Showing posts with label Maine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maine. Show all posts

Friday, March 13, 2015

Nubble Rocks and Rainpools




"Nubble Rocks and Rainpools"

7.5x9.5

Oil on Panel


starting bid $40


One of my favorite escape places is the Nubble Lighthouse in York Maine. Set off on a separate island, it is fabulous. The rocks surround the area where cars park to view it, and kids constantly climb up and down the rocks, searching for little crabs in the pools. I've watched my grandsons do this many times. Nothing makes them happier! Such a nice day, and it can be made even nicer by going over to the restaurant carryout and getting some Clam Chowder. Umm. Heaven.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Inside the Shop



"Inside the Shop"

7x5 
Oil on panel
starting bid $65




This little guy is the newest addition to the "Working Waterfront" series. Sometimes I like to work small, sometimes just do creative play. This started as one of those, but I really started to get into it and I like it and now it has formally been admitted to the group. I love the way the yellow and orange-red just bounce around the shop inside the window, and the way the ones in the window kind of shimmer. Hmm, I wonder what tha shop is like now, in the winter? Even with the little stove there, it must be awfully cold.

Friday, February 13, 2015

"Hillside Home"


Hillside Home
8x8

starting bid $85
oil on panel
framed

I loved the way this birdhouse sat among the rocks and spring flowers in Stonington, ME. Lupines, roses and phlox are abundant and just tumble down the hillside and over the rocks.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

"Harbor with Roses"





6x6 oil on panel

framed with an exhibition quality 
light wood contemporary float frame

This little piece is a perfect partner for the last two, making triplets. They look great together. This one was painted on my trip to the island of Islesford, off the coast of aAcadia National Park. Perfect day, roses in just the right place, lovely harbor. It really helped that our trip to that point had all been grey, rainy, and foggy. This was pure bliss to paint.

This piece is nicely framed with a contemporary float frame.

"Harbor Sentries"



6x6 oil on panel

framed with an exhibition quality 
light wood contemporary float frame


When I was painting in Maine, I was remembering an exercise we did in Carol Marine's class where we counted our strokes. The purpose was to be thoughtful and clear exactly what we wanted to paint, how it would be painted and exactly what color so that we did not have to go back. The process is harder than you might think. So I tried it on this small harborscape I did in Rockport, Maine. This piece had about 50 strokes, total, and I am happy with the way it came out. I call it Harbor Sentries because the masts and posts look very much like guards. 

This piece is nicely framed with a contemporary float frame.

Friday, February 6, 2015

"Hidden Town Beach"







6x6 oil on panel

Framed with a high quality exhibit floating frame.

On Auction now: click here to bid.


Remembering good days in this one. I even have it in my office now, but I will give it up if you want to buy it! This painting is one from Rockport, Maine. I was at the little park on the harbor and near the building there. While I was there a schol bus brought a whole bunch of happy kids to swim at the beach that is hidden behind the spit of land in front. But the flag announces its location!

I was again trying to use my limited strokes, but this time I did not count them, just tried hard to make every stroke count. But I had a problem, the rain started and I was only half finished. I was able to finish it in the studio, however, and I like how it came out!

This piece is nicely framed with a contemporary float frame.

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Yellow Boat







Yellow Boat

10x8
Oil on Panel

This piece has been sold. Sorry!


This view was straight from my porch while I was staying in Friendship - and it now graces a wall of the cottage in which I stayed. It's lovely and makes you just want to walk down next to the railing and go out to the end of the dock, where the fisherman bring in their catch. Or maybe just go down there to it and listen to the waves and harbor sounds. 

Friday, December 26, 2014

Islesford Morning Mist




Islesford Morning MIst

12x12
Oil on Panel

This piece has been exhibited and
has a high quality exhibit line frame, contemporary floater style

opening bid $200
buy it now $590


During my time in Islesford - far too short a time - i was socked in by fog or rain during most of the painting time. Somehow, it just seemed to make one painting after another with a different look than I was used to. There's a lot more to a seascape than blue sky over blue sea. This was FAR more interesting to me. What amazing things weather does! This morning, the fishing boats in the harbor rocked gently waiting for their owners. There were fewer and fewer of these boats each day and it was like painting an endangered species!

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

"Bait Truck Delivery"



8x10
Oil on Panel

This piece has been exhibited and
has a high quality exhibit line frame, contemporary floater style

opening bid $180
buy it now $340



I was lucky enough to have an entire week in Friendship, Maine. I stayed in a house immediately adjacent to the town dock. From my vantage point on the large farmer's porch, I had enough material to paint for the entire week. I never took my supplies off the porch! If I turned around, with my back to the street, I saw the next dock, and it was one with a lot of activity. This was June and everyone was getting ready for the season. Lobster traps and ropes and buoy of different kinds were piled and made great patterns of color. It looked great. But one day a bait truck came to deliver the necessary product. It was there a while as the delivery was negotiated and accomplished. I loved this part where the two men came together, all their attention on something between them. The perfect moment to catch. This piece was primarily done on site and touched up in the studio.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Fog and Float

Fog and Float




6x6
Oil on Panel

opening bid $100
buy it now $200

This piece has been exhibited and
has a high quality exhibit line frame, contemporary floater style


Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Stonington Family Business

Stonington Family Business


6x6
Oil on Panel
Framed with high quality exhibit line frame (light wood, floating)
opening bid $100
buy it now $295


I was painting on the town landing in Stonington and was drawn to a wonderful truck being loaded at the dock over an expanse of water. I especially loved the yellows and how they reflected in the water and seemed to respond to each other. I like that I was able to catch the man loading in the back. Putting my brushes away, a man came over to look. "That's a Stonington family business", he said. "It would be a great gift". But no, he didn't buy it.  

Monday, December 15, 2014

Fisherman's Float

Fisherman's Float
7x5"
oil on panel 

starting bid $75


This is a small piece I did while sitting on the dock in Islesford, Maine. The days had been grey with fog and rain, but the colors of the fishermen's equipment glowed through that mood and reflected in the water. I painted quickly and I meant to go back and make it more specific. But then it was clear that is was done. Now. So here it is!

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Port Clyde Refuel (Framed)


30" x 40"
Oil on Canvas
Framed in Cpontemporary Floater Frame
Limited publication time
$2900

 I took a photo in Port Clyde, Maine, where the boats go out to Monhegan Island because I loved the way the sun hit the objects that afternoon. Later, in painting it, I was mystified by the blue, red, and yellow object. I just couldn't figure out what it was and it seemed important to know. So I asked everyone who had a boat or who might know. I kept a list, because everyone had a different idea. Finally, the light. I went to the source this June when I was on my Maine painting trip, and I asked a fisherman who was working that dock. The red/yellow object is a support for the blue water hose so it doesn't get kinked with the tide changes. At last! Also, I found out that the green handled nozzle is for gas and the missing one is for diesel fuel. Now I can relax.

I am very proud of this piece, the largest one that started my new series of items from the working waterfront. I love the light and the way it blesses the everyday objects that serve the need of the sailor. This piece was chosen for a national juried exhibit at the Cape Cod Art Association. 

Thursday, August 1, 2013

"Checking the Traps" (Framed)



18x24
Oil on Canvas
Framed with light wood contemporary floater frame

sold



When I visited `Maine, I was taken by the working waterfront and it has become my primary subject matter now. The piece shows a couple of lobstermen checking their traps behind a field of buttercups in Friendship, Maine. Recently, I heard that the lobster boats built in Friendship are considered the best.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Spine of the Forest

Spine of the Forest
7x5
Watercolor and Prismacolor

$140

This is a second piece discovered lurking in my drawer that I decided I like. It was done from the forest floor found at Haystack Mountain School Of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine. The amazing boreal forest there is rich in lichens, mosses, roots, balsams, ferns, and  tiny sea urchins dropped by the gulls. It is a most wonderful collage. I love walking there and especially love the roots that ladder the surface in wonderful twisting ways and they spread over the massive rocks and ledges. 

Thursday, July 11, 2013

"Red Boat"



6x6 oil on panel

$295




It's a good idea not to get too complacent. At all......It was my last day in Rockland. I had struggled all week to put the learnings from Carol Marine's class into my normal way of working, and had finally had a pretty good day on Thursday. So I took on this boatyard (see below) I LOVED the way the tugboat in drydock contrasted with historical and contemporary vessels both in and out of the water. Well, first my panel fell into my palette. Then I had to bungee everything because of the wind. And when I started painting, it was like painting with stickum on formica. I was painting on a surface I did not realize was extra slick. It was awful, but I kept plugging. The "drawing" part was very hard, getting all the parts in scale and place.Three hours later, I finally had a basic cover on the panel and quit. Trust me, you will not see this one., it was really bad. So I had to end the week with something I could handle successfully. 

So I turned around and found the little red sailboat, waiting patiently for me in a small cove. Simple, straightforward, kinda sweet. Ahhhh. at last. A better ending to my two weeks in Maine.

This piece is nicely framed with a contemporary float frame.


Wednesday, July 10, 2013

"Friendship Harbor Walkway"






6x6 oil on panel

Available at Auction on Daily Paintworks
Starting bid $89

Sunday, August 19, 2012

"At Rest on the River" (framed)


At Rest On The River
11x14
Oil on Panel
Gold Frame
$325

When I was in Maine, I met fellow aqua-workout lovers. One lady invited me to paint at her house. She lived on the widening river that runs through Thomaston and becomes a cove to the sea.What a gorgeous view! Though she had beautiful gardens, I stayed on her deck high up and painted the water. The "at rest" refers to the seals (lower right) and birds (center) that regularly take breaks at low tide.

Friday, August 17, 2012

"Let's Get the Paddles" (framed)

Let's Get the Paddles
Oil on Canvas
11x14
gold frame
$325

I was in the Deer Isle "downtown", about a block of small gift shops, food and galleries, looking for a place to paint. Just past the bridge, I saw a small park I'd never seen before, with lovely gardens, a nice bench, shade, and a beautiful view. Counting myself lucky, I set up and spent quite a bit of time on this one, and also worked it a bit in the studio afterward, adding glazes to bring out the canoe contrast, and softening the background. What a nice day! It would certainly be a great place for a paddle!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

"Fog Coming In" (framed)

Fog Coming In
11x14
Silver frame
Oil on Panel
$325

This is another view of the yellow house by the sea (in Stonington, ME) with it's turretted neighbor. I loved the space between them, the contrast in architecture, and the sea beyond with its many moods. This is the Deer Isle Thorofare and the  I loved it when the view softened as the fog settled. The foreground light was even and stood out because of the contrast with the fog. I also loved the way the ledges of stone rolled on their way to the view. It made you want to go out and walk on them, which I did. The silver frame complements the soft greys and blue.