Reggie

 Reggie

Oil on canvas, 12x12

101 Dogs project

I'm still way, way behind in my blogging, so expect a few multi-painting blog posts! Hope you enjoy seeing a few paintings at once.

I'm behind because I've been away at shows, and I've had a great time. Thank you, all of you, everyone who came, braving terrible heat, terrible traffic, terrible road construction and terrible rain, to say hi, see my new paintings and even buy some. Thank you!

At the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival, a couple showed up, interested in my paintings. Turns out that he had bought a couple pieces from me a couple years ago, and she had grown to love the paintings, as she'd seen them over the years.

But she had never been to an art show! So they agreed to go to the Mystic show together. They studied the website, looked up my work and the work of other people, and off they went. As they were walking in from parking, she saw the cowscape on the back wall of my tent, from quite a distance. They didn't know it was my tent, but she fell in love with the painting, and bought it!

The delightful interaction reminded me again what a miracle it is that anyone would buy art from a living person. This woman trusts herself enough to know what she likes, with no guarantee that that painting will be worth more, or worth anything, 10 years from now, or 20 years from now. She was willing to spend her hard-earned money on one of my paintings, because she loved it. Her enthusiasm and joy fill me with the same, and help make this journey possible for me - and I think it's vice-versa, as well.

All of you are helping me on this journey, by reading my blog, sharing it, writing to me, coming to the shows, thinking about art, dreaming about your own desires and hopes, and accompanying me on the journey. Thank you!

***

A Few Recent Paintings

Bella

Oil on canvas, 12x12

101 Dogs project

Want to learn more about the 101 Dogs project? Click here! 

For Ed

Oil on metal, 16x20

commission

Tom and Rudy

Oil on canvas, 20x20

commission

***

I'M SURE THAT if you live in Dayton, Ohio, this is old hat, 

but I think that "Needmore Road" is right up there with "Happy Avenue." 

***

Dog of the Day

I met this guy way back in February, in Arizona. He looks fierce as can be, 

but made sure that chair was between him and me. 

***

A Final Thought

"There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people." 

- Vincent Van Gogh

Sunset, Mystic

A Facebook friend, Geneva Renegar, has turned out to be a wonderful photographer. She started not so long ago, well into adulthood, and she often takes and shares truly amazing photographs.

This was one of them, a sunset in Mystic, CT. She didn't use any filters or any digital magic to color the photo - it was what it was!

I asked her if I could make a painting from the photo and she agreed. This painting is sold, I believe - as long as the buyer loves it in person as much as on the web.

It was great fun to make this painting! Mystic is a place I know, so that helped. And I love orange, so that added to my fun, too.

The painting in the inset is one that just sold at the show in Pennsylvania. I made it after the Charlie Hebdo shootings. It's a painting unlike any I've made, and I had trouble finding a spot for it in my booth. But the series of shootings of black men by police, and then the slaying of the Dallas police officers all were happening at the time of the show, and I thought it was the right time to hang it, as a prayer for peace.  I was delighted when it hit home with a couple from Annapolis, and I had the great pleasure of delivering it to them and seeing where it would hang in their home.

***

SOMETIMES I CAMP at shows, and while I'm on a painting trip. This is me camping at the show in Crozet. There was another camping area, but it was concrete, and loaded with campers - I loved waking up here in this field, hearing the birds singing, seeing the dawn inch up over the trees, lighting the big lawn and the big sky. 

I hope to do some camping during my upcoming Big Skies Painting Trip, in late September/early October. I have four sponsors already, and am hoping you're considering sponsoring me! Check out my website for information on how to participate. 

***

Dog of the Day

Our daughter's dog, Benny, is probably six or seven months old now, but he's still a puppy who doesn't quite have control over his legs. Hope this little video plays - and makes you laugh! 

***

A Final Thought

"Anybody can look at a pretty girl and see a pretty girl. An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl that she used to be. But a great artist - a master - and that is what August Rodin was - can look at an old woman, portray her exactly as she is, and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be... and more than that, he can make anyone ... see that this lovely girl is still alive, not old and ugly at all, but simply prisoned inside her ruined body. He can make you feel the quiet, endless tragedy that there was never a girl born who ever grew olden than 18 in her heart, no matter what the merciless hours have done to her."

- Robert Heinlein

Big Sunflowers, Big Shows, Big Head

Big Sunflowers
Oil on canvas, 48x72
sold

 I had a couple really good shows in Connecticut this month - Mystic and SoNo - and returned home with NO big paintings at all.

That's right, all my big paintings sold in those two shows.

What a miracle! Really, truly, any time anyone buys a painting from me - or any living artist - it is truly special.

It's so much easier to buy prints or reproductions. So much cheaper to go to Marshall's and buy some painting made in China, and already framed, and all for $37.

When someone goes out of their way to go to a show, and then allows themselves to fall in love with a painting, and actually buy it - sometimes for big $$ - well, so much has to happen to make that work, it's really somewhat surprising that it ever happens.

When a series of those events takes place in the life of an artist, it's sheer joy and celebration! People bought big paintings, people bought small paintings, people bought merchandise I was trying out - and people came to just look and talk and have fun. And there's joy in that, too.

So I am home, and I am painting like mad for autumn shows and for galleries that need new stuff. It's great to be here, to spend time with my honey, in our hometown, and to have the luxury of weeks on end to create.

Thanks, all of you who came to the Mystic and SoNo shows. Whether you bought anything, or whether you just said hello and looked at the art, your presence helped make my shows successful.

***

MY FRIEND CANDY asked me what my favorite meal is. I was staying with her and she was going to cook. Well, I have lots of favorite meals, but my favorite summertime meal is a tomato salad, corn on the cob and fish. Yum! Candy sliced and diced and cooked a delicious dinner. Doesn't this salad look scrumptious?  

***

Dog of the Day

It's Big Head, the goofy, fun neighbor dog who loves pretty much everyone. 

He really does have a big head

***

A Final Thought

"It is a widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one paints 

as long as it is well painted. This is the essence of academicism. 

There is no such thing as good painting about nothing."

- Mark Rothko

Burton's Bay - and a Great Knife Rack

Burton's Bay

Oil on canvas, 16x16

sold

When Peter and I moved from Connecticut to Wachapreague, one of the places that we fell in love with was this little inlet area on Burton's Bay. We went out there last week, as a hot afternoon lengthened toward evening. The place was quiet, except for the sounds of cicadas and crickets. Fiddler crabs scuttled across the sand and into the reeds. I walked into the water, muddy sand sucking at my sandals. The water was bathtub-warm, shocking for someone who grew up in New England. 

There wasn't time or light to paint in plein air, so I took a lot of photos and painted this in the studio yesterday. I really like this painting, the way the light filters through the tall pines, the amazing electric blue of the sky, the calm reflections. I'll have it with me at the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival this weekend, in Mystic, CT. I'll be at the corner of Willow and Main; stop in if you're in the area!

***

Best Knife Rack Ever! 

 

My friend Heather MacLeod gave me this knife rack, and it makes me smile every time I see it. Isn't it great? Heather has an amazing imagination and more creativity in her little finger than most people have in their entire bodies, me included. See more of her stuff - and wonderful art by her husband Josef Keller, as well - by clicking here. 

***

Dog of the Day 

Another thing that made me fall in love with Wachapreague was a scene I saw like this. Our little town is so small and so quiet that cats can, and do, just hang around outside on the warm afternoons. It was sweltering the day I took this photo, and I can't imagine how hot the trunk of that car was! 

***

A Final Thought

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." 

- Pablo Picasso

Opal Dawn

Oil on canvas, 20x60

At J. Gallery of Fine Art, High Point, NC

I am more tired than I should be, I think, and then I start to look at what I've been doing this summer, and it does make sense, my exhaustion. The show in Montauk pretty much finished me off. It was an OK show, and I met some lovely people, but it was a slow show in terms of sales, and the driving and heat and ferrying just wore me out. 

So I am taking it easy, and am probably going to back out of the show this weekend in Pittsburgh. I think that's OK. It means losing my booth fee, but I have commissions to paint and an exciting new series of paintings to start, and I think it's the right thing to do. 

Of course, I've changed my mind a dozen times so far, and could again. 

***

MANY OF YOU have told me that you really like watching paintings develop, so I shot a series of photos of "Opal Dawn." 

I was painting from a photo that a friend sent me, and I started by gessoing a 20x60 canvas black, and putting in the horizon line. 

My original idea was to leave the tree line and its reflection unpainted - just black - but the painting got messy enough that I had to paint those trees in. 

I did make one major change after this last photo, and that was to paint the water with a vertical stroke. Here, in this photo, I've painted the water with an angled stroke. But it's best when the body of the water is vertical, and the ripples cross those vertical strokes.

***

Dog of the Day

It's little Zoe, crashing out in her little bed. Zoe is... well, we don't know how old she is. She is blind, and smart and very tough. In fact, I think she's the top dog in the house, though Peter disagrees. It was always interesting to watch the two blind dogs, Sam and Zoe, make their way through life. You could move a piece of furniture and Zoe would have the new placement memorized in an instant. Dear old Sam would run into it over and over and over. And over. 

Thank you all for your notes and condolences about Sam. Your kind thoughts truly help. 

Rooster No. 2 - and For Your Eyes Only

Rooster No. 2

Oil on canvas, 10x10, sold

Since Rooster No. 1  sold, I decided I should make another. Erika, our daughter, wanted to try painting, and so we set out to paint together. She did a fantastic job with her rooster! She has frosted lots of cakes, and I believe that helps, when it comes to painting with a palette knife. We had a great time painting together, too. 

Here's Erika, working on her rooster. The finished painting is below. I don't know if it is for sale, but if you find you need it, drop me an email and I will talk to her and see if she wants to sell it. 

*** 

HERE IS A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY for readers of this blog. 

When the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival opens on Saturday at 10 a.m., I am going to have, for the first time, a wall of small paintings, which will be for sale for $100 or less. Before the show opens, I'll take a photo and post it to the blog, and send the blog out right away. 

If you want to buy one or more of the smalls, email me or call or text me at 860-442-0246. Once the show opens, the paintings will be fair game for all, but you, faithful readers, will get first dibs. 

The Mystic festival is in Mystic, CT. It's from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. I'll be at the corner of Willow and Main, by the pet store, and across the street from the post office. 

***

THANK YOU, everyone, for your kind condolences on Sam's passing. It was a tough stretch, as he went downhill, and we found ourselves in that terrible place that dog (and cat) people know only too well. 

Your kindness and condolences, your sharing of your own stories and experiences, have helped me, and Peter, enormously. And the Facebook folks who responded also helped Erika, who was Sam's original human. 

***

Dog of the Day

That's right, it's Jojo the Wonder Dog. She might not know that Sam is gone, but she knew right away that Peter and I were upset, and she spent the days between Sam's death and my leaving for Connecticut going from one of us to the other, trying as hard as she could to comfort and to cheer us. She's getting gray in the face, and long in the tooth, but who isn't. 

Our Pink Town - and Farewell to a Dear Friend

Pink Driveway

oil on canvas, 10x10, sold

Down here in the South, there's a kind of tree called crape myrtle, which, according to my friend Pat, blooms for 100 days, starting in July. There are white crape myrtles, and lilac-colored ones, but most of them bloom in various shades of pink, and they are everywhere. They color the sky when you look up, and their petals gather on patios, and the edges of the roads, and in driveways, turning the ground pink. They are amazing, and I love them. 

***

THE MYSTIC OUTDOOR ART Festival is this weekend, in Mystic, CT. It's a big show, and a good one, and it is a madhouse, too, so be prepared if you go. I will be at the corner of Willow and Main, on the eastern side of the river, right across from the post office. I'll have lots of exciting new work, and I hope to see you there. 

***

We brought Sam to the vet Monday evening, hoping to find something that would help him feel better. The vet pretty much told us that there was nothing to do, that Sam was at the end of his life, and the kindest thing to do would be to euthanize him. 

We knew she was right. So we gave him a bunch of treats, and got down on the floor with him, and hugged him and loved him and let him go. 

He was a great dog, a big, loving, dear lummox of a dog, and he enriched our lives for years and years and years. I miss him so much this morning, it hurts. But I'd not have traded a minute of our time together. Dear Sam. 

Rooster No. 1 - and Thoughts on Showing Paintings

Rooster No. 1

sold

A friend who reads the blog suggested that perhaps I'd enjoy painting roosters. So I gave it a shot - and I have to say, this was an incredibly FUN painting to make. I had a blast! And I love the painting, too.  I'm going to try more roosters - including really big ones and really small ones. 

***

SPEAKING OF SMALL,  I'm planning something new for the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival, Aug. 9-10 (next weekend!) in Mystic, CT. If I can get my tent set up right - which is always a challenge - I'm going to put up a "smalls wall," a whole panel of paintings that are $100 or less. So stop by and check it out and let me know what you think. I'll be at the corner of Willow and Main, across the street from the post office, and right by the bagel place. 

***

I GET A FEW email newsletters in my inbox every day. They bring me news and ideas and inspiration, and I think that's important, especially when you live in a teeny town on an isolated, rural peninsula. 

One that I received this week suggested that posting all my paintings on my blog and/or Facebook, and in particular, posting paintings that are in varying stages of doneness, was not a great idea. In fact, this writer said, it was a bad idea, and would "weaken (my) brand." 

Ooooh, I thought, on first reading. He's special, important, powerful, has a newsletter - and so he must be right! I'm doing it all wrong! 

And then I began to disagree with that initial assessment. Just because this guy said it, it doesn't mean he's right. I show and sell nearly all of my paintings. I'm not posting weak, bad paintings, because I'm not making weak, bad paintings. 

More to the point, I think, you all are interested in the process. Many of you have been with me from the start, and have watched and participated, bought my paintings, supported me financially and spiritually and emotionally from the start. Many of you were here when I left newspapers originally and took my first painting trip - to Wisdom, Montana - and you stayed through that first year, through my time at Patch, and through the final wrench from corporate work to self-employment liberation. 

So I'm going to keep posting pretty much everything I paint. I'm going to keep showing paintings on the easel, paintings in progress, paintings that I'm contemplating finishing in a different way. And I'm going to keep appreciating all of you readers and buyers, all your support and encouragement. I couldn't do this without you. 

***

Dog of the Day

It's Daisy, cousin to Heather MacLeod's dog Gypsy.

 I love the look in this girl's face! 

Fried Clams! ...And How Hubris Nearly Got Me Arrested

Fried Clams! 

Oil on canvas, 10x10

sold

If you've lived in southeastern Connecticut, you know about the clam shacks that open every summer. 

They're not healthy, they're (for the most part) not cheap - but Who Cares? They offer delicious summertime treats, the stuff you used to love as a kid and, face it, you still love - foot-long cheese dogs, chili fries, fried clams and scallop dinners. 

This painting is of the Sea Swirl, Mystic's clam shack (try the chili dogs!).

Below is a scallop dinner I got recently at Fred's, in New London - Famous since 1972! Can you believe Fred's has a website? Click here to check it out. 

***

I PROMISED MYSELF at the outset that I would keep this blog honest and true, no matter what. So... at the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival, I've always been at the corner of Willow and Main. Also at the corner is a business, and right beside that, heading down the street, is a house whose owners hate the art show. 

They put tripods of sticks in their driveway, then run No Tresspassing yellow crime tape around their lot and driveway, and they somehow have convinced the police to put temporary No Parking signs along the parking spaces beside an empty field that's just across their driveway and, for all I know, belongs to them. 

On Saturday, I parked legally behind all of this stuff. But three cars parked illegally by the empty field, and someone took down the signs. 

On Sunday, I decided to do the same. Well, the people were watching, and they called the cops on me. The officer who accosted me was not pleasant at all. I apologized (not having the nerve to say - What do you mean? I did no such thing) - and moved my van, and gave him back his sign. He promised to get the show organizers to ban me from the show next year. 

It was an altogether unpleasant interlude. And it was all my fault. I was mad at how nasty those homeowners are, year after year. But mostly, I felt entitled. Other people had parked there, so I should be able to park there. 

But as my mother always told me, two wrongs don't make a right. So, I am chagrined and embarrassed. I don't usually do stuff like this... but this whole incident made me remember why. 

***

WELL, IN MY ONGOING journey of discovery, I had one of my minimalist paintings framed. 

What do you think? I'm honestly not crazy about it - but I'm not crazy about frames in general. I'd love to hear your responses... 

***

SO... IS THIS a street sign, or a directive to the artists?

 ***

Dog of the Day

Gotta love those ears! 

Joy for Weary Hours

Joy for Weary Hours

Oil on canvas, 12x24

Please contact me for price and delivery/shipping information! 

Though we didn't have a garden this year - a first in recent memory - the joys of the summer garden haven't passed me by.

I've savored strawberries still warm from the sun, and sweet, thin-skinned cucumbers from my friend Pat's garden.

I've served up squash and asparagus from Dulcie's garden, so fresh you could nearly taste the breeze in them.

I've breathed the rich spice of roses, the heavy weight of gardenias, the soft powdery scent of camellias. I've smiled at the swaths of black-eyed susans that seem to be everywhere this year, and marveled at the showy frills of irises and lilies.

I've missed having my own gardens. But there's always next year.

The title of this painting - my own little substitute garden - is the final stanza of a verrryyy long poem,  "The Poor Man's Garden,"  by Mary Howitt:

Yes, in the poor man’s garden grow

  Far more than herbs and flowers—

Kind thoughts, contentment, peace of mind,

  And joy for weary hours.

Coming soon to a painting near you! 

***

This Weekend! 

Mystic Outdoor Art Festival! 

Corner of Willow and Main, across from the post office, on the Seaport side of Mystic. 

See you there? 

***

Dog of the Day

This is a pretty funny photo to start with, but it's even funnier when you know the story. 

Zack, who is a GREAT dog, lives with my friends Cynthia and Kevin and their other wonderful dog George (click here and here for more photos). 

Zack has degenerative myopathy. His hind legs pretty much don't work. He can walk, a gliding, sort of slouching walk on flat ground, but needs help with steps and uneven territory. He is not in pain, and he is a very happy dog, but he has serious trouble getting around. 

Still, STILL, he managed to make it into his favorite hiding/shame place, the bathtub, when he, uh, let loose on the floor. Poor, dear Zack... 

***

Extra! Extra! 

Click here to see a ridiculous and hysterically funny video!  Do it! You will laugh yourself silly! 

Mystic River Racers

Mystic River Racers

Oil on canvas, 18x18

Please contact me for price and delivery options

At a recent show, I found myself next to a very crabby artist who made large watercolor paintings (probably 24x30) on paper. She hung them, unframed and unmounted, on the rafters of her tent, and also had them in a box on a table. They were very tight watercolors of flowers on draped fabric. Many of the arrangement were in front of mirrors, so they were reflected and doubled.

She was asking $1,000 each.

The first day of the show, no one bought anything, and fewer than a dozen people went into her tent.

But then, much to my amazement and the collective amazement of everyone near her, she won Best in Show. This brought her a check and a big blue ribbon, which, of course, she hung prominently in her tent. Not only did people go into her tent in droves for the entire day, but she also sold a bunch of her paintings.

All of you, who have bought paintings from me, and who have been interested in and supportive of my art, and of the art of other living artists working hard to make a living, you all should be very proud of yourselves.

You've not needed to see a blue ribbon to know that you like my work. You've not needed the vote of some expert. You have only needed to know your heart and trust your own eyes.

***

THE MYSTIC OUTDOOR ART FESTIVAL takes place Saturday and Sunday in downtown Mystic, CT. I made this painting in honor of the festival, and it's one of the pieces that's helping me get over my fear of painting boats!

If you come, be prepared to park a ways away and walk. It is supposed to be a gorgeous weekend, though, so the walk should not be too bad. If you park on the east side of town (the Mystic Seaport side), you'll walk right by me on the way to the drawbridge. I'll be at the corner of Willow and Main, across the street from the post office, and close to the World of Bagels, or whatever it's called.

The show is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

****

Some cool pix

 Here's a bear I saw outside of Woodstock, NY! 

 Look, isn't this bizarre? The mountains in "Vermont Afternoon" and "Pulaski Farm" run into each other as though I'd painted them together. I have never hung them side by side, so I never noticed this! 

OK, across from me at SoNoArts was this free-refill soda place. On Sunday, I noticed the bladder-problem billboard behind it!!! Happily for all, the port-a-potties were just to the right of all this. 

***

Dog of the Day

It's Jilly, waiting for her mama to come home.

The Far Illusive Dream - and Mystic!

The Far Illusive Dream

oil on canvas, 10x10

sold

I stood on the bank of the Lieutenant River in Old Lyme, CT, and painted, celebrating this day, this summer, this life. 

The sun was hot, the shadows cool, the river shiny and rich. Thin clouds skimmed the August-blue sky, and the trees bent and blew in the mid-afternoon wind. On the other bank, kids and parents fished. Two kayaks slipped through the water, heading upstream. I could hear laughter, occasionally, from people having a late lunch at a restaurant a few steps away. 

It is so easy to get sucked into the day by day. So easy to focus on the shows, on the sales or lack thereof, on the applications and jury fees and whether I got in or not. It is so easy to be transported by this - the familiar, the known - and to forget about the leap I'm taking and the amazing success I am having. 

Just before that leap, I worked for Patch.com, a network of online news and information sites. It was a good job, but too much of a good job. I could not do Patch and paint, and so, with my husband's urging and support, I quit Patch and jumped.  

As I paint, and show, and paint some more, as I find increasing success and continuing inspiration, it becomes easier and easier to forget the terror, the constant thrum of fear, the nearly paralyzing terror I was feeling just about a year ago. 

So please, remember me when someone tells you that you can't possibly be successful at something that, in your heart, you know you can do and do well. My success so far has not been easy, or steady or grand. But it has been thrilling, and fulfilling, and rich with new people, new friendships, new experiences. 

I named today's painting for a poem that captures some of my feelings. It's by John Townsend Trowbridge, and is from "Twoscore and Ten," which is a verrry long poem that you can read by clicking here. Otherwise, here's an excerpt: 

Riches I never sought and have not found

 And Fame has passed me with averted eye 

In creeks and bays my quiet voyage is bound 

While the great world without goes surging by 

No withering envy of another's lot 

Nor nightmare of contention plagues my rest 

For me alike what is and what is not 

Both what I have and what I lack are best 

A flower more sacred than far seen success 

Perfumes my solitary path

 I find Sweet compensation in my humbleness 

And reap the harvest of a tranquil mind 

 I keep some portion of my early gleam;

  Brokenly bright, like moonbeams on a river,

It lights my life, a far illusive dream,

  Moves as I move, and leads me on forever.

My painting in the landscape

***

OK, all that poetical stuff aside, the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival takes place This Weekend in Mystic, CT. I will be at the corner of Willow and Main - with this painting, and other new pieces, as well as some that I have shown before. 

Please come! And please tell your friends about the show and about my paintings. Your purchases and your friends' purchases are helping me make this a success - as is your ongoing spiritual and moral support! 

***

Dog of the Day! 

This goofy puppy was at the SoNo Festival this weekend. What a clumsy love he was.