Dessert Paintings

Chocolate Cake 

8 x 8 

I went to Michaels and bought three gallery wrapped
canvas's for the "dessert" paintings I'm doing for
the Valentines event at the James Library in Feb.

I'd forgotten how thick the tooth is on these.
I chuckled all day
 thinking about Karin Jurick's recent description of
painting on canvas.
It's like buttering a cold waffle. 

Exactly!

Don't Try This at Home!

Painting chocolates is a lot more difficult than one would think.

How many shades of brown can there be? 

Box of Chocolates

8 x 8 

I put out all my "browns" and proceeded as if 

I was painting with chocolate! 

Dangerous, to say the least. 

NOTE: The James Library 

is hosting a Valentine Event on Friday February 8.

They have asked our GJWP group if we would do 

some themed paintings  

for display and sale that evening. 

  This is my first attempt. 

Taking a Tub

 I couldn't get out of my own way today. 

A few wipers before I got what I was after.
(A Matisse-like pattern painting) 

"Taking a Tub" 

9 x 12 

 acrylic outline/ oil on board

Note: We recently stayed in a hotel room

 that had this awesome tub. 

Had to take a bath in it, 

then couldn't wait to paint it. 

Meanwhile. 

I just googled "taking a tub" and found this! 

Now I want to paint all of those tubs! 

Paper White Finale

The traditional holiday Paper White bulbs,
"planted" right after Thanksgiving
are enjoying their final days.

Timed right, they bloom on Christmas morning  

making the house smell magically festive for the whole week.  

Paper White Finale 

9 x 12 

After packing and putting away everything "holiday",

I like to enjoy them in a sunny window

as the only decoration.

Bring on 2013!

Note: My pals over at GJWP 

did some awesome interiors last month 

for our Matisse challenge. 

They have inspired me so I'm thinking 

it's a wonderful time of the year to be warm inside

painting interiors! 

New Years Day

After all the hub bub of the holidays,  

we like to do nothing but relax at the beach to bring in the New Year. 

While on the couch reading the new Bon Appetite magazine 

I saw this ad and got inspired to paint. 

I had a small Winsor Newton watercolor set and  

my cool Isabey brush from france. 

Then I magically found 

eight small pre-cut  pieces of watercolor paper! 

 It was so fun to just play and

what a great way to relax! 

(and get geared up to get back to work in studio tomorrow!) 

"Statistically, we are not all the same"

eight 3" x 2" watercolors

Happy New Year one and all.

Can't wait to see what's going to happen next!  

Matisse

Our GJWP challenge this month is 

to paint in the style of Matisse.
(Check us out on the first of the month!)

These challenges are my favorite because I enjoy researching. 

I always discover some amazing things! 

I never knew that after 1948, Matisse was bed ridden,

 yet he produced a number of works known as gouaches decoupees. 

They were made by cutting or tearing shapes from paper painted with gouache. 

The Snail 

1953

Henri Matisse 

These works were quite large and 

were done by assistants under his strict direction.

This one is 10 feet by 10 feet! 

Read more about this on the 

Tate website. 

Color Wheel 

8 x 8

by Nancy Colella 

papiers decoupes'

I painted assorted types of paper (watercolor, bristol, cardboard, tissue) 

with oil paint using my basic pallet. 

Then cut out shapes and glued them on a board, 

loosely thinking about the color wheel. 

Matisse said; 

"The technique allows me to draw in the color. 

It is simplification for me. 

Instead of drawing the outline and putting the color inside it- 

the one modifying the other- 

I draw straight into the  color"

Quoted in Amis de L'art October 1951. 

Hey.
 I'm all about simplification!

"Back to Basics" Class almost filled!

I just heard that my 

Back to Basics (#320) class

at the South Shore Art Center

(Tuesdays 1/22 - 3/5  9:30 - 12:30) 

Cohasset, MA  

is almost full! 

Three spots left. 

This is just a nudge. 

If you were thinking about doing this,

NOW would be good.  

I have a some fun new props!  

My goal is to present basic tools everyone needs 

to build a strong foundation for good painting. 

Suitable for beginners but geared for experienced painters 

who may just need to re-charge their batteries.