Watercolors by Susan Medyn

September 21, 2013 · 6:32 pm

Hurricane of 1938

So today passed quietly, not so on September 21st, 1938 when what is now known at The Great New England Hurricane came barreling across Long Island also devastating Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Estimates are that between 682 and 800 people lost their lives in this Category 5 hurricane that turned into a category 3 by the time it hit landfall but kept sending gusts in the category 5 range. Providence was flooded with 13 feet of water in a flash. A 20 to 25 foot wall of water raced up the Sakonnet River laying bare Island Park in Portsmouth.

Fitting that as an artist I found some photos in an antique shop that had been taken with an old Kodak Box camera including this one with a Painting sign left hanging. This image is from the Port of Providence as researched by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. I lent these photos to NOAA for research and historical purposes and they are now in the public record. You can see more images of the impact on Rhode Island on my hurricane page of this website.

As global warming continues the pot will boil more furiously and greater variations in weather patterns are our shameful our future.

3 Comments

Filed under HURRICANE

Tagged as Great New england Hurricane, Hurricane of '38, Hurricane of 1938, Providence Port decimated by hurricane., Providence Rhode Island

September 16, 2013 · 6:24 am

Venus Ascending

Here I am again playing with cats and adding a bull like creature from the Egyptian Orientalizing period.

Good Karma happening here!

To purchase this 7″ by 5″ Ink and Watercolor on Aqua Board, varnished and framed in a shadow box frame, click below.

7 Comments

Filed under Art, New Work

Tagged as bird, Egyptian orientalizing, Fantastical Creatures, Imaginary Art, Ink and Watercolor Painting, jungle painting on aqua board, poppies painting, primitive style, Stylized Art, Susan Medyn, Venus Ascending Painting, Visionary Art, Whimsical Art

September 14, 2013 · 6:14 am

Cuttyhunk Life

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.

Hilltop

Cuttyhunk Church

Island View….Golf Carts only on the paths!

Nashawena Island with an official population of 2.

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. 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

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.

Making party attire.

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

The Joy of women together.

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

Dottie and Curtice

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

Part of a painting!

Loved making some small paintings.

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

Going Home.

And 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.

15 Comments

Filed under Art, Artist Retreat

Tagged as Artists retreat, Avalon Inn on Cuttyhunk Island, Cuttyhunk Island, Elizabeth Islands, ink and watercolor paintings, jungle painting, Painting My Way Through, painting on aqua board, pig on aqua board, Susan Medyn's watercolor's, View of Gay Head, View of Martha's Vineyard

September 13, 2013 · 3:09 pm

Flaubert’s Stroll

Flaubert has rejoined me and is so adorable. Gustave of course will be coming.

I love the patterns in this painting.

Stay tuned as I will be posting about my Cuttyhunk Journey this weekend.

Flaubert is a 7″ by 5″ Ink and Watercolor on Aqua Board and is for sale for $225 framed in a shadow box frame.

8 Comments

Filed under New Work

Tagged as after the style of Henri Rousseau, elephant painting, Fantastical Creatures, Imaginary Art, Ink and Watercolor Painting, jungle painting on aqua board, primitive style, Stylized Art, Susan Medyn, whimsical art. naive art

September 1, 2013 · 4:43 am

Cat Scratching

Can you tell that there are 2 cats scratching creatures. A twist on the usual cat getting scratched by their owner. Our cats love petting. In fact Arthur is now wearing a pheromone collar to remind him of his mom. Amazing all the things a vet might recommend. It is supposed to help Arthur feel more secure. Time will tell.

I am gallery sitting at the Art Stable Gallery Westport today. Stop in and see new work by several of the ASG artists. I have added several new paintings and will be working on a new one while I am there.

This painting is 7″ by 5″ Ink and Watercolor on Aqua Board. It is varnished and framed in a shadow box frame.

5 Comments

Filed under Art, New Work

Tagged as Art Stable Gallery Westport, bird, cat painting, cat painting on aqua board, Fantastical Creatures, Imaginary Art, Luminescent paints, painting with gold background, poppies painting, primitive style, Stylized Art, Susan Medyn, Susan Medyn aqua board, Whimsical Art

August 30, 2013 · 5:16 am

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!

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!

3 Comments

Filed under Art, New Work

Tagged as 3 cats and an oreo painting, cat painting, Fantastical Creatures, fat cat painting, Fat cats, ink and watercolor of cats, ink and watercolor paintings, mint oreo painting, Playful Artwork, primitive style, Stylized Art, Whimsical Art

August 28, 2013 · 5:44 am

Snake Charmer

When it comes to imaginary creatures I seem to have no lack of new ones that pop into my head and make it to the paper. I wanted to paint a wild creature who just by looking at her you knew she could tame snakes. Well I think I accomplished that. Possibly even could scare them away.

The flower on the upper right comes from a drawing I made of flowers on a sugar bowl that was on our outdoor table at the Hotel Opera where we spent our last night in Munich. When we went out to dinner we decided to eat nearby and found some lovely outdoor restaurants. Only 2 cars went by during the 2 plus hours we sat and dined…and one of them was a cab. Heaven!

It was wonderful to be in a city where public transportation and clean air is so valued.

This is a 7″ by 5″ Ink and Watercolor framed in a black frame and ready to hang. Bitsy tells me that this one still needs to be at the special Cart(Cat+ art) price of $150 so I am not arguing with her. I already have sympathy knee pain and found out from the orthopedist that I need a new knee. OY! I am hoping to put it off a bit as I have lots on my agenda for the next few months.

And I am going on an Artists Retreat to Cuttyhunk Island in September! Wonderful! This was a very special gift and I will share more next post.

7 Comments

Filed under Art, Studio

Tagged as Aqua Board, bird, Fantastical Creatures, golden snake, Imaginary Art, imaginary landscapes, Ink and Watercolor Painting, jungle painting on aqua board, Naive Art, poppies painting, Snake charmer, Snakes in Art, Stylized Art, Susan Medyn, Visionary Art, Whimsical Art

August 26, 2013 · 5:09 am

Apparition and Special Visitors

This lime green man is wondering if he is the Apparition or the if the creature from a greek vase is. This was so much fun to paint. I love using strong colors and was able to complement those wild pink flowers and glowing poppies with a dramatic blue background. The tree on the right is gold paint and glows. The colors in the image below are a tad lighter than the actual picture but close.

This painting is 7″ by 5″ and ready to hang. It is framed in a black and wood frame. You can get a better idea of it from the picture below. It is one of my favorites. It is for sale for $195.

The wonderful thing about blogging is you meet so many fabulous artists either virtually or on the rare occasion in person. My most recent open studios started with a delightful surprise. Fellow artist and blogger, Fay Terry stopped in to visit on her way to a workshop in Maine. She is a wonderfully talented woman and totally delightful. I am so thrilled she stopped by and hope that in my travels to North Carolina to visit my sister that I have a chance to meet her and visit her studio.

And I am thrilled to report Bitsy is prancing and dancing when we let her out of her cage. She still is not allowed to jump so I have her on a leash and harness. She is not so keen on that. But she loves sitting on the bed and getting petted! And only 5 more days to sign up for my blog to be entered in a drawing to win a gicleé. It has been a quiet month so the odds are really good this time around. More exciting news next post…

3 Comments

Filed under Art, New Work, Studio

Tagged as after the style of Henri Rousseau, Apparition painting, Daily painting, Fantastical Creatures, Fay Terry, Greek Oriental Period, green man painting, imaginary landscapes, ink and watercolor on Aqua board, jungle painting, jungle painting on aqua board, lizard painting, Naive Art, primitive style, Stylized Art, Susan Medyn, Whimsical Art

August 8, 2013 · 5:34 am

Egyptian Jungle and Bitsy Update.

I have always loved looking at Greek objects especially those that have creatures in the Egyptian Orientalizing style. We were fortunate to see many at the Antikensammlung Museum in Munich, Germany. I only had time to make a few sketch’s as we had so much to see. I was able to incorporate some of my drawings into this 12″ by 9″ Ink and watercolor on Aqua Board. The owl is listening in. Maybe he will get to hear about our trip. I promise I will get to that in a future blog post. This painting has sold.

I am happy to report that Bitsy is feeling better. She is moving around more and needs such careful watching. Keeping her from jumping onto furniture is quite the challenge.

Thank you everyone who has participated in my cart sale. It was a tremendous success. I have mailed out all the paintings and cards and have heard that some people have already received them. I just need to arrange delivery of 2 paintings. I cannot tell you how thankful I am by the outpouring of love for Bitsy and our plight. As I type she is resting her paw on my hand.

I still have a few more paintings at special Cat + Art sale prices that I will be posting soon. Joanne Grant will also be doing a special cart blog post on Monday August 12th so hop over to her site and take a peak. Her pastels are not to be missed. And of course open studios is coming up August 17th and 18th. The South Coast is absolutely gorgeous this time of year and the ocean swimming is great.

8 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as bird, cat in jungle, Egyptian orientalizing, Fantastical Creatures, Greek Oriental Period, Greek vase images, Henri Rousseau type painting, Naive Art, owl painting, painting on aqua board, poppies painting, primitive style, Stylized Art, Susan Medyn, using aqua board, Visionary Art

July 28, 2013 · 5:43 am

Bitsy Update and Gratitude

Bitsy is a little better! I am happy to report that Bitsy no longer has a fever. She walked around a little today on her own! She is not really eating much, and I have to give her water with an eye dropper. She is still sneezing, but she is a trouper taking her medicine. She goes to the vet Monday and the orthopedic surgeon Wednesday. She is an incredibly good traveler, being used to the car trip between Arlington, MA and Rhode Island so that part is easy. She normally doesn’t like being put in a carrier, but she hasn’t had the spunk to protest.

I am overwhelmed by the response to my cat+art sale blog post for Bitsy. I am thrilled that 7 paintings are going to new homes to help pay Bitsy’s vet bills, and that so many of you called, texted, shared my post (all the way across the Atlantic too), and emailed to check on how Bitsy is. Thank you everyone who bought cards from the card page of my blog as well. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends, collectors, and animal lovers.

Bitsy imitates art! (That’s me in the mirror).