A Fall Bird and Spring Gardening

Each fall, the Cedar waxwings come to feast on the crabapple trees in the yard. Sometimes they are only around for a day, on their way to someplace else. I love the sleek look of these birds with their little black masks. Painting wild birds is a bit of a departure for me, because I am not much of a wildlife photographer, but sometimes I get lucky. There has to be some pretty enticing food available for the birds for them to let me get close enough for a good shot. I have been looking for the orioles that usually make an appearance in the spring when the apple trees bloom, but I have not seen any this year. Perhaps the unusually warm spring and the early blooming of everything has messed with their travel schedule!

I am so pleased with the new cold frame that my husband built for me. This is the first year I have started seedlings with some grow lights, and I have been able to harden off the plants before putting them in the ground. I only left the broccoli plants in the frame for a few days, since broccoli doesn't seem to mind cool temps anyway. It was a lovely day for gardening yesterday--the beans and carrots are planted, the pea trellis is constructed. So--let the growing season begin!

Notice my dense row of lettuce seedlings in front of the cold frame. One thing I have learned--when you plant seeds in a starter tray indoors, only some of them may germinate. When you plant a row of lettuce seeds in the garden, every single seed germinates, requiring meticulous thinning--a chore akin to weeding in my opinion!

Fruity

Sometimes it's the simple things that inspire a new painting. These oranges and the pear came out of just a couple of evening painting sessions. I like to use simple organic objects for teaching drawing, and I was using the pear to introduce a young art student to watercolors. I fiddled around with some watercolors of these fruits myself, but I really wanted to get the full brilliance of the orange color with oils. So I pulled from my pile of prepped and toned little gessoboards, and aimed my lamp, and went to town. Finding the cool colors in the shadows of the orange is more of a challenge than you might think. I am used to painting the earthy colors of horses and other animals, and it is so fun to approach a subject with bright color.

The pear is a simple study of light and shadow, and an attempt to convey the texture and volume of the pear. I love the shape of pears as a still life object. They have much more personality than an apple. I think this merits another trip to the grocery store produce aisle.

Chicks and Flowers

Blue Hydrangea, oil on canvas, 11 x 14 in.

Lots of new work coming out of the studio this month. Actually, much of it will be staying in the studio for the time being, as I prepare for a show at the Audubon Society in Pomfret, scheduled for next spring. With flowers bursting forth so early this spring, (or is it summer already?) there is a lot of inspiration for nature subjects in my very own yard and garden. Since my work tends to concentrate on the domestic animals--I need to beef up my inventory of nature and wildlife subjects.

It's a good thing I have been so productive lately, as the glorious weather wants to pull me outside. A new layer of mulch is still intact on the perennial beds--the hens have not scattered it and dug holes in it just yet.
We have a new resident muskrat on the pond--he can be spotted swimming around, or climbing out on the rocks surrounding the pond. He isn't very big, probably just a youngster, and he seems to co-exist quite happily with the ducks.

The latest farm residents are four new baby chicks--just arrived yesterday. Two Silver-Laced Wyandottes, and two Golden-Laced Wyandottes. The babies are so fluffy and adorable, and they will grow into beautiful hens. We have not told the other four hens yet that they will soon have to make room on the roosts for four new roommates. We need to figure out a way to break the news gently. We hope that when the new chicks are full grown and equal to the old girls in size that there will be a minimum of squabbling.
This morning I set up a photo shoot of the new chicks, and this little gal was busy checking out a chick of a different sort.

Rainy Day Treat

Rainy Day Treat, oil on canvas, 11 x 14 in.

Rainy Day Treat is my response to the theme of this year's Thompson Community Art Show. The theme is "Weather", and though the them could apply to many of my works in terms of a sunny day, I chose to go with a form of weather that is not commonly depicted in paintings. For reference, I drew from a series of photos I shot at this year's Ride for the Cure, a miserable, rainy day for a ride, and I challenged myself to capture that grey, wet atmosphere of the day. I participate in this show every year--it's a huge collection of work by professional, amateur and student artists, all jammed together on the walls of our local library community center. The opening reception truly brings the community together, and gives everyone a chance to display their creations in a public place.

"Clouds over Cayuga Lake" is my second entry, a little 8 x 10 oil on canvas study of a sky full of clouds. It was a chilly day in August when we visited this area on New York's Finger Lakes, and the wind coming off the water was ferocious. I am glad to have two works in the show that embrace the theme. The show will be open for the month of April.

CT Artists Show

I am so thrilled that both of my pieces entered, "Spanish Grey" and "Teamwork", were accepted into the 68th annual CT Artists Juried Show at the Slater Memorial Museum at Norwich Free Academy in CT. The opening reception is Sunday, Feb. 26th, 1 - 3 pm, and the show is up until March 30th, so if you are in the area, be sure to check it out.
This is my first time entering this show, only recently becoming aware of it, and I'm excited to see the exhibit myself.

The Slater Memorial Museum is an absolutely beautiful 19th century academic building with turrets and wonderful decorative brickwork.

The Cremello Foal

The Cremello Foal, oil on canvas, 36 x 6 in. gallerywrap canvas

Blue eyes, pale creamy coat, reflecting the green grass of summer, and the blue sky. This colorful Morgan foal fills this tall narrow canvas, coming over for a friendly sniff.

I enjoy these unusual formats--contemporary, eye-catching, and fitting so nicely into a narrow wall space. The painting continues around the edges of this 1.5 in. thick gallerywrap canvas.

As 2011 comes to a close, I have been reviewing my inventory for the year. Sometimes it seems as if there is no time to paint, and yet this year, I have added more works to the inventory than ever before. This has also been a banner year for commission work, and I look forward to the commissions of 2012. This is an excellent time of year to start thinking of a portrait of your favorite horse or pet. Horses are best photographed in the spring and summer. Dogs may be photographed at any time, and often look best in their winter coat.

In light of the economy, although my costs for materials and heating the studio, etc. continue to rise, I will not be raising the rates for commissioned portraits this coming year. Prices start at 200. for a mini-painting (5 x 7), with custom sizes available up to 36 x 48 in. I hope that I will be painting your special animal in 2012.

Painting for the Cure

It was a happy Christmas delivery today of the last of this year's portraits. It's always nice to see the grin on the face of the recipient, and the words, "I love it--it looks just like him!"
Meet Nagid--the beautiful black Arabian owned by the Platinum rider at this year's Komen Ride For the Cure. Cheryl raised over $7,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and in return, she recieved this custom portrait of her horse. There is something striking about a black horse trimmed with pink ribbons, and I'm glad the owner wanted the ribbons included in his portrait. I am happy to be able to contribute to the Ride for the Cure in this way, and during the day of the ride I was able to set up a booth and see all the horses and riders and meet some wonderful people.