Off to a good start-the world of the Still Life

     I decided working on still life paintings would be a good way to explore composition and color harmonies, as well as technique in beginning, modifying and completing a painting in a limited amount of time. I think working this way helps with plein aire painting quite a bit. I am able to speed up my painting which is so necessary when working outdoors. I have been going to Dianne Panarelli Miller for classes and  have learned so much from her. She is an amazing teacher. Having taught art myself for 36 years, I am pretty picky about teachers. She is a fabulous Boston School artist who really knows her stuff and how to impart that knowledge to her students. There are lots of good painters, but really exceptional teachers are so hard to find.
 Here is my first still life attempt. I use it as a baseline for where I began. I think my silver pitcher works well. The reflections were really fun to paint and since water is one of my favorite subjects, it was a natural. I received an Honorable Mention  ribbon on this painting in the annual Norwood Art Association show, Art in The Park in 2011. That helped spur me on to do more. Feedback motivates me- good or bad. Viewing art as communicating means it either works or it doesn't. If it isn't working then more needs to be done. If it is-leave it alone and move on.

Judged worthy!

11x14 oil Dynamic Trio

9x12 gallery wrap "Evening Solitude" 

I was encouraged by Dianne Panarelli Miller to enter a show at the Hull Lifesaving Museum. We didn't discuss it at great length and I figured she suggested it because it was a good place to sell and gain exposure in a new market. Dianne never steers me wrong. I entered these paintings because I felt they portrayed two very different feelings about the ocean. One experience was  very calming and peaceful, while the other was a mesmerizing one as I watched the power of the waves rolling in and listened to the furious sounds of the surf. I found out after submitting them that it was a juried show. There had been no mention of judging on their website and I was thinking I probably would have chosen differently. Both pieces were accepted much to my delight. I thought about the gentleman who purchased a painting from me last month. He told me that he was in love with my purples. Maybe this judge was too. Or maybe she liked the feelings I was trying to evoke. Some judges actually post a little blurb about why they choose a piece. I hope that is the case in this show. The show "Sea and Sky" opens next Friday evening and I guess I'll find out then.

Lasting Impressions

Sometimes we do something for someone that touches their hearts. This painting for my friend was one of those things. I presented it to her at a restaurant that was a meeting point half way between our respective homes. When she saw it she started to cry and the others in the restaurant started clapping. It was a special moment. When she got home she posted the following on Facebook:

Today my incredibly talented great & dear friend honored me with the gift of this painting she did. It is of my Mom sitting on a boat down at Aucoot Cove holding her beloved Robbie. We will treasure this forever Ellen ..Love you! Thank you!.. 

Many people had wonderful comments that followed her post.

Painting always makes me feel good. Seeing someone love their painting so much is like icing on the cake!

Bird Park, Walpole-a favorite place to paint

Welcome to Bird park-16X20 oil-
selected for Zullo Gallery Juried Exhibition

Up, up and away 16 x 20 oil

Splash of sun 6X12 oil

Winter's Glory 8x16 oil

Theater in the Park 8x10  oil  

Walk down Memory Lane 11x14 oil

Stroll in the Park 12x16 oil

Memorial Gate-16x20 oil-

These paintings are inspired by one of my favorite places-Bird Park in Walpole, MA. Many happy memories remain of the park from my visits with my grandparents back in the 1950's. Today the park remains much the same with the exception of the former swimming pond which is now taken over by geese and weeds. Concrete benches are being slowly replaced by modern ones, but the spirit of the park remains the same. Painting en plein air is perfect here. There is a feeling that permeates the park that is inviting, yet provides a kind of solitude. Gates and bridges are unique, people dot the landscape -often with their dogs,  wildlife abounds and the rolling hills and open fields are dotted with trees and structures thoughtfully integrated into the landscape. Every bridge in the park is different in design and one of my goals is to eventually paint all of them.

vacationing at Fenwick Island,MD,  2006,  I work on the view from our back deck ...

Where to begin?

Looking for a teacher is like going to a wine tasting....I ask around, then look at the artists' work and then choose something that fits. I decided to try out a pleine aire week-long class at Sanctuary Arts in Elliott, Maine. My passion for the ocean and being outdoors figured into the decision. It was a great week and I recommend Sancuary Arts if  you want a worthy experience. This painting I finished just as the sky opened up and we all broke down our easels and ran to the cars. The majority of the week we spent inside painting due to the deluge outside. Still it was OK-I was painting.

Time for something new!

After 36 years teaching art in the public schools, I finally get to retire.  My longtime desire to work in oils is promoted by my son Ben when he gives me a gift of paints, brushes, canvases and a first lesson with none other than Robert Douglas Hunter.   Bob told me to go out and paint a picture and then come over to his hoouse/studio and we'd talk. So that is what I did and this is what I painted. I'd worked with watercolors and pastel, but hadn't the slightest idea how to paint with oils...feeling a little foolish I trotted myself to the Hunter's and although I'd done almost nothing right, Bob critiques and encourages me my love affair with oils begins....