December 14, 2009 - Custom Note Cards

I've been making custom note cards from my images and have decided to add them to my offerings on my website, here, and my Etsy site. They are 5.5 X 4.25 inches on a nice quality white mat stock with envelope, and blank inside. Any image from my portfolio of small landscapes (see website) can be chosen. I particularly like the square daily painting images in a vertical card format (left), but they do work well as a horizontal card too. Individual card with envelope will be priced at $4.00, a set of 5 cards for $17.00 or 10 for $32.00. I hope to have them posted to my Etsy site this week, but I will sell directly in the meantime.

December 8, 2009 - Sketches yield surprises

I was going through a pile of little gouache sketches I did back in October while visiting a friends farm. My intention was to use them as inspiration for larger paintings, which I will still do...but after not seeing them for a couple months, I found some of them really intriguing on their own. The color is quite vibrant...not like my pastels or oils, and the total abandon with which I did them yields a fresh, abstract expression. I am going to mat and frame these three for sure. The first two I may mat and frame as a diptych.

And, I have know clue as to why the images won't line up. Never had the problem before. Annoying but I'll keep on trying.

December 4, 2009

Hard to believe it's December already, and that it's been six weeks since I've posted. Spent October working on three commissions, none of which I can post yet since they are to be holiday gifts. A wonderful week in St. Louis, followed by a bout with the flu, followed by a Thanksgiving trip...all leaves me low on small paintings for my Etsy site. I've closed it temporarily until inventory is back up. My few remaining 6 X 6 oils are hanging at a wonderful little salon in Bangor, About Face, thanks to the graciousness of owner Kristen Ames. Her studio is at 124 Lancaster Street, off of Essex Street in Bangor where she offers a menu of hair, skin care, and massage services. I'll be back to a regular painting schedule hopefully next week.

October 20, 2009

I've put my small daily paintings on hold the last couple weeks to work on three commissioned pieces which I would like to have done by November. In the meantime, I am wading through a collection of monotypes and other mixed media pieces that have been accumulating to load to my Etsy site. Hoping to have a variety of pieces to gear up for holiday gift giving. Here's one that I had forgotten about and kind of like. Any thoughts?

Lakeside Birches. Monotype on paper. 5 X 7"

October 9, 2009 - Maine Farm

Another piece in my Maine Farm series. I came upon this view, driving along the tractor road to the lower fields. I just loved the grasses and cattails against the bright reds and oranges.

6 X 6"oil on panel.

October 7, 2009 - Leaf Peeping

The rains this week will surely finish off the brilliance of the foliage here in Maine. Fortunately, I've been out and about sketching and painting, and also taking lots of photos to reference for ongoing pieces. I spent a couple different days hanging around the farm of a friend which provided some wonderful colors and compositions. I am doing a series of small daily paintings - Maine Farm series - to post as they are completed. The Lower Field (bottom) is the first, accompanied by another that came from my general wonderings about. I just love the lusciousness of this season.




Foliage 1 (top): 6 X 6" oil on panel
The Lower Field (bottom): 6 X 6" oil on canvas
Both available at http://mainepainter.etsy.com

October 2 - Tidal Falls

This is a place that I used to frequent back when my son was a lobster cooker at the little shore-side restaurant there...a real Maine summer job. We used to enjoy our lobster at the picnic tables that sat near the shore and watch and listen to the tidal whitewater and marvel at the reversing falls. Lots of shore birds too. This is a 6 X 6" oil on panel.