"Stoney Brook Acres" - 12 x 12 inches - oil on canvas

"Stoney Brook Acres" - 12 x 12 inches - oil on canvas

Stoney Brook Acres is a sweet little farm stand.  The place always smells great as they usually have cookies baking in the oven.  It is a fun place to pick up flowers, fresh fruits, veggies and even soft serve ice cream or a sandwich. 

The challenge in this painting was the composition.  I could have included the rest of the greenhouse area on the right, another structure with some farm animals, picnic tables, etc.  In the end, I decided to focus on the main building to highlight the colorful sign letters and the trays of bright flowers.

You can purchase this painting for $175 at Art on Main or directly from me by clicking on the "Buy Now" button below.

"Westford Museum" - 12 x 12 inches - oil on canvas - SOLD

Westford Museum - 12 x 12 inches - oil on canvas

Right now I’m in the groove of painting Westford landmarks and am enjoying every minute of it.  Westford is a great town and I feel fortunate to live here.  I thought about painting the Westford Museum for a while, had photographed it from various angles and at different times of the year, but nothing really grabbed me.  A few weeks ago when I saw the antique sled out front, I knew this would add a spark of interest to the scene.  I just love how the little bits of red flow throughout the painting from the cupola to the chimney, to the ribbon and finally to the front door.

Westford is hosting their first annual Winter FunFest and a snow sculpture contest is part of the festivities.  Below is a photo of  Art on Main' s entry for the contest.  (The sculpture is on the lawn directly across from Art on Main so be sure to drive by if you live in the area).  I created the sculpture with two of my artist partners, Mary Jane Brunelle and Sue Haley.  I haven't "played" in the snow for quite some time and thoroughly enjoyed romping around in it for a total of 3 afternoons to create our masterpiece.  Westford Winter Funfest is exactly the type of event that makes Westford such a great place to live.




Westford Winter Fun Fest Snow Sculpture



"Roudenbush" - 12 x 12 inches - oil on canvas - sold

This painting is of the Roudenbush Community Center which sits in Westford Center. The building, built in 1897, has tremendous character with its complicated roof and tall steeple. I have fond memories of taking both my daughter and later my son to attend preschool classes here. At that time, Roudenbush was one of the few preschool options in town. Folks would line up in the early dawn hours to be the first line to sign up their child. I can remember meeting a friend at something like 5:30 a.m., bundled in winter clothes, equipped with lawn chairs, blankets, and a hot thermos of tea. As the crowd gathered, it usually turned into a fun party with folks sharing hot coffee and donuts while we watched the sunrise and waited for the doors to open.

 

"Lincoln Street Late Afternoon" - 8 x 8 inches - oil on canvas - SOLD

I looked down Lincoln Street late one afternoon and saw the front of these buildings illuminated by the afternoon sun and had to capture it on canvas. I always carry my camera so I snapped a couple of reference photos.
.

While working along, I carefully painted in the flag not really thinking about where it was attached (and kind of assuming it was attached to the yellow house). I realized, much to my dismay, that the flag is actually attached to the pole (which I had no intention of including)! This is one of the hazards of painting from photos ... you simply see a flattened version of a scene and the connection/placement/distance, etc. between objects can get confusing. In the end, I decided that I really like the pole as it creates more depth. What do you think?

"Town Hall" - 12 x 12 inches - oil on canvas - sold

This is a painting of Westford’s town hall. She recently received the most beautiful coat of grey-blue paint with an off-white trim. The building was previously all white and I didn’t realize how the darker paint color could make the architectural details stand out so beautifully. I just love the harmony of the colors in this painting -- it feels very happy to me.

I recently had a nice experience where someone found one of my paintings by using Yahoo’s image search. They were specifically looking for a painting of blueberries and came across my “Blueberry Blues.” She contacted me and was thrilled that it was still available. I just shipped it off to New York City to its new home...very cool!

Spring Morning - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas - SOLD

This painting is based on a photo I took several years ago just after we installed a G-clef on the PCA's bell tower. This particular Spring morning, the Westford Common was filled with campaign signs and sandwich boards. Traffic was starting to pick up as people rushed to do errands. I tried to capture a sense of this energy along with the morning light as it reflected off the road and the cars.

View from the Ferry - 12 x 12 inches- Oil on canvas - SOLD

Well, my life has been a whirlwind this month. My Opening Reception for “Reflections on Fifty” was all that I dreamed of and more. I had 150+ guests come through and enjoy a really nice evening of live music, gourmet food and a lively and friendly atmosphere. My friends and family pitched in and it was a smashing success…thank you to all those that helped!  Of the 50 paintings, only 7 are still available. Wow. I never imagined the response to my artwork would be so overwhelmingly positive.

Well, on to new work. The above painting is based on a photo I took from the Boston Harbor Islands ferry. I had a pretty clear vision of how I wanted it to turn out. The sky was incredibly dramatic as storms passed through. The clouds were a strong mix of deep grays and purples. The foreground water was a blue-green, almost teal color. I kept the buildings simple and wanted this to be a fairly abstract painting.

The Painter - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas - SOLD

You don't realize how large the Parish Center for the Arts (PCA) is until you see someone right against the building to put it all in perspective. Just look how this painter, who is probably 6 feet tall, is dwarfed by these massive windows. The stained glass was a bit of a challenge. I had to tone down the color and subdue the details to help keep the focus on the figure. I also wanted to "suggest" the clapboards but not draw in every detail so you see the occasional horizontal line running across the canvas. I'm always struck by how many decisions it takes to create a painting...sometimes it just hurts my brain.

Below is a photo of the PCA taken several years ago. The painter was working on the left between the two large windows.

The Concert - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

The challenge of this painting was fitting so much stuff onto a small canvas. I wanted to keep the figures in the foreground fairly dark to emphasize the light on the stage. However, I didn't want to go too dark and lose all the details of their clothing, hair, etc. I had to include the theatre lights at the top of the painting to help balance out the composition.

Some paintings are easy to title. For this one, I debated between "Quintet" and "The Concert". I chose the latter since the painting is really about the entire experience of attending a performance and not really focused on the specific entertainment. Any thoughts on a better title?

Grand Opening - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

This sweet little shop sits in Westford Center. I was driving by when the sign was installed by the new owner with help from a friend. I debated whether to include the car that was parked in front of the shop. In the end, I thought it provides balance and additional color so obviously it stayed.

My favorite part of this painting is the ladder on the left which casts a strong shadow on the building. Shadows and shading are incredibly important and are what make an object appear three dimensional in a painting.

Lincoln Street - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

I enjoy doing architectural paintings and especially enjoy painting old houses with a lot of character. This painting depicts Lincoln Street which is a small street in Westford center along one side of the town common.

I work hard to keep all vertical lines straight so that the buildings don't appear to be tipping. The cars were painted with just a few strokes and I added strong reflections so they'd look shiny. Finally, I simplified the area at the end of the street into a dark and uniform shape to add a feeling of depth.