Happy New Year!

My thanks to all of you who have shared my artistic journeys this year. As the year ends I give thanks for the many joys of this year with family, friends, travel, and a new addition to our family who I have been painting this week.

This may well be my last plein air painting for 2010. I wanted to find a place to park the car that had a view of shadows on the snow. But the piles of snow hampered my view in most places. I finally found a spot (in a funeral home parking lot of all places) where I could see something. This is 4 x 6.

Happy New Year to all of you!!! May this year be a peaceful, happy, healthy, productive, and inspirational year filled with love for all of you!

Sebastian II - Tummy Time

This is my second painting of my grand-nephew, Sebastian. I think this one really looks like him. I started another one yesterday as soon as I finished this one. I hope to get it finished today. This one is also 5 x 7.

Sebastian 1

This cutie is my new grandnephew, Sebastian who I got to meet before Christmas. I came home with lots of photos of him and am going to try to do several portraits of him. (Hence the title: Sebastian 1.) I like the painting but I don't think it really looks like him...something is off, and it isn't just his sparkling energy. I'm going to finish the second one of him that I started yesterday, which looks much more like him. This is 5 x 7.

I reworked this a bit and made his head shorter. I think it helped a bit.

December Journal - Day 12

This is the final page for my December journal of my version of the 12 Days of Christmas. Done from imagination...except for the yule log which was blazing on the TV. I hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Merry Christmas

This is my Christmas card for this year. The title is "Santa's Gondola." After a summer in Venice I had to do a card with Venice as a theme. I'm not sure if I will get on the computer again before Christmas, so I just want to wish everyone and their families a safe, happy, healthy Christmas. I hope you find yourself surrounded by family and loved ones who make the holiday special. Merry Christmas!

December Journal - Days 9, 10, & 11

Here are the latest pages in my December journal...just one more to go! Enjoy!!!

December Journal - Days 7 & 8

Here's the next additions to my December journal...a little more spirit for the holidays!

Holiday Journal - Day 5 & 6

Here are the next two paintings for my December journal. I'm starting to run out of ideas. lol Help!!!

Holiday Journal - Day 3 & 4

I've been doing a December journal titled "December Delights" for the journal forum on Wet Canvas. We are supposed to do something for the 12 days of Christmas. I've only done 4 so far...these are the latest.

Here is a link to the PALS website and more photos of our show this weekend. http://palspleinair.blogspot.com/2010/12/pals-plein-air-limner-societys-1st_13.html

PALS Plein Air Art Show

Here are a few photos from our 1st Annual PALS Plein Air Art Show that took place this weekend at the BAFFA Gallery in Sayville. Twenty-five local artists participated in the show and we had a really good turn-out both days. Many thanks to Jeanne Salucci for starting up this plein air group, and organizing the show, as well at to all the participating artists who showed their work and helped with the show. For those of you who don't recognize me, I'm in the first photo of the 3 people, on your left. With me are Jeanne Salucci and Maryanne Thorvaldson. The last photo is just some of the artists who participated.

Two Guarding Soldiers

These soldiers are part of my 12 days of December journal. I am off to a very slow start on that. One Christmas I made these decorations for everyone in the family. They stand about 2 1/2 feet tall. I have two.

Bellport Water View

This was done about two weeks ago from the Bellport dock. I was painting with my plein air group, but didn't get this finished. I went back recently and sat in the car to finish this. This is 7 x 10.

Shady Lane

This was done in my November journal, but somehow I never got to post it. I was coming back from painting with my plein air group, and I turned the corner and saw this view. So I pulled the car over and painted it. This is about 3 1/2 x 5.

Red Tree by the Lake

This was painted a few weeks back when I went out with one of my art groups. A generous fellow artist allowed us to sit in her yard and paint. The color on this tree was so great. The size on this is 5 x 7.

With all the local art galleries having shows, getting my paintings for my plein air group's show this weekend, and the cold weather, I haven't been able to do a plein air piece in a few days. My fingers are getting itchy!

Peace Dove

I am doing yet another journal for the WetCanvas journal forum. This one will be for December, but we only have to do 12 days, like in the song. This is my first one....don't know what I'll do when I get up to the higher numbers. lol At least this will get me into the spirit of the holidays.

Portraits for the WDE

I haven't done any portraits in a while, but there were some good references in the WDE on WetCanvas being hosted by my friend Beth. These are tiny....only about 4 x 4. The first photo was taken by Ciras and the second (the blue-eyed boy) by Angela who belong to WetCanvas. Aren't they both adorable?

Duffy's Deli

This was done for my November journal. The deli is located on the north fork of Long Island, and looked too good to pass up.

Birthday Bouquet

Yesterday was my birthday and my husband, Jerry, got me flowers....roses. Has anyone else noticed that cut roses do not last very long? One was already drooping by the end of the day. I decided I'd better paint them quickly before it was too late. This was my last entry in my November Journal of paintings without any preliminary pencil lines. It is about 5 x 7.

Ocean to Bay

This is one of the paintings I will have in the Phoenix Gallery for their December show. It is 3 1/2 x 10, and I triple matted it with a green border between the white mats. The final size is 10 x 20. This is a plein air painting I did this summer at Robert Moses State Park.

Rosie's

This is a plein air I did last week sitting in my car in Bellport. It is about 8 x 10. I have passed this store which is right on the central corner in the town of Bellport many times, and I've wanted to paint it for a while. I finally got my chance.

Maine Landscapes

I was able to keep my November journal going while I was up in Maine for Thanksgiving. These are both about 3 1/2 x 4 done in Damariscotta, where my sister lives.

In the Village

This was done for the WDE on WetCanvas from a reference photo supplied by "Scattykat." My thanks to Kat for the great image. This is 3 1/2 x 5.

Effingham, Illinois

Here is a bit of foliage outside the Hampton Inn in Effingham, Illinois where we stopped going to and from Wichita last week. By the time we arrived at the hotel, I was too tired of being in the car to drive and look for something more scenic. This is in my November journal of paintings done without preliminary pencil lines.

You Are Invited

My Tuesday plein air group is having a show on Dec. 11 & 12 at the BAFFA Gallery, 47 Gilette Ave., Sayville, NY. All the paintings by the artists will be of the locations we have visited in the past year.

St. Clairsville, Ohio

On the drive to the memorial service I wrote about below, we stopped in St. Clairsville, Ohio for the first night. I did this painting for my November journal with no preliminary pencil lines. This was the view from outside the Hampton Inn which was up on a bluff.

In Memory of John Michael Regan

IN MEMORY OF JOHN MICHAEL REGAN 1953-2010

I was on the road this past week traveling to Wichita, Kansas. Why Wichita you ask? We attended a memorial service for my husband's cousin, John Regan, who died recently in a hiking accident in Colorado. This is the last photo of John taken by another hiker at the summit of the mountain. On the way down, John slipped and fell 300 feet. Many family members, friends, and collegues joined us at the service and later at the home of his widow, Dian, to share their memories of John. He will be missed. This photo makes me think that he had only one more step until he reached heaven.

Academy Lane, Bellport

This is 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 done again without preliminary pencil sketching. Bellport has some really nice spots to paint. I enjoy that town!

Railroad Crossing

I must have passed this spot a million times. I really wanted to paint it with the autumn colors, but finding a spot to sit and paint it was a challenge. It has been too cold to sit outside, and this spot is just across from the Sayville train station, so parking is almost impossible...except for the weekend! This is 4 x 6 done in watercolors and ink.

Edwards Homestead Barn

This is a painting done at the historical Edwards Homestead in Sayville, NY. It is part of my November challenge to myself to paint a small painting a day without preliminary pencil lines. It does take a bit more concentrating.

Art Supplies & Full Box

I'm still trying to catch up on paintings that I haven't posted. Both of these were done for my October journal.

Charlotte

This painting was done in plein air at the Maritime Museum in Sayville, NY. I started it one night with the Patchogue Sketch Club. Of course I didn't get to finish it the first night because it got too dark to early to see what I was looking at and painting. I returned the next morning to complete it. Yes, the lighting was different, but I was able to see the aging parts much better. This is 7 x 10 and is presently hanging in Patchogue as part of the Patchogue "Walking Arts Tour."

Bits of This and That

These are small 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 plein air paintings done in the local area recently.

From My October Journal

I have been doing small sketches for an October journal that I was doing for the Art Journal Forum on Wet Canvas. Here are two of them. These are about 3 1/2 x 5.

Artist Lake

This is a plein air done at Artist Lake in Middle Island, NY this week. The autumn colors have been so spectacular!

Abandoned House

This spooky looking house was done for the WDE on WetCanvas from a photo reference by Dana. This was done with watercolors and ink and is 5 x 10.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!