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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

here pretty kitty

   Marcela from Decoración Vintage Blog was the winner of my FREE PET PORTRAIT!!! 
and today I received  some photos of my latest subject:





Isn't she lovely? Isn't she grand?
Isn"t she the most pristine kitty...
in all the land?

I cannot wait to begin this painting!
well...I can kind of wait because we are on our vacation and I don't ever want
to wish time away, 
but I look forward to painting this regal beauty!
I wish I knew her name???
Lets try to guess?

Monday, July 25, 2011

landscape painting

...the home owner behind and around us.. who owns hundred of acres, commissioned me to do a landscape portrait of his incredible property. This gorgeous slice of Virginia Real Estate is HUGE and includes a vineyard, horses, cows and 2 Vintage restored silver stream trailers in an elaborate pavilion and the biggest Cistern, I think,  in the world. My challenge was to paint a painting in my light hearted style, and incorporate everything in a semi realistic way, giving them a traditional-ish landscape portrait to reference this property form their full time home...in Texas.


   So here goes...


I cheated a bit ,to get it all in but all in all...I think I answered his request and I personally love the painting. Will I become a landscape painter, not right now, but it was a fun task and I can't wait to give it to him in person next month!


We are OFF to the BIg Apple tomorrow! 

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Now showing at Dryden Gallery NYC

TUCKER 16" X 20"

    ART CAMP was an astounding success, really wonderful, I miss the kids, they lightened up my already pretty bright life and I am already thinking about what I will do next summer.

    That being said, it is back to painting and developing my upcoming show which will hang in November and December at the Three Notched Grill restaurant in Crozet, VA. In addition, I am also preparing for a show TBA in my favorite city in the world NYC. Yeah, you heard right! So lots of painting to come.

     BUT first, it is off to NYC this week with the whole family for our first family vacation there. Phoebe, my 13 year old daughter and I, have been going up once a year since she was just 7, and it has become sort of "our thing". The boys have been offered trips but never really wanted to go. That was until last summer, when on a visit with friends in Long Island, we took a short day trip into the city and walked around SOHO and had killer Thai food in Queens and the boys loved it! So, now they love it and off we go. En route we will spend a few days with New Jersey cousins, and the whole week looks to be spectacular.Oh and did I mention, my Birthday is Saturday! Phoebe and I are going to a Broadway show, while the boys do a Yankees game - we call that a win-win!

   Dryden Gallery in NYC 
has asked for 5, count em 5 more paintings this time, and I can't wait to see the window with MY paintings in it! 
Here are the Paintings currently for sale at Dryden Gallery, in New York City. 129 4rth Avenue (between 12th and 13th - I think)





LILAC 16" X 16"
TULIP 16" X 16"


"TUCKER" IS PICTURED ABOVE...
SWEET WILLIAM 36" X 36" 



BONNIE BLUE BELL 36" X 36" 

THANK YOU NEW YORK FOR GIVING ME SUCH A WARM WELCOME
AND SEE YOU IN A FEW DAYS!!!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

ART CAMP 2011

MY OLD COUNTRY HOUSE 
has been the HOST site of 
ART CAMP 
this week, 
and will be again next week.


It was an idea that had been brewing for years


and this year I just decided to go for it!







WE DID PAINTING...






PHOTOGRAPHY





WE HIKED TO THE CREEK





AS IF ON CUE, A HERD OF COWS, 
CAME DOWN AND POSED FOR US.


THE KEPT CREEPING IN CLOSER...


AND CLOSER...





AND CLOSER...



WE FOUND GRASS HOPPERS...


  AND TOOK PICTURES OF THEM...


THEY FOUND CRAWDADS...


AND TOOK PICTURES OF THEM...





THE KIDS BUILT CRAWDAD HOUSES...
ONE FOR THE BOYS AND ONE FOR THE GIRLS

















NEW FRIENDS WERE MADE...




EVEN TINY ONES...







IT REALLY WAS A MAGICAL WEEK!!! 
THANK YOU CAMPERS
I LEARNED AS MUCH FROM YOU
AS YOU LEARNED FROM ME!!!!
...AND THEN SOME!!!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

ART CAMP 2011

   ANYone that knows me knows that I love kids...always have , always will. They say it like it is...if you are funny, they laugh if you are not...they don't. NO BS with kids. I would trade a thousand cocktail parties for a day teaching ART to kids.

something happens to most of us...in between being a kid and being a grown up...and well, we lose ourselves in the process of becoming more mature. I am not talking about those people who we all know who NEVER grow up and cannot be responsible, Peter Pan complex guys and Wendy girls, but there is an honestly with kids that I find so refreshing. Ask any teacher, and they will tell you...the hardest thing about teaching kids....is the grownups! Hey, I am one of them, and I shudder to think of the stupid things I have done, said, been especially in the name of "being a good parent" and especially of my Firstborn who has the burden of me learning everything I do as a parent via my mistakes (and successes) with him.

    But back to kids and specifically back to CAMP. The CAMP was an idea, one I have brewed for years, given air time, and then shelved for a million reasons. But this year, I decided to just go for it. What is the worst that could happen... I fall flat on my face? I know kids and I know that even if I did fall on my face, that they would gather around, pull me up by all of my extremities and say "thats okay, lets try again!" and then they would say ""do you have any food?"

    I have spent this week in a kind of heaven of sorts, with some of the things I love most...kids, ART, Drama and Photography...all rolled into one surprisingly organized party...and when I have stumbled they have helped me up. Their art ranges from adorable to frighteningly brilliant and I can tell you that some of them are 1000 times more talented than I was at 8 or will ever be. It is a joy to watch it as it is unfolding, and it is all so...well PURE. That's what it is PURE.

   So Rock on ART CAMP 2011...I think this is the beginning of something really BIG!!!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

TUCKER

     WAIT UP GUYS....




This is Tucker who is also on the way to New York City!!! 




I have to let Tucker go. Sometimes parting with a painting is like giving up a favorite Puppy in a recent litter of Pups, which you raise and nurture and then have to let go...so you can make room for more!!! 
Have good life TUCKER I know you will make someone very happy!!!

Friday, July 8, 2011

OFF to Take a bite of the apple!

     Dryden Gallery 
has asked for 5 more paintings....can you say "excited" !
 On their way to the BIG APPLE are:

BONNIE BLUE BELL 36" X 36"
LILAC 16" X 16"
SWEET WILLIAM 36" X 36" 
THE ONE ON THE TOP
CALLED TULIP 16" X 16"

I AM CURRENTLY PAINTING ONE MORE TO JOIN THESE GUYS
AND WILL POST IT AS SOON AS IT IS FINISHED!!