A Rare Portrait

A few months back I was asked if I would like to participate in a special art exhibit.  I would paint, and donate, a portrait of a child with a rare genetic disease.  As you might suspect, I got more than I gave.  When I dropped off the painting, the coordinator of the exhibit, Patricia, acknowledge the challenge of painting accurate portraits.  I then found out she had two children with genetic disorders.  The comparison of a lifetime of challenges vs. a few hours creating a portrait are such opposite extremes.  This will be the second exhibit and the number of artist who volunteered have tripled, some asking to do additional portraits.  The foundation is called the Rare Disease United Foundation, but Patricia's goal is to make the world know these disorders are not really rare.  There are over 7000 different genetic disorders affecting 30 million Americans; so there are lots of opportunities for future portraits.

Please check out my beautiful model Brenna's website, who has Harlequin Ichthyosis
 http://www.blessedbybrenna.com/
And the website for the first wonderful exhibit.
http://rarediseaseunited.org/programs/beyond-diagnosis-art-exhibit

Painting for the Holidays

Green Apple and Pottery
SOLD

Green Apple and Copper
SOLD

 In the past couple of weeks I've been making lots of little paintings for two holiday shows.  These can be seen (and purchased) at the Wickford Art Association November 25 through December 19th.

Braeburn Apple and Silver

Orange and Blue Pot

Low Tide at Sunrise

Hydrangea Stem

Hydrangea Blossom
SOLD

Sailing on the Bay
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Holly and Ornament

Marsh Shadow

Single Wave

Many Minis. More Monday?

Sandy Road

Occasionally, I love working on small paintings.  I can get a feeling of accomplishment in one evening.  Because I don't have the luxury of working at painting full time, evenings and weekends are the only times I can find any time.  I decided to paint as many little paintings as possible in two weeks.  I first primed about eight boards and then found images where I could use a similar palette.  A couple of summers back, I took many photos of dunes on Cape Cod, so these became my subjects.  Now I'm hooked on capturing the beautiful colors in sand; the shadows and highlights at different times of day. I've also used work by other artists who were quite successful at capturing these colors as inspiration.  (If interested, these are all $50 each)

Empty Beach

Afternoon Dunes

Falmouth Marsh
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Hazy Day
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Dune Fence
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Wild Roses
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Back to Metals

Pewter Bowl with Fruit
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 I feel like I've been in another world the past few months.  I've put my "recreational" painting on hold while I painted with my buddies Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore.  The joys of being a landlord!  I've also been painting for homework, but most of that is not worth sharing, just yet.  I finally got back to some little paintings that were left in the early stages - it feels nice to finish something, even if only 6x6 inches.   

Brass Bowl with Fruir
SOLD 

Getting Ready for My First Solo Show

Green Apples

9x12 Oil on Linen

$300

There is nothing like a deadline to make me stop procrastinating.  I have a number of paintings that still need some work and I want to have as many paintings as possible for a solo show in February.  Here are two that finally got a signature today.  Two others were touched up and reframed.  Now I need to decide what else I can realistically get finished and framed in time. One more tomorrow for sure - maybe two?

Zeke's Creek

9x12 Oil on Canvas Panel

SOLD

The show will be 2/2/12 - 2/29/12 at Henry Carter Hull Library in Clinton CT. 

Pear Portrait

5 x 5 inch (12.7 x 12.7 cm) Oil on Board, framed

$75
Sold

Plum Portrait

5 x 5 inch (12.7 x 12.7 cm) Oil on Board, framed

SOLD

Pepper Portrait

5 x 5 inch (12.7 x 12.7 cm) Oil on Board, Framed

$75
Sold

Tomato Portrait

5 x 5 inch (12.7 x 12.7 cm) Oil on Board, framed

SOLD

Happy Birthday to Us

I recently found out I share a birthday with Burt Lancaster, Marie Antoinette, Daniel Boone, Cookie Monster (yay!) and Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin.  So to celebrate our day, I had some cookies and created a painting after one of Chardin's paintings.  His paintings often depict common settings, like the kitchen, and have wonderful diffuse lighting.  I picked one of his easier paintings and one without critters.  

Pears, Walnuts, and a Glass of Wine

I can easily get hold of pears, walnuts and wine, but not so much rabbits and birds.  The challenge was trying to get the right lighting.  Chardin's lighting is soft, yet strong.    Below is my version.

Blue Glass
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This was a fun exercise and may try emulating some of his more complex paintings.  As always, critiques are welcome.