Category Archives: Art

Quadrille Lessons

Quadrille lesssons©

Oh the lobster, he will teach us to dance!

“Will you walk a little faster?”
Said a whiting to a snail,
“There’s a porpoise close behind us,
Treading on my tail.”
See how eagerly the lobsters
And the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle –
Will you come and join the dance?
So, will you, won’t you, won’t you,
Will you, won’t you join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you,
Won’t you, won’t you join the dance?

“You can really have no notion
How delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us,
With the lobsters, out to sea!”
But the snail replied, “Too far, too far!”
And gave a look askance –
Said he thanked the whiting kindly,
But he would not join the dance.
So, would not, could not, would not,
Could not, would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not,
Could not, could not join the dance.

“What matters it how far we go?”
His scaly friend replied,
“There is another shore, you know,
Upon the other side.
The further off from England
The nearer is to France –
Then turn not pale, beloved snail,
But come and join the dance.

Will you, won’t you, will you,
Won’t you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, won’t you,
Will you, won’t you join the dance?

Will you, won’t you, will you,
Won’t you, won’t you join the dance?
Will you, won’t you, will you,
Won’t you, won’t you join the dance?

Thank you Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) for the world you created for us. And to see the quadrille done traditionally click here, but I think the Jamaican Quadrille looks a lot more fun.

PS: One more day until I am on Cuttyhunk! Oh I am so excited. I feel so lucky to spend time with wonderful friends, artists, writers and have 5 glorious days to paint and relax!

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This painting is a 14″ by 10″ Ink and Watercolor framed in a lovely maple frame. It also makes a nice companion piece to my earlier work in the last post Alice’s Party.

 

 

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Poppy Trio

poppy poppie orange yellow Poppy yellow

I had hoped to get more done today, but a sniffle got in my way. As I am going to Cuttyhunk Friday for an artist retreat, I thought it best to get some R & R.

Sat by the beach and watched the birds diving as the bluefish stirred up the water. And made a few small poppy paintings.

Need to get cracking and packing.

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Alice’s Dream

 

Alice's Dream with ©I had such fun making the painting for the invitation to the Tiverton Land Trust Summer gala that I started working on a happy lobster series. Here is my latest one.

Yes, Alice is dreaming and fondling that lobster yet again!

And this weekend was quite eventful with August open studios. A special thanks to all the wonderful visitors I had this summer while participating in South Coast Artists Open Studio Tours. Nearly 70 artists participated in this event and this was a fabulous year for us. So many visitors and so many sales. I feel so grateful to be part of this supportive group. The night before the tours this weekend I had the most special experience. I was sitting at the beach while several egrets flew by. It was windy so they were flying low. I could hear the whoosh of the beating of their wings~a sound I had never even dreamed I would hear!

Alice’s Dream is 14″ by 10″ and is framed in a maple frame. It is looking quite cool hanging on the wall.

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Open Studios this Weekend!

SUSAN MEDYN  STUDIO
South Coast Artists Open Studio Tours
This Saturday and SundayAugust 16th and 17th
from  11 AM to 5 PM
Lobsters, Monsters, Creatures, and other Wild Things!
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PLEASED TO MEET YOU ©
South Coast Artists
Susan Medyn
90 North Court
Tiverton, RI 02878
781-789-1236

                 For more information and to download a map go to  www.southcoastartists.org

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Hot Tamale!

Hot Tamale ©

I am going back to doing more works on watercolor paper as I have better control of colors than on Aquabord.

This was done a while back, but I always have loved all the conversations going on. Can’t you just see the tall figure on the right scolding the poor man with the beret. I have no idea what he has done, but she isn’t happy.  Also the green and yellow creatures seem to be having quite an intent discussion. Most fun to me are the 3rd and 4th creatures from the right. Usually my creatures are communicating to one another or listening, but these 2 are posing!

This is a 14″ by 11″ Ink and Watercolor framed in a hand made cherry frame.

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Quadrille Lessons

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I am working on some new paintings for Open Studios next weekend.

Another in the Susan in Wonderland series.

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Pontus Parties

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I was introduced to Greek mythology by my husband and have  taken a great interest in learning about the Greek deities. We especially enjoy looking at Greek vases but would happily take another trip to Greece to explore more temples and sites.

You can see this painting as well as my new sea series at Open Studios this weekend July 19th and 20th  from 11AM-5PM Saturday and Sunday. I will have lots of new work on display.

There are so many wonderful artists exhibiting from their studios this year that I am sure it will be a great event.

This link takes you to a downloadable map. http://southcoastartists.org/sample-page-2/tour-map/

I am number 5 on the tour map.

This is a 7″ by 5″ ink and watercolor on Aquabord.

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Pleased To Meet You!

PLEASED TO MEET YOU ©

Don’t you just remember that perfect summer party! The one where the weather was beautiful, the food and company were grand, and you meet that special person who became your best friend or your life sweet heart.

I remember the first time I saw my husband. It was at a wonderful opening at The Albany Institute of Art. I went there with my college roommate. I was a bit shy and tentative.  I was looking through one end of a model train engine trying to keep busy. My eyes met the man I married peering at me through the other end.  We looked up and then it was history. Amazing how I still can remember that moment, what room we were in, the people around, the color of the carpet, all preserved like a photo.

Do you know who is having that moment in this painting?

I do. Who do you think the happy couple is?

This is a 9″ by 12″ ink and watercolor on Aquabord  framed in  a cherry frame.

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Poppies Party

2bees©

The poppies are blooming gloriously all over Europe and I love to think of having a party among the fields of  them.  Although my work is in 2 exhibits in Europe right now, unfortunately I am not.

I learned yesterday that my best cousin, Mary Sue, passed away at her home in Nova Scotia, with her husband and children at her side. Mary Sue battled brain cancer 3 years, outliving the one year prognosis. In her first year of her illness she wrote a book on daily meditations, each one a reason to be grateful. I can’t imagine how her family is going to deal with this loss. She is a nutritionist,  and her husband is a cancer researcher. They developed a formula to save children who have a particular amino acid deficiency. Her brother and sister in law’s son  and daughter were diagnosed with this rare disorder- Propionic Acidemia. This formula has allowed children to survive much longer than their life expectancy of 6 months to 2 years.

Mary Sue and I spent nearly every weekend of our childhood at one another’s house. We would play day long monopoly games, keeping score, although we always seemed to be even at the end of a month. I will deeply miss her and her deep love for her family, life, good food and good stories.

This is a 6″ by 6″ Ink and Watercolor on Aquabord. All proceeds from the sale of this painting will go toward to the Propionic Acidemia Foundation which is striving for a cure for this rare autosomal recessive disorder.

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Trip The Light Fantastic

Painting new ©

Wow oh wow, was this fun to do. I have been working on this painting for sometime now and am thrilled with how bright and vibrant it is. I hope you feel  joyful after looking at this. I love the psychedelic colors.

For those of you who don’t know my process, I was recording the time it took to make this painting.

So here it is:

6 hours for the initial drawing in pencil and then a rest for a few days to re look and revise.

1 hour for revisions.

4 hours  for inking the outline in with a crow quill pen and indelible ink.

And now time to take a guess to win a beautiful set of cards!!!!

This took me quite awhile. I have been working on this on and off for 3 weeks and if you take a guess at how many hours I painted this, leave a comment below.  I will mail a pack of lovely new cards to the person who is closest. I have a little more tweaking for a few creatures and this painting will be set to go.

I will be sending this painting off to Belgium for an exhibit at the Chateaux de Waroux for a  September exhibition if this doesn’t sell before then. Of course, I would happily send it off to a new owner. And yes, Chateaux de Waroux is one of the rare round castles! You can learn about it in the link above.

Chateau Waroux

This is a 9″ by 12″ ink and watercolor on Aquabord and is for sale for $550 varnished and framed in a cherry frame.

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