After October

The summer hammock is gone.

I enjoy the 'September side' of October.....when the days march forward with the forest cloaked in its ever changing cloak of many colors. Now we are in the 'November side' of October...the forest sits striped of its coat, standing gray and brown. All business and no frivolity suggested, it waits for winter.The yard is cleared of its summer furniture.The old ash tree stands with all its color at its feet, tall and gray, with no hammock swinging in the fall wind.

The reading nook by the garden pond sits empty.

Our  tiny garden pond needs to be emptied of it water-plants, the plants heeled into the empty veggie garden until spring.The weeping cherry is the last to shed it's fall red.....but today is cold and gray, so I enjoy its color from the warmth of the cottage. The sun comes and goes as clouds appear.

Tamaracks stand tall.

When the sun does peep through the gray clouds, a burst of yellow appears behind our barn, the Tamaracks' last song of color.

Addie and Nell cleaning up.

The farrier came and trimmed the four horses hooves. Addie and Nell love to see the farrier coming for a visit. They know that there are treats galore awaiting them on the barn floor after the trims. Smelly treats ...but they love them! Sort of their Halloween treats! The horses are now ready for winter layoff...? I can't say that they had a very busy busy summer.It seems that is their lot in life lately.

One chubby Cob doing what she does best...eating!

The sun is lower in the sky now, the days shorter, nights longer. My days are spent more in the studio now.....and I hope I have more to show for it. An oil painting, on copper substrate, sits on my easel and two casein paintings are being done on my drawing board..... and a watercolor commission awaits. I am busy.



Gypsies....I LOVE THEM

"The Gypsy"      Casein on board             8 x 10"  

Consider this painting done. Now it needs to dry a few days. Then I will will varnish it. This Gypsy is one I saw on my Kentucky trip last September. She was at Gala Driving Center in Georgetown, KY. where we were given a tour of their wonderful grounds and carriage driving facility. I captured some other shots of this gypsy and also a lovely Irish Draught there.....more inspiration for future works.

A big box sits at our front door waiting for the FedEx driver. Packing and shipping is a time consuming evil when you make your living as an artist. [Or should that read 'try to make a living as an artist' !??]  This  box of paintings is heading to Cazenovia ,New York, where my work will be hanging in the Reisman Hall Art Gallery's invitational show  "Le Cheval". This  exhibit opens Nov.3rd with a reception from 4 - 5:30 pm and it will be there until Dec. 9th .

Life has been exciting lately...my heavens... I was picked by Blogger as a BLOG OF NOTE !! I am not sure what the criteria is for receiving such an honor, but it certainly has increased the hits on my blog!! I can't believe it was picked for the world shaking posts I make!! Now I am haunted by the specter of witty dialogue. Appropriate for the season, I suppose.....it being Halloween and all!!    

Which reminds me.....I need candy.  

Feeling The Cold





Nellie is a good mouser!

Weather has  been slowly getting colder over the past few days. I am dressed in my woolly orange sweater and still I feel the chill. I don't know what I will be doing when the real winter weather hits the farm! [ Dreaming of Italy.... I am sure!!! ]  Mice have been moving into the barn to get warm.The two pups smell them and  Addie, our Corgi and Nell, our JRT are all over the hay, trying to ferret them out! This chore keeps them busy, busy, busy while I muck out the stalls each day.

With cold weather, I will be spending more time in my studio. That is a good thing! [ As Martha would say.] I have big plans for new works, pushing the envelope a bit on technique,...eagerly waiting for painting supplies coming from Sennelier in France, as I have been picked to do a blind study of some products.....I  wonder what they will send?

Morning fog sits on the evergreen spruce.

Between taking care of the horses, walking the dogs and grabbing studio time when I can,  I have  been shipping paintings to shows, galleries and clients. Invitational shows have been coming up pretty often lately....I am always honored to be "picked" to exhibit in a show. So I have been getting up earlier each day to make good use of my time. The added perk,  to getting up early, is that I have been witness to some wonderful sunrise scenes in our own back yard!  I am sort of feeling like the early bird who has been catching the worm these days! I love the morning fog that sits over our back forest and I know that I will be painting that soon!

"Hello"   watercolor is sold.

So back to packing now....paintings being shipped ...and paint awaits me as it dries on my palette. I am wrapped in my happy fall sweater and have to get busy...following the example of my pups...busy, busy, busy!!!

Docent For A Day



Yesterday morning on Cob Cottage Farm

This past weekend the fall color was brilliant. Every year that we have been here on our small Maine farm, we marvel at the beauty surrounding us and feel so blessed to have this spot to call our own.

So having in mind that the driving scenery would be lovely this past weekend, we headed down to Skyline Farm and Carriage Museum in North Yarmouth, Maine to work as docents for the art and crafts show that is taking place there this fall. My art is hanging there, along with some absolutely beautiful pottery, glass work,quilting, jewelry and hand crafted furniture. There is art work from other Maine artists too.....a great show to be in or to see! Our dogs came with us. We had a busy day, but it was fun to talk to folks about the paintings and carriages that highlight Skyline Farm. I enjoyed be a "docent for a day"!



Skyline Farm's Art Exhibit has something for everyone!

One of the many interesting carriages at Skyline.

Now back at home today, I am working on commission paintings and some new ideas I have brewing, The wind is whipping the color off the trees out side. But the pups and I are cozy in the studio and will be here for the rest of the day. Galleries are asking me for new work..... I have my paint out on my palette...time to do what I was born to do, here on our small cottage in the woods.

Plein Air Equestrian

"Plein Air Equestrian"                oil on copper                 10 x 10"

When I first saw the reference shot for this painting, I knew it had to be painted. I can relate to so much of it's subject matter. Riding, plein air painting, side saddle.....just so inspiring. The photo that has these images [but not as actually depicted here] was provided by friend Yvonne Kauklija of Coldwell Productions from Sweden. Yvonne is a lady full of novel ideas and she never ceases to amaze me with her myriad of inventions. Yvonne's ideas have spurned me onto several paintings in oil, that needed to be done on their copper substrate...a substrate that lends the finished painting a warm and inner glow."Plein Air Equestrian , a sort of surreal depiction of a moment in time....is available on my website.

The World Equestrian Games ,that are taking place in Lexington,KY, end this week. Lexington was a hopping place to be these past 3 weeks. I was there the week before the 'hopping' started,but did get to see some of the preparations that were going on for the influx of visitors for this equine event. I have heard from so many friends and collectors of my art who are down WEG and who actually went into Lexington city proper to see my artwork hanging at Gallery B and at the AAEA 's Invitational Exhibit at the Lexington History Museum.

Maybe I wasn't there physically ...but it's best sometimes to let my paintings speak for their selves!!

Carriage Driving Painting Done

"Driving With A Friend"     Casein on board               12 x 12"

Over the years of our having horses, we have made so many wonderful friends and hold them all dear. One of those friends used to have a tack shop. I was there at her tack shop often as we collected horse paraphernalia. [ I bought my still much loved endurance from Mary ] We still have horses, but the buying 'stuff' and that "I need that" feeling is no longer part of our lives. Maybe because we have bought it all.....bought much more than we need... or use. The friend who had the tack shop, no longer has a tack show...but she does still play a part in the Maine horse scene. Mary was at this year's Maine Carriage Day, where she captured some lovely shots of drivers and their turnouts in carriage. She shared those images and this shot of a lady whip and her Cardigan Corgi captured my heart. I had to paint it. Mary was quick to give me an OK on the use of her photo...... and I asked for and received the go ahead from the lady whip and her Corgi. It was a go! I enjoyed painting it.....no horses really, just a happy lady and her wonderful Corgi...all smiling!
I hope the painting makes a lot of people smile too! I will be putting it up on my website soon.

Fall Is Here

The sky at sunset from our deck last night.

Last week was hot and summer like. Yesterday the weather turned towards fall. And the end of the day blessed us with this lovely evening sky....pink, purple and promising a bright day today.

There is the usual fall scrabble to get things cleaned up and put away for the season. The garden needs cutting back, fall tilling and garlic bulbs planted for next year's yield. I will take it all one day at a time. That is the best I can do. I have to paint....seasonal commissions need doing and the passing days press me to get them done. I always look forward to the new year, freeing me up for more "me" time...to actually get the original works done that I so want to do. But for now I will work on the the work that needs doing.

Addie sleeps on the couch,waiting for a walk.

The dogs seem to know that this a busy time for me....that walks and play time has to be done around my schedule.....that I can't be bothered when I am in the studio and when I am in the middle of some important part of a painting. They sit and wait....sleep and snore..... just being  good dogs.

Nellie and her cleaned and bushy baby.

Nellie sits and waits for me, her baby [an unstuffed fox?] always by her side. The "baby" keeps her happy while I work. With the 'baby" washed and sweet smelling, she waits for a chance to play, throw that baby around and " shake it silly "......there is a time to play and a time to work.  To work!