Artist Renee Lammers

   Puppies make a person smile.  Here Monet and Poppy are playing. 

   I took Daisy to the lake today!  It was such a pretty Spring day again!  She really

enjoyed the cool water.

   No fish today!

   Daisy was feeling so fine she rolled a little in the grass!

   Robert took the pups to the beach when he came home.  It

was a nice day but I decided to varnish a lot of paintings and

do more framing!  I am headed to Nantucket for five days

tomorrow to do some plein air painting!  Have a great night!

"Camden Color" 6x6 oil on copper.  350$ framed in gold.  Shipped free.

    I painted in Camden Harbor today with another Maine artist.  I had my heart set

on painting this scene.  My friend set up behind me to paint.  He was worried about

the floating dock.  I wasn't too worried about the movement of the dock early on.  It

was not very windy so the movement was minimal.  I had never painted on a floating

dock before.  After about two hours my stomach started to turn.  I was sea sick.   It

was the most difficult place to paint ever!  Each stroke of paint had to be applied 

 when the dock was at a certain pitch!  Sometimes paint needed to

be redone many different times.  I was laughing at how difficult this was. 

 My friend too was wrestling with the paint!  We both continued painting on the

floating dock until I was just too sea sick to continue.  We

moved over to the main dock to recuperate.  I had a couple of cokes for us to drink.

     A lady walked up the dock.   I had met her two days ago.  I met her while

Robert, Monet, Daisy, Poppy, and I were at Sandy Point.  I had really enjoyed speaking

to her while our dogs played.  I don't really speak to many people.  I remember

thinking a day after I met her that I was sad I didn't get her name. I was so

surprised to see her right on the docks!  I introduced her to my painter friend.

She talked about how wonderful her Acadia hike was.  Suddenly she remembered pastries

she had purchased in Belfast.  She decided to gift her pastries to us!  We were so appreciative

of her offering!  We both sat right down and ate a pastry each.  Then our new friend left

to drive to the airport.  Some people are just a pleasure to meet.

    The light is just amazing in Camden harbor.

   "Camden Light" 6x6 oil on copper.  Sold.  Thanks.

    I felt much better when the pastries were eaten!  My stomach calmed down.

I admired the light on this lobster boat.  I don't often paint boats on location.

  One reason is because these boats always leave!  Sometimes the boat leaves

 before I am finished painting.  I was very lucky today.  It is great practice painting

 boats on location and in the water.  The photos really do not accurately describe

 real colors under the boat.  I worked for a long

time on this painting.  I met many nice people here. 

   We watch the white schooner, Mary Days back into it's parking spot!  Pretty

impressive maneuvering!

   I believe this bird is called a 'laughing gull'. 

   Beautiful flags flying off each schooner.

   Here is Daisy in her baby pool.  She is doing well.  She eats more than I do.  She

also exercises more than I do!  I think she may outlive me.

    Monet brought in a stick from outdoors.  He was so excited about this stick I allowed

him to bring it inside.  Poppy wanted the stick.  Monet climbed up the stairs thinking his

stick might be safe from Poppy!  He chewed up the stick into little pieces.

    They are so cute!  Who cares about having little pieces

of sticks all over your house?  Not me!  Have a good night!

    Today was a beautiful sunny Spring day here in Maine.  I drove all over taking

photos.  I just enjoyed the views!  Here at the local apple orchard they had a few

bee hives to pollenate their trees.  Without bees we will have no apples!  So beekeeping

is important.  We lost all three of hour bee hives this year.  It was one cold winter

here in Maine.

   I drove to Rockport to check out the schooners. 

    I stopped by Camden Falls Gallery.  Here is their view.

   Daisy enjoyed a Frosty Paws doggy ice cream to celebrate a few past miniature painting

sales.  Thank you.  Have a great night!

"Craig Brook" 5x7 oil on copper.  350$ framed in gold.  Shipped.

    Here is the painting I did while my Daisy swam at Lake Alamoosook yesterday.  I like

how it turned out.  It was a difficult painting for me.  What could be so hard painting a brook?

I learned to keep the bank of the brook straight instead of all the curves.  The curves made

the eye bounce up and down.  The bank became the center of interest.  I wanted the water

of the brook to be the focus of the viewer.  I had to decided whether to commit to painting

the sky's reflection of the water or commit to painting down into the water.  If I tried to

paint both it confused the viewer's eye.  I had to select one area of the sky's reflection to be

the most interesting.  I also had to reverse the color temperature I use normally on sunny

days.  I had to paint warm colors in the darker areas and cool colors where the light might be.

Then I noticed because it was such low light most of the edges had to be soft. 

   Last night I noticed Monet and Poppy laying together with one ball.  They are so sweet.

   Daisy had a Frosty Paws dog ice cream to celebrate those miniature painting sales!

Thank you.

    Monet and Poppy had their Frosty Paws too.  Yum!

    Tonight we took all the pups to Sandy Point!  Daisy is waiting for me.

    It was so beautiful there! 

    Daisy walked over a mile along the beach.  Many people who were there with their dogs

greeted Daisy.  They gave her a few pats on the head.  Some asked questions about Daisy.

Daisy was very popular at the beach!  Her sweet face draws people to her.  One

couple waited in their cars to make sure we could lift her safely.  Robert

picked Daisy right off the ground and placed her in the car!  Off we went!  Have

a good night. 

    When you have teenage dogs and it is quiet you go explore where they are.  Sometimes

they are doing cute things.  Monet was found quietly playing in his baby pool.  He loves

to use his foot to get balls out.  Sometimes he uses his nose.

    Monet was so interested in the floating balls he didn't know I was there watching him!

   I took Daisy to Lake Alamoosook.   I painted the creek.  She walked around, swam,

and disappeared a few times.  I walked around looking for her.  I finally found her!

    She was fishing behind these trees!  I believe this was Daisy's way of staying at

the lake for as long as she wished!  We were at the lake from 11am-3pm.  She was in

the water for more than 4 hours.  Finally she tried to come out of the lake.  She was

so tired.  She walked to the ramp.  I helped her step out.  Once she was out of the lake

on the grass she collapsed.  I had the towel and used it to dry her off.  She was shaking.

She is always shaking from the cold water but today she was more cold than usual. 

She was so tired.  I had to coax her to stand up.  I put my arms around her stomach

and pulled so hard.  She stood.  I kept my arms under her until she made a few steps.

Sometimes she falls back down again without my help.  Once she is walking she does

very well.  She was fast asleep in the car. 

   I saw two eagles today.  Loons were just wild in the water under the eagle.

   A smaller bird was flying along side of the eagle.

    There were four loons swimming on the lake.  It is beautiful to listen and watch the loons.

    I worked very hard today on a creek painting.  It was so dark I could not photograph

the painting.  Tomorrow I will show you this painting.  Have a good night!

   Monet and Poppy decided I have been entirely too serious!  First Monet hopped up

on my lap this morning.  Then Poppy sprang up into my chair also!  They started

to wrestle, bite each other, and bark!  I was laughing so hard.  I did get nibbled

on a few times too.  What a nice way to start the day!  I framed 20 paintings and

varnished 15!

    Daisy wanted to go to Lake Alamoosook for a swim!  She stayed there

swimming for 3 hours!  I think Daisy is doing very well!  She is taking

holistic liver support.  Perhaps she is feeling stronger to swim for 3 hours?

She was still going strong after 3 hours.  I think she would have swam

for another few hours if I had not reached into the water and dragged her

out!  Tomorrow I will bring my easel and Daisy can swim all day long!

    While I watch Daisy swim, take photos, I make observations which probably help

me paint better.  Today I was noticing how much exercise Daisy is getting at the lake.

At home she does not walk around the house very much.  She sleeps there.  Here at

the lake she can safely walk around in the water.  She swims a lot in circles.  She

has me trotting after her when she decides to go across the park.  I decided to do

exercises too.  I was inspired by my Daisy!  I started to do windmill, sit ups, and jumping

jacks.  I don't know why I have not done this before? 

    Tomorrow I will paint at Lake Alamoosook.  Daisy will swim!  We

will both be very happy.  Robert takes Monet and Poppy out to the beach

when he gets off work.  They also get walked in Bucksport at night.

 Have a good night!

   Yes!  Another dog bed has bitten the dust!  That makes 3 dog beds destroyed. 

    Twice today I drove to paint because it was sunny and beautiful!  Once I turned

around because of giant clouds moved in.  I ended up at an apple

orchard to paint.  What a beautiful scene!  The sun was shining! 

    This is the same scene I was painting without any sunshine!  Most of the time I was

painting this was the scene I had to paint.  I could not do it!  I kept scraping off my

painting.  Finally I gave up! 

    Oh well.  I wasted a lot of oil paint today.  Did I learn anything?  Sure I did!  If you see

giant clouds you will have not a lot of sun. Then it is best to commit to no

sunlight instead of committing to a sunlit painting.  The sunlight will be not there with

giant clouds.  I saw the sun twice today at the apple orchard for a total of three minutes.

Three minutes is just not enough sunlight to create a sunny apple orchard painting.  There

are many artists who painted apple orchards without sunlight.  I am just not good at

painting without sun! 

   I was excited to get back home to take Daisy to the lake.  I was helping her up, grabbing

the towel, locking the door....and I locked the car keys inside the house.  I remembered

the baby pool, filled it with water, and Daisy soaked!  She forgot about the car ride

to the lake.  She seemed very satisfied with the baby pool.

   She even blew a few bubbles in the water!  I was happy to see Daisy happy! 

    Daisy was doing just fine!  I towel dried her off.  We sat under

the front porch.  This was relaxing.  After a half an hour my sweet

Daisy decided she wanted back inside the house!  She was barking

very persistently.  I told her I was sorry and that we were locked

out!  She didn't care about any of this.  She wanted inside!  Now!

I took her on a tour of the yard to keep her busy.  I knew Robert

was on his way back from taking Monet and Poppy out to the beach.

After two hours Robert returned!  Daisy was so happy to see them.

   We had a good day.  You can never predict how your day will be.

Just seems you need to make the most of it!  Have a good night!

"Spring View" 10x10 oil on copper.  650$ framed in gold wood.  Shipped free.

    I have been working on this painting for several days now!  Finally I painted a

background for these daffodils that worked!  I took out all my trees along the

channel.  I painted spring colors on Verona Island in the distant.  I painted in a cloud.

It is so difficult painting a background for a flower arrangement.  The flower arrangement

needs to be the most important object yet the background can be wonderful for adding

depth in a painting.  The background can encourage the viewer of a painting to look

out at the view just as one does in a real window! 

   Here is one of the original backgrounds I painted.  I took a step back and thought

the trees competed too much with the flowers.  The trees look like they were a part of

the flowers!  So I wiped the background down. 

    Here is another background view of the painting.  I painted the blossoms of my

plumb tree and the channel.  I sat down thinking I was finished with the painting.  I

thought the background was too much of the same value.  I thought it was boring.

I knew I could paint a better background!  There was another background last night.

I didn't take a photo of this one.  It was just a dark blue night time scene.  I wiped

it off too.  I am happy with the painting now.  Paintings don't come easy.  Sometimes

it just takes dedication! 

    I thought the dogs looked cute in the window of my house!  Daisy was relaxing after

a long day of fishing yesterday.  I took the puppies for a 2 mile walk.  Robert took them

to Sandy Point for a long walk and swim.  They are getting exercised!  Have a great night. 

"Serene" 6x6 oil on copper.  Sold.  Thanks!

     I worked for a long time on this painting last night and continued this afternoon!

I saw this dory in Grand Manan, Canada.  I loved the abstract quality of the side of the boat!

I also loved the green background.  It was fun to paint.

    Lake Alamoosook had a creek full of Alewives fish today!  There were thousands of

them.  I knew Daisy would enjoy fishing.  A game warden came by to let us know what

type of fish they were. 

   Daisy was so cute today searching for fish.  Several times she dove into the water without

any luck.  She was really into fishing.  She stayed in this ice cold water for two hours.

She was trembling like crazy. 

    The fish sneaked by Daisy.  There were so many fish behind her!

    Finally after two hours I went into the creek to retrieve Daisy.  I had to drag her

out of the creek. 

   I was drying Daisy off with a towel.  I let her warm up.  She was so

cold she could not walk.  I think the cold water is good for her.  She had

a very exciting day!

     When Robert came home we took Monet and Poppy to the lake.  They

did not discover the fish.  They ran after sticks and balls.  Loons were there

fishing too.  I was surprised the pups didn't care about the Loons!  Have a great

night. 

    Poppy says, "I am innocent.  I did not tear up Monet's second new bed." 

   What a mess!  I can' t believe what a couple of teenage

golden retrievers can do within a few minutes!

    Daisy was right in the thick of things.  She loved watching those naughty little pups!

    This is the scene in my gallery!  I am glad Maine only has three

good gallery months a year!  The gallery is a disaster zone!

    Well it looks like someone will be purchasing another dog bed for Monet!

   Poppy say, "I am sorry.  I love tearing up Monet's dog bed!"  Good thing Poppy is cute!

    Here are a few pen and ink with gouache paintings of daffodils

Robert planted in memory of Duke, our dog who died in October.

    There are 5 different varieties growing!

Have a great night.

"Legs Contest" 6x6 oil on copper.  Sold.  Thank you!

    Here are more beautiful Monhegan Island chickens.  They have the most beautiful

chickens I have ever seen.  When I am on Monhegan I do spend a lot of time sitting and

painting chickens!  I also take a lot of photos to paint from on a grey Maine day!

"Sweet Boy" 6x6 oil on copper.  Sold.  Thank you!

    This nice little rooster was across the street from the Trailing Yew sitting on a rock.

He was not afraid of me.  In fact he looked at me with great curiosity just as I was looking

at him!  The rooster's feathers were very difficult.  I kept saying to myself, "Shape before

detail!"  

    I had a clean sheet and quilt in my hand to cover my car seat.  Daisy was right behind

me.  I had planned to take her to the lake later but instead I put her in the car.

She was fired up to go to the lake!  I could not turn her down.  She likes to use the boat

ramp.  Today two men were trying to launch their boat.  Luckily they liked dogs.  They

got out of their car and smiled at Daisy.  Daisy was not coming in for no one!  Finally

she was curious about the men and came out of the lake for a visit.  I managed

to coax her over to the side.  The men visited with Daisy for a minute. 

    There are black flies out to contend with.  A pretty loon fished.

    Here is a view of the creek from the red bridge.

    Monet loves to nap next to Daisy.

    Poppy loves to play with Monet!

   Monet likes to climb up into my chair. He likes to chew on my sleeve or lick my face! 

 He sure is a lovable dog.  Poppy is a very active little dog.  She is usually running all

over the house.  Have a good night!

     I was framing paintings most of the day.  I had forgotten the Frosty Paws when I

went to the store.  Daisy and the pups sat next to me.  Daisy was talking to me!

    She was trying to tell me something very passionately!  Then I remembered! 

Frosty Paws!  I went to the store. 

    You can tell she was really hoping for a Frosty Paws!  Please!

    She loves Frosty Paws!

    She carried her treat over by the wood fire to enjoy!

   Monet and Poppy were sequestered into the kitchen for their own safety.  Daisy likes

all of the Frosty Paws!  The pups were excited!  They said, "Thanks for buying paintings!"

   Monet scooted his treat behind the metal rack.  No one can get to

his treat!

   This is Poppy's second Frosty Paws.  She loved loved it!

    Daisy has been doing very well.  I think she feels better.  Mobility is her biggest

issue.  The lake was nice and cool today.

    She walked all over the park today. 

    Maine has been cold and grey for a long time.  Today there was two minutes of sun.

"Captain Lee" 3x4 oil on copper.  From 2009 sold!

"Bernard at Golden Hour" 3x4 oil on copper.  From 2009.  Sold.

"Summer Birch" 3x4 oil on copper.  Sold.  Thank you very much!  Have a great night!

    It has been raining here in Maine for days and days!  The pups are going crazy

being inside!  Robert took them to the beach to swim and run for two hours.  Now

they are falling asleep sitting trying to watch Robert eat his dinner.  Daisy stayed home to

have more chicken and rice.

    Here Daisy is giving me the mind stare...she does this when she wants something

good to eat!  She knows it works!  She is like Spock on Star Trek!  Poppy was sitting on my lap

 for a change!  She likes to play war with Monet! 

    Here is one of the miniature oils on copper I discovered in my desk!  This one is

"Otter Cliffs" 3x4 inch, framed in gold and shipped free.  200$.  These miniatures I

found were all plein air from 2009.  To see more of them look up top under paintings, and then under

miniatures.

"Paint Me!" 6x6 oil on copper. Sold last night off my website to a new collector!

Thank you!  It is always fun to have a call from a new art collector inquiring

about paintings! 

"Good Morning" 6x6 oil on copper.  Sold!  Thank you.  Thank you!  Daisy, Monet, and Poppy will

have Frosty Paws doggy ice cream to celebrate tomorrow.  I will post a photo of this

family celebration!  Have a great night!

"Spring Light" 25x25 oil on copper.  Sold!  Thank you!

    Finished!  Hooray!  Now I can rest easy. Many of my friends have told me

this is my finest painting!  They are sweet.   Daisy is doing fine.  She had a little

bacon grease on her chicken and rice.  She is looking at me with very fond eyes!

The pups are having a good time as usual.  Have a great night!

     Painting a large painting is a lot of work!  Wow!  My right arm is killing me.  I am enjoying

painting this painting immensely!   It was raining outside all day long.  My backyard did

not look like it was suppose to.   I had to paint from memory.  I look at my view everyday

so this was not too hard.  The light on the flowers did not change too much.  I really like

how the flowers turned out.  I want to work on this painting one more sunny day to make

sure I have all my sunlit areas right.

    Here is a close up.  I have captured a nice feeling with this painting.  I won't do too much

to change the painting.  Craftsmanship is important.  I do like  mystery to a painting.

I will work on the edges and just a few details.  I am glad I didn't go too dark in values in the

flowers.  I wanted my flowers to appear luminous.

    The puppies, Poppy and Monet, were racing around.  Finally I heard a lot of barking, yipping,

and carrying on.  I looked to see what on earth was going on?  Poppy had Monet's ball in Robert's

chair.  She would not let Monet have his ball back.  She was growling and pestering him.  I had

to retrieve Monet's ball a few times today.  When it rains outside the pups have to find something

to entertain themselves!

    Daisy was relaxed today.  She ate so much chicken and rice.  Last night

she even had a piece of bacon!  She really loved that.  As long as she has a great appetite

I feel like things are going fine.  Have a good night!  I hope for sun tomorrow!

    Here is how I prepare for a large copper painting.  I use 16 ounce copper.  This weight

of copper is fine uncradled for smaller work under 10x10.  I wanted to paint on a 25x25.

I need to cradle the copper to provide a stable support.  First I lay down the copper.  I put

a thick piece of plastic onto the copper to act as a barrier between the copper and MDF

board.  Boards can be acidic.  I want to protect my copper.  Next I lay down the MDF board

cut slightly smaller than the copper. 

   I sit on top of the MDF board to hold it down.  I use the hammer to bang the sides of the

copper up.  Then I start to hammer the copper down onto the MDF board.  I do the opposite

side next. 

    Here is one side done.

    Once I have hammered two opposite sides of the copper down, I cut a triangle out of

one corner.  I only need to cut one triangle out of one side of each corner...not both sides.

Why do I do this?  When I hammer down the other side there is less bulk of copper.  This

creates a nicer corner.

   Done!

   I sanded down the copper panel outside.  I used rubbing alcohol to clean the copper three

times.  I prefer to draw with a micron archival felt tip pen.  I wipe down the drawing with

paper towel.  I just need a ghost of a drawing.  I decided to work  with a live floral arrangement

today.  No photos!  This will be the first time I have painted large from life!  Normally

I have worked from photos. 

    Here are my painting assistants.  Daisy is doing well.  Monet and Poppy had to move to

give me space!

    I worked until I lost the light outside and ran out of paper towels!  I will work more tomorrow.

    This is how Poppy drinks water.  She cleans her feet at the same time!  How

efficient!  Have a great night!

"Celebration of Spring" 10x10 oil on copper.650$  Framed in gold wood.  Shipped free.

    My biggest challenge lately is to take care of all my golden retrievers so that I can paint!

I took Daisy to Lake Alamoosook so she could peacefully swim.  She was very stoic today.

She was not able to land on her feet getting in and out of the car.  I caught her both times.

She slides out of the car most of the time when I am there.  When Robert is there she is

braver and tries to jump.  She had her chicken and rice.  I decided to hold off on today's

Frosty Paws.  I do think the vitamins in Frosty Paws helps her be stronger.  She stays

longer at the lake after a Frosty Paws.  So tonight she will have a treat.  She needs to celebrate

painting sales anyway!

    Daisy felt much better after soaking twice in the cold water.  She even hopped a few times

when I asked her if she would like to walk with me.  She didn't want to walk where I wanted

to go.  So I let her lead.  She was more excited about that and hopped a bit to say 'thanks'. 

    Then I loaded up Monet and Poppy to go to Sandy Point!  We walked for an hour along

the shore.  They swam after sticks.  Monet ran all the way down the beach to meet a man

who kneel down so he would not get knocked over.  Monet also ran to meet a blonde lab.

He jumped up on the lady.  I apologized for his poor behavior.  She didn't mind.  She

knew he was young.  She said they were both beautiful.  They behaved pretty well.

   Look at this!  Tired puppies!  This is a great thing for an artist!  No pacing, barking, or

howling!  Time to paint!  Yeah!

   I bought a bouquet, arranged the flowers, and drew out the drawing!  I was so

happy to be painting.  I really do love to paint.

   I added some Winsor Blue by Winsor Newton to my palette so I could create

a brighter green.  My goal was to create a painting today with a still life of flowers,

a landscape of my backyard, and architecture of my neighbor's house in the distance.

   Challenging and exciting to do!   Spring is my favorite time of

the year.  Have a great night.

   Last night Poppy put her feet on my kitchen counter so she could eat a lot of

wild rice!  This morning she was howling and barking until she hopped over top

of the dutch door.  Then she left me a present on the rug by the door...mostly wild

rice!  I woke up earlier than anyone should to attend to Miss Poppy!  I took them

for a two mile walk.  I am still trying to train them not to pull the leash.  Right

now people laugh at us when we are 'walking'.  The training is not going too well.

Although I did try pulling in their leashes.  They were walking right next to me.

Poppy didn't like this.  She watched my legs.  Then when the timing was right

she threw herself in between my legs!  I have seen her do this before...and I fell.

This time I hopped over her legs.  Ha!  After a while we were walking somewhat

normal.

   Whenever Monet sits on my lap...Poppy comes over to start a brawl with Monet!

There is usually a lot of growling and snapping going on!  I try to stay out of the way in my own chair!

   Often I get bit a few times.  Daisy usually likes to watch the action.  Today she rested.  She

ate her chicken and rice.  I added a few small pieces of cheddar cheese on top!  She loved this.

"View From The Eider Duck" 2.5 x 3.5 oil on copper.  200$ framed in silver and shipped.

   I found three more miniatures completed way back in 2008.  This painting was inspired

by a trip to Monhegan.  We stayed in the Eider Duck house on Fish Beach.  There were a total

of 12 artists and perhaps as many dogs.  Here is one of the artists sitting by the window drawing.

I wished I could remember her name.  All I remember was she once studied with Don Stone, was

in the Copley Society, lived in Maine, and specialized in white birch tree paintings. 

    Have a nice night!

    I took great care of my sweet Daisy today.  First she had chicken and rice for

breakfast and lunch.  She had some Frosty Paws doggy ice cream.  She loved that.

She ate two crunchy potato chips.  She rolled her eyes in back of her head.  She

was tired of eating chicken and rice!  She wanted something tasty.  Then she was

looking strong enough to go swim at the lake!

  She really enjoyed this Frosty Paws today celebrating all the painting

sales last night!  Yeah!  Poppy and Monet had a treat too...they each

received a Frisbee that lights up.  Robert was thrilled with this too. 

He loves to play with the dogs.

     Daisy really was feeling fine today.  Of course she is delicate.  She wanted to jump out of

the car on her own.  She studied the jump and did it.  Of course I was there to help her. 

She wagged her tail when I showed her a warm towel.  She even hopped a little.  She loves

to show her enthusiasm still.  Lately she walks around with her tail down.  For one minute today

she was showing happiness and making an effort.  She enjoyed the lake today.

   I drove to Cadillac Mountain on Mount Desert Island in Acadia National Park.  I arrived there

at 3:00pm.  I set up to paint on the road up to Cadillac Mountain.  I loved the view of Eagle

Lake.  This seagull kept me company the whole time.

"Eagle Lake" 3x5 oil on copper.  250$ framed in gold and shipped!

"Cadillac Mountain View of Otter Cliffs"    3x5 250$ oil on copper Framed in gold.  Shipped.

    It was so cold and windy here so I climbed into the back of my car to paint. 

"Cadillac Mountain View of Seal Harbor" 3x5 oil on copper.  250$ framed in gold.  shipped.

    I found a place to sit out of the wind!  I painted this painting next.  I loved

the luminous light on the ocean and the blue glowing mountains. 

    Here are a few photos of Cadillac Mountain views!

   Low tide at Bernard.

    Nice sunset!  Have a wonderful night! 

"Grand Acadia" 3x4 inches.   Sold!  Thanks!

    I have decided to show a few of my 2008 miniatures done in oil

on copper.  This one almost sold once but I told her I wanted to keep it.

I am very fond of the memories attached to this one.  I was painting with

Stapleton Kearns in 2010 in Acadia for a few months one summer.  I worked

on this tiny painting for 8 hours. 

"Winter Oak" 2.5x3.5 oil on copper.  Sold!  Thanks.

   I saw this scene on Mount Desert Island near Northeast Harbor. 

"Monet's Dream" 3x4 oil on copper.  Sold!  Thanks.

    I was new to painting on copper when I did these miniatures.  I was experimenting with

allowing the copper to shine through.  This painting is 6 years old.  The copper showing

through is still pink! 

"Redfield's Dream" 2.5 x 3.5.  Oil on copper. Sold!  thanks.

    The signature on this painting is on the lower left hand side cropped by photo. 

"Winter Walk on Park Look Road" 2.5x3.5 oil on copper. Sold.  Thanks.

  UPDATE:  I sold 17 of my miniatures tonight!   

      I never sold these miniatures before because of a lady at an art show wanting to pay only

30$ for one.  She said they are so small!  I said yes but they took more time than the larger ones.

Instead I framed them and hung them on a wall for my family to enjoy.  The size does invite

people to take a closer look.  I am surprised how long people look at them.  I think they are

special.

   Daisy is doing great!  She ate lots of chicken and rice.  She wanted a chunk of raw cabbage.

I decided to let her have a slice.  She ate most of it but left some very small pieces.  I think

she just loves the taste of raw veggies.  She is comfortable.  I took the pups for a long walk.

They are very energetic.  I hope to paint tomorrow.  I just need to walk them a lot before I go

off to paint!  Have a good night.

   After Daisy had chicken and rice for breakfast she wanted to go to the lake!  I was so happy.

I loaded her into the car and drove her to Lake Alamoosook.  Daisy had 21 puppies in her youth.

She is a Mother!  She had beautiful puppies.   Duke and Daisy have longevity in their genes.  Duke

was over 13 years old when he died.  I wonder if some of their puppies are still be alive in Florida?  Daisy may

even be a great grandmother now! 

   Daisy seemed more relaxed and in less pain today.  She seemed more aware of her

surroundings.  She jogged from the car into the water.  I have noticed she is getting thinner

these past few days.

   She walked better today.  She still needed help standing up.  She didn't fall or trip.

   I was admiring Daisy's profile today.  She has a straight back. 

   Sheer joy!  Rolling in the grass must have felt so nice. 

   She found the creek Duke once marched around in fishing.  She laid down and enjoyed the sunshine.

This creek has ice cold water.  Daisy stayed in the water until she was literally shivering.  I wonder

if that cold water is helpful for her tumor. 

    She enjoyed herself today.  Quality of life is still excellent! 

   Here are the 'little punks' as I fondly refer to them.  They are a bit destructive.  For their

own protection (and our house structure) they stay in the kitchen when I am gone.  I am

patching up baseboards, walls, and stair corners today.   A window screen was ripped out a hour ago.

I remember now how naughty little teenage golden retrievers are!  Just adds to the richness

of our lives!  Happy Mother's Day! 

    Last night at 12pm I decided Daisy needed to go to the emergency vet hospital.  I woke

Robert.  I explained.  He and I were in the car with Daisy 2 minutes later.  I was worried

Daisy might get worse the next day while Robert was working.  I didn't want to be unable

to lift her if she became sicker.  She had been unable to keep any dinner down.  She didn't look

well.  Her stomach was hard and larger.  The vet did xrays, bloodwork, and a ultrasound.

She showed us the xrays.  She saw a large tumor in Daisy's stomach near organs.  Daisy's

blood work revealed extremely high liver enzymes...the highest the vet had ever seen.  Daisy's

kidneys were working fine if not better than a young dog!  Her white and red blood cells were

perfect.  She advised us to allow Daisy to stay overnight to get fluids and medicine.  She

told us they could deliver Daisy to a nearby vet in the morning so a ultrasound could be done

of her stomach.  We left our Daisy in good hands. 

    In the morning I drove to Veazie to sit with Daisy.  I held her paw, patted her on the head,

and gave her a massage.  She was laying in a metal cage with fluids going into her arm.  She

had pain medicine so was very relaxed.  I was worried how difficult the ultrasound would

be.  They told me if would not be bad.  They had a special bed that would cradle Daisy

on her back.  Four people lifted Daisy up into the air.  Daisy's eyes were wild.  I comforted

her.  Once on her back in this comfortable bed  Daisy fell asleep!  She started to snore.

The vet had already shaved her belly.  He started the ultrasound.  He showed me the large

tumor the size of a watermelon.  The tumor was next to the spleen and liver.  He felt

confident he could remove the tumor and spleen but was not sure if the tumor had grown

around the liver.  He said she may not recover because of her high liver enzymes.  He said

the tumor might be cancer.  She would need chemo after the tumor was removed.  There was

a chance he would have to preform euthanasia because of cancer being all inside the stomach.

It sounded as if Daisy would be better to not have the surgery.  She would have a better

quality of life for a shorter time.  I asked if he could change her pain medicine from anti

inflammatory to pain management.  I decided to take Daisy home!

    Daisy at 3 bowls of chicken and rice when we arrived home.  She was starved.  She is

not having any intestinal problems now.  She is comfortable and glad to be home.  We

are letting her rest up today.  Tomorrow if she wants to...I will take her to the lake!

    Here is Monet sitting on me.  He loves this.  I worked more on the larger daffodil painting

last night.  I decided to change the background.

    "Daffodil Dance" 18x24 oil on copper.  Sold.  Thanks.

  We will take good care of Daisy.

   Daisy has not been able to keep any food down for two days now.  Daisy wanted

to go to the lake!  So I took her!  The cold water provides relief from arthritis or Lymes

Disease related pain.   Her eyes tell the story.   I was so surprised she wanted to

 go to the lake.  She walked quickly to my car and stood there.  So I knew!  She

swam along the shore until she was shaking from the cold water.  Still she didn't

 want to get out of the water.

   A loon swam up to Daisy.  The loon cried out twice.  Daisy ignored the loon.  A few

months ago Daisy would have swam out into the middle of the lake after a loon.  Now

she just enjoys the water. 

    We spent about an hour at the lake. 

   She may have swam more than usual exploring places Duke and her would have explored.

    Daisy is never sick.  She has me worried.  A friend suggested giving her chicken and rice.

Great idea.  I prepared a plate of chicken and rice with chicken broth.  Daisy's eye lit up.

She ate every bite.  I gave her a small portion to see how things go.  I can give her more

chicken and rice in a few hours.  Monet stood there and stared at Daisy.  He kept his distance.

His tail was down.  His head was lower than usual.  He knows Daisy is not well. 

    I took the pups to the lake so they would be calmer in the house!  They had a blast.

I threw sticks all over the ramp area.  I kept them off the grass and away from trees.

Ticks are all over those places.  Luckily they love the water. 

    I hope Daisy recovers.  She is 14.4 years old!  Have a good night.

    Here is a view of Eagle Lake on Mount Desert Island on the way up to Cadillac Mountain!

    View of Lamoine and Ellsworth from Cadillac Mountain.  Notice the pink colored

granite?

   View of Porcupine Islands and Bar Harbor from Cadillac Mountain.  Hard to imagine

Frederick Church and his friends climbing all the way up this mountain with

all their painting equipment to paint! 

    Here is a photo of the road down Cadillac Mountain.  You can see the road is lined with pink

granite rocks.  These hand cut granite rocks are nicknamed "Rockefeller's teeth". 

    I wish I knew what type of trees these are.  I don't think

they are birch but perhaps aspen? 

    Here is a healthy looking crow!  They are year round residents of Maine. 

   I saw a beaver at the Great Meadow!

   Lots of shadows on Park Loop Road.  View of Otter Cliffs in the distance.  There

were many rock climbers there today.  Temperature was 65!  Sun too!  Great day!

   Here is Monet this morning inspecting balls in his baby pool.  I just happened to witness

how he removed one of the balls!  He used his nose to scoop the ball out of the pool!

   I think he looked surprised to see the ball fly out of the pool!  Have a good night!

   "Reflections" 6x6 oil on copper.  350$ framed in gold wood or black with gold.  Shipped.

    I love the green glow from under the boat in the water.  So much fun painting the reflections

of boats.  Boats always symbolize a journey in your future.  The possibilities are endless!

    Monet was so amazed at the new orange plastic ball I found for 2$ at the grocery store!

    I admit I knew this new ball would entertain them for hours so I could paint!

   It was fun watching them try to remove the balls from the pool!

    Finally!

   Poppy likes to dig.

    Daisy was teaching Poppy how to swim today.  Poppy likes to drink the salt water

just like Daisy did when she was little.

   Here is Daisy enjoying a Frosty Paws doggy ice cream celebrating a painting sale. 

Monet and Poppy prefer chicken livers.  Have a great night!

    It was so nice outside today in Maine!  I set my white daffodils on

the deck's rail.  I admired the clouds behind the daffodils.  I saw a

bunny shaped cloud!  I decided to go against all the cloud painting rules

in fine art.  Thou shall not ever EVER paint potato shaped clouds or

animal shaped clouds.  But why?  I often see bunny and heart shaped

clouds. 

"White Daffodils With Bunny Cloud" 6x6 oil on copper.  350$ framed in gold wood. Shipped.

    Spring reminds me of a happy almost whimsical time.  I like my bunny shaped cloud!

"White Daffodils" 6x6 oil on copper.  350$ framed in gold wood.  Shipped.

   I decided to paint more white daffodils.  I love the blue sky behind the daffodils.  Yellow

and blue are complements. 

    Every half an hour or so I would check on Monet and Poppy downstairs in the fenced area.

You are never suppose to leave your dog unattended in the backyard.  All kinds of things could

happen if you do.  It was fun seeing what they were up to. 

   Later I checked on them and this is what I saw.  Sun bathing puppies!  I imagine they

are just thrilled with this weather.  Poppy was born in the winter.  This is the first pleasant

weather she has seen. 

    I purchased Robert a present for our anniversary.  The used kayak was a big hit. 

Right away we took the kayak and Daisy to the lake.  I thought they were so cute

together. 

   I received good news!  I have been juried into the Castine's Plein Air Event 2014! 

The event is on July 24,25,26.  On July 26 from 6:00-8:00pm the public can see the work

for free at the Harborview Room in the Maritime Academy.  Last year everyone in Castine

was there.  Most of the artwork sold within two hours.  They cater the event.  The food

and wine was fantastic!  It was standing room only.  I have never seen such enthusiasm for

art as I did that day.  I am pleased to be participating in the event.  

   I am going to paint more white daffodils.  I love how delicate they are.  Have a good night!

    Today I turned a small cardboard box into a still life stand.  I used white

paper to line this box.  Then I set up a daffodil still life!

"Study of Three Daffodils" 5x7 oil on copper.  350$ framed in gold and shipped.

     I used a thumbbox easel 5x7 by guerrilla painter.  This is  a small

easel perfect for lazy nights of painting!  I am waiting for both large painting to dry.  They

are taking up two large easels.  I guess when you paint large you need many large easels.

   While I was painting I heard some strange sounds coming from the waterbowl.  I looked

to see Poppy putting her foot in the waterbowl!  She was splashing water all over

the place.  Robert had mentioned how sloppy of a drinker Poppy is.  Monet cleans

Poppy's face after a drink!  Usually I mop the  water a few times a day.  Poppy

has been discovered.  We just laughed about this.  She will grow out of putting her

foot in her waterbowl!

   I caught Poppy red handed tearing up Monet's bed.  Daisy was not

a part of this.  She was just keeping an eye on the action!

    Monet didn't want to give up his dog bed...what was left of it!  Even the zipper was

torn out of the bed.  I threw the bed away.  I will find him a new one. 

    Nice to see how much Monet loves Daisy.  Have a great night! 

    I have been working on this painting since yesterday.  I worked till 2:00 in the morning.

I like working at night on a still life.  The dogs are sleeping!  The light keeps constant.

The flowers move!  I am surprised to see the flowers moving.

They are blooming and physically moving around.  I tied them up with twine to keep

flower movement down.  Daisy was snoring nicely.

    I have finished the painting today!  It is difficult to photograph.  So here are detail shots.

  "Daffodil Dance"  18x24 oil on copper  not finished yet.

    How do I like painting large?  It is exciting.  It is a lot more work.  I thought it would be

more difficult.  These two large painting have not been too difficult for me.  I think they

both turned out well.  The most difficult part of painting large is determining what to paint.

     Have a wonderful evening! 

   Here is Daisy having a Frosty Paws doggy ice cream to celebrate recent painting sales.

She says, "Woof!  Thanks."

"Feeling Rosey" 10x10 oil on copper.  Sold along with 18 paintings last night.  Big Thank You!!!!

 I was able to purchase a lot of oil paint and brushes and copper! 

I would like to paint larger for awhile!  Let's see how I do! 

"Yellow Rose" 5x7 oil on copper.  Sold.  Thank you. 

"Park Avenue Wild White Roses" 10x10 oil on copper.  Sold.  Thanks!

"Purple Petals" 10x10 oil on copper.  Sold.  Thanks!

"Cottages at Wadsworth Cove" 5x7 oil on copper.  Sold.  Thanks.

"Old Skiff" 8x10 oil on copper.  Sold.  This was a painting done in 2007.  I believe it was

one of my first skiff paintings.  It is good to hang on to early work.  Collectors find these

pieces important for their collection.

"Green and Black Buoys" 3x4 oil on copper.  Sold.  This was another very early copper piece.

"Wintery Day in Bucksport" 3x5 oil on copper.  sold.  These were just a few that sold.

I find it very interesting to see which sizes and subjects sell.  I hope you do too.  Now

let's get to work.  Again, thank you very much.

    Daisy requests a small freezer full of Frosty Paws with a rope handle.  She thinks she

should be able to have a treat any time she wants.  I agree. 

   Is it just me who thinks Daisy is getting more and more beautiful as she grows older?

   She loves frightening the pups...a little. 

    Have a good night.  I hope for warmer weather with sunlight!