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This is a perfect morning to stay inside and paint, but I put on my boots, instead and went out to take photos.  This is the holly tree in my front yard, with the bare woods behind.  I love living in the woods.  Watching the birds and deer and squirrels enriches my life and fills my heart.  Occasionally we get lucky and see raccoons, flying squirrel, chipmunks, etc.  Life is good.

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Thank you to the collector who bought my watercolor painting, Her Favorite Doll, from the Brath and Hughes Gallery in Mechanicsburg, PA!

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This is a painting of my daughter and husband during a vacation in Acadia National Park in Maine.  The weather was stormy and they walked down to see all the ocean life thrown up into the tidal pools.  I painted this the year I was studying rocks – can you tell?  I just reframed it for my daughter.

Baby Bunnies and Old Fashioned Roses

Buns and Roses II is a terrific little class demo of an intimate view of baby bunnies under the old fashioned rose bush in my daughter’s yard.  Sold on daily paintworks.

Judging

I was invited to be the Judge for the Keystone National Juried Exhibition.  I’ll post more about this exhibit as the prospectus is finalized.

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Mary from The Christmas Play

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This beautiful little girl was well cast as Mary in a local school Christmas play.  She’s painted on watercolor paper stretched on canvas stretcher bars and varnished.

Upcoming Exhibits

Just scheduled a show for November 2012 with long time friend and gallery owner Michelle at The Framing Concept in downtown Lancaster.  I’m going to paint some of the same local scenes in watercolor and oil and see if viewers can guess which is which.  No fair touching!

A First Try At Loose Watercolor

My next class is about abstract colors suggesting realism, so this morning I threw paint and spattered.  This first attempt isn’t bold, kind of quiet, but it’s a good start.

I have paintings in two galleries right now – the Exton Mall Gallery (offshoot of the Chester County Art Association), near Phili, and the Brath and Hughes Fine Art, LLC, 41 W. Main St., Mechanicsburg, PA.

Also, check out my eBay sales – one small work each month, starting at a bargain price!

Click here for Ebay Oil on board, 8 x 10 – a fall farm scene from E. Petersburg, PA.  I’ve just started trying oil painting, but continuing my small town series.  It was fun doing the clouds with oil paint and the autumn foliage on the tree turned out well, also.

Calendar Magnets

My calendar magnets are here!  If you’d like one, snail me a self addressed stamped envelope and I’ll send you one as long as my supply lasts – 916 Forest Rd Lancaster PA 17601.

Small Original Watercolor Painting - Alley Cat

This is the third small town scene for the month – a back alley in glorious fall splendor, with an alley cat walking the fence.  It was trash day, as you can tell by the cans and recycle bins.  This tiny image is 10.5 x 8 and listed on eBay through Sunday, Jan 22.

Award

Serenity was  awarded one of the top Awards of Excellence at the Chester County Art Associations current Contemporary Exhibition, on exhibit through February 24.

Next Month’s Theme – Sweet Young Things

February I will continue posting one image a week for sale and the theme will be Sweet Young Things – pretty girls and baby animals.

A Touch of Red - Snowy Lancaster Landscape

This is my newest weekly watercolor.  9 x 12″ image size, this is watercolor on paper, stretched on canvas stretchers like an oil and varnished.  The sides are painted and it can be hung as is or framed.

I love traditional watercolors, but I’ve been trying many different substrates – the aquabord (masonite) and stretched paper, both of which can be varnished and just hung up, no glass, no mat.  At the galleries, my oils have been selling, but I’m eager to try displaying some of the new watercolor types. I expect watercolors framed like oils will sell like oils, as they have a nice look.

Starting today I’m joining the daily painting movement.  I won’t be painting every day, as I spent several days a week teaching, but I’ll be posting a painting for sale each week (on Sunday) on Ebay, the Daily Paintworks website and this blog.

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My theme for January is Small Town America, and the first  featured painting is Mustang!  This scene is an auto repair lot on Marietta Ave in Lancaster, PA that I drive by quite often, in a back alley residential area.  This was early on a beautiful summer evening and I loved the glow of the sunset that reflected in the windows.  Image size 7″ x 10.5″, professional grade watercolor on Arches paper, with a white acid free mat and backboard.