Dog Portrait of Sam

This will also be a Christmas gift. Sam is the cutest little guy and I had fun getting his character just right. He is standing beside a brick wall in the yard. I had to do some manuvering to get this accomplished as they were 2 separate photos and there were issues of scale to deal with. All in all, I think it turned out great! Cute doggie and lovely brick work all in one painting! I'm hoping the owner will like it!

Newest House Portrait

This is my latest house portrait done in watercolor. It will be a Christmas gift. I love this wonderful home with wrap around porch and quiet setting. I am pleased with the soft colors and porch details. Each house has a distinct personality and the owner and I are both pleased with how this one is depicted!

Whistle Stops and Depots - Historic PA Railroad Stations - Elmhurst Station, Rowlands Station, West Hawley Station, Lackawaxen Station

These are paintings of historic railroad stations in Northeast Pennsylvania that no longer exist. They were done from old photos predating color photography. The photos were small and did not show much detail so some things were left to the imagination. I enjoyed depicting these charming structures in colors I imagine might have been used at the time. They were done with fine and ultra fine point black sharpie markers and then watercolor was added to to enhance the drawing. It was challenging because I did not use any preplanned pencil sketches and had to really think about every mark I made on the paper as there was no erasing. This really forced me to closely examine the photos as I drew the images. I am pleased with how they developed and the fact that they have a fluid charm and movement to them because of the quality of the line work. The stations depicted in order include:

Elmhurst Station
Rowlands Station
West Hawley Station
Lackawaxen Station

Latest House Portrait

I just finished this house portrait for friends at the lake. I'm happy with the final outcome although it did involve a bit of a struggle to decide what to leave in and what to leave out. It was done from a photograph taken from their boat. They wanted to get the dock area in as well as the gazebo and the house. I had to make some decisions on how much of the neighboring properties to include and what elements to remove. Ultimately I decided to leave a hint of some neighboring properties because it is a close knit neighborhood but I did not put in many details because I didn't want to take the focus away from the main house. I also decided to eliminate the jet ski parked next to the dock because it would have been too busy and would have distracted the viewer from the focal point. These changes worked well and I love the way the dock leads your eye back to the house. The reflections on the water add interest to the foreground. This one took me a long time to complete as I did it in in small snippets but I think that added to the strength of the final piece because I would come back to it with a fresh eye each time. The best part of all is that my friends love it!

Autumn Walk on Benton Road

In this watercolor painting we are once again on a family walk. The composition and the hazy view of the landscape in the distance appealed to me. I also liked the play of the shadows across the road and the colorful foliage scattered about. The figures are enjoying the beauty of the day and each other's company. This painting was started and about 80% completed in a workshop where we were told to look at our photo reference and then put it away and paint from memory. I believe we did a quick pencil sketch prior to the memory painting but honestly I don't remember. It was an interesting exercise and I found it quite liberating since I was basically relying on my memory and my knowledge of landscape painting to guide me through it. Also, this was done on print making paper which has different qualities than the watercolor paper I am used to. I enjoyed this new paper and actually ended up ordering some to use in future paintings. I did refer to my photo for the finishing touches but learned a great deal from the exercise. It forced me to paint in a looser style because there was no photo to refer to for finer details.

Creekside Chat

It has been a while since I posted anything so I thought I would add a few paintings that I did last fall. This watercolor was done from a photo of my hubby and daughter taken while we were on a walk near our home. It was a lovely sunny day and the autumn colors and fall foliage were in all their glory. I loved the way the light cast shadows on the rocks and the white of the bridge is almost blinding in comparison to the darker rocks and stream bed. I also liked the sparkling water and the rocks under the water showing through. The brilliant sunlight reflecting almost white in the hair of the figures and on some of the clothing also made for delicious contrasts. I tried to capture all of that in my painting. The conversation between father and daughter adds additional interest to the piece. Are they discussing the scenery?

Another House Portrait

This is a 16 x 12 watercolor painting I did for a collector to use as a Christmas gift this year. I love the charming feel of the home and the bright light of the North Carolina sun. I was thrilled that my collectors were happy with the piece.

House Portrait

It's been a while so I thought I would post a few things. This is a house portrait that I did in watercolor a few months ago for a friend. I love the way the brick work developed and the overall scene in this painting is quite pleasant. I am currently working on another one for a Christmas gift and will publish it after Christmas! Don't want to ruin any surprises!

Flowers and Peppers

Found this painting languishing in my portfolio, unframed and neglected. I decided to use it in 3 woman show I participated in this summer and was quite pleased with the way it turned out all framed up. Here is the unframed version. This was probably painted in 2004, although I'm not sure...unfortunately I haven't been super good about my record keeping and dating my paintings....future generations will curse me when they try to record my art history! LOL This was done in watercolor from a still life set up at Renee Emanuel and Bill Teitsworth's studio. They have both been a great inspiration.

Benton Road and Around the Block Series #2

Here is the second of my Benton Road series. This is a barn about 1/2 mile from my house. I loved the snowy path leading up to the barn and the way the light and shadows interact on the snow and structure. The "posted" sign added extra interest. The title of this watercolor painting is "Posted" - No surprise there!

Benton Road and Around the Block Series

I have finally decided to do a series. We are always going for long walks in our neighborhood which is rather sparcely populated. To walk around the block is about 4 miles and fairly rural with a smattering of houses and barns here and there. I am always taking photos which is an annoyance to other family members that I walk with because inevitably I slow them down. However, I have developed a nice reference library and have been having fun painting in the studio when the weather isn't good for Plein Air Painting. Here is the first of the series entitled "Benton Road Barn in Late Summer". It is a watercolor done in a workshop with Robert J O'Brien, AWS, NWS. Many thanks for his thoughtful guidance.

Anemones

This is a painting of Anemones done from a photo taken in Rodrica Tilley's garden. It is one of my favorites and was juried into the EMCA Regional Art Show in 2008. It is now hanging at the Glenburn Branch of People's National Bank as part of their collection. I did this painting in a workshop with Vermont Artist Robert J. O'Brien, who is a member of both the American and National Watercolor Societies and a well known and published watercolor artist. He is an excellent painter and teacher and I am grateful for his guidance and suggestions. Thanks to both Robert and Rodrica for making this painting possible. I particularly like the abstract quality of my design and the way the light reflects off of the lovely flowers, leaves and stems and sets them apart from the lush background. The impressionistic background is a perfect setting for these beauties.

One Earred Stone Burro

This watercolor painting was done from a photograph taken as part of a series of reference photos for a house portrait I painted for a friend. She wanted the burro in the painting because it had a special significance for her husband and the painting was to be a present for him. I liked my photo of the burro so much I decided to do a painting of just the burro. I'm happy with the weathered stone textures and the 3 dimensional quality.

Portrait of Arizona Sweethearts

Hi All, I signed on to the computer the other day and opened Photo Suite. There on the screen was a picture my hubby took of us while we were vacationing in Arizona. I was inspired and decided to do a painting. I think it is interesting because our heads are so big and the background is so vast.....The portrait is done in watercolor and I think it has an illustrative quality to the heads...almost cartoonish....but I like it just the same and it does look like us.....So here it is....let me know what you think!

Greetings

Hello Everyone! This is my first time creating a blog so there may be some bloopers displayed at anytime! I am an artist living in NE Pennsylvania and I work in watercolor, pastel and oil. I have always loved art and have created this blog in order to be able to post and share my artwork with you! Hopefully you will enjoy the artwork. Please feel free to email me or IM me if you want to chat about art or if you are interested in a painting or a project.