House Portrait

Each home has a story to tell about the people that live there, and the ways that they love their home.

I am showing 3 of many steps of creating this particular house portrait in gouache watercolor.

After taking many photographs, on 2 different days, of this home, I chose a few photos that would be a composite from which to paint this home.

The landscape was embellished upon for the painting and gives a sense of a botanical frame around the log home.
I enjoy the play of lights and shadows to create drama in the finished piece.

After the Peters Valley Craft Fair

It's been over a week since the Peters Valley 40th Annual Craft Fair .

Now it is a memory of fuzzy details. It's amazing how much planning goes into preparing for an art show before the actual event begins. There is the most important task (which is an ongoing, year long process) of creating original paintings and then matting and framing the paintings. I also make painted jewelry. Each pair has to be mounted for display on mat board that I cut into 4" squares. Upon each of these squares I attach a logo sticker on the front and a web address sticker on the back, along with a magnet for hanging the earrings on my metal display. Then I also print my own bookmarks and insert each into a protective plastic sleeve with a ribbon attached at the top.

About a week before the show, I send out an e-mail announcement to my e-mail list of previous customers and collectors.

The entire display, inventory, packaging material and office supplies are packed into the van on the day of set up. Once we arrive at the show grounds and register, we go to our booth assignment where it takes from 2 to 3 hours to set up, sometimes tweaking the booth with some fresh touch up paint.

But once it's all in place with the paintings hung, the prints in their rack and the jewelry displayed, I am ready for the show to begin.



What I appreciate about setting up my booth and putting my artwork out for display is that it's like inviting friends and visitors to step into my own little corner of my world. Throughout the day people stop, stay for a minute or two or longer, and look at what I've created. Some offer comments or conversations, some decide to purchase something, and some are contented to just look.

Sometimes friends will stop to visit, someone who I know from another context, or someone who I haven't seen since the previous year. Often I meet people who are new to me, and it's alway fun to learn abou them.



It's all very welcoming to me, and being surrounded by my work is like being surrounded by my creative thoughts, and that's very satisfying.

Chicken Goes to the Fair

Next weekend is the 40th Annual Peters Valley Craft Fair.

And I'm happy to invite you to come and view my newest Chicken painting at Booth # R-45.

This is an earlier chicken painting entitled "The Shoes Make the Chick".

She was inspired when I was watching a news anchorwoman on TV wearing the most incredible red high heels and this image came to my mind. The original is in a private collection, but you may view limited edition prints on

my Etsy.

My newest Chicken painting is going to have her debut next weekend, at the Fair. She is not shown here because she is still in progress.

The original 15" x 20" painting will be presented in my booth, so please come by to say hello and meet the newest Chicken.

Original Watercolor House Portrait

Home on the Delaware River

Whenever I have the privilege of painting a watercolor house portrait for a customer, it gives me pleasure to be able to portray a beloved home for the residents who cherish it.
This lovely home sits on a bluff overlooking the Delaware River, and is as charming inside as it is outside.  The rustic hot tub is a focal point of this landscape.
I work from photographs, and welcome inquiries about having your home or business reproduced as an original watercolor.

Vertical Stripes are so Slimming

Pencil sketch

Trying out some colors

Vertical Stripes are so Slimming

From pencil sketch to finished watercolor, the process is shown here in 3 illustrated steps.

PREDILECTION and MOIL:TWO WORDS FOR THE DRAWING OF THE DAY

Two words in one painting today.
Predilection: an established preference for something.
Moil: to work hard; drudge.

Although I have a predilection to moil all day long, at the end of the day of moiling my predilection is to relax in a comfortable chair with a good book.
This painting was inspired by not only a chair in my home, but also by a Jane Austen book, along with her shoes.

Dog Days-word drawing of the day

DOG DAYS

The period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere.

These dog-gal-friends are making the most of the hot weather: have water hydrant will travel.

Eminently-word drawing of the day

Eminently: to a high degree; very.

Flip flops are eminently more popular in the summer than high heeled shoes.
Where would we be without them?

Twee-word drawing of the day

Today's word is "twee" which means affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute or quaint.
When I bite into something too sweet it hurts my teeth.  That's how I feel when I look at this illustration that I did for "twee".

Coloquy-word drawing of the day

Today's word is "coloquy"- conversation;dialogue.
This was an inspiration from a visit with a dear freind, Ellen who stopped on her way back home to Vermont.

FESTER: A word drawing-daily drawing

Miriam Webster Dictionary sends me the word for the day in a daily e-mail.
Today's word is "fester".
So I thought it would be fun to draw the word of the day to see how that would look in a quick sketch.

Using pencil and then color marker for highlighting, this sketch was completed in 15 minutes.

A daily drawing-almost everyday

Here is a corner of my studio with my supplies and paint containers.

This quick pencil study has a sense of rhythm to me while it warms my heart to focus on art supplies, the tools for bringing thoughts and ideas into a physical plane.

A daily drawing-almost but not always

Summer is the time for the freshest fruits and vegetables,  which also make great subjects for a daily sketch.  Here is another pencil sketch, this time I used my left hand, my non dominant hand.  This banana and apple behaved well for their 10 minute drawing, as I wanted them to look their best.

A daily drawing

So as to explore the essence of a cup, I sketched with a #2 pencil for 3 minutes with my eyes closed.  Can you see the "cupness" here.  I was quite delighted with the results, this is a fun way to loosen up on your drawing.  I tried to "see" the cup and feel it with my mind's eye.

A daily drawing

This is a 10 minute sketch, where I hoped to capture the essence of the coffee cup, along with the grain of the wood table that it is perched upon.

It's a loose, playful pencil sketch blending the feel of the plays of lights and darks.

A daily drawing

There have been many artists who have taken on the challenge of producing a daily painting or drawing.  I think it's a great way to stay fresh, to improve skills and stay on top of the practice of making art.  In our busy lives, there are many responsibilities, distractions and activities that can get in the way of an artist's practice.

So I've decided to jump into the challenge, and commit to a daily drawing or painting for the purpose of an exercise in study of a process.  To begin, my commitment will be to draw or paint for a minimum of 3 minutes and a maximum of 15 minutes a day.  I plan to explore a similar topic for several days in a row.  
As a humble beginning, which may lead to larger projects, I am starting with a 10 minute pencil sketch of my morning coffee mug.  

Summer Curves

There is something very pleasing about drawing a perfect crescent. With pen or pencil in hand, drawing a smooth proportionate curve is satisfying when it flows so smoothly. The season of summer seems to invite curves into view, like the cresting wave, a lemon slice, a crescent moon.

Curves and crescents in nature are a comforting sight for me. They give rise to comfort and calmness. A sea shell, a flower petal, a gentle garden path, the arch of a foot bridge over a pond are some of my favorites. While they are subtle in their presence, like the supporting role of a larger picture, they don't scream for attention like a zigzag or spiral would.

Perhaps that's why I've decided to give the curve a more prominent role in this original watercolor painting. To allow it to stand on it's own for a brief moment in time.

Do you have a favorite curve in nature?