Celene Farris, A Maine Artist

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Love of Nocturnes

My paintings seem to jump from one subject to another. Lately I have been focusing on nocturnes with their dark, haunting images and the mysterious stories they suggest.

I have always loved the old black and white movies - the dark, gritty detective stories and the haunting classics such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Nocturnes, or night paintings, are a challenge to paint - but great fun!

The Stranger, 7x5, oil, SOLD

This painting was available in my Ebay Store or directly through me.

I hope you will visit my new Facebook page -

Celene Farris, A Maine Artist

Thanks for visiting.

Celene

Sunday, September 26, 2021

Learning Social Media

Last week I attended an on-line, intensive, "Social Media for Artists" workshop.

Then I spent the rest of the week on the computer, bouncing back and forth from sheer amazement to utter confusion, while weaving my way through setting up "Social Media for Business" Facebook and Instagram accounts, and then separating each account into two different pages. A total of two accounts and four pages - and then linking them all together.

I split my Facebook/Instagram accounts into two different pages to separate my two vastly different painting subjects and styles.

My first Facebook/Instagram page is Celene Farris, A Maine Artist. This page features my traditional Maine landscapes and seascapes, traditional still life, florals and figurative oil paintings. Also some miniatures.

My second Facebook/Instagram page is Celene Farris, Night Painter. This page features my new subject of Night Landscapes and Cityscapes.

Success! My two accounts are now active, my four pages are now complete and all has been launched!

And two days ago I had my first "internet/social media sale". How great is that!

I now have both my original Ebay Store and my new "Social Media Sites" as internet selling platforms.

Last week was a very busy but productive week. This week I hope to paint!

I hope you will visit my new Facebook and Instagram Pages and "Follow" me through this journey into the world of social media. I will be adding more of my paintings on a regular basis and showing some older works as well. Hope to see you there!

I would love to hear your comments.

Thanks so much for visiting with me.

Celene

PS... A little follow-up a few months later - Downsizing - I have eliminated my Night Painter page and combined it with my Celene Farris, A Maine Artist page. It was just too time consuming. Too many pages to monitor. Not enough painting time! So please visit me on Facebook and Instagram at Celene Farris, A Maine Artist. Thank you!

My Web Site

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

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.

Carnival Lights, 5x7, oil SOLD

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

My Facebook Page

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?!

Lilacs and Blue Glass, 8x10, oil

Lilacs and Copper, 8x10, oil SOLD

And, of course, a few little ones. 3x3 Framed, oil. SOLD

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 phone booth - 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

Patchwork Plus

My eBay Store

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. Yes it does - 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 then make all the surrounding areas, including the sky, relate to it. What started out as a sunny day in my reference photo might progress into a stormy day or even a night scene.

So to me and my way of painting, it make more sense to key my painting to the focal point or area of major interest and my choice of values. So that means saving the sky for last.

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. Happy painting.

Celene

My eBay Store

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.

Fire in the Sky 2, 5x7 oil nocturne SOLD

Fire in the Sky 1, 5x7 oil nocturne SOLD

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

Ebay Store - Nocturnes

Ebay Store

Sunday, January 31, 2021

Camp Fire Party

Here is another fun painting. I almost titled it, "Here, have a beer."

Camp Fire Party, 8x10, oil nocturne SOLD

This is the last night of January 2021 already. Time sure flies. Hope this is a great year for us all.

This painting was 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

Ebay Store - Nocturnes

Ebay Store

Friday, January 15, 2021

1st Street Pub, nocturne

Back to nocturnes again. I'm really fascinated with the strong contrasts of light and dark. This one was great fun!

1st Street Pub, 8x10, oil nfs

I've decided to keep this one for myself. It reminds me of lower Main Street in Belfast, Maine.

Hope you're having a great day.

Thanks for visiting,

Celene