"Concord Afternoon" - 8 x 8 inches - oil on canvas
This is Concord Massachusetts late on a weekday afternoon. I enjoyed a nice lunch at the Main Street Cafe and walked outside to browse in the small shops. I was immediately captivated by the scene in front of me -- a strong band of light that illuminated a strip of the street. That simple band of light was the inspiration for this painting.
As with many of my paintings, I started with a pink undertone. I generally work from background to the foreground so I started with the sky, next came the distant trees and steeples, then the buildings and road, and finally the cars followed by the small details.
Pears are probably my favorite fruit to paint. Because of their shape, they have great personality and attitude. I always laugh at myself when I buy fruit since I'm constantly evaluating each piece as a potential model for a future painting...shape, color, does it sit nicely, etc. Yes, it can complicate the shopping process immensely!
In this painting, I really let loose on the color. My main goal was to show the bright sunlight illuminating the pears as they sat on the windowsill. I laid down broad strokes of color and didn't fuss with it much at all. So, what do you think? Did I go too funky or do you like it? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
This painting is available for $60. If you are interested in purchasing it, you can do so in several ways:
1. Art on Main: For those who live in the Westford, MA area, visit Art on Main, 40 Main St, Westford, MA01886. We accept credit cards, checks and cash.
2. PayPal: For those who live far away, click the "Buy Now" button below to pay by Paypal/credit card. I will carefully pack and then ship the painting directly to your door.
3. Personal check or money order: If you're not a fan of paying online, I accept personal checks and money orders. Just send me an email (LaurieGMiller@gmail.com) and we'll work out the details.
Fall is definitely my favorite time of year. The weather is cool. I can wear my favorite sweatshirts. I can comfortably paint outside with fewer bugs and no fear of heat stroke :)
We've had a really nice stretch of fall weather so I grabbed my painting gear and headed over to Great Brook Farm, a state park in Carlisle, MA. I spotted this barn across a field and decided it would make a great subject to paint. There was a gap in the treeline so I pulled my car off the road to the side of the field and happily painted away until a park ranger approached me. He was very nice and complimented my painting before he told me to move my car. Oh well. I was nearly finished painting (and my hands were pretty cold as I was standing in the shade) so I wasn't too unhappy to pack up and move along.
As you can probably tell, I started this painting using a bright pink canvas. I used a rubber tipped tool to scrape off the paint in various spots to let the pink shine through. I just love how that looks.
My parents were avid sailors and I spent many weekends of my childhood sailing with my family on Lake Ontario. When simply going out for a "Sunday sail" got too boring for my father, he started racing and our family soon became known as "Ken Miller and His All-Girl Crew." A passionate man, Dad learned all he could about racing and eventually had great success winning many races over the years.
When sailing became too rigorous for my folks, they eventually gave up sailing and gave their boat to my sister Julie who docks it at the Sodus Bay Yacht Club just outside of Rochester, New York. This past summer, I saw Dad's boat for the first time in many years. It was bittersweet to see something that he loved so much when he is no longer with us.
Last weekend, during an October snowstorm, I lost my power on Saturday evening. On Sunday, in an effort to get warm (and pass the time), I headed off in my car to paint plein air and spent a really lovely afternoon painting at Forge Pond. It was breezy outside so I painted in the passenger seat while the sun kept the car toasty warm.
I was fortunate to get my power back on Monday evening but most folks in Westford were in the dark for several more days. Spending a few days without electricity is really a jolt to the system. I am fortunate to have good friends that offered up hot meals and a warm place to sleep. For the most part, I enjoyed my break from my computer (and all things electric) and was happy to pass the time with people that I love spending time with.
Congratulations to Natalie Sandore who won a copy of my 2012 Desk Calendar by signing up for my mailing list. Each month I randomly select one winner and send them a gift!
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