"Caleb Creek - Waquoit" oil

I spent THE MOST LOVELY afternoon down on the Cape in Waquoit, a village of Falmouth.  Went to visit my friend Nell, at her wonderful home a short walk from Waquoit Bay.  It was a HOT day north of the bridge, but breezy and not-quite-as-hot on the bay.  We had lunch, talked about life, and I walked down to the creek to paint.  I met Goose, the wonder dog, Bandit, Alto and AJ, saw a big snake (twice), and painted to the backdrop of a busy, windy bay.  Ahhh.

I condensed the "marshscape" to fit some points of interest on both sides. Here are a couple of photos of the painting in progress.
 
The blue boxes:

What are those blue boxes in the marsh?  

The blue boxes, officially called Manitoba Flycatchers, are located in the marsh and attempt to capture greenhead flies.  There is nothing inside of the boxes, it is the blue color which attracts the flies. 

The boxes have become part of the Cape landscape to me..  I guess we have to thank the greenheads for not finding fluorescent orange to be their favorite color.  

Wonderful day, I'm heading back there soon.

"Hurricanes Hardly Happen" oil 10 x 10 ... and Eliza Doolittle

As you may have read, one of my favorite painting subjects is Manana, the small, relatively uninhabited island adjacent to Monhegan which creates its sheltered harbor.  (Someday, in my posts, I'll just say "Manana" without the explanation as though it's a component of everyone's vernacular as it is mine.) Each summer, I paint Manana from a few different vantage points, and am always excited by a new view.  "Hurricanes Hardly Happen" is my second painting of this view, commissioned by a friend who loved the original painting, "Hurricane Watch".
I wrangled with the name a bit... same subject, slightly different take, don't want to name it "Hurricane Watch II", "Hurricane Watch Jr", "Hurricane Watch Le Deux", etc.  Then, I heard Eliza Doolittle's voice in my head from "My Fair Lady" and knew the painting's name.  Don't you love "My Fair Lady"?   Click the link below to see a few seconds of its genius:

Eliza and Henry "Hurricanes Hardly..."

Heading back to Monhegan next week!  As always, thanks for looking and feel free to share. 

"White House" tweaking the image

April's Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge was "white".  I submitted the painting "White House", (to the right) a charming bungalow in a Quincy neighborhood, which I painted from the car while the late afternoon life in the small neighborhood unfolded.  There were joggers, and children on bikes, and commuters walking the few blocks from the bus, and at least two pizza deliveries, and dog walkers, and after-work gardeners.  It was charming. However, the painting needed some tweaking once I got it home.

Shown to the left are the original and then the tweaked painting.  The original painting was too cool, and wasn't conveying the late afternoon light.  The tree was too heavy and its branches stopped arbitrarily along the roof edge, creating unintended geometry.   I spent 20 minutes making a few modifications, simplifying the tree, extending its branches beyond the roof, softening the tree shadow, and warming the sunlit pieces of the house including the brick foundation.  I added some blue to the roof above the porch and added a warm indication of a window or door under the porch, made a few of the houses edges more crisp, and squared off.  Finished.  It reads better, conveys more of a sense of time of day.  Thanks for looking.

"Cool Fair" working title 12 x 12 oil

Every Memorial Day weekend, our local art association, North River Arts Society, hosts its Art Festival - this year was the 37th annual.  I paint on the street for both days, chatting with visitors.  It's great fun.  

This year, Sunday afternoon, our neighbors stopped by my easel.  Their 9-year-old daughter stepped right up to my easel and asked me if I painted the people right in front of me.  Interesting question.  I asked her if she'd like to help me with my painting.  Her parents and brothers were behind her shaking their heads; I guess afraid she'd do

 something terrible and unfixable.  No problem.  She was brave and game and stepped right up.  

First I asked her to fix the balloons, making some color more intense.  Then I asked her to add a figure on the right side, any color but blue.  She chose purple, and dove right in.  (BTW, no surprise with the purple, as she was wearing purple sweatshirt and Converse).  

She was wonderful, great listener, even held her paint brush like a pro. We had such a nice time together, and she reminded me why I love teaching so much... with her little intrepid-on-tiptoes self.   She and I are going to name the painting together.  "Cool Fair" is a working title.  I played around with the painting a little bit after it came home, but everything that she

touched is just as she left it..    
What a great day.  


Ideas for a title?  

Thanks for looking.
 

"Mystic Crossing" 8" x 6" oil

A couple crossing the drawbridge in lovely Mystic Connecticut. I love the architecture, the bridge and the iconic red and white striped crossing gate on this spring day.  

See "Mystic Crossing" in the juried art & sculpture show at the North River Arts Festival in Marshfield Hills, MA this Memorial Day weekend.  I'll be painting out on the street with many other artists during the weekend of celebration... music, art, photography, artisans, and a giant book sale at the Clift Rodgers Free Library.  Hope to see you there.
Thanks for looking.

Mom, Maine and me - Pemaquid's rocks

Mom on Kresge Rocks 1995

 My Mom was a prolific, talented artist with a work ethic beyond compare. She was well-educated, graceful, funny, beautiful, industrious, retained information like no one  I have ever met.  Mom's passion for learning was evident her whole life.  She was wise.  Mom was my hero.   She passed away on an evening with a glorious sunset, (much like today's promises to be.)  

Mom and I both painted along Maine's coast, specifically on Pemaquid point at Kresge Rocks... decades apart.  I joined Mom in Maine for a late summer week every year, but I was a vacationing software engineer.  Life was busy, and I hadn't discovered the artist inside.  We'd read, and talk, and antique, and cook, and talk some more.  I would sit by her and read while she painted.  I cherish those memories.  When I did begin to paint, I assumed Mom and I would have years and years together to enjoy these magical places.  I was naive.  So... Mom and I have painted in the same places, but not together.  Her spirit surrounds me when I sit on the Maine rocks hearing the gulls, the waves and feeling the salt air.  Below are some watercolor sketches from Mom's sketch book.  She is standing on the same rocks above. And below is my painting from the same place a couple of years ago.  I love that she and I saw the same contours, the same rocks, the same striations.   I miss her every day but I feel connected across the years.

 Thanks for looking.

From Mom's sketch book - Kresge Rocks

Sun Kissed by Jody Regan - Kresge Rocks 2011

"White House" 6 x 6 oil

The theme for Girls Just Wanna Paint  in April was "white".  I debated setting up a white still life, painting boats, clouds, laundry....  or something or one named "White".  Each Tuesday I take my teen daughter to an evening college class, and spend my time in the nearby library grading my math students' tests and quizzes or lesson planning for the 3 hours.  This past week, I decided to paint.  As we drove to the college-class destination, I had her look up "white" in the vicinity of the college.  She found White Road, White Street, Grumpy White's Bar.. intriguing. I the end, I decided to do a little exploring after I dropped her off.  I found lovely neighborhoods I had never seen, and decided to plant myself next to an interesting intersection where this lovely bungalow sat across the street, caught in the late afternoon sun.  I painted from my car, amid the hubbub of the neighborhood, children on bikes, commuters walking home, joggers, walkers, mailboxes being opened, pizza delivery men coming and going... and I listened to NPR while I painted.  Great way to spend some time.  I love evenings in the spring.  Thanks for looking.