Tag Archives: ink and watercolor paintings

Cuttyhunk Life

Cuttyhunk Island

Cuttyhunk Island

Sometimes the best way to show a most wonderful experience is without too many words. I was blessed to go to Cuttyhunk Island for a 5 day retreat with 11 other incredibly wonderful women.

Paths crossing into town.

Paths crossing into town.

Hilltop

Hilltop

Island view

Island View….Golf Carts only on the paths!

Nasawena Island

Nashawena Island with an official population of 2.

View of Gay Head from My Room at the Avalon Inn

View of Gay Head from My Room at the Avalon Inn. Rumor is Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra spent a night at the inn.

General Store and Me

General Store and Me. Funny that we often don’t know what our fellow bloggers look like. I hope to meet may of you in my lifetime.

Cuttyhunk Library

Cuttyhunk Library

Fisherman's Club, the only place that serves any food in the summer and that is just breakfast!

Cuttyhunk Fishing Club, the only place that serves any food in the summer and that is just breakfast! And the place where president’s and rich New Yorkers went to escape the crowds.

The laughter of women together!

Making party attire.

Yes we were having a birthday party for Lucy who turned 69!

The Joy of women together.

And Lucy turns 69!

And Lucy turns 69! with our venerable yoga teacher and massage therapist, Mary Ann, and retreat co -organizer Teri Bordenave.

Dottie and Curtice

Dottie and Curtice

Getting a tour from Kathryn,the director of the Cuttyhunk Historical Society.

Getting a tour from Kathryn, the director of the Cuttyhunk Historical Society.

Part of a painting!

Part of a painting!

Playing painting

Loved making some small paintings.

Cuttyhunk Chapel as I struggle with the process.

Cuttyhunk Chapel as I struggle with the process of trying to complete it.

Going Home.

Going Home.

IMG_3523And Back to life at home.

  Well I was told I would fall in love with Cuttyhunk and I did. The co-organizers of the Artist’s retreat, Teri and Ellie pampered us in ways that left us free to spend our days following our own artistic path. The joy, the laughter, the beauty. Thank you to each of the woman who brought their gift of themselves to the island to share with one another.

 

 

 

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Fat Cats!

Fat Cats!

Fat cats

The title happily described this painting. I truly love cats. These guys are conversing about things cats talk about, while one sits on a mint oreo cookie!

Fat cats ink and watercolor 7 by 5

Here is another photo of this 7″ by 5″ painting. It is framed in an 10″ by 8″  frame with rag matte paper and this lovely gold frame. It is ready for hanging. This painting is for sale for $75 framed.  And these are the last few days to sign up for my monthly gicleé giveaway for new blog followers. The odds are really great as it has been a slow month so if you know someone who might enjoy my blog or you haven’t signed up yet, don’t delay, your chances are about as good as they get for the monthly giveaway.

SOLD!  Thanks so much Steve and kitty Fatty AKA Fat Cat but given name Galatea!

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Filed under Art, New Work

Here’s Looking at You! and Gicleé Give Away

Heres looking at you © 2013

This was quite the challenge to work out as I wanted to stay with purples, oranges and browns.

Was able to put a nice wash of gold on the background.

Which creature would you like to be ? Any reasons why?

Please consider signing up for my blog and I will randomly choose a winner of a gicleé of one of my works matted to 8 1/2 by 11.

Learned today that I can significantly lighten Higgins waterproof permanent drawing ink from aqua board if I use soap and hot water.

I am interested to see how the painting will look with much lighter outlines.

Would love to have you follow my painting journey and be sure to let me know which creature  you would like to be.

This is a 8″ by 10″ Ink and watercolor on aqua board, varnished and framed in a shadow box frame.

To purchase click here:

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Lavender Reverie

Reverie © 5-13-13

I drew this painting while thinking about Mother’s day and storks and the notion that babies come from storks. Of course thinking about my family makes me smile.

As to storks though, I did not know that they are monogamous, often building one nest with one partner and living out their lives in one location.

But when I went researching folk-lore, I was surprised by the variety of conflicting histories. What stands out is that storks have been symbols of good luck since Greek times. It is said that Aristotle suggested that killing storks be considered a crime. I also found that it was believed by the Scandinavians that ponds that storks waded in held babies’ souls. But then, one gets confronted by the depressing Hans Christian Anderson tale in which some boys made fun of a stork and the stork went to the pond of baby souls and brought that boy’s family a dead brother. Mr. Anderson is, of course, known for many more morbid stories with quite the moral message.

But in my picture lies a much happier tale of presenting flowers to ones sweetheart, or mother or friend.

So with an abundance of cheer, I made my little 6″ by 6″  Lavender Reverie. It is for sale for $200 framed in a shadow box frame.

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Flower Jungle and Joy

FLOWER JUNGLE C 4:14:13

OK, I hope you smile. This is my way of making someone happy. Art gives me joy and joy is happiness.

I have spent several days working on this picture. It took quite awhile to work out the patterns and colors. Swirls and spirals always intrigue me and I like to see them in my paintings. The bunny is offering flowers to the elephant and my cats are hanging out in the tree.  I often add a Mother Goddess to my work. She takes care of overseeing each little world. This time she is communing with the flowers oblivious to the curious cats and the animals paying homage to the wonderful elephant. This continues to fit in my jungle series although the creatures are tamer. I do love the color combinations and the sky full of poppies.

flower jungle pic CLOSE UP

Here is a close up of this curious constellation. And we did not get to see the Aurora Borealis here due to cloud cover. My former office mate lives in Fairbanks, Alaska and I would love to see what the sky is like there. I also hope to go back to Iceland to see the Northern Lights (which we did not see when we were there both times we went).

If anyone out in the world of painting is working on aqua board, I would love to hear how you are framing them. I have searched the internet, watched videos on framing them and haven’t quite come up with a good solution. I am going to try a suggestion by Kelley MacDonald  and see how it works. I will have to get more creative on the best way to frame a flat varnished board in which the painting goes right up to the edges.

This is a 9″ by 12″ Ink and Watercolor on aqua board. It is varnished and framed in a black and maple shadow box frame. This painting looks really lovely and is for sale for $600.00.

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Solstice Is Icumen and Lewdly Sings Cuckoo.

This is one of  the images of the Solstice cards I have made. I am planning to be ahead of the game next year and work them out well before the fall season.

I have all my Solstice cards out in shops but have a great deal if you are interested…..

5  Wild 5″ by 7″  cards of my  watercolors including a few new Rousseau like images. $15.00 plus 3.50 shipping for a packaged set of 5. Makes a great holiday gift!

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Need your help with cranky bird phrases!!!!

OK, so I had some friends over and had Carla Sohnheim’s 2 great books on the table. I showed everyone how to start a cranky birds.  They cooperated, possibly thanks to good cheer, drinks, a beautiful day and lots of art supplies on the table. I want to forward them to Dar Hosta, http://darhosta.wordpress.com/cranky-birds/ but I need some help with sayings. Storyteller artist Don Cadoret turned me on to his friend Dar’s blog and it is so cool. Don’s work is really quite fabulous and he has an opening this Thursday of his new works in Bristol, RI. Check out his work for a real treat.

http://www.doncadoret.net/New_IMAGES.php

Everyone made something out of their blob but any and all suggestions for what each bird is saying would be greatly appreciated!!!

OK…………so……….. HELP!!!!!!!

I’ll even send something good and fun and maybe drawn by me to the person who makes the best caption!

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Bare Bear, Partridge In Therapy and Dophins on the Sakonnet!

PARTRIDGE IN THERAPY!

This gilded partridge was inspired by a magazine cover. My partridge  looks as though he might have a hard time flying. I think this 8″ by 8″ Ink and Watercolor on Aqua board is a cool bird. Paypal link above watercolor painting.


Bare Bear was inspired by a bronze bear on the grounds of the magnificent  Grove Park Inn  http://www.groveparkinn.com/in Asheville, North Carolina. Bare Bear is also on aqua board. He is headed for a new home. I am continuing to make whimsical watercolors on aqua board as well as  watercolor paper.  Will soon be posting my  latest work  which is a series of Holiday and Solstice Cards.

On a very wonderful note,yesterday I received an email from  friends who were boating on the Sakonnet River and had 2 dolphins join them for their cocktail hour. I feel so fortunate to spend so much time in such a beautiful area. I will also be at the Art Stable Gallery http://www.artstablegallery.com/ today from noon until 4:00PM. Please come by and visit. I always love to see everyone.

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FLUGAL FISH

Flugalfish

I had the good fortune to be able to pick up some Fabriano watercolor paper and love how it holds the color. My friend Kitty Lovell  and I decided that this lovely fish enjoys shopping at thrift stores where she happened to pick up this fabulous hat.

Take a look at Kitty’s website. She does incredible work.http://www.klovell.com/

Flugalfish is 12″ by 13″  and is framed to 18″ by 19″ in a lovely maple frame.

She is for sale for $550 and literally glows. I have a lot more Fabriano paper so I am sizing it so I can make  more paintings for August open studios.

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What are these things?

I Want To Hold Your Hand, 5″ by 7″ on aqua board. $ 95.00

I am having a lot of fun using a new surface for my paintings. I am making works on aqua board and think I will continue doing this as well as make my watercolors on Arches 300 pound watercolor paper.

This is called “Hair Grows” and is an Ink and Watercolor on aqua board. I like making smaller works. This is 6″ by 6″ and is SOLD. Thank you Jane. It will have a wonderful home.Thinking that this creature seems to be really mellow. Working on feeling that way too.

Looking for Lunch, 6″ by 6″ Ink and Watercolor on a 2″ deep cradle board.

Well, I was not as pleased with this one. My daughter likes it though so it will have a good home. I have found an interesting book, The Outsider Artist Resource Handbook and although I am not an outsider artist I am self-taught and a visionary artist. I have some works at a group show right now at Rope Walk Gallery in Mattapoisett, MA and at Imperial Gallery in Providence, RI.  I also have several works at The Artful Heart in Arlington, MA. I would love to hear what you think of these new little guys.

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