Did it

See- I do work best under pressure!
I might have more tweaks, but it's done for the most part and you can see all the other girl's stuff here.

deadlines

I work best under pressure- this photograph is from my weekend trip to NYC- and I am posting my painting of it by midnight tonight on the "Girl Just Wanna Paint" blog.

The theme is "storefront"

Outsider art in NYC

Had a great time this weekend in the big apple!
Loved seeing the outsider art show...Outsider art , or folk art,is by self taught, visionary, naive,and sometimes mentally ill and disturbed people. These paintings are a couple of my favorites. We really enjoyed seeing our daughter Markie and her boyfriend Byron, and visiting the Moma was awesome too! What a fantastic city .
Top - Dan Casado
Bottom- Jennifer Harrison

more trash...

My friend Carol and I found this in the road on a walk.
I added ears and twine and VOILA!
Its a horse - with a sheep like nose.
Looks great on her yellow wall!

trash to treasure

Found these sixties style vinyl chairs at the dump last fall- thought I would spray paint them for my daughters Brooklyn apt.
I bought paint for vinyl at the automotive store...

took a lot of spray paint but they look pretty cool I think!
Very "mad men"LOL

Just Dance 10"x10" acrylic on cradled panel

Back in my youth I used to dance every week- sometimes twice a week- and now unless it's a class, or a wedding ( rare) or bar mitzva (even rarer) I hardly dance at all.
Zumba is fun, but I feel I have to follow along and sometimes I don't want to!
On  Friday, March 9 , 7-9 PM (or 10- tbd), I am collaborating with Laura Harvey (partner in crime), Marnie Bacon ( music and movement expert) and Tori Brega ( atmosphere and lighting genius) to create an event at the North River Arts Society called "Just Dance"!
No judgments, No  follow along steps. Low lighting and awesome inspiring music of all genres. 2-3 hours of jumping around. Thats it. Only $5 bucks to come!
Dance like no one's watching.
Dance like Elaine on Seinfeld ( me)
Roll round on the floor that I will personally clean.
or don't dance! Just hang out.
Come and have fun with us!
If it is a success we hope to do it on a regular basis.
It will be up on the NRAS website soon, if you don't get their emails be sure to contact them!

"house and bird" 10"x10" on cradled panel

loosening up here- I am having a blast in my studio!

Maddie's Buddha

When my youngest daughter Maddie was home for the holiday break she did this beautiful mixed media of the Buddha.

She is back at school now at the College of Charleston and was on CNN the other night! Here she is on the left, with Anderson Cooper and her roomate Julia on the right. It looks fake but trust me it's not!
The Steve Colbert show was filmed  at her school that day..

Cohasset Hardware

I did this one quite a while ago- the store has since closed.

It was fun to do-  done on site. It's pastel on sanded paper.

Wine Case Art ( around 1998) watercolor approx.14"x36"

I painted this one for a little gourmet and wine store called Bo-Tes- it's on Main street in Norwell in the old post office.
I laminated a print of this on plexi and it is on the top of the wine refrigerator there.
It's fun to go there- lots of interesting foods and wines and the owners Tom and Mary are great.
I painted a couple of murals there too ( just saw they have  bit of one on their website) and might do another soon.
It really snowed a lot here yesterday- so much that my boss called and told me NOT to come to work.
WHOO HOO!
LOVE THAT!

"my sister Mary B" watercolor on paper from about 1980?

I found this on in the attic stacks-painted  one summer day at my our childhood home I imagine.
I am blessed with a sister- we are closer now than we were growing up, I was the annoying little sister than ( still am probs!)
My sister is funny, irreverent. smart, a real Martha Stewart, makes yummy bread and loves her cats and her husband- in that order...well not really.
She's pretty and has her own unique fashion style.
She is an graphic design professor - put herself through grad school later in life.
you can see her work here.
Her home is always a pleasure to visit- inspires me every time. We love to tease and kid each other and she is the first to point out my typos ( I do them on purpuss to make her happy -her hee)
I love my sister.  Shes coming over today!

Red Boots Waiting 10"x10" acrylic on cradled panel

Red Boots- ready to put on?

Or have they been taken off?

Either way, the red boots are there for the journey.

I might have a few little tweaks to do as I see it here.

I started this on my "girlfriend gratitude getaway" and finished it in my studio. 

It snowed last night- here's Winnie after her morning  squirrel chase.

One Fish Two Fish 6"x6" acrylic on panel

And the last piece of the little series. I love his poofy shorts.
Thanks for all your encouraging messages yesterday.
I cannot tell you how wonderful the support and love is that I receive from doing this blog. Truly. You guys really rock!

""Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" 6"x6" acrylic on panel

This is the second of  three small panels I did hoping to get them into the "IN and OUT" show at the South Shore Art Center.
Well, they were "OUT" and I will admit the rejection stung! But it's part of the deal with juried shows- and here is a great thought about rejections...

After submitting for a juried art show and being rejected, it can be quite a negative experience to the artist. Sometimes this will lead the artist to doubt their artistic talent, their technique and their overall sense of well being.

Artists’ should understand that the decision as to who is accepted into a show is a very subjective and personal decision made by the juror(s). This decision simply means that your art was not appealing to that judge or person. It is as simple as that and nothing more. What is rejected by one juror for an exhibition might be selected by another juror for a different show.

I have had some of my “best” images rejected for a particular show that I was sure that I was going to get into, only to be rejected. While at the same time I had those same images out to another juried competition, only to find out that I won! Why and how does this happen? It is a personal and subjective decision made by the judge for that particular show. It is really as simple as that. Possibly a different piece of art or a different style of art may have made the juror look and select your art for that show. Who knows? I do not believe that you could ever find out why your art was rejected. The bottom line is that they did not like it, for whatever personal reasons that they had at the time.

The good news is that every artist has experienced some rejection of their art and that rejection is all part of the game. When an artist is rejected for a show or by an art gallery I think it is a good time to remember why you create your art. Your art is a personal reflection and expression of you. Through your art you are communicating what is inside of you and if people are “listening” great and if not, who cares! If your sole reason for creating your art is to “get into shows” I think you need to reevaluate your reasons for creating your art.

To most artists we love what we do and the inner joy and feeling that we get when we do, what we love to do. If some juror or judge just doesn’t “get” what we do, remember, he’s just not that into your art and that is nothing personal!

Don’t ever give up creating, trust yourself and create your art for you, not for some judge.

from lightspacetime.com

This is one of three 6"x6" acrylics I did right after the New Year.

She's a bit pensive...

 Yesterday's visit to my friend Caroline's house in Plymouth- - this is her back yard! We went for a glorious walk in the woods. Lucky her and lucky me!

Tried my hand at popovers- never have done this before- they were pretty good but need to learn a few more tricks.  Wonder if they would work with whole wheat flour?

gratitude

I spent this last weekend at a wonderful retreat house for women. The price was fantastic. the food healthy and delish, the accommodations were excellant. There was lots of laughter, deep discussions, art projects, power walks, and yoga!
It was actually at my dear friend Carol's house only  15 minutes away but it could have been across the country- I feel refreshed and rejuvinated. I recommend this as a way to reset your clock. My weekend ended at the Healing Path in Pembroke at a meditation group.
I have been struggling with what to paint for my upcoming show at the South Shore Art Center.
This one came out of friday nights frivolities.

Painting Demo at Linden Ponds(work in progress)

Yesterday afternoon I visited Linden Ponds, senior community, to work with the residents in the art program.
I had NO clue what I was going to paint so I just winged it ( wung it?)

The first lady who came in had little golf people on her shirt so I put one in, then a gentleman said his favorite flower was an orchid ( looks like a demented balloon animal) another's fave animal was a dog, and the obligatory house , tree and sky. One lovely lady had amazing shoes so golf lady got those
( replaced the golf club with flower) It was fun- I painted it mostly from the side so they could see.
One of the workers suggested a babbling brook with a six pack so thats the black ribbony thing.
It was fun and random...I think they enjoyed it- the ones who were awake anyway! (:
Thanks Nancy Colella for setting this up- it was really fun!
I look like my grandmother from the side-

I'm feeling a little tired today-heres one from the archives...

watercolor tulips

I painted this at the free Sunday workshop. It was a quiet, peaceful gathering of adults at the museum.
This  demo was  done with three colors- cadmium yellow, alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue.
Today I am doing an acrylic demo with the folks at the Alzheimer program at Linden Ponds in Hingham.
I have prepared a canvas with black gesso- other than that I have no clue what I am going to paint... which reflects pretty much where I am at these days.

A Little Dusting

This one is from about 2007. It's an oil on canvas.
We had a little dusting last night- it looks so pretty out there!
I started a big painting- and my studio is SO CLEAN. I love it!
Now, the house.....basement and attic.
Everyone I know seems to be in the same mode.
PURGE!

Looking back

I am percolating for a new series- not sure what I am doing yet but thinking it will involve people. Here is another oldie- proabably around 1998- a  painting of my paints!

Organizing a lot of my art and finding gems- and taking pictures of it with my iphone( the new 4s has an amazing camera- makes it so easy!)
This watercolor was done a few years ago in a class at the Wellesley College conservatory with Susan Swinand.
I loved the class and wish it was closer. Painting in greehouses in wintertime is a wonderful- if you want to try it and are local to me the folks at Kennedy's in Scituate are quite accommodating.
There is a free workshop at the Art Complex Museum today for anyone that wants to try watercolors- I'm bringing in plants for our subject matter. All materials provided,
1:30-3:30. Let me know if you want to come! ( talk about last minute- sorry!)

Oldie but goodie

This is a sketch of Oliver- he lived with us for 14 wonderful years. I could never be mad at him for sleeping in our chair because he looked so darn cute! There was an corgi in the news yesterday, named Ole ,who's owner was killed in an avalanche, but miraculously the dog was able to walk out.
I dropped three small paintings off yesterday for the South Shore Art Center's "IN and Out" show.
I will be waiting for the news whether any are "in" or OUT. I forgot to take photos of them- oops.
I am in a big cleanout mode.
HAVE to part with  lots stuff. Why is that so hard? I know I'll be happy with clean and open space but getting there is challenging, not quite a hoarder, but sometimes I wonder...

a few pics....

                           Took this as I was locking up the museum on the last day of 2011.

                                           
                                               My dog niece Molly in her holiday dress...

                                  My pal Julie Hawkins with the a painting she bought from me!

                                             And my view as I drove to the store yesterday...
                                                                WELCOME 2012!