"Wake Up!" - 16 x 16 inches - oil on canvas

"Wake Up!" - 16 x 16 inches - oil on canvas

This is Cooper - my nutty dog.  He absolutely adores my son.  I don't know how Cooper will survive when Jason goes off to college in the fall.  I'm going to have one depressed pup hanging around the house.

This painting is a bit larger for me, 16 x 16 inches, so it took a while to complete.  The quilt was fairly tedious to paint with all the color changes.  I had to make sure the folds and wrinkles translated from one color square to the next.  Every painting is a learning experience and I know I picked up a few more tricks after completing this one.

"Early Spring" - 6 x 6 inches - oil on canvas

"Early Spring" - 6 x 6 inches - oil on canvas

Sunday was a magnificent day with bright sunshine and unseasonably warm temps.  I just had to get outside and take advantage of a perfect day to paint plein air.  I headed over to one of my favorite local spots -- the cranberry bog in Carlisle, MA.

I set up my canvas on the side of the road and happily painted.  I chose this particular scene for a couple reasons.  First off, I love those two big evergreen trees that overlook the bog so these are really the focal point of the painting.  I also like the thin, horizontal slices of color that I could see in the distance --- the yellows, purples and blues.  I actually fabricated the sliver of water in the foreground to add a bit of color and interest.  Above is a photo of the actual scene - as you can tell I used a bit of artistic license to punch up the color.

In other news, congratulations to Trina Teele who won my March give away!  For those who don't know, each month I randomly select one person on my mailing list to win a gift...anything from a pack of greeting cards to an original painting.

This 6 inch square painting is available for $60. Click the Buy Now button below or click here for other payment options.

"Forge Pond Shadows - 8 x 8 inches - oil on canvas - SOLD

"Forge Pond Shadows" - 8 x 8 inches - oil on canvas

This is the painting that I completed during my book talk/painting demonstration at the Westford Museum last week. I thought the demo went very well and we had a lively discussion with a group of about 15 people. It is, however, very hard to talk and paint at the same time...very hard! I was able to finish the painting in the back of the room during the 2nd presentation. I donated this painting to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell for their annual fundraiser.

As you can probably tell, I started the painting with a bright orange background. I like the color combination of the yellow-green grass and the bits of orange. The shadows across the parking lot are what initially attracted me to this scene along with the slice of light gray-blue water that separates the distant trees from the foreground trees.

In other news, Art on Main is having our monthly "Wines and Nibbles" on Thursday March 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. with guest artist Rory Gallagher. We got snowed out last week so hopefully mother nature will cooperate this week with milder weather. Everyone is welcome so join us if you can!