Apples (with Prisma filter)

These are apples that I photographed last year. They were in a huge outdoor bin at Tendercrop Farm.  Today I cropped the original photo to get this image, and then added a Prisma filter.

Sending this out to say L'Shana Tova to those celebrating and to wish everyone a sweet year ahead.

Bees Say L'Shana Tova (Happy New Year) (Drawing)

 This digital drawing is the last frame of a little Rosh Hashana animation that I made yesterday on my iPad with the Procreate app, which captures a stroke-by-stroke video as you draw.  My idea is a little riff on the "apples and honey" tradition of the holiday: bees and an apple tree.  The bees say "L'Shana Tova" ("Happy New Year").  We owe a lot to the bees, so I think there is a second message here: "Tikkun Olam" (repair the world).  If you want to see the video, follow this link:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/randiart/48810267171/in/dateposted-public/

Bees Say "L'Shana Tova" ("Happy New Year") (Video)

I created this little animation on my iPad with the Procreate app, which captures a stroke-by-stroke video as you draw.  I made this for Rosh Hashanah, which starts tomorrow night. My idea is a little riff on the "apples and honey" tradition of the holiday: bees and an apple tree.  The bees say "L'Shana Tova" ("Happy New Year").  We owe a lot to the bees, so I think there is a second message here: "Tikkun Olam" (repair the world).

"Path to the Beach" in "Along the Coast" Art Show

I recently had a chance to stop by the Beverly Historical Society to see the art current show, called "Along the Coast".  It's lovely and dramatic: they painted the gallery a lovely midnight blue for the occasion.  I have two oil bar paintings in the show, and this one, "Path to the Beach", won a little prize.  I liked the way it looked right under the "Along the Beach" sign, so I took this picture.

Mountains and Lake (at Galatea Fine Art)

I was at Galatea Fine Arts today.  There are great shows in all three galleries, work by Barbara Eskin, Jane Paradise, and Crystal Woodward, on display through the 29th. I have a painting hanging in the "Artists' Alcove" this month, and finally had a chance to see how it looks on the wall.  

My Daughter's Flowers (with Prisma filter)

This image began with a photo that I took back in September of 2012.  These were flowers that my daughter picked at "Field of Flowers" at Long Hill Gardens.  Tonight I chose a Prisma filter to use on the original photo, and somehow arrived at all her favorite colors: purple, pink, peach, and blue. Posting this in honor of my daughter for National Daughters Day.

September Leaves (with Prisma filter)

On a recent walk, I noticed some bright leaves on the ground, and took some pictures.  I posted one of those photos here yesterday.  Today I am posting the same photo, with a Prisma filter added.

September Leaves

Even though recently the weather has ranged from the 70s to the 80s, the overnight temperatures have dropped to the 50s and 40s.  That's why we have been getting early red leaves on days that are still warm enough for an enjoyable walk to look at leaves.  During a recent walk, I saw these leaves on the ground and took this picture.  I also created a version with a Prisma filter, which I plan to post tomorrow.

Cosmos by the Fence (with Prisma filter)

Yesterday's post was a photo that I took on a neighborhood walk, pink cosmos by a fence.  I decided to try it with a Prisma filter.  After a bit of trial and error, I found a filter that I liked with this photo, and this image is the result.

Cosmos by the Fence

I was taking a walk when I saw these pink cosmos.  I liked the way they looked against the fence, so I took a picture.  I also tried this image with a Prisma filter, and I will post the result tomorrow.

Rough Sketch for House Portrait

I am getting ready to paint a house portrait, based on the photo that I posted here on September 17.  Today I made this very rough pencil sketch, just try to work out the composition.

Two Pastel Drawings at Porter Mill Studio

Yesterday I was hanging some pictures in our new 2nd floor studio at Porter Mill. (This summer, we moved down from the 4th floor and are still reorganizing.)  There's a bit of space in the hallway, just outside our door.  I decided to hang these two pastel drawings:

"Window Box" (above) and "Bouquet in a Basket". (They were originally part of a show I called "Flowers in February".) 

Paintings of Portugal in Porter Mill Studio

I went to our new studio at Porter Mill this afternoon.  We recently relocated from the fourth floor to the second floor. Even though that's just a short distance, it has been a busy summer and we are still "moving in".  Today I spent about an hour hanging paintings.  Here are two of my watercolors of Portugal: "In the Alfama, Lisbon) (above) and "Portuguese Houses" (below).  I painted these from photos I took while visiting Portugal.

Reference Photo for House Portrait

One of my next projects will be a painting of this house (a "house portrait".) Today I chose this photo to use as a reference. I like the way the trees cast shadows on the lawn and the house, and I am going to try to include that in my painting. 

Father of the Bride (with Prisma filter)

I recently came across this snapshot of me with my father. It was my wedding day and we were waiting just outside the sanctuary for the cue to walk down the aisle. It's a very informal photo for a wedding picture, almost a throw-away, but it captures a big moment and I love it. The photographer was my uncle Ike Fitterman. Today I decided to try it with a Prisma filter. After some trial and error, I decided this was the best result. 

Déjà Vu: Necklace with Wood and Magnesite Rondelles

A few years ago, I created this necklace (and posted it here, hence it may be déja vu.) This necklace is made with wooden beads, pink and purple magnesite rondelles, and metallic silver accent beads. Yesterday I updated it by restringing it with the new, improved stretchy cord I have been using.  I also added some pink glaze to some of the beads to heighten the color. I took a new photo, and put the necklace in my jewelry box because I decided to keep this one to wear myself.

Two Small Mountain Paintings on Studio Wall

Yesterday I spent a little time at Porter Mill, unpacking and organizing our new studio on the 2nd floor. (We used to be on the 4th floor, but this summer made the big move downstairs.) I managed to hang a few more paintings. Here are two small "Mountain Daydreams," acrylic on paper.

Delivering "Still Amazed" (Oil Bar Painting)

This is the second of two paintings that I delivered  to the Beverly Historical Society on Tuesday. These are both for an an upcoming show entitled "Along the Coast".  This is oil bar painting, entitled "Still Amazed" is based on a photo that I took at Obear Park, here in Beverly, MA.

In Memorium (Twin Towers, with Prisma filter)

During my trips to NYC, I only took a handful of photos of the Twin Towers, much to my regret.  But I have been recycling those I do have for the last 18 years, using them to mark the anniversary of September 11, 2001.  Here's one of my photos, this time modified with a Prisma filter. 

Delivering "Path to the Beach" (Oil Bar Painting)

Today I delivered two paintings to the Beverly Historical Society for an upcoming show.  The theme of the show is "Along the Coast".  This is a photo of one of the paintings I delivered, "Path to the Beach", based on a photo that I took near the beach at Lynch Park, here in Beverly.

Oil Bar Paintings in Studio, September 2019

Today I went to the studio at Porter Mill to pick up two oil bar landscapes that I am submitting to an art show tomorrow.  Since one of those paintings was on the wall, I picked out a another painting to replace it. And then I fiddled about with the arrangement. So here are the oil bar paintings on the studio wall for September.  Top row, L to R (all 20 by 20"): Tree and Hillside; First of May at Long Hill; Rising Sun on Woods and Snow; Red Tree in the Woods.  Bottom row, L to R (all 8 x 10") Branch with Golden Berries, Apples on the Tree, Red Leaves, Pink Hydrangea.

Déjà Vu: Necklace with Magenta Stones and Wooden Beads

Why déjà vu?  Because this is a necklace that I made several years ago, and posted a photo of it here. I like to make necklaces that combine semi-precious stone with wooden beads, and I prefer to use stretchy cord so no clasp is needed. Since I first made this necklace, I have found a better kind of stretchy cord that works better with the weight of the semi-precious stones.  So today I took this necklace apart and put it together with new stretchy cord and took a new picture.  Taking the necklace apart and restringing felt like I was taking a few steps backward, but by doing so I found out that this new cord is much better, so this will help me going forward. The beads are beautiful magenta and brown stones (magnesite) that I found a few years back when I went bead shopping with my Aunt Edy in Denver. I combined them with brown wooden beads and gold metallic accent beads. 

Indoor Garden (Fabric Appliqué)

I started this project a while ago, finally finished it this morning.  This is iron-on appliqué.  

Four Mountain Paintings at Porter Mill

This summer, we relocated our studio at Porter Mill from the 4th floor to the 2nd floor. It has been a very hectic summer, but little by little, I am getting the art up on the wall. These are four mountain paintings that I hung recently.  Come see us in Studio 2-16!

Mountains and Lake (Acrylic Watermedia)

Here is my finished painting.  After fussing over many details, I finally finished it on September 1. That was just in time, because on September 2 (Labor Day), I took this painting to Boston and delivered it to Galatea Fine Arts.  It will on display in the "Artists' Alcove" through September. The painting is acrylic used as watermedia, on Aquaboard (16" x 20"). The sides are 2" deep, natural wood.

Mountains and Lake (Painting as of Aug. 31, 2019)

Here is my painting, the day before I finished it.  I made adjustments to the color of the sky, reworked those snowcapped mountains, and added some highlight to the tops of the mountains. I added some green washes to the foreground.  I checked and rechecked the horizontal lines. I made lots of little changes. In short, I obsessed. But I have learned over time that's just what I do when I am almost done with a painting. Spoiler alert: I did finish this painting on time, and delivered it to Galatea Fine Art on Labor Day.

Mountains and Lake (Painting as of Aug. 30, 2019)

Here is my painting as it looked on August 30th. This is one of my "Mountain Daydreams" based on the Colorado mountains. In this case, I was working from a photo that I took during last summer's trip. (My reference photo is posted here, August 18.) I was working on the sky, and added some clouds, using shapes in the reference photo. I also worked on the shapes of those snow-capped mountains in the distance. Almost done. . .