Holiday Artisans Market 2014

                                                                          Lily
                                                               Original Watercolor
                                                                        11 x 14
                                                                         SOLD

This painting sold yesterday at Trenton Artists Guild Holiday Artisans Market.  Thank you! 

The lily held a special meaning for me.  The last time I visited my hometown, Rensselaer, NY,  I visited my parents last home (now sold) and notice this lily that was blooming on a plant I believe my father planted sometime before 1990.  Is that possible the plant lived that long?  So, I photographed it knowing I would have to paint it and did. 

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Collage of All Paintings

                                                            30 Paintings 30 Days
        
I made it, painted a watercolor painting each day for 30 days in September.  It was a busy month and I can thank Bob for picking up the slack around the house.  Mainly taking me out to dinner a lot.  Now as soon as I catch up with things I put off all month,  I can get back to  quilting for a while.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 30

 

Winter Wonderland

Original Watercolor

8" x 8"

Today is the last day of the 30/30 challenge and I couldn't end it without a painting of what I missed seeing while visiting Vermont in July.  Winter Wonderland has to be an appropriate name for what winter must look like there at the Cabin.  I still remember the winters we had when we lived in the Thousand Islands in New York.   It was beautiful and a lesson in survival.  I now enjoy sunny SC.

I've enjoyed painting every day, especially since I had a theme this year.  I think I've squeezed out every painting I could from the pictures I took while in VT and even borrowed a couple from Tom and Christy.    I'll be looking forward to the next 30/30 challenge, maybe in January.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 29

Quiltmaker
Original Watercolor 
6" x 9"
If you live in Vermont I think it's a requirement to be a quilter.   Char and Christy are and they did a show and tell for us, hanging all the quilts off the loft bannister.  All 24 of them, plus a table runner.  What a trunk show!  Beautiful!  I bet they've made several hundred of them so far.  Way to go girls.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 28

                                                                     Bristol
                                                           Original Watercolor
                                                                     6" x 9"

Bristol is my niece Christy's special buddy.   Can you tell how much he loves living in the wide open spaces of upstate Vermont?  He was sure to keep us company while we were up there visiting.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 27

                                                                          The Boss
                                                                  Original Watercolor
                                                                           9" x 12"

I painted this guy a couple of days before the challenge began in anticipation of a day like today that I didn't  get a chance to paint.  My reference picture came from a plein air outing in Blair SC at Barbara Young's farm.  I have to say it was really hard to get a photo of him too.  Three more days to go in the challenge.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 26

                                                                     Giddyup
                                                              Original Watercolor
                                                                      6" x 9"

I didn't see this when I was in VT, so I borrowed the reference photo from Christy.  It's a neighbor that goes by on her way to ???

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 25

                                                                     Cruising
                                                              Original Watercolor
                                                                         6" x 9"

I painted this boat in the water cruising rather than at the dock where I saw it.  Not enough time to paint the dock and buildings.  Maybe another day.  This is on Lake Champlain in Burlington VT.                                                     

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 24

                                                                    High Stepping
                                                        Original Watercolor & Gouache
                                                                          9" x 12"

I just had to do another chicken.  I only have six more days left to the challenge and am running out of subject matter from my trip to Vermont.  I'm going to have to be pretty creative if I want to continue with my theme. 

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 23

                                                                       Fleets In
                                                               Original Watercolor      
                                                                        6" x 8"

This was the view from our dinner/theater cruise on Lake Champlain.  There were a lot of boats all tied up since it was getting late.  Fun time. I think I just may be getting a little better at painting water.  It has been a challenge for me.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 22

                                                                     Coneflowers
                                                                Original Watercolor
                                                                        6" x 8"

The Madd River Valley Visitor Center was surrounded by a garden full of flowers.  I especially liked these coneflowers that I painted today.  They seem to grow taller in Vermont.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 21

                                                                   Polish Chicken
                                                              Original Watercolor
                                                                         6" x 8"

The Boston Post Dairy in Enosburg VT had a lot of chickens and eventually I'll probably paint most of them .  This one I believe is a Polish chicken--hope I'm not wrong.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 20

                                                                     Still Waters
                                                              Original Watercolor
                                                                       6" x 8"

Still Waters is another painting from a drive by photo reference so I can't say where it was except I know it was in Vermont.    I painted this with out drawing it on the paper first.  I kind of like that method for painting landscapes. 

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 19

                     
                                                                      The View
                                                              Original Watercolor
                                                                         6" x 8"

Looking out from the deck of the Cabin is this view North towards Richford VT and beyond, not too far,  Canada.  It sure was relaxing having coffee on the deck in the morning and seeing nothing but land for as far as one could see. 

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 18

                                                                     Chicken Little
                                                                   Original Watercolor
                                                                           6" x 8"

Chicken Little was another little chick at the Boston Post Dairy in Enosburg VT.  I thought I'd paint him and get off the landscape paintings.  (Still having trouble with those!)   I still have a lot of chicken pictures so I may concentrate on painting them for a couple of days for a change of pace.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 17

                                                                       Fishing
                                                             Original Watercolor
                                                                       6" x 8"

I was high above the water when I took the reference photo for this painting, definitely in the car and I believe on a bridge looking down.  Again, taken from a moving car. 

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 16

                                                                    Making Hay
                                                              Original Watercolor
                                                                         6" x 8"

Another drive by reference photo from my Vermont vacation.  We saw lots of field of hay in our travels. 

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 15

                                                                         Summer
                                                                 Original Watercolor
                                                                          6" x 9"

On one of our drives around Vermont I shot a photo of this house (in the car on the fly) that I thought was typical of Vermont town homes, very pretty, patriotic and ornamental in design.  I don't know where we were so can't say where it is.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 14

                                                           Dragonheart Vermont
                                                             Original Watercolor
                                                                      6" x 9"

While on our dinner cruise we saw a lot of these dragon boats in the water.  Upon looking them up on google I discovered what they were about and below is their mission.

Dragonheart Vermont strives to strengthen and empower breast cancer survivors and supporters through the challenging sport of dragon boating instilling in its members the values of teamwork, fitness and community giving.

Apparently, in Burlington they had a national race last year.  It looked like they were having fun the evening we saw them. 

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 13

                                                           
                                                               The Apple Orchard
                                                              Original Watercolor
                                                                       9" x 12" 

We visited a vineyard in Canada and learned that they were making wine from the apples growing in this orchard.  I don't recall the name of the vineyard or where in Canada it was located, but I do remember that the wine was delish.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 12

                                                                Village Bridge
                                                            Original Watercolor
                                                                      9" x 12"

Vermont is noted for still having many old covered bridges.  This bridge was built in 1833 and a walk was added about 1940.  It carries Bridge Street over the Mad River in the village of Waitsfield, VT.
I'm thinking my paintings are getting somewhat looser since I started this 30 day challenge and it has it's advantages.  I'm painting faster!

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 11

                                                                        
                                                                            Billy
                                                                 Original Watercolor
                                                                           6" x 8"

This little goat lives on a farm with a little store run by sisters called The Boston Post Dairy in Enosburg VT (https://www.facebook.com/bpdstore).  Billy, I named him, resides with lots of goats, cows, chickens and probably a few other animals.  The sisters made goat and cow cheese and baked goods right in the store.  They also sell a lot of one of a kind crafts, soap, jellies etc.  It was a fun store to explore and I took lots of pictures of the animals. 
Everything is so original and homey in Vermont. 

                                 

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 10

                                                                           Sally
                                                                 Original Watercolor
                                                                          9" x 12"

Sally is Rita's sister from the little shop out in the country that had all the fun animals.  Chickens, chicks and goats to name a few.  I have a few more pictures of them that I'll be painting.  Busy day today so late with this post.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 9

                                
                                                                    Wash Day
                                                             Original Watercolor
                                                                      9" x 12"

In Vermont there seem to be a lot of clothes drying outside on a clothes line.  It's the Northern way.  I used to like it when I lived up North.  Laundry fresh from the line--nothing like that smell.  Especially the sheets.    We stopped to take this picture as it was close to the road and far from the farm house.  I doubt we were noticed.  I've been wanting to paint a scene like this for quite a while.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 8

                                                                          Cow
                                                               Original Watercolor
                                                                         8" x 8"

Cows in Vermont are every where and we saw quite a few.  This one was in a herd of all black cows so he stood out from the rest and was begging to be painted.  I was happy to paint him.  Now I need to think of a name for him.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 7

                                                                     The Pagoda
                                                               Original Watercolor
                                                                      12" x 16"

I can't remember the story behind this pagoda except that it belonged to someone in Char's family.  It sets behind the cabin as if it's always been there watching over the garden, land and mountains.  I had to take several reference pictures before I found just the one to paint.  This was really a big painting to do in a day, but I made it and hope I made Char's day as a result.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days Day 6

                                                               The Keurig Store
                                                             Original Watercolor
                                                                        6" x 9"

A quick sketch of the entrance to the Vermont Keurig Store where Keurig originated.  They gave us a virtual tour of how their process of getting all that flavor into those little cups was accomplished.  We tasted many samples and even were given samples to take home.  Needless to say we were impressed and as soon as we got home we bought one of their Keurig coffee pots.  Don't know why we waited so long.

Onomatopoetic Show September 4, 2014

 

 

My entry for the Onomatopoetic  Art Inspiring Art: Music Made Visible Show.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days Day 5

                                                                          
                                                                           Rita
                                                                 Original Watercolor
                                                                         9" x 12"

For lack of a better title, I've named this one Rita.  Bob wanted me to call it Sunday Dinner but I didn't think it appropriate somehow. :)  Anyway, we went to a little shop in VT where they had a lot of chickens and goats and I was able to get several reference photos.   I'm sure there will be more chicken paintings to come.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 4

                                                             Owl's Head Bakery
                                                             Original Watercolor
                                                                      6" x 9"

We traveled across the border to Mansonville Canada to visit this wonderful French bakery called Boulangeries Owl's Bread Bakery, and it was so worth the trip. (It's really only a few miles from Tom's house.)  Owl's bread is an artisan bakery with the most delicious fresh made goodies displayed behind a large glass case.  The desert we brought home was sooooo  good.
This painting is of Shalee, running up the stairs to the bakery, the aromas of fresh baked goods calling her name.

Thirty Paintings 30 Days Day 3

                                                             The Spirit of Ethan Allen
                                                                  Original Watercolor    
                                                                            6" x 9"

The fabulous dinner/theater cruise on Lake Champlain that Tom and Char treated us to took place on this beautiful boat.   It was so much fun.  Tom even had a prominent part in the cast and did a terrific job at it too.  Hmmm, maybe a new career? 

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 2

                                                                       The Cabin
                                                                Original Watercolor
                                                                          6" x 9"

I couldn't do the 30 day challenge without including "The Cabin" as my brother and sister-in-law refer to their home at the top of Vermont.  It's a beautiful, huge log home with a view that stretches for miles and miles.  What a wonderful retirement place.  It's like being on vacation all year long.
We sure enjoyed our stay there and the hospitality was the best. 

Thirty Paintings 30 Days - Day 1

                                                         
                                                               Bay Side Park  VT
                                                               Original Watercolor
                                                                         6" x 9"

This is a painting of a pretty park we happened by while on vacation in Vermont.   The actual photo was taken from the car as we were driving by.  This is how I get a lot of my inspiration for paintings--quick photos in motion.  The park is in Colchester VT and looked like a perfect spot for a concert.  I bet all those sailboats were out there waiting for the music to begin. 
So, Day 1 is complete, just 29 more to go.

30 Paintings in 30 Days, September 2014

Yes, I did it.  I signed up for one of Leslie Saeta's challenges of doing "30 paintings in 30 days" during the month of September.  So far I am one of 500 artists to commit to the challenge.  This will be the 3rd time I've done this.
My theme this time is "My Trip to VT" as I have many photos from my last months visit to my brother's new home in upstate VT.  Landscapes are not my strong suite, but I'll give it a go.  Here's hoping!

Bird Paintings

                                                Baltimore Oriole   8" x 8"  Watercolor

                                                     Scarlet Tanager  6" x 8" Watercolor

                                                   Western Tanager  6" x  8" Watercolor

Small paintings I've recently completed.

Que Sera Update

Que Sera

Watercolor

16 x 20

 

Thanks Tom for pointing out a defect in my painting that I have corrected on this one.  Can you tell what's different? 

Watercolor Workshop

                                                                        Que Sera
                                                                       Watercolor
                                                                         12" x 16"

This is my completed painting from a recent Ron Weathers workshop.  I finally have it completed and ready for matting and framing.  I learn a little more with every workshop I take and this one was no exception.  Ron's a terrific artist and great teacher.  Thanks Ron!

First Painting for 2014 "Little Man"

                                                                        Little Man
                                                                 Original Watercolor
                                                                           6" x 8"

I hadn't been painting in a couple of months (holidays) so I decided to paint this little painting to get me back into the swing of things.  The boat was one of many boats that were captured in my friends picture in Georgia.  Now I need to capture some more of them in paint.