Artist Renee Lammers

  "Perfect Pumpkin" 5x7 Oil on Copper Panel.  300$ Framed and Shipped! 

     I decided a pumpkin painting would be fitting for today!  I love pumpkins.  After a frost the green pumpkin leaves died.  I like the colors best this way!  It was fun painting this painting.  I should do more pumpkins! 

     I woke up to the sound of sleet on my window pane.  No sun today!  In fact I can't remember when I have seen sun last!  Maine has many grey days.  Someday I will start to love grey days.  It takes me awhile to love new things.  I am a Florida native.  When it is grey out, I prefer to piant inside my warm studio!

   Daisy was sitting with her new dog toy, a skunk. 

     Have a great halloween!  I might watch a Dexter! 

  "Pig Dreams" 5x7 Oil on copper panel.  Donanted to a young boy.

     This pig was at the Blue Hill Fair.  She was peacefully sleeping.  I knew I would paint her someday!  Today was that day.  It is interesting creating textures with oil paint.  I left copper showing in the saw dust area on the lower right.  I decided to pull out paint on the pig's right ear to allow the pink copper to be the color of the ear.  There are a few other specks of copper here and there.  I used a copper colored paint mixture on some areas to look like copper.  I used a limited palette of Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Yellow Light, Quinacridone Red, and Titanium White.  I decided I wanted a predominately warm painting.  I decided this painting would be a portrait of a pig.   I wanted to change the viewer's normal viewpoint of a pig.  In this painting, the viewer is in the pen with the pig looking right at the pig.  Fun!

  "Sconset Evening" 5x7 Oil on Copper panel.  250$ Framed and shipped.

     Sconset is a beautiful seaside village on Nantucket!  I painted all day here last month.  I was finishing up my painting when I noticed how the sun was hitting these clouds.  I wanted to paint another painting!  But I decided to take a photo and use my earlier painting as a reference.  This was a sky painting.  Another words, 2/3 of the painting is reserved for the sky area only.  I have not ever painted a sky painting on location.  The clouds move too fast for me!  This painting turned out just as my memory of the Sconset scene.  Sconset has many of these crushed white seashells for their streets. All of the seaside cottages have grey wood siding with white trim.  There are beautiful flowers blooming everywhere!  So pretty.  I hope to paint in Sconset again!

     Daisy and Duke enjoyed two new toys today!  The already took apart a moose dog toy.  I am going to take them for a walk right now again!  Have a great night!  I wonder what I will be painting tomorrow?  Wait to see!

  I started to drive to York, Maine, which is 3 1/2 hours from Bucksport to drop off Daisy and Duke.  I made it as far as Augusta before I turned around to come home.  Robert and I were both apprehensive about dropping the dogs off to a stranger.  She is a wonderful lady!  I felt she was trust worthy and had excellent intentions.    

      I took Daisy and Duke to the Belfast dog park.  They had a great time.  People commented how fluffy their hair was.  Last night Robert and I washed each dog in the bathtub.  It was quite a fun time.  Daisy didn't fight too much.  Robert picked her up off the ground, all 125 pounds of her, and placed her in the tub.  She remembered finally how nice warm bath water can be.  Duke escaped fully soaped up!  I grabbed his back legs and pulled him back into the bathroom.  Somehow I was able to close the door.  He layed down on the floor and would not budge.  Robert wasn't around.  He went to make a fire to keep Daisy warm.  Somehow I was able to grab Duke around the chest and heave into the bathtub.  This time he didn't fight.  Robert showed up to help lather him.  They were super clean dogs with hair cuts too!  Normally we had been bathing Daisy and Duke with the water hose outside.  We wanted them to be extra clean for their stay with a nice lady in York.  They did look cleaner!

 

    "View of Sand Beach" 8x10 Framed and Shipped 350$

     Today I worked more on this painting.  I added some beautiful greys into the water and shadows of the rocks.  I also lightened the Spruce trees in the distance on the left.  I didn't want that tree line to be the same value and color.  I added very soft blues to the sky on the right.  I made sure to not have a very blue sky.  I wanted some colors of the rocks into the sky to create harmony.  I hope my client will be happy with this new painting. 

  "Rainy Day at Sand Beach"  Oil on Copper.  5x7 200$ Framed and Shipped

     Recently I painted for hours on Sand Beach in the rain.  My palette was wet!  I was wearing a rain poncho.  All my brushes and turpentine were rained on.  I was miserable painting this scene.  It was a beautiful scene though.  The colors of Sand Beach were gorgeous!  I fogged in the rocky background of the great head.  I wanted the water and beach to be more of interest to the viewer.  I tried to add two people in the foreground with umbrellas.  I removed them on location and gave up painting.  Today I painted over my umbrella mistake area.  I am more happy with the painting now!

  "Sand Beach Seagull" Oil on copper 6x8 Sold!

Framed and Shipped!

     I painted this scene down on Sand Beach this Summer.  I had trouble with the seagull shadow back then.  I have learned more about shadows since then.  I realized the shadow was warm and so was the light colors.  I changed the shadow to be cool.  I threw some sand color into the shadow to soften the edges and add some reflected light into the shadow.  I added a little lighter areas on the sand infront of the seagull.  Now I am happier with this painting.

  "Night Nantucket" 5x7 Oil on Copper Panel.  Destroyed!

     I painted this scene in September on Nantucket.  I had some far out purple colors in the sky.  I decided today to make the sky a blue.  Blue is probably easier to look at.  I added some lights ontop of the houses and in the stars and moon.  I wanted them to glow!  I may add some dark greys into the sky to neutralize this bright blue. 

     My dog babysitter who watches after  pigs has moved into an apartment and now has a nightclub job.  Doesn't look like she will be a good babysitter for Daisy and Duke.  Daisy and Duke are a lot to handle.  The Bucksport Vet has no room for Daisy and Duke.  It would have cost 700$ for all their shots to be updated and the kennel fee.  Gee I could almost buy two new golden retriever puppies for this price! Even if they had space for Daisy and Duke, the price is too high!  I am thinking I may have to stay home instead of going to Holland.  There are some benefits to staying behind to watch Daisy and Duke.  I could paint each day.  I could start my November painting marathon on November 1.  I wouldn't have to worry about Daisy and Duke!  Robert and his family could speak Dutch the entire time!  They usually have to try to speak English infront of me.  I know this is difficult for them.  I could relax!  Ok.  Maybe I will stay home!  

  "Sushi Feast" has Sold yesterday!  The new owner loves sushi!  So nice!

     Have a happy day tomorrow!  I am going to go paint somewhere on Mount Desert Island!  Maybe up on Cadillac Mountain!   

  "Lucky Girl" 5x7 Oil on Copper panel.  Sold.  Skyfarm Show commission.  40% goes to this farm!

     Here is another chicken walking painting.  This time I decided I would have the chicken walking on a bed of clover.  I have discovered chicken like to eat clover.  I found a few photos of a field of clover at Flicker.com.  This website is were you can find all kinds of photos.  All I did was enter clover in their search box.  I could look at hundreds of clover photos.  I went up to my studio and painted it from memory.  I decided to darken the field behind the chicken and create more of a blue green color.  I painted in several clover flowers.  I decided to add a few four leaf clover petals!  This new chicken will be a lucky girl!  I think this chicken might be my best!  I am getting better at painting these chickens.  Here are a few of the other chickens paintings that sold at the Skyline Farm.  Each one is different.

  "The Girl With a Plan" 5x7 Oil on Copper panel.  Sold.  This was the first chicken walking painting.

  "The Plan" 5x7 Oil on Copper Panel.  Sold.  This was the second chicken walking.  I added an apple in the foreground at the request of the gentleman. 

     I wanted to see these chickens together.  I was curious how different they looked.  

  This is a photograph of the beehive in Acadia National Park.  The colors are amazing now!

  Robert is walking Daisy and Duke on Sand Beach with the Great Head in the background.  Beautiful colors.

     I am going to work on two more commission paintings!  One is on Park Loop Road.  The other is a sunrise on a lake!  I am hoping to finish these before I leave for Holland.  Then they will be drying while I am gone!  Hope you have a great day!  Two squirrels are taking turns at the birdfeeder.  They are huge! 

  "The Sushi Feast" 5x7 Oil on Copper Panel.  Sold.

     I love sushi!  I have not seen any sushi paintings before.  I think sushi itself looks like art!  So much color and design.  The flavors are each unique and creative.  Yoshi on Nantucket created this giant platter of sushi.  I wanted this painting to look like this incredible platter of sushi was just placed infront of you.  You are gazing at this platter.  You are deciding which piece you will try first!  The chopsicks are there.  Will you go for the raw pink salmon?  Or a giant piece of raw red tuna?  The california roll with salmon roe is my favorite!  What a fun painting! 

  Yesterday I was relaxing watching TV when I looked out the window to see this!  At first I thought I saw a cat!  It was huge and fat.  This squirrel ate for a half an hour while birds chatted nearby in the trees.  They were not happy he was there.

  I think this is a woodpecker eatiing.  He was pretty good sized.  

     It is beautiful outside!  Get out and paint!

  "The Seagull Egg" 5x7 Oil on Copper Panel.  

     I like this egg painting.  The ones that are fairly quickly painted seem to look best.  I understand now to paint the shape of the egg and nest.  I used a new limited palette of only three very translucent paints, Prussian Blue, Indian Yellow, and Quinacridone Red.  I was able to create a nice warm dark, translucent , so the copper would gleam underneath.  I pulled out some of these dark warms to show pure copper that was slightly covered with minimal paint.  This looked nice.  I try to rememberto allow a little bit of copper to show!   I don't want to leave so much copper showing the copper becomes the center of interest.  I only want specks of copper to add a little mystery! 

     Daisy and Duke are playing their game with the raw hide bone.  Daisy grabs both raw hide bones and chews on one.  Then she gets tired and Duke takes the one she has been working on.  Then she takes it back and works more.  Daisy and Duke have been together almost their entire life.  They have always understood each other and respected each other's idiosyncrasies. 

     I have learned a lot about good relationships from them.  For example, when Daisy get out of hand and a touch too aggressive while she is playing, Duke cleans her face.  This relaxes Daisy and she backs off.  Duke doesn't bark or growl at her for getting out of line, he shows her love!  He shows her patience!  When Duke and Daisy meet someone new, they always show a lot of enthusiasm.  They are always well admired by anyone they have met. They always bring a smile to someone they meet.  

     I am going to Holland October 30 to November 7.  I have a dog sitter attending to Daisy and Duke.  She takes care of two pigs at a farm and so is very well qualified to care for two dogs.  Hopefully!  I may take them to a vet to be watched.  I am not sure yet!  I hope to see Robert's family.  It has been five years since he has seen his elderly mother.   They are all very wonderful people.  We will caravan to museums to see oil paintings on copper panels!  It should be fun!

     I hope you are painting outside! Painting is good for the heart and the mind! 

 

  "Wild Roses" 5x7 Oil on Copper Panel.  gifted

     This Spring I painted at Pemaquid.  The fog came in while I was painting this scene.  I reworked this painting a few days ago.  I created a fog bank in the background to cover up the land and trees in the distance.  These trees in the distance were distracting!  So now it is just a nice foggy Spring day! 

  "Stump Pond View" 5x7 Oil on Copper Panel.   Framed and Shipped!

     This Summer I painted this scene at Stump Pond in Baxter State Park.  Some dirt was on the surface.  I sanded it down, repainted it, and here it is. 

  "Daicey Pond View" Oil on Copper Panel. destroyed

     This was another painting done at Daicey Pond in Baxter State Park.  Dirt was also on this surface.  In the upper right corner a black fly landed.  I decided to just keep it there.  It makes a great conversation piece.  I think it adds to the painting! 

  "Le Shack at Step's Beach" Oil on Copper Panel.  sold

     This painting was started at Step's Beach on Nantucket.  I added more sunlight!  The little shack had the name above the door, "Le Shack". 

     I have an appointment with a Cardiologist in Belfast tomorrow.  I am hoping he can prescribe some medicine so I will feel better.  My heart beats too fast.  I was born with a heart murmur.  In 2000 they diagnosed me with mitral valve prolaspse.  When I was at the hospital recently they did an xray showing I had congestive heart failure.  I hope to get fixed up!  I would like to paint more and better! 

     I hope to start a new painting marathon very soon!  Have a great day!  Get out and paint!

 "Green Tug" 3x4 Framed in black wood frame with a silver liner.  Sold.

     This is one of my favorite paintings.  It was painted last year.  I have been enjoying it.  I usually keep it out of shows.  Once in a while I will show it to a new art collector.  It was very hard to paint.  I shrank down this enormous tug in South Port, Maine! 

  "Red Tug" 3x4 Sold. 

     I painted this tug the same day.  I wish I hadn't sold this painting.  They would have made a nice pair. 

  "Cold Feet" 5x7 Oil on Copper. Framed in a dark gold wood frame.  Sold!  This painting is at the Skyline Farm.  40% of this sale goes to help preserve 300 old horse carriages!  I really like this painting.  It took me two days to paint it.  Lots of concentration! 

  "Mums and Pumpkins" 8x10 SOld! 

     This is a really nice Autumn painting!  I really like the yellow mums on the right. 

     Daisy and Duke ate their ice cream last night!  They say, "Thank you Dan!" They do love this new ritual of ice cream for each painting sale.  They are still working on their supply of 100 rawhide bones.  This last year when Daisy saw a vet, he looked at her teeth, and he was impressed!  He said, "Usually dogs of this age need to have their teeth cleaned.  Do you brush your dog's teeth?  They are the whitest teeth I have seen in years!"  Ha ha.  I laughed.  No way have I brushed my dog's teeth! 

     One of my business goals this year has been to start taking videos while I am out painting!  I have a new Sony bloggie video camera.  They only cost 100$ at Walmart.  I hope to post these videos to U Tube and then post to my website's blog.  I hope viewers will be able to really see the beautiful Maine landscape and how to paint on copper plein aire! 

     My painting brochure has made me sales!  The postcard with my painting has also made me sales.  I hope the video camera will also increase my visiblity as an artist.  Maybe it will also inspire other painters to paint on copper panels! 

     Have a great day and get out to paint!

  "The Plan" 5x7 Oil on Copper panel.  Sold. 

     This painting is similar to "The Girl With A Plan".  I sold that painting at the Skyline Farm show recently.  A man saw the painting and really wanted one too!  So today I made that happen.  He wanted this new painting to have a red apple on the ground.  He will be giving this painting to an employee leaving for another opportunity.  She has had chickens.  He owns an apple farm.  This painting will make a nice going away present for her.  I agreed to do this commission because 40% goes to the Skyline Farm.  I always give myself a treat for completing a commission!  I bought a huge piece of swordfish for Robert and I for dinner tonight!  This swordfish came from the fishing fleet on TV. 

     Today I was thinking of other Daisy and Duke misadventure stories to write about.  One came to my mind quickly making me laugh!  At the chili cookoff, one man told this story.  He said he was in his house coming out of the shower.  He was shocked to see two golden retrievers jumping up and down on his bed.  He said he had never seen these dogs in his life!  When Daisy and Duke saw him, they ran out the sliding glass door.  He couldn't go after them because he had no clothes on!  He said his sheets on his bed were wet and dirty.  When he finally went out into his backyard, he saw paw prints on the pool deck leading out of his yard.  He went out into the street to see no sign of them. 

     I remembered that day.  I started to tell my story to the neighbors.  I had been in my backyard relaxing with  Daisy and Duke who were playing with a toy.  The wind blew the backyard gate opened.  Both Daisy and Duke made a run for it.  I went inside to grab their leashes.  I ran down the dirt road looking for them.  I saw their foot prints in the sand.  I followed to a house with their backyard gate open.  I walked into the yard past the gate.  I stood there on the pool deck.  Daisy and Duke were swimming in someone's pool!  It was a beautiful pool at that.  The yard was really beautifully landscaped.  It was a private sanctuary till now!  I yelled at Daisy and Duke to get out of the pool.  I felt really embarrassed they were doing this.  They ignored me.  Finally Duke came out and then Daisy but they headed into the house!  The people had their sliding glass door open!  Daisy and Duke disappeared into the house.  I was not going to go in after them.  I stood there.  I really did not know what to do!  I was trespassing in someone's backyard!  Before I decided what to do, Daisy and Duke came flying out of the house!  They ran past me.  I followed jogging!  They ran down the dirt street back into our backyard.  I closed the gate.  That was the end of that adventure!  It was really funny to hear his side of the story!  We all laughed and marveled at Daisy and Duke's crazy adventures. 

     Tomorrow I am going to work on another commissioned painting.  I have three more paintings to finish.  I was asked to do a view on Park Loop Road.  I might work on this one tomorrow! I haven't decided what kind of treat I will reward myself with for completing this new painting.  Have a great night!  Get out and paint!

  "Bridge at Jordon Pond" 5x7 Oil on Copper Sold!

     I drove around Mount Desert Island today until I decided to paint at Jordon's Pond.  There is an old stone bridge dating to 1920.  Rockefeller commission 200 civilians to built these stone bridges for the carriage trail in Acadia National Park.  It was during the depression when many men needed jobs.  He created jobs and also created a wonderful place to visit for millions of visitors.  This is one of the smaller stone bridges.  I like the shape of this bridge.  Water flows from Jordon's Pond into this creek under the bridge.  It was nice painting in the shade with the water rushing slowly by.  I was listening to great classical music also. 

     I painted the bridge first.  I like the sun shining on the stones.  I knew the sun would not be shining for long on the stones.  I also made a mental note of where all of the sunspots were on the ground stones too.  Normally with oils you paint dark to light.  But with plein aire, I think any trick can be used as long as the results are good.  In the end the most important thing is to have a great painting!  It is hard painting outside. 

  "Cadillac Mountain Sunset" 4x6 Oil on Copper.  200$ Framed and shipped!

     I drove quickly to Cadillac Mountain.  The sun was hovering over Sargent Mountain towards Eagle Lake.  I noticed since May when I first started to paint these sunsets, the sun is setting closer to Sargent Mountain.  The sun has moved over to the left. 
I set up in a minute.  I knew I would have less than 20 minutes if I was lucky.  I mixed up a warm orange.  I made a nice purple.  I painted first the purple Sargent mountain.  Then I started to paint in the whole sky orange.  The sky wasn't orange at that time.  I knew it would soon be orange from experience.  I worked on the foreground rocks.  I painted in the trees.  I noticed the bush closest too me had some oranges and red backlit from the sun.  Then I noticed the sun was almost over top of the Sargent Mountain.  Under the sun, the top of the mountain glowed a red.  So I painted this observation.  The sun was lighter than the surrounding orange glow of the sun.  The ocean below was very light.  The mountains were light blues and purples.  Finally I finished standing there in the dark.  It was a blur.  But I learned a few sunset things.  It was time well spent.  I headed home! 

  This is the bubbles at Jordon's Pond. 

  Nice colorful white birch tree leaves!

  Daisy and Duke deserved some ice cream tonight.  I made a painting sale from my website, "The Captain's Chair".  Daisy and Duke were so happy!  They hopped around while Robert took a photo for Scott, a new art collector!  Daisy and Duke say, "Thanks Scott!"

  Here is Daisy with her ice cream!  She is so sweet!  Especially when enjoying her ice cream!
      

     I hope you had a great day!  I worked really hard.  I think I will have two good paintings for today!  I am going back to Mount Desert Island tomorrow too!  It is beautiful there!

  "Almost Dinner Time" 3x4 Oil on Copper. 

     I painted with another plein aire artist today.  First I showed her Duck Trap Bridge.  We painted for a few hours.  I am never happy with my painting of the bridge.  I wiped it off again.  Someday I will conquer the bridge!  Then I showed her Cadillac Moutain.  It was pretty cold and windy there.  Next we went downtown Bar Harbor.  I decided to do another little clock.  I added two lanterns this time.  The trees were turning gold.  I need to work on this little painting more.  Somehow I think the clock is not symetrical.  My lanterns seem to be slanting.  The clock's face needs hands!  I will give it a rest for a few days and then decide!

     I learned a new way to bring a little cash into an artist's pocket.  While I am out traveling in an area.  I could draw a few pen and ink drawings.  Then I could make a bunch of prints of them.  Then I would package them up in groups of 100.  Then I would go back to the city, approach gift shops or gallerys.  I would sell these prints wholesale to them.  When they need more, they would just call, and I might mail them more!  I am not sure if I would ever do this.  But it is good information to know! 

  Here is a photo on top of Cadillac Mountain.  The cove is Otter's Cove.  Sanford Gifford painted this view. 

  Here is a close up of the pond in the photo above.  I am not sure which pond this is.  The foliage is peaking here!  

         Daisy and Duke howled for two minutes loudly for ice cream last night.  I wouldn't let them have ice cream.  They can't have ice cream every night!  What happens if I don't sell a painting for a month during the Winter.  This could happen.  Last Winter I sold three paintings for 4 or 5 months!  So I think it is only a kind thing to do to suprise them with ice cream once in a while.  I am just spacing out their treats!  Daisy retaliated and ate 6 honey crisp apples in the kitchen.  Duke would never do anything like that.  He is an angel! 

      I hope you are painting outside!  I am going back out to Mount Desert Island tomorrow!  Get out and paint!  Your quality of life will improve!

 "John Caggiano Painting Into the Night" 5x7   

     When I first arrived on Nantucket, John directed me to where he was painting.  I decided to paint him!  I have always loved John Signer Sargent's paintings of plein aire artists.  John painted all day into the night.  I liked the lighting here.  Even though his light is gone, he always continues working away.  His white umbrella cuts down on the glare from the sun.  He wears black so colors from his clothes does not juxtapose onto his white canvas while he is painting.  He uses a can to hold his brushes.  It looked like a tomato can.  John is Italian and so the tomato can makes sense.  He uses blue shop paper towel down on the ground on his right.  There is also a jar of goop sitting there waiting to clean his hands with.  His easel is a similar model many New England artist used long ago.  This easel is usually great during strong winds.  Although on Federal Street one day, his umbrella caused his entire easel to crash inches from me.  Brushes were everywhere.  His painting was saved from a peg bracing it's fall onto the sidewalk.  His medium and mineral spirits did spill everywhere.  He used many paper towels to clean it up.  Then he went back to painting again!  He uses many very bright colors to paint with. 

 

 "Rainy Day on Federal Street" 5x7 Oil on Copper 350$ Framed and Shipped!

     This is the painting we did the day it rained.  We took shelter under the large white Methodist Church's porch.  It was sort of miserable painting that day.  Many times rain made my palette impossible to mix colors.  I had to dab it with paper towels or just even replace it completely!  I was wearing a rain coat.  I handed John a rain poncho which he put on.  We were using umbrellas to shield us from spray.  I had most of my painting gear in a plastic bag.  Brushes do not like getting wet.  It seems to really ruin them.  Paint tubes loose their labels.  Painting easels swell up.  John had to use a tool to scrape down some parts of his easel so it would work the next day!  But it is fun capturing rain on cobblestone and brick paths.  I have great photos of people walking with umbrellas.  I might put a few into this painting!  I think I will gray out the distant buildings.  The rain really did make those buildings fainter.  

         

      "Farmers Market on Federal Street" 5x7 Oil on Copper sold.

     This was the first second painting completed in Nantucket.  I asked her permission for John and I to paint her.  She is from a farm right in Nantucket on the ocean.  She brings her truck full of veggies 5 days a week.  Many people purchase her fresh produce right in the middle of downtown.  She makes great subject matter for artists too!  We worked all day!  Then we painted all night.

  "Good Night Nantucket" 5x7 Oil on Copper panel wiped off! 

     We were going to paint outside of a neat night club that looks like a train car.  But it was closed.  So we manuvered the baby jogger with all of our painting equipment down the street until we saw this scene.  There were two different times where people commented they thought we were homeless people because of the baby jogger.  Someone said, "I didn't know there were any homeless people on Nantucket".  When we were buying subs at Walters, a man asked if we were homeless.  A few times there was a bicycle cop following behind us.  I guess we did stand out in Nantucket.  It was funny!

 

Here I am painting on Steps Beach.  A professional photographer took this photo for me.

 

He had a lot of fun posing me.  I think the photo turned out good.

 

 There was a lady at Steps Beach with a dog walking down the stairs towards John.  Both John and I took a few photos of her.  She might make a great subject for a painting.  You should have seen John's face as she approached him to get by.  He grabbed his camera!  He was all smiles!

 

     When we walked down to a lighthouse, there was a mansion a senator lived it. The house had two of these baskets infront of the doorway.  These baskets looked much like the ones my grandfather, John Bottelman, from Florida created.  He made many of these baskets some very large and some small with handles.  My dad told me how his dad and him would go out to Cape Canaveral seashore National Park to collect a special shell to use for these baskets.  They would walk for hours collecting the shells.  He took me and my brother there a few times and showed us which ones he collected. 

 

      Here is a beach mansion where the two baskets are by the doorway.  The shells were Florida shells like the shells my dad showed me he collected.  My grandfather made these baskets with a core of rod iron he welded into shape.  Then he would take cement carefully and perfectly shape the basket.  He then took shells and cemented them into the basket.  He would give Doctors in Ocala and Beleview, Florida a basket as payment for the birth of a child.  My Aunt Elsie, my dad's sister collected many of these baskets from the Doctor's houses with permission.  She has most of these baskets.  They are in excellent shape.  Some of the shells have a hole in them but the structure is fine.  It was quite a suprise to see these baskets in Nantucket.  I wonder if they were made by my grandfather?

 

      Here is a photo of both of the baskets in question.  They are the same shape as the one I saw in my Aunt's collection.  They also have the same seashell from Florida.  I was so shook up by seeing these baskets!  I just was so suprised.  In Ocala, Florida once I found two smaller baskets in a yard.  I told my Aunt Elsie about these baskets.  She was on the phone to them right away to help preserve these baskets for the family collection. 

 

      John and I went walking one day in Sconset.  We saw this amazing old cape with great woodwork.  Both of us stood there and admired this house.  A true beauty of Nantucket.  

 

Here is a happy Duke eating his doggy Frosty Paws icecream.  Pure heavenly experience for Duke!

 

     Here is both Daisy and Duke enjoying their icecream.  They are so happy with the painting sales recently!  They played like 2 years olds this morning.  I gave them each a raw hide bone.  Now they are napping.  Tonight it will be more ice cream for them.  Sold "Monhegan Seagull Nest" at the Skyline Farm yesterday.  I have a commission egg painting to complete also!  Received another commission via my Gallery sign outside!  It is going to be a 11x14 of the fog sunrise of a lake nearby!  More icecream!  Yeah!  Daisy and Duke say "Thank You Again!"  Duke just says "Woof!"

     I am painting today!  I hope you are too. 

  I painted all day and some nights for a week on Nantucket!  The big splurge was sushi!  John Caggiano and I went to this great sushi restaurant to celebrate our painting sales on Nantucket!  We ordered this 81.00$ platter of sushi.  The chef even added a few more pieces of raw salmon to accomodate the hungry artists!  I don't think he thought we would be able to finish this platter!  We were like sharks...literally!  Rice was flying. 

  We took several photos of the sushi before we ate it.  I am going to paint sushi this Winter!  I just love sushi.  BLOG UPDATE:  I did paint and sell a sushi painting of this very scene.  I sold it for 250$.  So I enjoyed my sushi and profitted by ordering it!  You just have to love that!

  Here is a photo the sushi chef took of us before we chowed down!  It was a real treat!  Each piece was beautifully created.  I think sushi is my favorite food. 

     I took my husband Robert to a sushi restaurant for sushi making lessons in Florida.  I think I will make him sushi more often.  It is pretty easy to do.  Robert just loves sushi.  I felt guilty eating sushi without him.  I might make him a giant platter just like this! 

     When I got home last night from Nantucket, I downloaded photos for the blog.  Then at 1:00am I went to my room upstairs.  My Robert had painted my room a beautiful blue as a surprise!  He sure is a special guy.  Very thoughtful.  Very hardworking.  I am happy to be home!

      "Autumn on Federal Street" 5x7 Oil on Copper Panel.  Sold right on the street to an interior decorator.  John sold his painting to her also.  Gee I love interior decorators!  I worked on this painting in the center of town.  There are beautiful shops with amazing clothes, furniture, and gifts.  It is here that I purchased my beautiful toothbrush and toothpaste for 10$.  They are still working great.  I am just thankful to have them.  I think the toothbrush is better than usual. 

 

 "Downtown Nantucket" 5x7 Oil on Copper Panel.  This painting was donated to the host.  I was greatful for their artist in residency program I was a part of this Fall.

     I painted this at night on Federal Street.  I was facinated with the glow of the shops. 

  "Steps Beach" 5x7 Oil on Copper Panel.  This painting was also donated to the host!

    This photo of the painting is really bad.  The horizon is straight in the painting.  I think I will retake the photo tomorrow.  I like Steps Beach a lot.  It was a beautiful sunny day.  I think this may be one of my favorite beaches.  There is a heart shaped foliage in the center of the two paths.  Tomorrow I will download more photos.  It takes an hour to download 3 photos onto this fineartstudioonline for the blog.  I drove 7 hours and took a 2 hour ferry from Nantucket today!  Long day as usual.  I am happy to be home.  Daisy and Duke were very sleepy but happy to see me!  Robert was happy to see me too. 

  "Le Shack on Steps Beach" 5x7 Oil on Copper Panel sold!


  "Nantucket Beach Houses"  5x7 Oil on copper panel.  This painting was donated to the hosts!   It is a nice place to stay!!!
     I like this painting.  I would like to add a American flag.  This was a beautiful place too. 

 

"On Federal Street"  5x7 Oil on Copper Framed and Shipped.  Sorry such a blurry photo.  I painted this all day on Federal Street.  The sun was out and then it was gone.  

      I had a great time on Nantucket.  I really enjoyed the diversity there.  I think I loved the beaches the best.  I think next time I will paint only at the beach.  I love the colors of the beach.  It is peaceful.  I can't wait to go back!  I will post more tomorrow!  It is great to be home!  But I really enjoyed painting something new!

       The breakfast at the Century House is great!  Special blend of two types of oatmeal steamed to perfection. Giant sized raspberries are available as well as almost any other fruit you can imagine.  There are different types of breads, preserves, and cereals.  I ate three breakfasts to make up for my lack of dinner last night.  I painted very late and fell asleep!
 
      Today John and I loaded up the baby jogger with all of our painting equipment.  I pushed the stroller downtown. We saw a sub shop.  I decided to buy John lunch. We found a bench by the ocean North Wharf to eat our subs.  They were great!   We were both really exhausted from painting so hard for many days. I have 8 paintings done. I think John has four or five really large paintings.  We went to a place where there was a small lighthouse, oil house, and coast guard station.  The wind was at least 30 mph.  So we decided to paint in town again. 

     We had to paint on the steps of the Methodist Church because of the rain. John said to really paint lots of rain reflections on the cobblestones to make it read like rain.  It was a long day.  My palette would get completely wet.  Once I used a palette knife to scrape off good oil paint onto a fresh piece of wax palette paper.  I noticed the copper panel was a little wet.  As soon as it was covered with oil paint it was easier to add more oil paint to it.  I was painting the center of town with all of the fancy stores. There are nice black lamp posts.  The stores look really nice.  There are cobblestones streets.  I took photos of people with their umbrellas!  Very fun colors and patterns.

     Robert says Daisy looks for me in my bedroom.  He also says Duke looks sad.  Robert thinks he misses me.  He has been giving them Frosty Paws icecream treats because of the paintings sales.  They are very spoiled he says.  

      I am hoping for great weather tomorrow!  Get out and paint.  Sorry no photos yet. My laptop will not log onto their internet even after I turned off the firewall!  Too bad.

     The next day we headed to Steps Beach.  Here are a few photos of a professional model on the beach just enjoying herself.  Her husband came down to the beach to see her.  He was admiring her as she came up the stairs.  He told me she was a professional model.  I know both John and I were taking photos of her.  There were not many other people dressed to be painted that day!

 



     Hope you are painting!