More Dories

Dories Reflected 12X12

I am getting ready for a show on October 6th from 5-7 at Lord Camden Inn and finally find myself getting some posts up on my Blog of work that I have completed this year.  These 2 dories and their reflections speak to me of our beautiful coastal area. I always feel privileged to be able to have the opportunity to capture such moments.

Lobster Buoys

Lobster Buoys 10X10

I was working on capturing the sun on this entanglement of lobster buoys.  Because of the sparkle I wanted to keep the painting free flowing and a bit loose in the paint application and brush stoke.

Apple Harvest

Apple Harvest 6X6

Apple Harvest is here and I have had a fun time doing some small paintings of apples in orchards nearby.

Robin's Nest

Robin's Nest 10X10
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This robin's nest was woven so beautifully I used a lot of texture in this oil painting.  Coming up with the exact color for the eggs was the challenge of this piece - and what a beautiful color in nature they are.  Painting has made me appreciate and observe the glorious natural world around us.

Different Stroke

 Sunday Morning 18X24

Lemonade 18X24

As artists we many times get stuck in a box.  Either one that we create or others create for us.  I prefer to think and work outside of that box sometimes and thought it would be fun to do some work that was entirely different from my usual painting.  These pieces would go in the new Fresh Bakery in Camden and I wanted something with a color scheme that worked with the bakery's decor and something fun, lively and food related.  As I worked on my initial sketches with charcoal I became intrigued with the interfacing of shapes and patterns.  When I started working with my oils I was excited to see the colors bring the paintings to life.  I really had a good time with these!

Marine Paintings

 Transparency 7X14

I loved catching the moment this wave hit the shore and the transparency and color of the water and air

 Carol Ann 9X12
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Again trying to capture some wave action off the stern of this lobster boat.

All Lined Up 10X20

I loved the serine feel of these dories at rest on the dock and presently I am working on a larger 18X36 of the same scene. 

Grandmother's Sugar Bowl

 Grandmother's Sugar Bowl  11X14
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I first began this painting with the brass teapot on the right and an arrangement of flowers from the garden on the left.  I was never happy with the direction of the piece and kept adding and subtracting until all of a sudden the chemistry worked.  All of the pieces now connect and speak to each other.

Grandson Samuel Lincoln Smith

I am now a lucky Grandmother of two wonderful grandsons.  I received a sweet photo from mother Kristen and thought this oil painting I did captured Sam's wide eyed look.

Symphony in Silver

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I always enjoy the progression of a painting and as an artist how my focus can change as the painting moves along. As I developed the Japanese tea cup the detail in the plate seemed to conflict so I simplified the plate and added a gold band around it's edge .  I also felt that I had made the tea cup too large so I brought that down to its true size.  I fussed with the eucalyptus branch for a long time and then decided that the painting felt clearer without the branch.  A lot of changes, but now I feel that the painting stands stronger and is clearer in it's message to the viewer.  The last representation is the finished painting but the photograph does not represent the true colors of the painting.

Grandson Edward Gage Smith

Grandson Edward 10X14

We were blessed this last November with the birth of our first grandson Edward Gage Smith. He is a cheerful little Australian/American with big blue eyes and a wonderful smile.  As Grandparents we were able to spend time with he and his parents this winter.  I came away with such wonderful memories I had to paint a picture of him so I could feel close to him all of the time - so here he is! 

Reflections in Brass

 Reflections in Brass 12X16

Loved working on these brass objects!  Somehow I wanted the whole painting to shine so I had to add the bronze cloth as a backdrop to the painting.  It was interesting to add the pattern to the material and the eucalyptus leaves give off a wonderful sent as I paint!

Japanese Tea

 Japanese Tea 11X14

To follow the progression in some of my work I thought it might be interesting to see a few stages of my
development of a painting.  I always start my work with a value painting.  Sometimes it takes the form of a grisaille with grays and other times I used a very watered down mixture of ultramaine blue and a burnt sienna. I start with my darks first and then work in my medium values.  At this time I should take a break and come back to my canvas later and see if I am still happy with my composition and also see if I have rendered my still life correctly.  Usually I am so excited and can't wait to paint. This leads to more corrections as I move ahead.  Fortunately my oil paints are very forgiving!   I bought this lovely vase during one of my travels and love the warm green/gold color it presents in the still life.  I have called this work Japanese Tea.

Back to the Studio

 Oranges and Brass 11X14

It seems wonderful to be back in my studio painting after a glorious trip visiting two of my sons, two delightful daughter-in-laws, and my adorable first grandchild.  I had started this painting before I left and knew that I would have a challenge when I returned to work on it.  I have to confess that I had the oriental rug draped all the way in back of the still life.  After many hours of working on it and analyzing where I was going,  I realized that it was just all too busy and painting over all the previous work.  For compositional reasons I changed the patterns and colors on the rug.  That also created another challenge. Good to be back in my studio again!