Sunflowers with Blue Vase

My mother in law, affectionately know as "Dinah", has a little saying when happening on something delightful: "That'll give you a lift!!"
That's what I feel when I see sunflowers--and was immediately inspired by my friend's vase full of fresh sunflowers earlier this fall. Their blooms lean this way and that as they follow the sun. Do you ever find yourself stretching toward the Light?

This painting was donated to a fund-raiser to help a special friend in his battle against cancer.  Sadly, he passed away in the summer of 2013.  His creative spirit and warm smile lives on in our hearts.  RIP E.H. 

Autumn Streamers

Memories of a mountain stream. If you look closely, a flyfisherman is casting his fly off the left bank. There is a rhythmic beauty to casting. The sounds of the rushing waters, the smell of the Maine woods, back and forth, landing the tasty bait just so. With any luck, a brookie will be enticed by the meal at the end of your line. Regardless of the "catching", flyfishing to me is one of the best ways to relax while soaking in Nature at its best. God's magnificent creation. All is good at the edge of a mountain stream.

16"x14" $250 framed

Five Plant Pots

The temperatures dropped last night. Morning frost is imminent! Our short summer growing season is fading fast. Here is one more tribute to my love of flowers and antique watering cans! The crisp air turns my thoughts to apple-picking, football and casseroles! It transports me into an action mode focused on harvest and preparation for winter winds. I love the autumn season...a time of transition, turning inward to a place of silence like a snow filled sky. I love the multitude of colors shown by the maples and birches and oaks. I hope to put on my jeans and fleece and be out there documenting God's wondrous colors with my paintbrush!

  ~~~This original painting is in a private collection in Maine. Giclee prints are available...$60...image size 10"x8".

Duck Ledges I

Ever been to an island where you feel big and small all at the same time? Perspective is a fleeting element of life. I see it, and just as fast lose sight of it. I'm always coming back to the Truth of the moment I'm in...gaining a foothold on perspective...hoping to keep it as I take the next step and live the next minute in time. God catches me as my foot slips into fear and worry, and sets me aright once again...giving me perspective...teaching me Truth.

  ~~~This original painting is in a private collection in Maine.  Giclee prints are available for $80.  Image size is 10"x14". 

Cape Porpoise Dories

Summer in Maine...couldn't ask for anything more in life!

The early morning sun dances off the hulls of these dories at the dock in Cape Porpoise. Waking with the sunrise in July is always a treat...soaking it all up before winter comes again!

~~~This painting is in a private collection in Maine.  Giclee prints are available...$40...image size 9"x6".

Prout's Neck Tides and Roses

The beach roses have begun to bloom. The warm summer sun has arrived. Time to head to the water's edge and relax. I've been busy painting several new pieces, and hope to post many of them soon. It's been a while since my last post...further evidence of time spent in front of the easel instead of the computer. Suits me fine, as I'm much more comfortable handling a paint brush than a keyboard. Now it's time to enjoy our short summer...time in the hammock, time at the beach, time with special friends. "Down time" is essential in the balance of life...but how often do we find ourselves on the cusp of a moment's rest, only to be pulled back into the "doing" mode that beckons so temptingly. My advice is to fight against the tendency to "get things done" and for a few weeks this summer create a sense of sabbath rest to feed your soul. The hardest part will be for me to take my own advice!! How will you refresh your self this summer?

~~16"x14" $275 framed

Prout's Syncopation

I am so ready for summer. Can't wait to get out to the water's edge to hear the waves crashing and see the sea gulls soaring. The thermometer is pushing 70 today despite some clouds. The seasons come 'round, 'round again...long winters turn into decadent springs. I read in Newsweek today that our brains are overloaded with information...knowledge that doesn't necessarily help us to make better decisions. What better way to clear one's head than to head out to the ocean (or wherever you find peace). Our minds are sharper and we are more truly ourselves when we take time, the precious time, to just be.

 ~~~This painting is in a private collection in Maine.

Katahdin's Northern Lights

In Northern Maine, where I was raised, Aurora Borealis (aka Northern Lights) was a common sight on many a Winter's night. There was a mystery to the night sky that captured my attention and fueled my child-like wonder. It was only on those darkest nights, far away from the city's lights, far away from Summer's sun, that the purple, yellow and green would dance across the sky. Life always has a parallel to Nature. It is only in those darkest of times--the Dark Night of the Soul--where only True Light can shine. If it weren't so dark, we would not be able to see the light...it would go unnoticed in our busy lives. But thankfully, ironically, there are troubled times that help us enjoy the good times even more...difficulties allow us to see Love shine even brighter.

~~this painting is in a private collection in Maine~~

Clear Horizons

Welcome to the New Year! 2011! Out with the old, in with the new! I’m beginning something new…on occasion I’m going to offer an original painting to the first person that emails me asking for it! Typically, these will be smaller paintings, done perhaps as a color study for a larger work. “Clear Horizons” above is my first offer. It’s about 3.5 x 5 inches. Just email me your request and it’s yours! Lots of artists create small works called Artist Trading Cards—this is my venture into this world of ATC. I’ll continue as long as I’m having fun with it!

Heading to the Barn

The snow fell deep last night. Luckily it is the fluffy kind, which makes heading out to the barn a bit easier. Snowflake and Daisy will want their oats and daily apple treat. They don't mind the cold, as long as there's fresh hay in their stalls. Love my horses. Love caring for animals. They don't ask for much, and give love so freely. Wonder how Snowflake got her name? She's my favorite. So unique in her markings. Guess that's kinda like the flakes that fell last night. I can see each outline of the few that stick to my mittens. I heard somewhere that every snowflake that has ever fallen, or will ever fall, is unique--there will never be another like it. Mind boggling, considering how many snowflakes fall every winter! Which leads me to wonder, and imagine, how every human is unique and an individual...fearfully and wonderfully made. Am I loving and caring for the humans in my life? Am I appreciative of their special qualities? Could I be more patient, more understanding, more generous? Will I be, especially now that it's Christmas?

~~~This painting is in a private collection in Maine.

Christmas Eve

Can a snowfall be cozy? Sure, if it's Christmas Eve in New England! The flakes come twinkling down all fluffy and frozen. After hauling in the fragrant evergreen, and shaking the snow off our feet, we'll sit down to some steamy hot cocoa. That's about as cozy as it gets! When I was very little, my Dad and I would hike into the woods and select a nice fir tree that we thought would please Mom and look the best in our living room decorated with antique bulbs, homemade clay snowmen and plenty of tinsel. I recalled those moments as I painted this winter scene. Cozy, isn't it?
~~~This painting is in a private collection in Maine.

Thankful Season

The oak leaves have transitioned from green to yellow to orange in our yard. Afternoons are brisk as the trees reveal their inner beauty before falling to the ground. Their mission in life is complete, until winter’s chill warms again to bring spring back around. I love getting lost in the mystery and constancy of the seasons. There is something profoundly natural, profoundly grounding to that rhythm. Soups and stews and casseroles find their way onto our table. I am grateful for the seasons, for my family and friends, for the food on my table, for trees and for God who created it all.

Reflections of Autumn

Crisp Fall days reveal our trees' true colors of crimson, orange and gold. In this work, they are reflected onto a still body of water evoking a sense of peace during this season of introspection. When we take a moment to look inside ourselves, are OUR true colors revealed? Are there any changes to our "hues" and "values" that could be considered? I believe that True Peace flows when the inner self is congruent to the public self. What do you think?

~~16"x14" $275 framed

Breaking Free

There is a rhythm to life. Ups, downs, ins, outs.

Watching the waves of the ocean today brought me to ponder the rhythm:
The year…its four seasons.
The day…its sunrise and sunset.
The tides…highs and lows.
The moment…breathing in and breathing out.
It is our choice to get in step with the rhythm of life. As the distractions take our attention away, we can always choose to come back to the focus of breathing, of waves, of sunrises and sunsets, and of summer making way for cool fall breezes.

Upper Dam

Ever been to a place where the light is magical and you just want to savor the moment forever?

Last fall we went to one of our favorite places, Upper Dam, between Mooselookmeguntook and Richardson Lakes near Rangeley Maine. It was just before sunset and the sun was dipping toward the horizon off to the right of the river. The glow reflected off the boats, waiting on the shore of the river until moved into the water once again. It was lovely. The moon was about to rise to the south, about to begin its evening of reflecting the sun's light after the great star makes its exit beyond the horizon. Paul Coleman wrote a song about the moon reflecting the sun's light. It talks about his perspective of reflecting the Light. Never am I more at peace than when I am in awe of creation.

~~This painting is in a private collection in Maine

Antique Watering Cans~~one of my favorite subjects!

I love antique watering cans. I have one from my childhood that probably came with the farm when my parents purchased it so many, many years ago. I have another that was given to me, and wish I had a few more. But, alas, I am committed to owning only that which is useful and purposeful, and so, until one springs a leak, I will not be purchasing another! I am currently working on another watering can still life...it will have a couple terra cotta pots filled with plants as well. Springtime is upon us. An early one this year. My peas are up about 4 inches...the earliest ever! I enjoy my gardens and can't wait to harvest their bounty in the coming weeks! The creeping phlox is blushing pink and the violets carpet my lawn. The apple trees snow down their petals as the rhubarb pushes from the earth to the sunshine above!

~~This painting is in the artist's personal collection

These poppies are from my garden. They're my favorite flowers. Every spring I search for the new growth of green leaves, praying they've made it through the winter. Every year, for over 15 years now, they emerge from the earth as the sun warms the soil. They smell like their color. If a color has an fragrance. Kind of an apricot-citrus-vanilla-peachy-yum scent--watermelonish, really. Some years the flowers come up this lovely salmon color. Other years, they are either darker orange, or a delicate sea-shell pink. I took this photo years ago, and have finally interpreted it in watercolor. I look forward to inhaling their fragrance soon!

Leaning Birch

This painting was inspired by a birch tree that I see out the back window. Through all seasons, she's out there, though she no longer stands as tall as before. The snow sometimes accumulates along her trunk, yet her limbs reach upward to the sky, to the sun. She receives her nourishment from the warmth and light beaming down from above. In Springtime, her leaves turn green, and her branches stretch and gain strenth. They have adapted to their environment, as most trees do. The birches around her stand alongside...guarding and protecting her from the winds that tend to howl and blow. Do you know a tree that is a metaphor for your life?

~~This painting is in a private collection in Maine

Winter Birches II

I have had so much fun creating my "Birches" series. This one is "Winter Birches II". Hope you enjoy! More to come!

Winter Sentinel at Prout's Neck

This painting is of a special place in Maine--Prouts Neck in Scarborough overlooking the sand dunes at Ferry Beach. This winter scene captured my attention a few years ago, and I'm excited to have put brush to paper to interpret the beauty. The pine tree stands as a sentinel over the dunegrass, rejoicing in the solitude that winter on Maine beaches brings. Soon there will be footprints on the sand and children's laughter echoing off the ocean waves. Until then, the tree will witness each wonderous moment.

Entry Two

I've been painting trees...lots of trees. Birches, oaks, pines, apple trees, scrub brush, everything! I've added two examples below. Check them out! I love how the birches reach out from the edge of the woods, and extend their wiry red branches upward. What are they reaching for? I had to capture that image on canvas. It's almost as if they are pushing out from the evergreens, pushing through the shady darkness into the light. We humans are not so different from the trees. We gather up out inner strength to push through the darkness, reaching for the light. Ahh, finding that warm ray of sunshine satisfies the soul.

Entry One

"Here am I, send me!"
And so, I dip my toes into the ocean of possibilities that is blogging.
My original watercolors are found in this blog. Enjoy.
Soon, I'll offer some for sale.
Stay tuned.