Small New Painting & Big News

"Belted Cow # 4"               casein on board                 5 x 7"

In between working on bigger paintings, this little Belted Galloway painting was done and is now available and up on my website, easily bought through secure Pay Pal. I have a few of these small casein works that I will be putting up soon.

I also have some exciting news...my work is now exhibited and available at the Freeport  Edgecomb Potters store. I am happy to have this Maine connection ...bringing my work back home to familiar ground! My work depicts one of Maine's highlights...Acadia National Park, is now showcased in this Freeport, Maine store. I just might have to get off the farm a bit more often and get some plein air work done now!! Good excuse, I say!

"Acadia - Duck Brook Birches"   casein on board    16 x 8"

Losing the War...The Fight Has Been Fought

This is what is left of my string beans on their tepee poles.

I have given up. I have fought 'the battle' with our resident deer population all summer and they have won. I have harvested what I could out of our veggie garden and have left the rest for the deer, the squirrels, the birds.......let the gleaners come. Actually we did get produce to last us into the winter months, while eating fresh veggies all summer. I have frozen tomatoes galore for winter soups and sauces.Our winter squash are piled in my studio, and I have apples, grapes and pears harvested from our orchard and arbor for pies and juicing. The Lord provides!   So I have decided to let the deer win....but they BETTER stay away from my clematis and grapevines!!!!!

Our arbor is laden with purple grapes now.

I have been enjoying my walk from the studio down to our horse barn of late. I love the fall light, the cool cave of the grapevines covering our arbor, the bench waiting by the fire pit for cool evening fires to sit by.... while contemplating the world's dilemma or just" chillin".

I am busy daily on seasonal commissions, and original work. Working on my family series and some new oils on copper. But one of the fun paintings I have going, is a casein [so far] of a lady whip and her Cardigan Corgi! I must admit I jumped on this one while I was so taken with the Corgi, the basket, the driver's turnout! I love doing driving paintings....I really do!

One of the casein "Works In Progress" a 12 x 12" fun painting!

Yes.......Gray fall days spent in the studio are very enjoyable. And not having to fight the deer for veggies is even better. Life is good on Cob Cottage Farm!

Quick Little Landscape Oil Painting

"Duck Brook Bridge Again"      O/C                5 x 7"

I like doing small quick oil paintings... sometimes just to capture a scene and see if I want to go further with the idea. I have so many Acadia scenes that sing to me....this is one of them. I think I will pursue this scene in more detail....but it may take me a while to get to it. I have work I need to finish, both originals and commission works. I am still looking through photos taken while in Lexington and Georgetown, Kentucky. And I have winter scenes I need to get painted now.I have put this small oil on my website.
Fall is starting to show its colors around the farm. The horses are starting to sport the beginnings of their winter coats. I am so not looking forward to the Corgi's shedding [blowing] her summer coat for her winter' woollies'.....and WHO told me that JRT's don't shed??? 

Our Homegrown

Our arbor laden with squash and grapes!

My works are framed and I am finishing up the paperwork for the Skyline Farm art show that will be hung this week.......

The show titled “Homegrown,” a benefit sale of fine art and crafts is inspired by Maine’s natural state. Skyline Farm’s 5th annual invitational exhibit is open from 10-3 each Saturday and 12-3 each Sunday from Sept. 25 through Dec. 4, or by appointment. For eleven weeks, you can buy artworks or bid on silent auction items donated by the artists and local businesses. Bidding action will conclude at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4th.

Please join us on Saturday, Oct. 2 from 5-7 p.m., to enjoy light refreshments while meeting the show’s participating Maine painters Beth Carlson, Diana Johnson, Renee Lammers, Kathi Peters, Karen Pettengill, Anne Tarbox, and Wade Zahares; photographers Donald Verger and Laura Young; sculptor Jordan Smith; custom woodworkers Louis Charlett and Tom Dahlke; and artisans of fine crafts, including jewelry, glass and pottery Benjamin Coombs, Susan Horowitz, Gail Kass, Lois Kenney, Tony A.C. Kulik, Mike Mason, Lynda McCann-Olson, Deborah Peters, and Nance Trueworthy.

The artists are generously sharing a portion of each artwork’s sale and 100% of the funds raised from their Silent Auction donations to benefit Skyline Farm’s programs and operations.

Original creations for every taste and budget are for sale just in time for the holiday buying season. The show is complemented by carriages and sleighs from Skyline Farm Carriage Museum’s collection. Free admission.

Throughout the show, many weekends will feature artisan demonstrations, classes, and guest musicians.

The veggies and fruit hanging in our arbor [see photo above ] were the inspiration for one of my paintings that will be featured in the show. The photo below shows the work framed....ready to hang and enjoy.

 

"Interwoven"    oil on copper      10 x 10"

I am already working on new work..........all 'homegrown" for sure!

The Trip - It's Good To Be Home!

It takes too much energy to travel!!! ....or the getting ready for an art show that is 'far far away". I shipped 12 new works to Lexington,KY for the "Bluegrass Living" show. Then, after all that was done, I had to pack my bag ...my husband's bag.....and then write a novel's worth of instructions for the barn-sitter who came and care-taked our horses,dogs and cat! I was tired before I even boarded the plane!!!

Me.. between my painting & Andrea Steiner's painting at AAEA show

We arrived in Kentucky Thursday night. Friday morning and most of that afternoon was spent visiting art museums in Lexington proper.I learned about the legend of the "Blue Horse"....I was able to actually go to see the show my work is hanging in at the Lexington History Museum's Invitational Art show sponsored by The American Academy of Equine Art.This will be hanging throughout the World Equestrian Games........ and I walked through the at The University of Kentucky's Art Museum where there was an awesome exhibit of equine art ......AND the current exhibit "The Bluegrass Palette "of one of my art "heroes"...Andre Pater.To be able to see his work [ oil and pastel ] up close and to see his brush strokes and palette, was the highlight of the entire trip! And then to add the Museum's major exhibit,  " Hoofbeats and Heartbeats -The Horse in American Art" with its more than 50 paintings and sculptures by artists such as Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, Frederic Remington, Edward Troye, and Grant Wood.......I was in heaven feasting on eye candy!!The Friday night reception with my work at Gallery B was jam-packed. This is a good sign, I do believe......and I did get to meet some great new folks.That is always a perk of art show openings!


Saturday morning we were up early and out to Cobra Farm, where I was given a personal tour and chance to photograph any of the fine foals who were going to the Keeneland young stock sales....and the yearlings. I fell in love with a 2 year old filly who would have come home with me if I had a suitcase big enough! [ Not to mention a bank account to match! ]

One of the many shots of young stock at Cobra Farm. Looks like a Blue Horse!

Then off to Gala Driving Center in Georgetown to meet trainer Sterling Graburn and where we were given a tour of their wonderful grounds there and where our JRT's mom, Tamika, greeted us...along with our Nellie's sister Kate!

Tamika and her daughter Katey

Then we went on a drive through Kentucky...the farms....the countryside...and even checked out Jesse James mother's old tavern, where my husband had thoughts of opening his own tavern!!!
[ Les' middle name is Jesse....and our eldest son is a Jesse too!]

Les at the Tavern.... just thinking!

We are back home now.....it took me a few days to get into the swing of things....and I am looking through all my photos, books and information collected on our whirlwind few days, where we had a wonderful time experiencing Kentucky with great friends......in horse country!
Now it is time to get focused and to love on some Cob Cottage horses [and dogs] ....and to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us here in September!!

Equestrian Fine Art Exhibit And Auction

With many stunning pieces of art ,this exhibit is a MUST SEE if you are in the Saugerties,NY area next Friday, 10th of September! My painting "Riding With" was juried into this show and is available for purchase AND you can bid on line too. Check it out at http://www.hitsshows.com/

"Interwoven" Oil On Copper Done

"Interwoven"   oil on copper       10 x 10"

This  oil painting is done,and signed and ready to frame. My vegetables in my garden are climbing up our arbor and clinging to the grape vines .....probably not  a good thing....but it does make for some interesting images......How could I not paint this part of our life here at Cob Cottage.

The weather has been very warm for us the last few days...a stretch of sunny humid and depressive heat. The animals and I are looking forward to fall weather with colors and brisk sunny days! Bring it on!