Exercise has always been a challenge for me. There always seem to be more pressing things to do. So this quote, on a sign at the YMCA, was a reality check. With the help of a new FitBit and some warmer layers, I’m becoming more consistent about daily walks and yoga stretches.
Looking for a very special gift for yourself or someone else? A house portrait will hang on the wall for decades, even after you have moved elsewhere. Here are two examples:
House portraits are $495 for a 16″ x 20″ matted original, $450 for a 11″ x 14″ matted original, ready to slip into a standard sized frame. I work from your photo. Please let me know soon if you are interested for the holidays.
I enjoy sharing my art in this blog for free, but painting is also a part-time job for me, so I appreciate you passing this on to anyone who might be interested.
Sunday will be the 10th anniversary of my mother’s death. A few years before she died, when she was suffering from dementia, I took the photo on which this drawing is based. If you look closely you can see that the expression in her eyes is both “with it” and a bit “out of it.”
I owe artist Susan Avishai a debt of gratitude for teaching me this technique. Take a photo, enlarge it, put it on a light box, cover it with drawing paper. Then trace the photo using pencil, pen, markers, and paint.
Gratitude makes us happier. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!
For years I have painted portraits of different animals, and I can paint yours! These pet portraits make great holiday gifts. Here are two of my portraits, of Arlo the dog and Mr. T.
An original 11″ 14″ watercolor, matted, is $295, and a 16″ x 20″ matted is $350. Each fit a standard sized frame. I paint from your photo. Each painting takes about a week to paint, so let me know soon if you are thinking of the holidays. They make great birthday presents too.
In modern society where few of us grow our own food, how many of us can visualize an artichoke plant or an almond tree? This stalk from Trader Joe’s was fun to paint. (Roasted Brussel Sprouts: toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast 30-45 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Yum!)
Last weekend I spent four days in Maine volunteering to “get out the vote.” During the days I was there, the weather took a colder turn and the leaves changed quickly. The oak trees changed from gold to orange to rust to brown during those four days:
Maine’s hills and lakes are beautiful in the fall.
My Mom died ten years ago this month. For the last several years of her life, she was in a wheelchair. Here’s a pencil sketch I did of her as she talked on the phone to one of her many friends.
At last the foliage is at peak here in New England. Our neighborhood is blessed with some sugar maples, and yesterday I parked my car in front of them at the beginning of our street and spent half an hour making a sketch. This is one reason we love living in New England!
