Haiti Paintings

oh, fall is definitely here. I love summer in Maine; but I get very little done, I'm too busy enjoying the weather. I should learn how to paint plein aire and enjoy the weather at the same time. I find the beach is too windy for my paints. Well, the good thing about cooler weather is that I buckle down and get work done. There is an art show I want to get into this year -- lots of competition; I am trying a couple of different subjects that are out of my usual comfort zone. It feels good to try new things. Here are the entries. Wish me luck!

Haiti - Remote Village - 11x14 Oil SOLD

Haiti - Bringing back the food and water SOLD

Haiti - Laundry Day SOLD

Spring at the Maine Shore (11x14 oil $200)

Fiesta and apples SOLD

wow...where does the time go? I paint, I forget to share. I have been working on Spirited Paints a lot, so my own work has been rather sporadic. (to see what Spirited Paints is, go to the website www.spiritedpaints.com)
Here are some quick acrylic 8 x 10s that I did for a gift shop in Harpswell (Maine) near Cundy's Harbor. I had a fantastic time Memorial Day with a friend and daughter. We went up to Campobello Island which is actually part of New Brunswick, Canada. The funny thing is you have to drive through Maine to get there! They combed the beaches for treasures, and I painted. Two of the lighthouses are there: East Quoddy and West Quoddy (one in Campobello, and one in Lubec, Maine)
Hope you are having a good summer!

Lobster fisherman and East Quoddy

West Quoddy

This is actually Pemaquid lighthouse, near Damarascotta

and...the Portland Head Light

Sailfish Marina

Just another beautiful day....

I walked (no hiked - it was a long walk carrying stuff!) over to the marina with my paint stuff. I could have left the chair behind, it was useless, too low to the ground. I wish I had my french easel, I could stand! I found a table I could sit at - that was good!

I painted boats in the marina. There were too many within my line of vision, so I simplified. I tried not to get too bogged down on details, that's when I seem to run into trouble.

I chose the white, light blue, and dark blue yachts because I thought the 3 of them looked pretty neat right next to each other. I ignored the big one on the end. The gas pump and fire extinguisher were left out too. I didn't add all the poles that were in the water either. When I got back to the room I realized the post in the foreground was way too big! Pared it down a bit, now i think it looks OK.

 Husband is here! We had a nice dinner at Panama Hattie's last night. Watched all the people, young and old having fun!

 These 2 paintings here are studies -- I'm learning how to paint waves. I think the green wave on the dunes turned out pretty well. The rest of the painting, not so much!  The other big wave painting was fun -- I see parts that look pretty good, and other parts that look silly, but that's part of the learning process. The 2 paintings below are quick ones. I like the skimmers (the birds). A lady came over while I was painting them and showed me a book with info about the skimmers. I'm glad I know their name!I saw a man fishing on the rocks. Rocks are a challenge.

 I should switch over to acrylic now, so these can dry. Otherwise my cousin will have a houseful of partially done paintings to keep for me until May. She might not want to!

Made my way to Florida on my own. I usually try not to spend too much time alone, because I am an extrovert and it's not healthy for extroverts to be alone! However, this trip was supposed to be with a good friend that couldn't make it. I miss her right now, but I brought my paint stuff and have done some exploring that I wouldn't have done otherwise.

Bringing paints: I didn't dare pack them in my check-through luggage because there was a BIG warning paragraph about hazardous materials (paints listed as such) and BIG fines or jail! I don't want to go to jail! So, got to Florida and bought some cheap paints at the craft store.

I don't paint "plein aire" So this is a first. Other than the Portland Head Light which I painted for a video. I was unsure where I could go and not be in trouble. I found a lighthouse in Jupiter. Unfortunately, it's an active lighthouse and manned by the Coast Guard. Which means it's by guided tour only!

I drove across the inlet and found restaurants that had a good view of it. Would they mind if I took up a table and got my paints out? I'm not feeling very confident, so I don't ask. Luckily, I found a marina - with a sign labeled "this way to the river walk" and "public restrooms". I took that as a good sign. I found a table (the marina restaurant was almost empty) and set up shop. A nice young server came by and exclaimed, "oh! What a good place to paint!" I took that as a REALLY good sign!

In about an hour, the place filled up with happy hour and early diners, but none seemed bothered by existence; I got a few comments (all positive) so that was pretty cool. I didn't bring my french easel with me, it weighs 12 pounds and is huge. The table easel is working out good so far! I'm painting on canvas sheets instead of stretched canvas. Again, traveling is an issue. I sure hope this dries before I come home! maybe I should switch to acrylic...

Not done yet, but here it is

3 new paintings from this winter

Fall in Ocean Park

 I painted this after visiting a friend in October, the sun was setting as I left to go home. I snapped pictures to paint later. I abandoned it for other work, so it's still not quite done!

This is an 8 x 10 I did quickly -- copied an admired fellow artist. I loved the colors.

Here's a quick copy of a Monet painting. I did it in Acrylic, thinking I would use it for one of our Spirited Paints evenings, but found I had mixed many subtle colors to do this. Probably is not a good candidate for teaching -- but I would like to do a sailboat sometime!

City Street

I don't usually do city scenes, so it was interesting to try. Not sure if I would call this one done yet. There are some little things that need tweaking. It was hard, because the sun was straight overhead, so not enough shadows to work with. I think I liked it better before the cars and people went in!

"Tommy's Square", Portland, Maine *SOLD*