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| Closing Time, 8x10, oil |
Sunday, September 5, 2021
Closing Time, 8x10, oil
It's an interesting challenge to paint interiors and figures with multiple light sources and still maintain a strong focal point. A continuation of my nocturne studies.
Saturday, August 21, 2021
Northern Lights
Who knows where our painting inspiration comes from...
Right now, in the middle of a summer (and a political) heat wave, I'm thinking of the peace and quiet of our Maine winters and the beautiful, mesmerizing and ghostly colors of the northern lights that often dance across our night skies.
Fire in the Sky, 5x7, oil
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| Winter Skies, 5x7, oil |
The scientific explanation-
The Northern Lights (aurora borealis) are shafts or curtains of colored light visible on occasion in the northern night sky caused by collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter into the earth's atmosphere. These particles are attracted to the poles by the magnetic fields found there and react with gases in the atmosphere, causing the gases to glow. The lights appear in many forms from patches or scattered clouds of light, to streamers, arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays that light up the sky with an eerie glow.
I think it's more than that.....These paintings are available in my Ebay Store or directly through me.
Thanks for visiting. I wish you peace.
Celene
Monday, July 19, 2021
Studio Sunshine
Our July, so far this year, has given us an over-abundance of cool, rainy, gray days. The outdoor flowers and greenery may love this weather but it's so hard to get motivated when the house is dark in the middle of the day! Today - 3PM - it's 67 degrees and drizzling.
So I've spent quite a bit of time in my studio, lights on, music playing. Here are a few new paintings to bring a smile.
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| Carnival Lights, 5x7, oil |
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| Number Please, 5x7, oil SOLD |
I remember being so excited as a child when the carnival came to town. And who could forget the phone booths and searching for some change to make a call? The operator had to place the long distance calls for us. After we dialed "0", she would come on the line and say, "Number please." No cell phones in the good old days!
These paintings are available in my Ebay Store or directly from me. Thanks for visiting.
Stay dry and busy.
I think I'll bake a batch of cookies before returning to my studio.
Celene
Saturday, June 5, 2021
Lilacs
We are having a wonderful spring here on the coast of Maine. We went from early spring's gray, cool and rainy days, frosty nights and dreary mud season - to glorious sun and color everywhere. My lilacs were a week early and are now beginning to fade, as are my bleeding heart plants. The iris, poppies and lupine are in blossom now, with peonies soon to follow. How could I not paint my lilacs?!
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| Lilacs and Blue Glass, 8x10, oil |
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| Lilacs and Copper, 8x10, oil |
And, of course, a few little ones. 3x3 Framed, oil.
A few years back, when I had my studio at our gallery in Belfast, I tried to paint all the spring flowers as they came along. Every day I would bring in new flowers and try to capture them on canvas. Some paintings were successful, some were not, but it was fun trying. This brought in a lot of repeat visitors who wanted to see what I was working on next. Those were fun times and I met some truly delightful people.
These new paintings are available in my Ebay Store or directly from me.
Stay busy and happy. Thanks for visiting with me.
Celene
Friday, May 7, 2021
Painting is never boring
Well, another few months have gone by since my last post. A friend asked what I have been working on so I thought I would share a few of my latest pieces.
I have been very busy in my studio getting ready for my favorite local shop, Patchwork Plus in Searsmont, Maine, to reopen for the season on May 1st. She carries a line of my work and we were all hustling to finish up in time. My eBay Store has also been busy, so more paintings needed there, too.
I seem to jump from one painting subject to another. For the past few months it is been miniature paintings - 3x3 inches square. I found some darling frames on-line that, I think, are perfect. These mini paintings give me a chance to use bright colors and quirky subjects - snowmen, colorful songbirds, flowers, a goldfish. Even a few mini still-lifes and landscapes. Here is a sample.
My husband cut a stack of 3x3 canvas panels for me and I have a dozen or so left. When they are done, I need to finish my nocturnes. I started one with a pick up truck and a man in a phonebooth - so many subjects to choose from. Painting is never boring! I could never understand how anyone could say they were bored. I say -"just get busy doing something!" Life is short, don't waste it.
Enough said, time to paint. Stay well and stay busy. Thanks for visiting with me.
Celene
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Skies - first or last?
These gray, cold winter days are perfect for rereading some of my art books. No matter how many times I have read them, I still learn something new - but often find that it doesn't work for me. Take skies, for instance, and the preferred progression of a landscape oil painting.
We are taught to work from the top down, back to front. This means painting in the sky first and working forward in layers. They say that the sky's coloration and mood sets the key for the whole painting. But that doesn't work for me.
I prefer to start at the focal point or the area of major importance and key my painting to that. My brush often has a mind of its own and I need to firmly establish my most important areas first and make all the surrounding areas relate to it. What started out as a sunny day in my reference photo might progress into a rainy, foggy day or even a night scene. To me and my way of painting, it make more sense to have the focal point or area of major interest set the key.
As a former teacher of mine once said, "We learn the rules to see how far we can push them". So read your art books, but do what comes naturally to you. It makes painting more fun - and maybe more successful.
My thought for the day.
Celene
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Fire in the Sky
Every so often, when the solar conditions are just right, the clear northern night skies will reward us with a spectacular light show. This light show can happen anywhere or anytime of the year but when it reflects off the water or a snowy landscape it is doubly amazing. Painting the Northern Lights seems to be a natural extension of my nocturnal paintings series.
Here is the scientific explanation -
The Northern Lights (aurora borealis) are shafts or curtains of colored light visible on occasion in the night sky caused by collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter into the earth's atmosphere. These particles are attracted to the poles by the magnetic fields found there and react with gases in the atmosphere, causing the gases to glow. The lights appear in many forms from patches or scattered clouds of light, to streamers, arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays that light up the sky with an eerie glow.
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| Fire in the Sky 2, 5x7 oil nocturne |
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| Fire in the Sky 1, 5x7 oil nocturne |
These paintings are available in my Ebay Store. And, of course, you can always deal directly with me if you prefer.
Thanks for visiting with me. Stay well and warm.
Celene
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