Sea Glass Suncatchers

Anyone who has followed me for a while knows that I'm pretty obsessed with collecting sea glass.  In fact, I can't really enjoy relaxing on a beach anymore as I'm always on the hunt for my next big find like a piece of an old coca cola bottle, a piece with interesting texture or a rare color like red or turquoise.  

I've also become interested in creating stained glass art pieces and have learned the basics of copper foiling and soldering.  So, it's only natural to combine my interests by creating these "Sea Glass Suncatchers."

Like designing an abstract painting, I'm always thinking about the distribution of colors, shapes and textures.  I might spend an hour re-arranging the pieces until I'm happy with the composition.  I like adding wrapped wire in a spiral or heart shape to add an extra element and point of interest.

Each suncatcher is about 5 inches square and is unique and can never be duplicated again.  The inner pieces are sea glass (unaltered exactly as I found them) and I've "framed" the outside using either clear, textured class, or, in the first example below, the edge of a green glass plate (that I sliced apart).

A handful of these suncatchers are available at Artists Corner and Gallery in West Acton, MA with another few available at the Rockport Art Association in Rockport, MA.

I'm happy to custom make a suncatcher for anyone who is interested.  Email me for details at Laurie@LaurieGMiller.com  

Kiss Stack - 11 x 4 inches - oil on board

"Kiss Stack" - 11 x 4 inches - oil on board

For those who have followed me for a while, you know I've painted a fair number of Hershey Kisses.  There is something a bit magical about how the foil comes to life as I add the bright highlights.  It never gets old.

In the past, I've created 3 individually framed kiss paintings but for this one, I framed them all together in one "stack."  I debated long and hard if I should arrange them in a horizontal or vertical progression.  As you can see, vertical won.  Do you agree or would you have chosen horizontal?  

"Kiss Stack" is an 11 x 4 inches oil on board painting in a natural wood floater frame.  It is available at www.LaurieGMiller.com as well as at Artists Corner and Gallery in West Acton, MA.  Additional photos are below.

Rockport Afternoon - 6 x 6 inches - oil on canvas - SOLD

Rockport Afternoon - 6 x 6 inches - oil on canvas

This is another view painted plein air in Rockport, MA from May.  There was a storm approaching so the winds were picking up, the water was starting to churn and the sky was overcast and gray.  I loved watching the entire scene change as the weather turned stormy.

I've never spent much time painting rocks and Rockport is the perfect place to practice.  I blocked in the overall shape of each mass and then carved out suggestions of the individual rocks using dark colors to create the crevices between the rocks and added lighter colors to the tops.  

"Rockport Afternoon" is is a 6x6 inch oil on canvas painting presented in a wood floater frame.  

Chicago - 10 x 20 inches - oil on canvas- SOLD

"Chicago" - 10 x 20 inches - oil on canvas - SOLD

I recently completed this commission of the Chicago skyline which was given as a graduation gift.  

I was provided with several reference photos but wasn't crazy about the lighting so I ended up combining various references that I found on the internet of the same view.  The sky, building and water are all from different sources - otherwise, I would have tracked down the photographer for permission to use their photo.  

I wanted the skyline to be fairly accurate but planned to accentuate the building colors and subsequent reflections to make a lively and fairly abstract scene.  I started with a bright pink background, sketched in the building shapes and then started with the sky, then the buildings and finally the water reflections.  My last step was to add suggestions of windows and other small details on the buildings.

The painting was well received and it is always gratifying to have another happy customer!