Bleeker Bookshop

6x8 oil on panel - sold
Ask Castle Gallery about this painting.



From a corner book store in the West Village. They set tables outside on the sidewalks for people to browse. I rather got distracted from painting by all the books. I do love to lose myself browsing among all the wonderful and inspiring written words. I have this desire to paint books. The covers themselves can be so interesting, but I suppose its already been done...

My theme here seems to be aimed at cozying down rather than painting and then packing for our trip.

The Beignet Beat

12x8 oil on panel
Ask Castle Gallery about this painting.



As promised... though i missed a day and will load up today....
This is going to Castle Gallery with me for the reception on Thursday. Its a fun scene from Cafe du Monde in New Orleans and I thought I'd show you the frame on it too. Coffee and beignets reminds me of hot cocoa, which reminds me of cool weather, which makes me long for fall. We're still sweltering in triple digits here.

As a side note: My laptop hard drive died last week and I lost all my stuff on it so if you had emailed me recently and I haven't responded... please write again!

Castle Gallery Reception

The invite says all you need to know, except that I have sent new work to them! So over the next few days I will post some of that work. We're mainly going to Indiana for my sister in law's wedding and I hope the family won't mind that I worked this in.

Summer Solstice '09

12x16 oil on panel - sold
Ask Castle Gallery about this painting.

Castle Gallery in Fort Wayne, Indiana, will be hosting a summer artist's reception on Thursday evening, Aug. 20th. If you are in the area, you should definitely get over to see the gallery and meet some fabulous artists.
Timing was such that I am not going to be there... until a week later! On the 28th, I will be in the gallery for a visit. More details next week.

Moses Botkin Monthly Challenge

This month's subject was my pick. And I chose something that has challenged me before. An unmade bed. I think the difficulty is the pattern of the sheets on top of the folds and rumples. As it turns out, I didn't quite get into those sorts of issues. I saw this scene at my parent's house in Florida recently. They've had this bed for ages and its the one I now sleep in when I visit. I had gotten up one night late and when I came back, the perfect scene presented itself.


The Old Brass Bed
10x8 oil on panel - PURCHASE
(c) 2009 Robin Cheers


"Asleep in the Window Seat"
18x24 oil on canvas
(c) 2009 Marie Fox



Expedition on an Unmade Bed
8x10 oil on board
(c) 2009 Diana Moses Botkin



Wine Night
8x8 oil on board
(c) 2009 Michael Naples



The Boys
9x9 oil on canvas
(c) 2009 Vicki Ross



Unmade Bed
12x9 oil on canvas
(c) 2009 Silvina Day

Checking In

I have nothing to show or report here, but wanted to check in and tell my friends that I decided to take the rest of August to do some housework. I am redoing my kitchen! So I am painting, but not in the usual style. My cabinets are aged, orangey, builder's grade wood and I am painting them white with a "glaze." Its something I've wanted to do for a long time and owing to this heat, I figured some indoor projects would be good. And now, my primer coat is dry and I am going to get back to work! Wish me luck!

Final days in Florida

I did get to see the wild horses on Cumberland Island. I was so excited. We took a private boat tour with Captain Carol of On the Water Adventures. I highly recommend this tour. There is another boat tour company but this was smaller (and private!) and she was able to take us up into creeks between the marsh grasses in search of manatees and up to the beaches close to the horses. She also had a lot great information to share. Like the story of these horses. Apparently the island was owned, at one point in the good ole days, by the Carnegies. When their horses got old, they turned them out to "pasture" and let them become feral - they bred, more horses were let loose, and/or brought in (Lipizzaner and mustang stallions) and the population is thriving. Very neat.

Welcome Back

Back from Florida and my hope is to hang onto those good vacation feelings. No stress! Right?

Good news in the mailbox. Paintings were accepted to show in the American Impressionists Society 10th annual national juried exhibit at Saks Gallery in Denver and also in the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club 113th annual show. Both shows are in October.

For those in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area, Castle Gallery will have an artist's reception Aug. 20th for their annual Summer Show. This worked out poorly for me, I have to be in town the NEXT weekend for my sister-in-law's wedding.

This week, new works will go out to Polonaise Art Gallery in Vermont (soon undergoing a name/location change) and new works shipped a short while ago to Tidewater Gallery in NC. And I must get back to painting. Remember that no stress comment?? :-)

More Beach Sketches

These are some sketches I added some color to in my sketchbook. The wind has been rather strong and makes the oils messy!
Today we're going on a boat tour around Amelia and Cumberland islands. Hope to see dolphin, manatee and maybe wild horses.

Beach Sketches

pages from my sketchbook

Lighthouse House

Here we are at Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. Its been lovely. Though a little windy. I painted yesterday morning and could barely keep things from blowing away. Done a lot of sketching in my book too.
This is a house down the beach a few doors - we call it the light house. I'm reminded of Hopper's paintings when I look at it.


roughly 6x6 oil on paper

Below is a very tiny painting I did on the other end of the paper above. This is that "museum board" or carton paper that I like, though I don't know yet how to frame it. I suppose it should go under glass. I don't like the thoughts of that. That is just another reason I love oil paints so much. No messing with matting or glass framing.



I am having a thoroughly wonderful time lazing about and alternately basking in the sun and being pounded by some rough surf. Speaking of! There have been surfers here too and I've gotten lots of great photos as well as sketches! Between this trip and NYC I will have things to work on for a year or more!

Central Florida

These are just some tiny oil sketches I've done trying to record my memories of scenes we've passed while driving around. We went tubing on the Ichetucknee river a couple of days ago and drove out to a neat little hamlet along the gulf marshes. Today we're packing for our beach week. We go to Amelia Island Saturday morning.

Over the Fence

I have no idea how the color will appear on these. I scanned them onto my parents computer (and have to clean the white paint off it now. Even my quick-dry white won't dry. I guess its the humidity!)
Anyway - these little sketches are of the house behind the fence at my folks'. Its newly built but in an old farmhouse style. The first one was most complete but never thought I quite got the values correct. The white house, reflecting a lot of green and blues, was deceptive. Until I really squinted, I could not get the sky and house the correct values. I then did a "thumbnail" painting of just those values with no details. I think it is closer to reality. But maybe if I'd done it in grays, I would have gotten even more accurate.
We are having such a nice time - its so nice to NOT have to do anything. This is my one break each year.

Florida Backroads

Arrived on Saturday to a very nice rainstorm. Hadn't seen rain in quite some time. We lounged about yesterday and today took a trip over to Homossasa Springs and saw manatees and a bunch of other wildlife. I sat in the front sketching the gorgeous passing scenery. Lots of trees - such beautiful old oaks! All dripping that romantic looking spanish moss. Lots of horses and cows. Its all so lush and green. Very different from Austin! I am inspired by everything here. There is a great deal of "atmosphere" - a blue haze that makes the distance recede so beautifully.

Above are just a couple little vignettes from my sketchbook. The sunset here at home might be worth painting in oil tonight. Or maybe deep dusk over the pond. I'd better go get ready.

The Landing

6 1/2 x 9 oil on paper
PURCHASE

Tomorrow I am off for Florida! I am taking paint and paper and laptop and will be painting, sketching and posting often I hope. TTFN!

Hacking Around

7x 7 1/2 oil on paper - SOLD

Yesterday's post didn't go out. Setting Blogger to publish at a certain time does not work for me. I was in the infusion lab most of the day with my husband. As for him, he has improved almost fully. His strength and stamina have returned and he's been able to exercise and work. He still has some numbness. Next infusion will be stretched out to 6 weeks so we can get an idea then if he will have recurrence of symptoms and whether this might be chronic or not. Lets hope for not.

Moses Botkin Monthly Challenge

Self Portraits! Whose idea was this? Ugh! I started well enough, but soon grew to hate the sight of myself! I seriously dislike looking at myself this long. I painted one, screwed it up, wiped it off and started again. I always look mean in self portraits. I think that happens though to most artists because we are concentrating hard! I also realized it was very hard to squint and paint yourself. Squinting, we all know, helps painters mass in things and not get belabored by details.

At any rate, I did it. And here it is along with the images the rest of the challenge group created this month! I like theirs MUCH better!


Self-Portrait Loathing
12x12 - oil on panel (for the time-being)
c 2009 Robin Cheers


Me ala Schmid
10x8 - oil on canvas
c 2009 Vicki Ross



Making Up My Own Story
24x20 - oil on canvas
c 2009 Marie Fox



Self Portrait
6x6 - 0il on board
c 2009 Michael Naples

Make Me Beautiful, Rembrandt!

6x8 - oil on panel

c 2009 Diana Moses Botkin

Self Portrait with Steve's Shirt
11x14 - oil on canvas
c 2009 Silvina Day



Self Portrait
8x10 - pastel
c 2009 Mike Beeman

Up and Over Sketch

7x7 oil on paper
PURCHASE

Tune in tomorrow for our monthly challenge postings! It was a huge challenge for me.

Open

7x5 oil on panel
$100 + $12 s/h - sold

This is really a nice little painting, if I do say so myself. :-)
I couldn't get a great photo because the dark oils are reflecting a lot.

This man, probably the shop owner, kept coming out to pose for us (not his intention I am sure!) Sherrie and I were like the paparazzi waiting to take pictures each time he'd step out. The light was just so perfect on this store front. I've painted a larger version too (below) and it will be available at Tidewater Gallery in about a week.


Antiques Dealer
11x14 oil on panel
Ask Tidewater Gallery about this painting.

Village Jeweler

6x6 oil on panel
$100 + $12 s/h - sold

I caught this view just out of the corner of my eye (and had to back track) as we walked to dinner one evening in the Village. The dark store interior and the window reflections made a neat composition.
We had stopped at a wine store on the way too and I loved this window display (below). I am a fan of the color pink - though not of rose' wine. There are such beautiful and interesting little shops in the Village. I am working on a series apparently because I am starting a larger painting of a book shop now.