Cooper's Hawk...

This absolutely beautiful Cooper's Hawk landed on top of the birdhouse right outside my kitchen window. It was one of those times where you say....just let me get my camera! It sat there so proudly, for quite a long time, while I was able to get some photos from inside my kitchen. I really didn't think my photos would turn out so well. I hadn't planned on doing a hawk after my

latest motorcycle painting was completed, but when this bird parked itself right outside.....it was like it was begging to be a subject of a painting! I'm not a bird expert, so I sent the photo of the hawk to the Buffalo News' nature columnist. He identified it as a Cooper's Hawk- and added it was not fully grown! I hope it returns to my yard as an adult!

I started off with a pencil drawing directly onto my paper. Then I used friskit on some of the withered morning glory vines, so that I could freely place the dark values on the lower part of the painting. I'm using french ultramarine, burnt sienna, and sepia for much of the hawk. This morning I noticed this hawk perched in a tree far back on our property. I hope he comes back for a visit...my camera's ready!

Buffalo Society of Artists Open Studio at my house

A cold and snowy January day was the setting for my open studio visit. I was so happy that so many members chose to come out on the bitter cold day! We Buffalonains are a hearty breed!

The photo on the right shows me on the right with members Todd Chalk, left, and Norine Spurling looking at my latest motorcycle painting. The Buffalo Society of Artists is comprised of artists working in all media, so these studio visits are a way to see how artists work in all varieties of media. It's fun to get ideas for our own studios when we see what other artists have chosen for their own workspaces.

On the left here is a shot of more members crowded into my studio. Former BSA president Gary Wolfe's back is to the camera, and he's greeting Todd, former president Coni Minneci, Norine is behind them. On the right our treasurer Helen Russell is smiling while Beth Pederson and Priscilla Bowen greet each other. I'm in the back with Nita Easter talking about my "Mid-Life Crisis."
On the right, Helen, Gail Bille, Priscilla, Beth, Gary, and Norine are all in our family room. I have my artwork all over the house, so one benefit of hosting an open studio visit is that it forces you to clean the whole house!! Now it should be good for a little while....after a busy week we both need to kick back a bit!

All in all it was a lot of fun, and I hope everyone had a great time.

The new Burchfield Penney.....

We finally made a trip to see the new Burchfield Penney art gallery. What a stunningly beautiful place! We went on Sunday, the last day of the "holidays" and it was a perfect time to go. I was thrilled to see Charles Burchfield's studio preserved, shown here on the left. Artists always like to see other artists' studios. The gallery has a great collection of his works; it's nice to see watercolors given the place of honor they so rightly deserve.

The layout of the gallery is lovely. The view from the second story down below is shown in the photo on the right. It's wonderful that this gallery will focus upon Western New York artists. I loved getting to see pieces from fellow members of the Buffalo Society of Artists.

All in all, this is a spectacular addition to the Buffalo landscape and will be such a welcome addition to the artistic community.

A snowy Christmastime...

Here are some images of the pre-Christmas snowfall.....when it was still technically fall! We were so excited to get this snow. We knew it would hang around for Christmas day, guaranteeing a white christmas. We actually love lake effect snowstorms. Often an inch or more falls every hour. As long as you don't have to travel in it, it's very beautiful. It gets very quiet, as the heavy snowfall acts to muffle all the outdoor sounds.
I don't know that I could ever capture in a painting a lake effect snowstorm. Maybe these storms are best captured on film!

A gift for the holidays....

Now that my father-in-law has his Christmas gift, I can safely post my latest painting! This is his fishing boat that he co-owns with 2 other fishing buddies....hence the name "Tres Amigos." We had SO much fun going fishing in this boat! On our last trip to Florida we went just about every other day, and absolutely had a ball. Nothing like sitting on a fishing boat, watching the sun come up, gazing at the lake and just enjoying the feeling of getting away from it all.
I had fun doing the painting, and it did resemble my motorcycle paintings in a way I hadn't thought of before. I had to paint things I saw in the photo....while having absolutely no idea what they were! I was glad how it turned out, and twice as glad that everyone seems to love it.
Can't wait to get out on it again!

It's all in the details....

The saga of the custom chopper painting continues!! I've had some time this week to spend in the studio. I really love when there's an end in sight! I still have some large areas to block in, and I'm hoping to get those in this week. Detail work is what it is. It is, by nature, time consuming work....yet it is so worth the effort. The lighting effects on this bike will make the painting so unusual. And if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well and taking all the time it needs to be the best it can be.
I've been so thankful that I bought new brushes with their fine points. Detail work practically requires new brushes- I suppose like a new sewing project requires a fresh needle. I'm also loving the Maimerblu color "Dragon's Blood" (cool name) that features prominently in the painting. Not only a great color for florals, but I never would have thought it would be put to great use in a motorcycle painting!

A snail's pace.....

Sure wish I could show more progress on my painting, but with the holidays upon us......!! I actually am baking some bread for my Thanksgiving table right now- we women certainly multi-task, don't we?
Back to my painting- I've been adding more detail throughout, and the motorcycle is gradually coming together on the paper. I need some long stretches of uninterrupted time to lay in the larger green sections. Bright greens are really difficult to use, and they are very unforgiving if you "mess up" so I'll need to work on those sections when I know I'll have the time. Watercolor is certainly a medium that requires planning, sometimes many steps ahead- like playing chess, for example. Using staining colors definitely requires pre-planning! Hopefully I'll be able to complete this before the end of the year. I sure was right when I talked about it being cold and snowy when I finished! I'll especially be thrilled if I can say I completed it in 2oo8!!