A New Casein And A Pen & Ink

"Lady And Her Horse"    Casein on Paper        12 x 9"

The days have been flying by, as I play nurse-maid and farm manager at Cob Cottage, while my husband recuperates from his carriage driving accident at Acadia National Park. He is on the mend..., but it will be a slow process, as his 4 broken ribs heal. This means I have less actual studio time. But I have been able to squeeze some sketching time into each day, so as not to have them be a total loss art-wise. So I did do this casein on paper.....my take on a elegant lady and her steed, a painting prompted by the photography of Lisa Sjodahl for Coldwell Production in Sweden. Yvonne Lauklija is the producer of Coldwell Production and she has become a close Face Book friend!......and her horses are so handsome. She is the creative force behind this shot.

Another friend,a collector of my work, sent me a great shot of her driving horse,and carriage turnout. This prompted a pen and ink sketch.....I did it between waiting on my ailing husband.

It is about 8 1/2 x 12 " and is on Strathmore paper.

"Lady Whip"    8.5 X 12"      pen & ink

I am excited to say that my painting "Shades Of Gray #7- "Ladies In White" has made it into the top ten in the Bold Brush Competition...which qualifies it to be awarded a place in their "Fav15". This is a pleasant surprise. But the voting does continue until the end of the month....so if you are just reading this I would love to have your vote....just click the "like-button" up on their art show page. The link available is above.. on the artwork's title. That will take you right there. Thanks!!

You can also clink on to this  get to the page to vote!

And now down to the barn I go to 'manage  the farm".....a polite to say muck stalls!! ;-)

Side-Saddle Watercolor

It has been a while since my last post...The Skyline Farm art exhibit went off well last week. It is always so gratifying to see the works all hung and then stand back and take in all the beautiful artwork that is year's Maine artists sent for the show "Fertile Ground". The work was mostly landscapes.....but all off Maine. My co-curator for this show, Karen Pettengill, and I hung it all in record time. I guess we have had enough practise over the years...and have always worked well together. We have worked together in a green house, as grooms for a four-in-hand driver and now this!


I managed to get works shipped out last week and then my husband and our Corgi and I headed over to New Hampshire to see my brother and his family. It was a long week for me...but fun and I survived it!!!


Today I finished this watercolor and then I attacked my studio mess.....I feel like I deserve a break now, so I am headed out to mow lawn. This grass must stop growing soon...??!! but I think I I like mowing over shovelling snow!


"Kentucky Side Saddle" is 15 x 10" and is a watercolor on watercolor board. The rider looked so comfortable on her horse, as she sat talking to folks. I HAD to paint her. The watercolor is more about her than her horse, though he was a handsome fellow.

Sitting Pretty

I have always been surrounded by horses throughout my life. I have ridden hunt seat, forward seat [in Italy], saddle seat and western. I even have done a bit of dressage with our horses over the years. But I have never ridden side-saddle and have always wanted to learn. It doesn't look very comfortable, but it does look so traditional and lady-like.

If I can't ride it.......I CAN paint it.

This small 10 x 8" casein work "Sitting Pretty" was finished today. This painting and a 'bunch ' of other new work need to get onto my website. [When I get a -round-to-it]. The days seem to whiz by lately and with a large part of each day being taken up with shoveling snow around this winter....it seems I have less and less time to spend in the studio! Maybe I am not shoveling as fast as I used to?

But I do have several new "Shade of Black" paintings in the works, and a papercutting............so all is not lost!

So ...back to work........................

Black and White

It has been a while since I have done a paper cutting, but this one was finished a week or so ago. It is called " Riding Like A Lady", and it already has a home to go to. In this scene the hunt stops as a very lady-like equestrian joins the field, in her side-saddle and fancy attire. Even the hounds are interested in this rider.

I have always liked the challenge of composing a work in just black and white, where you can capture depth and motion, all simple... and direct. I think I have achieved it here.

Now...... back to a watercolor of a Standard Poodle for a client! This is such a nice to day to be working in my loft.My barn chores are done for now and the snow piles up outside, while the horses nap in their stalls in the warm barn.

Winter blankets Morrill, Maine.