am down to half a stick of the blue for this series, so that might determine how many more Blue Plate Specials I can paint. But for now, here is another complementary color one.

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Out of My Gourd

Out of My Gourd   6x6  pastel 

I found this wacky gourd at our farmer's market and thought it would be perfect for the
Blue Plate Specials series. I love pushing the complementary colors.

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60 Watt

60 Watt  6x6 pastel

It was lying around so it landed on the plate.

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EFT

EFT  6 x 6 pastel

"EFT?" you ask.

If you are a crossword puzzler or a Scrabbler you know this word — the juvenile stage of a newt.
They were also the only blocks I had on hand.

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Got Milk?

Got Milk?  6 x 6 pastel

Another in the Blue Plate Specials series.

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No More Tears

No More Tears  6 x 6 pastel

I decided to do a series called Blue Plate Specials. I am not sure what will land on my blue plate over the next
few days, but working in a series is always fun.

These small paintings will be available through the Daily Paintworks auction, starting at $22 (plus $10 shipping).
That means you could get an original painting for as little as $32. (Shipped unframed, protected by board.)

I have also tried a new look on the blog, using Google's Dynamic Views. Let me know if you like it, or prefer the
original version.

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It's a Pear

It's a Pear  6 x 6

I am on a chiaroscuro kick lately, so I decided to build a shadowbox today and paint from life. 

I think I know why a lot of art classes start with a pear. It's a simple shape to learn about shadow, color, value. Sometimes it's good to go back to the beginning...

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Small Matters of Great Importance

I am honored to be on the walls of Mr. Hopper's house. I bet he even had a few of these gadgets
in his kitchen:

Everyone Take A Bow

 

Everyone Take A Bow   10 x 20 pastel

Finally, the ultimate chiaroscuro set up with no work! I have had these pears on top of a bureau in my living room for a long time. The late afternoon sun was streaming in and my next still life was born.

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Tis The Season

"Tis The Season"  11 x 14  pastel  $625

I really felt like getting back to some realism. This was challenging but fun. The original reference photo I took had these bulbs in a vintage wire mesh basket. But I thought it might be better to do something simple, and honestly I think wire mesh would put me over the edge!

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Was It Something We Said?

Was It Something We Said?  14 x 11 pastel   $400

 

I had a painting on my easel for over a week. It wasn't working and it would bother me every
time I walked by. 

 

Finally it dawned on me to take it down. What a relief. These chickens were just the cure.

 

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Thirty Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

September is always busy, so I only managed 14 small paintings, but I never regret doing
Leslie Saeta's 30/30 Challenge. I learn a lot, have fun and usually sell a few. Win-Win.

Fading Fast

Fading Fast  8 x 8 pastel  $100

Day 23— I was trying the new Pastel Premier paper— not sure how I feel about it. 

I made the mistake of starting with my really soft pastels (Diane Townsend, Terry Ludwig) and I filled up the tooth really fast. I think this paper is going to take some getting used to.

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To Gallupville

To Gallupville    12 x 12 pastel    $400

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Day 21 — I thought I would try to use only the new pastels I got at the PSA Materials Fair.
I used none of them. Maybe they just looked so pure that I didn't want to touch them yet.

This is a group of barns on the way to my niece Sandra's mountain top farm, near Schoharie, NY.

Here are the pastels I got at the fair.

River Shack

River Shack   5 x 10  pastel

Day 17 — Thought I would take this one to the river. If you live in the Hudson River Valley, you would bet these are the Palisades.

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Clearing

Clearing  6 x 11 pastel

Day 16 — Yesterday's painting, Sea Shack, sold within an hour. I thought it would be 

fun to try a few more.

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Sea Shack

Sea Shack  11 x 6 1/2  pastel  SOLD

Day 15 — 30/30 halfway point. Sometimes it just takes all day— this was wiped out 3 times, 

with gardening in between. It started out foggy and moody, and ended up bright.

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Boule, Boule

Boule, Boule  11 x 11 pastel  $225

Day 14 — Finally back to the 30/30 Challenge. It is cool, sunny and breezy— 

feels like bread baking weather.

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Mackenzie

Mackenzie  11 x 11 pastel  NFS

Day 13—It's been a month of pet portraits. Mackenzie is my niece Sandra's beloved Scottie.
She lived a long, good life.

We drove up to Schoharie/Middleburg to deliver and visit with family, along with village-wide tag sales 

and two stops to the Schoharie Valley Farms - Carrot Barn and finished with a family BBQ. 

My other niece, Patricia, purchased Unbroken, and I felt that piece should not be separated from
Close Game. Good thing she has the wall space! 

Nothing makes me happier than seeing my art in other peoples homes.

Lola

Lola  8 x 10 pastel

Day 9 — Lola is a gift for friends Barry and Stacy, who introduced me to my husband about 24 years ago. We are going to dinner tonight in Hastings. I am not going to post this until they drive up.

Tomorrow I hope to get back to the 30/30 Challenge, but I have one more pet portrait to do...

Purple Stripe

Purple Stripe  6 x 6 pastel

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Day 7 — Got in a 3 mile walk this morning and a small painting before the afternoon of BBQ's.
This was from the Farmer's Market in Hastings on Hudson— almost every market has had stunning weather with dramatic sunlight— great for reference shots.

Bluetiful

Bluetiful  6 x 6 pastel

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Day 6 — I missed day 5, too much to do around here (garden, cooking, socializing) and I have a few commissions this month. I knew Sept would be a hard month for this 30/30. That said, here is another dahlia.

Ice Tea

Ice Tea  6 x 6 pastel

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Day 4 — I am going out on a limb here in calling this Ice Tea, but I decided Dahlia was too boring, so I went online to look at dahlias. After scrolling through 375 varieties, I narrowed it down to Ice Tea. I was hoping it would be Blah, Blah, Blah but it isn't. And it might not be Ice Tea, but I have move on to the next painting.

Chicken, Little

Chicken, Little   6 x 6 pastel

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Day 3 — I took the reference image at Stone Barns, in Tarrytown, NY.  Stone Barns is an amazing resource for all things agricultural, educational and visual within the Rockefeller State Park, and houses the award winning Blue Hill restaurant. 

I grew up horseback riding on the carriage trails designed for John D Rockefeller. In my teens I spent a fair amount of time there doing things teens do. As an adult I ran on the trails. Now I walk and take a lot of pictures. I hope to paint a few more from here during this month's challenge.