2014 Desk Calendar is here!

I'm pleased to announce that my 2014 desk calendars are now available! 

Each month features a different painting and the calendar comes packaged in a CD-like case that opens to display each month:

The 2014 Desk Calendar is $18 and it can be purchased in a couple of different ways. 

1. Art on Main:  For those who live in the Westford, MA area, visit Art on Main, 40 Main St, Westford, MA 01886.  We accept credit cards, checks and cash.

2. PayPal: For those who don't live near Westford, MA, click the "Buy Now" button below to pay by Paypal/credit card. I will ship the calendar 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 get the process started.

"40 Main with Blue Subaru" commission

"40 Main with Blue Subaru" - 8 x 8 inches - oil on canvas

We've all heard the saying which goes something like "If you give something away as an act of kindness, you will be repaid many times over."  The first time I painted this scene, I gave the painting to Marie who is the proprietor of this retail shop.  I gave it to Marie as a thank you since she has been kind to me over the years and I really thought she'd appreciate it. 

Marie kindly hung the painting in her shop (which I didn't expect), and since that time, several people have noticed it and have commissioned me to recreate the painting.  With this latest request, the client asked me to add her car in the scene instead of Marie's car.

I normally don't like recreating a painting, but in this case, it is such a charming building that I enjoyed the challenge of painting it once again.

Lamborghini commission - finished!

"Lambo" - 12 x 12 inches - oil on canvas

I'm pleased to report that I finished the commission of the Lamborghini and it shipped off earlier this week.

There were a number of challenges with this painting.  First off, my reference photo (see far below) was decent but the car was fairly dark so I had trouble seeing the details.  Some things you just can't fake, and it is very hard to paint something if you don't understand what it looks like.  I was fortunate to find 2 reference photos that helped me understand what the car actually looked like:

car detail reference photos

Regarding the background, with discussions and approval from my collector, I eliminated the sign on the left side, modified the distant hills a bit to give a more balanced composition, and added a bit of interest to the sky.  I purposely faded the yellow and white traffic lines as I wanted the car to be the most prominent item on the canvas. 

original reference photo

Sketching......

I always carry my sketchbook with me and love to pull it out to help pass the time.

When my kids were younger, I did a lot of waiting.  There were the weekly activities like piano lessons and soccer practices so I'd find myself with time to kill.

Now that my kids are grown, I don't sketch nearly as much.  This past weekend, I was traveling and, once again, found some quiet time to pull out my sketchbook and happily passed the time waiting for my plane to depart.

Lamborghini commission progress

I'm making progress on my Lamborghini commission and I hope to finish it later this week.  The bright blue areas are blank canvas and still need to be filled in.  I also have to make some adjustments on the shape of the car as well as some of the values.

In other news, Art on Main is hosting their monthly "Wine & Nibbles" open house on Saturday August 10 from 2 - 5 p.m.  For those who don't know, this is a tax-free weekend which gives everyone an automatic 6.25% savings.  To sweeten the deal, I'm also offering an additional 10% off on all my paintings this weekend.  If you can't make it to the open house and still want to take advantage of these savings, contact me at LaurieGMiller@gmail.com.  To see my available paintings, click here.