Bringing in the New Year!

a late Merry Christmas!

It seems like I have been away for such a long break. Besides the holidays and the kids and husband being on vacation, I've been working on a big commission that I can not post. As soon as it is finished, which should be this coming up week, I will back to my usual trouble. In between working on the commission, I've been visiting family, taking the kids ice skating, bowling, sledding - anything to keep the kids from ripping each other apart. When will school be going back???

I was recently tagged by Liz P, aka Elizabeth Patterson. I've been tagged before and have to say, I didn't follow through. :-( I started many times but just didn't quite finish. So as a New Year's treat I'll try.

Things you may not know about me:

1. I almost always instigated my sister to fight with me... it was so much fun to watch her get mad. My sister and I are in that photo at the top of the post. The sweet little innocent one on the scoot toy is me.

2. The first concert I went to was Rick Springfield.
3. I once met Simon & Simon and played catch with Gerald Mc Raney and his son.

4. My mother wouldn't let me take art classes in high school until senior year because she wanted me to take foreign language. I took french... and I can't remember any of it.

5. When I was 19 I was a waitress at a 50's style diner and had to wear flare on my pink ruffly waitress uniform and I enjoyed it. (see photo left)

6. It took me 7 years to graduate college with a bachelors degree (3 at junior college, 4 at university). It was just too much fun to leave...
7. When I met my husband I swore I did not want to get serious.
8. I never read a book I didn't have to read until I went to college. Now I love to read.

9. We don't have cable or satellite and the only station we get on our tv is pbs.

10. I love sweater rock... If you would like to listen to my sweater rock Pandora station, email me and I can email you the link.

Now I have to nominate people? Oh boy!! Maybe I'll get to that part soon!

Christmas Shopping Recap!

As the holidays are getting closer and closer, I wanted to let everyone know where my artwork is available at the moment!

I have about 10 pieces available at the Monadnock Fine Art Gallery in Keene New Hampshire which include still-lifes of shoes, apples (the large one), wine, and flowers! This is where the bulk of my work is, with sizes varying from 8" x 10" up to 12" x 36"!

10 miniature pieces were sent to the Sharon Art Center Gallery in Peterborough New Hampshire as well as a couple of standard sized pieces. This is a unique opportunity as I don't usually do miniatures.

5 still-lifes, all 6" x 18" going horizontally, are at the new Vaughan Gallery at 75 Congress St in Portsmouth, NH. Images that are at the brand new Vaughan Gallery are below.




here's the Vaughan Gallery official press release which includes their silver gallery.

PORTSMOUTH — Green River Silver Co., Rhode Island's largest importer
of fine sterling silver jewelry, will be opening its fourth location
from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, in the Ben Franklin Block at 75 Congress
St. Looking for this fourth location, the company explored eastern Connecticut
and communities west of Boston before settling on Portsmouth. In addition
to the Green River Silver Co., brothers John and Dan Goldman are opening
Vaughan Gallery, a fine art gallery at the same location. The work of
local and regional painters, potters and printmakers will be on display.
The inaugural show, titled "People, Places and Pottery," will be on
display through the holiday season. Painters Jonathan McPhillips, Nicole
Caulfield and James Kubiatowicz, and printmakers Grace Bently-Scheck,
Carol FitzSimonds and Richard Harrington will be showing their most
recent work, along with potters Marguerite Hall and Nermin Kura. For
more information, visit Green River's Web site at www.greenriversilver.com.

Wine Still-life

No, this isn't deja-vu... consider it like one of those "What's Different" puzzles.

I plan on bringing this one to the Monadnock Fine Art Gallery. Either this one or the last one I posted will be sold in the gallery while the other one will go to the client.

This again is 6" x 18"

13 days till Christmas!

Red Wine Still-life

This is a commission that I just finished up. I haven't brought it to the client yet, but I am happy with how it turned out. She wanted a 6" x 18" vertical format with a bottle of wine and 2 glasses.

I always find compositions with wine and glasses very difficult because all the objects are similar in shape - they are all tall and thin. So what I did was come at it at a funny angle so the focus on the front glass is on the globe part of the glass instead of the entire glass. I also didn't straighten things up and actually welcomed the distorted tilt of the objects. That helps give the piece more movement than if everything was standing straight up and down.

I have another composition with these elements I really want to do right now, but it will have to be put on hold for a little bit. My oldest daughter turns 9 this weekend and is having her very first sleepover party. I am spending the rest of the week tidying and cleaning so the girls have a blank slate to mess up at the party!

the Wild Pair

My family and I had a wondeful time as usual in Illinois for the holiday.

I have unpacked and that's about it since I've come back.

I also finished off this piece which I started before we left. Its 11 x 14."

I dare say this is not a very good photograph, I took it with all artificial light and no sunlight which plays with the image some if you don't have the right equipment.