Come Spring, 8x10, oil

Come Spring, 8x10, oil SOLD

This scene is so typical of March in Maine. Warm days and cold nights, maple syrup, melting snow and mud season. Goodbye winter - hello spring. 

This painting was available in my Ebay Store - Landscapes.

Thanks for visiting, stop by again.

Celene

My Ebay Store


www.CeleneFarris.com

Lonely Street, 8x10, oil

Lonely Street, 8x10, oil SOLD

One of my favorites. 

More paintings available in my Ebay Store - Nocturnes

Thanks for visiting, stop by again.

Celene

My Ebay Store

www.CeleneFarris.com

Stormy Seas, 12x9

Stormy Seas, 12x9, oil  SOLD

After the nor'easter that visited us a few days ago, how could I not paint it. Even though we didn't get out during the storm, I knew what it would look like. This was an enjoyable painting, I may have to do a few more.

This painting was available in my Ebay Store - Seascapes.

Thanks for visiting, stop by again,

Celene


My Ebay Store

www.CeleneFarris.com

Day #28 Old Friends

Old Friends, Vilnius, Lithuania 9x12, oil.

I cheated a bit today. This was a painting that I started a while ago and finished today. Our Virtual Paint Out Group has not resumed this year. I don't know if this is a permanent condition, but I decided to take a trip to Lithuania by myself. 

The idea for this virtual trip came because of a dear cousin who is working on our Lithuanian genealogy. We have been sharing information and this has stirred up old memories of my childhood. My grandparents on both sides came to this country through Ellis Island in the early 1900's and kept many of the old customs. One set of grandparents from Lithuania, one set from Poland. (There will be a virtual trip to Poland coming up sometime). They were thankful to be here and worked hard to raise their families. There was no welfare and no government help - and they didn't expect any. Families helped each other.

Yesterday's painting of The Blue Umbrella sold this morning. Thank you, Denise! Tomorrow I hope to start on another cityscape. Now it's back to the studio to wash my brushes and then have a glass of wine.

Thanks for visiting,
Celene

This painting is available in my Ebay Store - Virtual Paint Out

Leslie Saeta's 30/30 Challenge for February 2018.

www.CeleneFarris.com

Day #27 The Blue Umbrella

The Blue Umbrella, 5x7, oil SOLD

I finished this painting late this afternoon. It took longer than I planned as the painting seemed to have a mind of its own. After many changes, it is finally finished.

I work from photos that I have collected from the internet and stored in my Kindle. These photos are essential, but they are not mine. They were taken by many people and I am very grateful that they are willing to share them with us. I would never copy one of these photos completely as they are someone else’s vision and not mine. 

Since I need reference photos for the structure and composition, I choose elements from two or three photos to tell my story. The photo of the girl with the umbrella was in black and white. I looked through my other photos and chose two for the background. Once I have the initial block-in done, I don’t look at the photos very often. I just paint and let the painting tell me what it needs. I work until it looks right to me. I find that if I give it a title and keep that story in mind, I can stay on track. This can be a tricky way of painting and sometimes you just have to walk away and focus on something else for awhile. Then when I return to my easel the painting behaves itself and we continue until it's done.

But once in awhile the painting just won’t cooperate and there is no choice but to wipe it off and start again. Today was a good day.


Thanks for visiting,
Celene


This painting was available in my Ebay Store - Small Paintings.

Leslie Saeta's 30/30 Challenge for February 2018.

www.CeleneFarris.com

Day #26 Winter Moon

Winter Moon, 6x8, oil  SOLD

I'm falling behind in my painting. Life gets in the way sometimes. After completing this painting today (which I started two days ago) I began another cityscape that I hope to work on tomorrow. All my cityscapes are sold so I guess other people enjoy them as much as I do.

Thanks for visiting,
Celene


This painting was available in my Ebay Store - Small Paintings.

Leslie Saeta's 30/30 Challenge for February 2018.

www.CeleneFarris.com

Day #22 Bright City Lights

Bright City Lights, 5x7 oil SOLD

I've always had a fascination with cities. Not the new chrome and concrete cities, but the old brick and brownstones. 

I grew up in a small town near Hartford, CT. When I was young, my parents and I used to go to Hartford every Sunday afternoon. My father played the sax in a local dance club and my mother and I would walk down Main Street to the movies. We had looked in the Sunday papers to choose our movie from one of the five or six theaters on Main Street. After the movies we would walk to the club which closed at 9PM on Sunday nights. Back then a woman and a child could walk the streets in the evening without danger.

Beside theaters with brightly lit marques, Main Street had large department stores with beautiful windows, doormen and elevator operators in uniforms and red caps. All the buildings seemed huge and elegant. The alleyways between the buildings looked dark and mysterious. There were lights and people everywhere. I thought it was a wondrous adventure.

We always stopped for ice cream after the movies. Then we walked to my father's club and had about half an hour to wait until closing. We would sit at a table and listen to my father's band and watch the dancers. It was noisy and crowded, filled with music and laughter. 

As we left Hartford, the city was still busy and bright. Before we reached home I was asleep.

Nice memories.

Thanks for visiting,
Celene


This painting was available in my Ebay Store - Small Paintings.

Leslie Saeta's 30/30 Challenge for February 2018.

www.CeleneFarris.com