Copper Paintings by Renee Lammers

"Morning Walk" 4x4 oil on copper.  This painting has been spoken for by Sandra in Texas!  Thanks Sandra for being a night owl like I am sometimes.  I know it isn't December 2.  I wanted to get a head start on my project.  I may not post for a day or so.  Or I might!  This sure is fun.  Email newsletters can be fun and exciting to open!  I am hoping to inspire the gift of art!



"Snowy Spruce" 4x4 oil on copper.  250$ Framed in gold wood and shipped.  I just love a little warmth in a snow scene.  I saw this scene in Acadia National Park at the edge of Ship's Harbor last Winter. 

    If you are uncertain how to win a free painting?  Here are the directions again.  At the bottom of this blog is a heading called:  Join Email List.  Click on this to join.  I will send out a newsletter to your email address containing a painting image.  When you see this new newletter with another painting image, mail me an email to:  Theartistrenee@aol.com .  Include in this email your name and address.  When you see a new blog with the same painting image, you know the painting has been spoken for. 



   Here is a photo of Duke and Daisy playing tug of war the first Winter in Maine in the campground where we lived in a Airstream.  They had never seen snow before.  They loved this!



     Here is our Airstream.  This is where we lived in Bass Harbor Campground in Mount Desert Island, Maine.  We lived in the Airstream for over two years.  So how is it living in a Airstream in the middle of a Maine Winter?  Dark and cold.  Picture yourself inside of a coke cola can that is located inside of a freezer.   There is a visual!  All around you is Aluminum curved! No wonder I started to paint on copper metal panels!

   The Airstream did have a gas furnace.  The windows are not glass but rather plexiglass.  The average temperature inside of the Airstream was 50 degrees.  Sometimes we were able to heat the Airstream to 70 degrees if the door was kept close for hours.  The scarey part was the 50 mph winds at night knocking down 100 ft Spruce trees.  There was one giant Spruce right by our site I watched.  This Spruce never fell. 

    It was all very exciting and adventurous.  Would I do it all over again?  I sure would!  We love it here in Maine. 

   Have a great night!  Get out and paint!

"Morning Glow" 4x4 oil on copper.  Was given away free to Mindy from Orlando, Florida!  Thanks for playing Mindy!  Good Luck to all others for tomorrow's free painting. 

  "The Night Before Christmas" 2.5x3.5 oil on copper.  Framed in gold and shipped.  150$. 

  "Star Light" 2.5x 3.5 oil on copper.  150$ framed in gold and shipped.

    Here are two miniature snow scenes for you to see!  Have a great night!  Get out and paint!

  My favorite photo of Duke when he was five!  So beautiful.

"Early Morning Light" 6x6 oil on copper.  Sold.

    Starting on December 1, 2011,  I will be posting a painting each day for 25 days before Christmas! 

     Each painting will be given away free to the first person who emails me after the painting is posted.  Once a person has claimed their free painting, I will post on the blog the painting has beeen claimed. 

     The email to claim the painting is: Theartistrenee@aol.com .  When you email me, please give me your name and address.  I will send you your free painting when it is dry!  Or if you would rather, you can come by and pick up your painting.  The shipping will be free if inside the USA.  I will ship overseas if the shipping is paid for by the recipent!  

      Please subscribe to the newsletter by joining the email list.   You will find the link  at the bottom of this page.  It will say, "Join Email List".  Under that will see:  "Subscribe to RSS Feed".  You might want to do this also.   The day's free painting image will be sent via the newsletter to your email address.  These free paintings will be either a watercolor or an oil painting on copper.  I hope you enjoy this!  Subscribing to the newsletter will ensure you have a good chance at receiving a free painting!  You might forget to look at the blog each day. 

     I am really excited about giving back to my blog readers.  I hope we all have a wonderful Christmas season!

     Thank you!  Get out and paint!

    Yesterday I took Daisy and Duke for a car ride!  They always enjoy this.  We drove to Ellsworth to pick up their dry dog food.  It was great spending the day with them!



Duke and Daisy really enjoyed this.  Then we walk a little at a reserve near by.



   We were walking along this road in the reserve.  There was a sign announcing orange blaze color should be worn because it is hunting season.  I had not remembered this!  So we walked quickly back to the car.  I am very thankful of the sign!



   Here is my backyard view.  The body of water is the Penobscot East Channel with Verona Island in the distance.  

      Before I left Florida, I took a nice photo of Coco, the young Yorkshire terrier I nicknamed "The Rooster".  She was the one who woke up at 5:30 am each morning!  She sure is cute. 

     Have a great day!  Get out and paint.  Wear orange if you do!  It is hunting season. 

    I am home here in Maine!  Daisy and Duke were so excited to see me!  Robert pulled up to the airport in Bangor with the big cargo van.  I opened the side door to see Daisy and Duke in disbelief!  They each sniffed me and gave me kisses.  One would lick my hair and the other would jump up to give me another kiss!  It was a wonderful greeting.  They clearly missed me very much!  I woke up to more tail wagging.  I think they had forgotten I was home for a moment! 

   I drove to Castine.  I couldn't paint because I need to cut more copper panels.  I did take a few photos.  This farm in the photo was so beautiful!  It is on Route 166.  The farm is called Timberwyck.  I really would like to paint this farm.  There was a giant turkey walking around!  There are several chickens too.  The red color of the barn is so wonderful!





I wish you could have seen the true colors.  It was really pretty.



The road in Castine ends at Smith Cove.  The mountains glowed a wonderful blue! 



A beautiful marsh with snow!



The British Canal in Castine!  I painted this scene not long ago.  It looks nice with a little snow!



Dyce's head! 

    I hope to paint tomorrow!  Let's hope for just a little sun!  Have a great night.  Good to be back!  Get out and paint1

"Grandma Moses" was an amazing painter.  I have always admired her work.  She lived to be 101 years old.  She painted from memory.  I found an interesting blog you might like to look at.  Here is a blog post about Grandma Moses.

http://artseverydayliving.com/blog/2011/09/grandma-moses/  

You might find her life inspirational.  I did.  Here are a few of her paintings.



This painting shows her memory of how they caught the turkey.  "Catching The Turkey" by Grandma Moses.

  "Sugaring Off" by Grandma Moses.



"The Deep Snow" by Grandma Moses.

  Grandma Moses.

     I am flying home to Maine today!  I had a wonderful time here in Florida.  I really miss Robert, Daisy, and Duke!  Have a great day.  I will post photos of Maine with snow tomorrow!  Get out and paint!

 

"Suzanne Reading and Blanche Painting by the Marsh at Giverny" by Monet.  

    Whenever I am in doubt as to how to paint something, I look at how the old masters tackled the same subject.

  Here is a close up of Monet's marsh grass from the painting, "Suzanne Reading and Blanche Painting by the Marsh at Giverny".



Here is Monet's painting, "Papein im Sonnenlicht".



This painting, by Monet, is called "Wheatstacks" (end of Summer)

  Here is a close up of Monet's "Wheatstacks".



  Martin Johnson Heade's painting, "Sunlight and Shadows".  I love how this guy painted the marsh.  There is not a single blade of grass that is shows up.  It all exists as a whole. 

  Here is a cropped view of Heade's marsh paintings.

  Here is another cropped view of Heade's marsh. 

  Here is a primitive painter's idea of painting marsh.  Each blade of grass is visible.  There is no attempt to paint the sunlight on the marsh.  The painter is busily painting each blade of grass without regard of the marsh as a whole being.  I see most painters painting marsh like this. Also there are a lot of stripes.  Stripes should be avoided!  When ever I start painting stripes, I stop, and look for the sunlight and shadows instead.

     I am not sure if my marsh grass is much better.  I try not to paint individual blades of grass.  I  try to paint sunlight on the marsh.  Another words, I squint my eyes to see where the sunlight is hitting on the grass.  I try to paint where sunlight is hitting many blades of grass at one time.   I try to paint the water showing through the grass.  This might be called negative painting because instead of painting a blade of grass, I am painting objects around the grass.  I might paint large areas of marsh grass in shadow.  I will paint the entire area in one or more strokes, not blades grass. 

    What I have learned today from looking at these wonderful old master paintings from Monet and Heade, is to paint the whole marsh grass area as if it is one entity.  Paint areas where the sunlight shines on this marsh.  Paint areas where the marsh is in shade.  Make sure the marsh grass is not distracting.  Make sure one blade of grass doesn't attract your eye.  Don't piece meal the marsh.  Make sure the brush work of the marsh is the same as the sky, trees, haystack. 

    I hope this helped you learn to paint marsh!  I think it has helped me.  I hope I never ever paint a blade of grass in a marsh again!

"View Of The Rio Grande" 8x10 oil on copper.  Framed in Black satin wood lined with gold.  Commission.

    I was very excited to start working on this project yesterday.  My client looked at the drawings yesterday.  They liked design #1. 



    Once the drawing was decided, I drank a lot of coffee, and set up my easel in my room here at my parent's house.  I put down newspaper on the table. I turned on all of the lights and opened the drapes.  The more sunlight the better!  I worked all day long until late in the evening.  I came out of my room with most of the painting finished.  Dad and Mom had already had dinner.  They were eager to see the painting.



   Here is the unfinished painting.  My Mom decided she thought it was finished.  I thought it was good.  But I wanted to work more on the painting today!  So I woke up at the crack of dawn thanks to the Yorkie puppy named Coco.  She sure does love to rise like a rooster!  She has such enthusiasm in the morning.  I drank my coffee.  Decided it was time to work! 



Here is the photo I was working from.  It is much more gray than my painting.  Maybe a little too gray.  I was really worried about the foreground.  Tall grass can looked very striped if a painter is not careful.  I avoided stripes by painting shapes. I painted negative shapes and the sunlight.  I also kept the grass a little darker.  Here is my finished work again for you to see.



"View of The Rio Grande" finished.  Now I will call my client to let her know this is available for her and her husband to look at on this blog! After two or three days the painting will be dry enough to be framed.  Then I will meet my client to deliver their new painting.  I may have to fix a few things.  I think it looks nice!  We will see! 

   My Client called me back to let me know Daisy and Duke will be having another Frosty Paws Ice cream treat!  She said she couldn't take her eyes off the water!  She can't wait to have the painting.  What a relief!  This part of the commission can be nerve racking.  I just have faith in myself.  I know I couldn't have done any better.  So now I will give myself a little reward.  

    When I finish a commission painting I always give myself a reward.  It can be a steak, a pair of jeans, or ice cream!  Thank you for the commission work.  I really enjoyed the opportunity!



"Chicken Dance" 4x4 oil on copper 250$ sold last night at the opening of the Skyline Farm Carriage Museum holiday show.  Thank you very much!  Daisy and Duke and Robert will be pleased!  More ice cream! 

 Have a great day!  Get outside to paint!

    I have been asked to paint a painting for a client!   She gave me a CD of photos.  She told me these photos might be too light as if the camera overexposed the image.  I photo shopped four of these photos.  I increased the saturation and hue of the image.  Then I drew seven different painting compositions.  My client will look at these sketches and choose which one she would like painted. 







Here are the sketches I did using these photos as a reference.



The mountain in the distance will be darker than most of the other elements.  The foreground will be lighter.  I liked how the water flowed in a curve.



The foreground on both sides of the river will be darker.  The background will be lighter the farther away.  This will give a feeling of distance.  The water will also be more of a center of interest. 



Here the water will be a bit darker than the grass in the foreground.  I like the darkened trees in the distance. 



I liked the tree darker at the base of the mountain. 



Here the foreground on the left will be a little darker and in the distance the mountains lighter. 



The distant mountain has an interesting shape.  The mountain in the distance will be darker with the small trees on the left side balancing them. 



I decided to draw in a flew billowy clouds with a little rain falling.  The prominent mountain will be in the distance on the right followed by the curving water.  This is just a fun interpretation.  I did some investigating.  There are amazing cloud formation in this area. 

    Now my client will look at these drawings.  She will call me and give me some feedback.  

    A commission is more involved than a normal painting.  I really enjoy doing commissions.  I spend more time painting them.  I take more special care with a project like this.  This should be fun!

   Have a great day!  Get out and paint!

"Birch on Duck Trap Pond" 5x7 oil on copper 350$ Framed in gold.  Shipped!

     Why not give the gift of art this year.  A painting will bring 50 years or more of enjoyment.  A painting can't be replaced because a painting is one of a kind.



"January in Jeffersonville, Vermont" 6x6 oil on copper sold.

When you purchase a painting you are also contributing to a professional painters income!  You are keeping your cash in America for Chrismas!



"Moonlight" 4x4 oil on copper 250$ Framed in light gold.  Shipped.

   Many people will be buying electronic gadges such as a Kindle or and Ipad.  In a year there will be a more advanced model of this electronic device created in China.  I doubt that Kindle or Ipad will even still work after a year.  But a painting....will be still admired and appreciated!



"On Sugar Hill" 6x6 oil on copper.  sold.

    When someone walks by your gifted painting on the wall, they will stop, admire it, and remember you!  I doubt they will be thinking of you while they are reading on their Kindle.  They will just think of their electronic device as a possession.  A painting is more than a possession.  A painting may be one of the most important objects in a person's house!



"Snow Days" 5x7 oil on copper.  350$ Framed in gold and shipped.

    Anyone can go out and buy their own Kindle or Ipad.  Finding a special painting as a gift is a life long gift.  If you bought a person a painting each year, after 20 years, they would have an amazing collection of art!  Kindles and Ipad would be in the garbage after 20 years. 



"Spring Thaw at Thurston's Wharf" 12x18 oil on copper.  Sold.

    I purchased two paintings for Christmas at an art auction.  I now have a beautiful painting by Nancy Barnes and Stephan Pastuhov!  I love both of these paintings.  I will hang them in my dinning room for all to enjoy.  Robert and I will be only buying paintings for Christmas this year and every year.  Our painting collection will be enjoyed for years.  I hope you consider doing the same thing as gifts.  Give the gift of art!



"Stapleton Kearns and T.M. Nicholas" 8x10 Private collection.



"Sunny Day in Vermont" 8x10 oil on copper. 500$ Framed in gold shipped!



"Thinking of Aldro Hibbard" 5x7 oil on copper.  350$ framed in gold and shipped.



"Vermont Spruce" 250$ framed in light gold and shipped!

"Orange Lilies at Somes Sound" 8x10 oil on copper 450$ Framed and shipped.

   I just found out today one of these images will be used in a local Yacht building company brochure going out to 5000 customers.  I am so happy about this! 



"Raspberries and Queen Anne's Lace" 6x6 oil on copper 350$ framed and shipped!



"Lupines at Somes Sound" 5x7 sold

    Have you ever wondered why a painting costs 350$ when it only took a painter two hours to create?  I have heard at least three people talk about this very subject. 

    Most paintings don't take two hours to create.  Most paintings take hours and hours and days.  Once in a while I can knock out a few nice paintings one after the other.  But usually I will paint a few duds inbetween.  

     At a plein aire event all of the painters are working very hard.  They can produce amazing amounts of work quickly.  Sometimes people are bewildered and confused as to why the price of a painting is so high. They sincerely believe these quickly done paintings should be under a hundred dollars each!   Here are a few facts:  Feel free to add any in the comment area.  I hope to enlighten!

1.  It takes thousands of paintings painted by a artist before the artist can produce anything of quality.  Very few people can buy a painting kit at Kmart,  paint a great painting in two hours, then go out and sell it for an amazing 350$!

2.  It takes years of painting these paintings without any kind of recognition or payment.

3.  When a painter does start to produce paintings that do sell, about half or even 3/4 of these paintings do not sell. 

4.  Very few paintings are masterpieces!  Out of a hundred paintings, maybe 10 are amazing! 

5.  The cost of producing a painting is not the actual supplies ( paint and canvas for that very day).  It is the cost of gas for the car to drive to the location, brushes, paint, canvas or copper, turpentine, medium, palettes, easel, plein aire umbrella, ectera , workshops to learn to paint better.  (expenses-painting sales= profit or loss).  Painting professionally is a business. 

6.  Most painters make less than a teacher's salary.  I have only met two painters who might make as much as a Doctor. 

7.  Most painters work a longer day than a teacher.

8.  Very few painters ever sell even one painting.  That is the truth.

     Have a great night!  Get out and paint!

"Morning Light" 4x4 oil on copper 300$ Framed in black satin wood with gold.  Shipped free.

    This morning I was on Park Avenue infront of this fountain at 8:00 am.  This is really early for me.  But thanks to Mom and Dad's puppy, Coco, I have conditioned myself to rise early.  I can now paint pretty well early in the morning.  This is something I have never been able to do.  When I return home to Maine I may try to paint early as well!  Don Sondag was there painting also.  He started on a large painting on the fountain.  He told me of a great painter in Spain who paints on one painting for a year.  This painter, Antonio Valdez has work in a Museum.  He uses a caliber to measure the distance between buildings and trees.  I will have to Google this painter.  Don has been painting on Park Avenue all Summer and Autumn.  He loves to paint there.  He says the people are very nice too.  I agree.  It is a fantastic place to paint.  I finally was able to paint sunlight shining on my water.  I was closer.  I could see the colors in the water better. 



   Here are my Dad and Mom.  They called me to ask if I wanted to join them on a ride to Titusville to Black Point Drive.  We went to eat at Steve's first, a diner.  Then we drove down Black Point Drive.  Here are a few photos.














   Here is a happy gator!   Have a great night!  Get out and paint! 

"Park Avenue View" 4x4 oil on copper 250$ Framed in black satin wood with gold or light gold.  Shipped!

    Today I was painting at 8:00 am on Park Avenue with Don Sondag.  He started on a new large piece today.  I was very low on Cobalt Blue.  So I painted even smaller.  My Mom donated a bit of Cobalt left in a small tube!  It was enough to paint these two 4x4 paintings!  She ordered me another large tube of Cobalt!  Mom to the rescue!  I can't believe all of the Cobalt I have been through in the last month here in Florida!  Lots of green to challenge me. 

     I liked how this painting turned out.  I remember using the Winter Park mini bus before I learned how to drive (20 years old).  I was too afraid to learn how to drive with good reason!  The bus would drop us off here at the orange brick bus stop on Park Avenue.  I would paint with my watercolors after the bus ride.  The bus only cost 10 cents a trip.  Someday I will tell you all about my learning how to drive.  I was not good at driving.  I don't hit any curbs much anymore. 



"Park Avenue Oak Tree" 4x4 200$ Framed in black satin with gold or light gold.  Your choice!  shipped.

    I painted till noon.  Then I like to go back to Mom and Dad's house for lunch.  They always have a feast for lunch!  I visit with them for an hour or two then I take off somewhere.  Today I went to the Winter Park Chain of lakes boat ride.  It is a wonderful trip through five lakes through canals.  I wanted to take photos to paint from.  Here are a few photos.  They tell all about the history of all of the homes.  Fun!



Amazing homes with very old Oak Trees and Cypress Trees decorate the lakefront properties. This Oak Tree is hundreds of years old so the boat tour guide told us.



    Wood lined canals connect the lakes.  These canals are lined with boat houses. 



The color of the canal water is what has drawn me to paint these scenes.  I went at 4:00 pm.  It would be best for me to go at 10:00am.  The canals will be better lit.



   One of my favorite homes.  I can remember doing watercolor sketches of this home when I was only 15 years old.  The home's awnings were striped back then.  This home has two different lake views.  Behind the home the frontyard has a view of another lake!



The Cypress Tree on the right is 300 years old.  I liked the decorative boat house on the left.



There are a few bridges we passed underneath from Fairbanks Avenue and Palmer Avenue.  Some of these bridges are very pretty if sunlight is on them.  Maybe some morning I will do this boat ride again.



   Many people waited for four tour boats to go through the canals so they too could pass.  Some were quite young.

    I hope you are having a splendid Autumn!  Get out and paint! 

"Autumn Day on the St. John's River" 8x10 350$ Framed in Black satin with gold or Light gold wood!  Shipped!

     Today I headed down to Park Avenue to paint with Don Sondag and Laura Bird.  I painted the harp fountain again.



"The Harp Fountain" 5x7 oil on copper 350$  Framed in black satin wood lined with gold.  Or light gold wood.  Shipped free.

    Here is my morning efforts.  I had a great time admiring Don's painting he had been working on for two mornings.  He sure can handle the paint.  



   I was invited to a farm near Christmas, Florida.  There is a large preserve there called the Tostahatchee.  After lunch I asked my friend Kathleen to drive with me through the preserve.  At the end of Power Line Road there is the St. John's River.  I have always wanted to paint here.  But it was never safe for me to paint here.  With Kathleen very near me, I felt safer, but still this is a very secluded wild place.  We both probably shouldn't have been there. 



   Here are some beautiful photos of this Tostahatchee Preserve.  We only stayed there two hours while I literally painted like I was on fire!



Cows in the very far distance were grazing at the water's edge.  Gators are everywhere here!  But this grass must be worth all of the danger.



    There are just thousands and thousands of acres of wild Florida land untouched.  Roads go on forever.  You must make sure your cell phone is charged and your gas tank is full.  Also you must make sure you have plenty of water.  Most of the time the temperatures here are in the high 90's.  Today it was very cool...65 degrees.



    I have always wanted to paint this road going along the St. John's River.  It is so pretty.



   Here was one of the giant gators I saw today.  While you are painting, you must always keep an eye behind you.  Or your friend needs to keep a watchful eye for these gators and snakes.  Look at the beautiful colors on this gator!  Purples and blues!



     We made it out of the preserve as the sun was setting.  I wouldn't want to be here at night!  Too wild for my taste.

"Dirty Girl" 6x6 oil on copper Sold Today!  I shipped 10 paintings to the Skyline Farm Carriage Museum Holiday Show.  A painter helping with hanging the show bought this one!  What an honor it is to have another painter buy one of my paintings.  Thank you!  Daisy and Duke will be dancing on their hind leggs with joy and ice cream. 

    I hope you enjoyed today's painting journeys!  I went from the refined Park Avenue to the extremely wild preserve!  Amazing day.  I had a lot of fun.  Have a great night!  Get out and paint!  Use a big brush to paint!  ( I use a 14 Flat Brush!)  Don't be a whimp with a tiny brush!

"A Day At The Park" 6x6 oil on copper panel.  Framed in black satin with gold or light gold.  Shipped!  350$

     Today I met Lynn Whipple, Don Sondag, and Laura down on Park Avenue to paint!  I have always loved this particular fountain in Park Avenue.  Painting the fountain was a challenge.  The main thing I found important was not to paint all of the water spouts.  I would have had a mess of stripes!  So instead I tried to paint the sunlight falling on the moving water.  The water was not the same value or color as it shot out of the pipe and flew up into the air.  I tried to concentrate on the changes of value and color.  I really enjoyed painting the fountain.  I could paint a hundred paintings of this fountain.  Don pointed out a few helpful things.  I was very appreciative!



"The Maple Tree" 6x6 oil on copper.  Framed in black satin with gold!  Shipped free.  350$

    I ate lunch with my Mom and Dad at the house.  Then I set up to work in their screenroom with a computer monitor.  Their little Yorshire Terrier puppies kept me company while they sunned themselves.  I guess the air conditioner in the house cools them so they like to warm up in the sun.  I worked for a few hours on this painting.  I saw this beautiful Maple Tree in Castine, Maine along the British Canal.  I may have enough Castine paintings now to select a few good ones for the holiday show.  The frames are ordered.  I will have them all framed in black satin wood with the gold.  They should hang well together!

     Ten of my painting will be in a holiday show at the Skyline Farm Carriage Museum Holiday show in North Yarmouth, Maine.  Robert mailed them off in time.  This show was an invitational like the Castine Holiday show at the Tarratine Gallery.  Holiday shows help painters have Winter income!  

     Have a great night!  Get out and paint!  It is excellent training for visual memory!

Afternoon On Park Avenue" 5x7 oil on copper panel.  350$ Framed in Black Satin wood with gold!

     Today was so much fun!  I was a little nervous today.    Don Sondag, Mary J Gray, Larry Moore and another Crealde School of Art teacher named Stacy Barter,  met down on Park Avenue.  We had hired the same model.  I painted hard for three hours.  I don't think I even stopped between "breaks".  Don Sondag said I nailed my painting today.  He said he loved the composition.  He was very enthusiastic about all of my colors!  He said, "Yeah, you can be proud of this one!".  I was so happy!  His painting today turned out fantastic.  He captured the light and her face perfectly.  Larry Moore's efforts were fabulous!  He did two sketches of the face of the model.  He said he needed the practice.  I loved what he did today.  Lynn Whipple sketched nearby quietly.  She pointed out a few things about Don's work she loves.  We both admired the paintings.  What an exciting opportunity.  It was the best 15$ I ever spent. 



Here is the lovely model hired today.  Check out how the rod iron bench turns out black in this photo.  I saw so much more colors and value changes in this bench.  Honest.



Here we all are, Mary J Gray on the left, Larry Moore, Don Sondag, Stacy Barter,  and the model sitting on the bench.  Temperatures 75 all day with no clouds interfering!






"The Model" 12 x 12 oil on copper Framed in black satin with gold  (Private Collection)

     I finished this painting today early this morning before anyone arrived.  I didn't need to do anything more with the figures.   I painted more on the fountain and the background.  Don Sondag thought it was finished.  He said, "Paint another one!".  I think I like this one.  I think I may keep this one!

     Robert is taking Duke and Daisy to Sears Island for a hike and swim!  He says they are enjoying him having the day off.  He told me he built them a fence 16x30 in the backyard!  YEah!  This is the best news ever.  Now Daisy and Duke will be safer.  No more skunks and porcupines bothering my Daisy and Duke!  Horrray!

     Have a great night!  Get out and paint!  It is so much fun!

"The Cypress Trees" 3x5 oil on copper.  Framed in black satin wood with gold.  200$

    I painted two Cypress Trees on the Wekiva River today.  I have painted a lot this week.  I took it easy sitting in a chair relaxing on the Wekiva River.  I was inspired by the color of these two Cypress.  They were the same height.  They looked similar.  I looked at them for hours before I decided to paint them.  The longer I looked at them the more I appreciated them. 



    There was a pretty bird in one of Wekiva's trees.  I think it is a Hawk.



I watched these interesting looking Vultures for hours.



I liked how the water turtle had his legs out sunning.  I decided this is how I would spend my day too.  The other bird is a Coot.



Yes, this Turtle has the right idea!



   I have never ever seen a snorkler in the Wekiva River.  This river is full of alligators and water moccassins.



   The sun set on the Wekiva River.  I had a peaceful day.  I watched many clouds sail by.  I sunned my legs like the turtles.

   Tomorrow I will be painting with Don Sondag and Mary J Gray down on Park Avenue at the Harp Fountain!  I will tell you all about it tomorrow!  Get out and paint!

"The Model" 12 x 12 Oil on Copper Panel.  (Not Quite Finished but Almost!)

     I met Don Sondag and Mary J Gray down on Park Avenue in Winter Park at 9:00 am.  Don had arranged a model hired to pose for us.  I have never painted from a model hired outside.  Lately I have been brave to ask people to sit for a few minutes so I could paint them into my painting.  It is fun to try things new.  I attended life drawing classes at Stetson University and Crealde School of Art years ago.  You don't really ever forget the skills you develop during life drawing.  I liked the whole scene today!  I worked larger because we are painting the same thing for two days.  I may work more once again on Wednesday.  I think it is almost finished.  



Here I am painting today!  Lynn Whipple took this photo.  She said I looked like Sargent painting.  Don and Mary J were packing up for the day on the right hand side. 

     I am lucky to be painting with Don Sondag.  He might be one of the best Florida painters.  He does amazing portraits and landscapes. It was very interesting watching him operate.   He called to the model to take five minutes or long pose.  It was interesting watching him pose the model.  She created a few poses.  Don picked a very natural pose.  Lynn Whipple told me Don never sits down to paint.  Today he did for some reason.  Maybe because our model was also seated.  Maybe he wanted to be on the same level as the model.  He painted the model close creating a portrait of her.  He had the light sparkling on her perfectly.  It was an interesting experience to be a part of.  I did my own thing, didn't talk, but observed when I could. 

      Robert says Daisy and Duke are doing well.  He takes them to work.  They like to sit in the front bucket seats of the van watching people all day.  Robert takes them on a long walk at lunch.  Some days they stay home.  Someone asked me if I miss Daisy and Duke much.  Yes, I do.  I think it is healthy for me to be away from them.  They are getting old.  One day I will have to deal with losing them.  I know it will be miserably hard.  I know I will be strong.  I hope.  For now I visit my parents.  I miss them too when I am in Maine.  I learn fun things about them by visiting here in their house.  Today my Mom showed me pictures of her younger.  She had a lovely Austin Heelly power blue convertible. She was beautiful.  She has aged well.  She paints beautifully.  I will enjoy my time here.

Here is one of my letters to Santa Dating Dec 7, 1974.  I was 10.

Dear Santa Clause

     Here is some things I would like for Christmas.  I would exspetaly like a camra becase everybody I kown has one.  Next some filme, for the camera, red yarn, white yarn, and a nit magic.  Here is a list of things.  life savers, small beads, construction paper, sysors.  birth stone ring is red, two typing paper, basket for yarn, dill pikles, material, blue yarn, a white shirt, a silver chain to ty arround my neck, pipermint.  That is all.  

    Have a great day!  Get out and paint! 

"View of Smith Cove" 6x6 oil on copper Framed in Black satin with gold.  Shipped free! 350$

   I woke up again early thanks to my Mom and Dad's Yorkie pup named Coco.  Coco can't sleep past 7:00 am!  She is such a happy little puppy.  As soon as she sees the sunlight we are all up!  After coffee I started to paint from my computer monitor.  It was very gray out today.  The temperatures are lovely-75 degrees!  I painted in the screenroom.  Here is a scene in Castine, Maine.  I am preparing for a holiday show at Tarratine Gallery in Castine.  I hope to have several paintings available. 



I thought I would share a few beach scenes from Cape Canaveral National Sea Shore.  Those are Brown Pelicans flying.  I didn't see many seagulls. 





    I do love the ocean!  Have a great day! I hope you are painting! 

"Park Avenue Fountain" 6x6 oil on copper panel.  Framed in black satin with gold. 350$

    I met Mary J Gray and Don Sondag down on Park Avenue to paint the fountain.  Here is my painting.  I had a difficult time getting the water spout and fountain symetrical.  So finally after drawing and drawing, I drew a vertical line down the center of the water shooting up on down.  Then I made sure everything was symetrical on either side of this vertical line.  I have seen many crooked fountains where the water was shooting out off center of the fountain.  So I figured out a remedy for this potential problem!  The sun was tempermental today!  When the sun came out I looked and painted in highlights!  I made sure to keep all of the buildings in the background cool colored.  One of these buildings was a light yellow.  Normally people may paint it in yellow but in the shadow this would be wrong I think.  I wanted all of my sunlight areas warm and in the shadow cool!



     Here is Mary J Gray painting.  She is always smiling while she paints.  Her painting turned out well!



Don Sondag has been teaching and painting at Crealde Art school and exhibits his work at McRae Studios.  He captured the morning light!



The park was crowded with people and pigeons.



    While we painted a group of people came and did a musical around the fountain.  A man proposed to his girl!  I kept painting! 

     I grew up in this town Winter Park.  I went to St. Margarent Mary for one year, 6th grade.  I had my first professional hair cut when I was 16 on Park Avenue.  When I grew older, I frequented restaurants on dates here.  I have wonderful memories if Park Avenue.  Now I am making painting memories here.

     Have a great night!  Get out and paint!

"Breakfast on Park Avenue" 3x5 oil on copper



Here is a closeup of the painting, "Breakfast on Park Avenue".  I almost admire the cropped version of the full painting more.  I may take out my tin snips and cut the copper panel so it will have this composition!

     I drove down to Park Avenue today to paint.  This is my favorite Winter Park retaurant called the Briar Patch.  Instead of eating I painted!  I admired the cute little white puppy under the ladies feet.  I worked for many hours on this painting.  The umbrella had yellow stripes.  Most of the umbrella was in shadow.  The shadow part of the umbrella was lavenders so the yellow stripes weren't really yellow.  I first painted all the stripes on the umbrella until I realized I needed to capture the sunlight on the umbrella.  So I painted the sunlight instead.  I am happier with this sunlit umbrella instead of all of the stripes.  It was a mess.  I am sure there are many ways to paint this scene.  Each painter would paint it differently.  I decided to delete many of the tables.  I didn't want two umbrellas.  You eye would have been bouncing back and forth from one umbrella to the next.  With one umbrella in this small painting, my eye rests on the one umbrella.  Here is a photo of the scene infront of me.

The puppy who was the model for the painting!  So cute!  But Daisy and Duke are the cutest of course!



I was trying to take a picture of this bulldog when a lady came over to hold him for me.  I don't know how she was able to bend down like that.  Her high heels were literally 4 inches!  Ah to be 20 years old again.



I drove to Wekiva Island in Longwood.  I was allowed to take out a canoe!  I didn't go very far.  There were high winds.  I couldn't paddle with much control.  I was afraid I would get stranded.  Then they would have to rescue me.  So I stayed close to the Wekiva Island.  I liked these turtles lining the log.



A Blue Heron flew up to pose for me with the Turtles.




    I was very happy to get back on land.  I never canoe while I am at the Wekiva Plein Aire Paintout in March.  I am always painting.  I will need another painter to help row!  

    I am painting with a couple of great painters tomorrow on Park Avenue!  I will tell you all about it tomorrow!

    Here is Charles Dickinson painting at Cape Canaveral Seashore Invitational recently October 23-29th.  I didn't get a chance to visit with many painters while I was there.  Every once in a while I would see a few of them.  I took their photo.  I thought it would be fun to share these photos with you.  We all worked very hard.  I think there were over 200 paintings completed by 26 painters within a few days. 



  Here is Christophe Cardot, a real French Impressionist! 



Barbara Perrotti



Many painters lined up on the dock painting the sunset.



Grayson and Charles Dickenson



Sally Evans and her husband Tom Sadler.



Sally Evans and her work completed during the week.

     I spent the day with my Mom.  She had me tossing pizza as I did when I was 19 working at a pizza restaurant.  I was doing well working with the pizza dough on the counter.    I tossed the dough up into the air.  The ceiling was low.  The dough hit the ceiling and landed on the floor a few times.  Luckily the floor was recently mopped.  I dressed up the pizza and put it into the oven!  We laughed hard the entire time.  She has good memories of watching me throw pizza at a nearby pizza restaurant a long time ago.  I haven't gotten any better at this.  I am glad I am a painter.

      I hope you are painting.  For inspiration:  Please read Stapleton Kearn's Blog.  He wrote an excellent blog yesterday.  I think you will enjoy this blog.  http://stapletonkearns.blogspot.com/   Thank you!

Up The Wekiva River" 6x6 oil on copper Framed in black satin with gold.  350$

     I went to a Senior Art Group with my Mom.  It was fun!  We sat side by side painting for three hours.  She was working on a large watercolor of a ballerina tying her shoe.  I plugged in a laptop computer to view a photo I took recently.  I finished just as the class ended!  I needed a Wekiva image for the Wekiva Invitational Plein Aire event coming up in March.  They are taking painting images and creating a collage of them for their poster.  I like this one better than yesterdays canoes.  It has a happier feeling.  The colors are lighter.  

     After the class I went to paint on Park Avenue with my painting friend.  It started to sprinkle, the sun went down, and so we ate fish tacos instead.  I like being here in Florida again.  I visit with my parents.  I paint with my friends!  The weather is just perfect for plein aire painting.  

     Robert was petting Duke when I called him today.  Daisy was taking a nap.  He played a lot with them today.  I am really glad Robert is taking such great care of the pups.  They really enjoyed their Frosty Paws ice cream treat last night. They all just love when I sell a painting. 

     Have a great night!  Get out to paint! 

"Wekiva Canoes" 8x10  (not saleable)

     I drove to Wekiva Island on Miami Springs Blvd, in Longwood, Florida today.  I saw my friend Carrie!  It was nice to be back.  Everything was beautiful.  The temperature was wonderful too-70 degrees!  I walked around looking for subjects to paint.  I saw these retired canoes.  I liked how some were in shadow and some were gleaming in the sun.  I set up to paint.  I wasn't painting long when three kittens appeared.  They looked at me.  They were shy.  I think they were wild cats.  They were pretty.  They lived in these canoes. 



   I told Carrie about these kittens.  A few guys were setting out traps to capture them live.  One man said he has given thirty of these kittens to good homes.  I was happy to know they would find a home before Winter. 

  At the Wekiva Island you can sit down in one of these wonderful chairs, admire the Wekiva River, and even have a drink! 



   This old Marina at the Wekiva Island might be the only old relic left I remember as a child.  I almost painted this! 



     This was interesting too.  I liked the colors of the canoes best!

     I was talking to Robert on the phone who is in Maine.  Daisy and Duke were trying to get Robert to give them ice cream.  He said Duke was on his hind legs.  Daisy was howling!  They were both barking.  He said he was going to give them ice cream again.  They are really loving life!  Thanks for the sales!