My Collection of 2012 Paintings
November 12, 2012
2012 was an interesting painting year for me. I started early by creating a painting for a juried art exhibit that was very well received and won first prize! In the spring I finished two paintings I had started in the summer of 2011 for that year's Art in the Park, but hadn't had a chance to complete. Then I went quite some time not feeling a sense of creativity or the urge to paint. Thankfully in the summer a friend requested a commission of her family, renewing my motivation. Finally, to be sure I would have new pieces for the holiday craft fair season, I cleaned my art room, scrolled through my iPhoto collection, found inspiration, and painted whenever I had free time. My first holiday craft fair is this weekend, so it seemed like a great time to share my 2012 paintings. I hope you enjoy them.
There It Goes
My first painting of 2012! I finished it in just three days of painting
time. It is of my children in March 2001, a year we had snow that never
seemed to stop and that was WAY over their heads by spring! Cassidy was 3
and Jeremiah 18 months old. They were so
thrilled when there was finally some mud and melt-off puddles to play
in. This painting was inspired by and juried into the "Glamour in Mud Season"
juried art competition in Wolfeboro, NH. It was also awarded Best in Show by the jury and received the People's Choice award. Such an honor!
This was one of the paintings I had started in the summer of 2011 but didn't finish. I found the photo I used in my box of "photos to use for paintings someday". I took the photo on my film camera probably in the early 1990s when my husband, dogs and I took a road trip to see the foliage along the Kancamagus Highway. I always loved the curve of the road and the angle of the mountains. My mother remarked when she saw this painting, "How did you ever get a picture there that time of year without a line of cars all along the road?!?" I guess I just got lucky!
This was one of the paintings I had started in the summer of 2011 but didn't finish. I found the photo I used in my box of "photos to use for paintings someday". I took the photo on my film camera probably in the early 1990s when my husband, dogs and I took a road trip to see the foliage along the Kancamagus Highway. I always loved the curve of the road and the angle of the mountains. My mother remarked when she saw this painting, "How did you ever get a picture there that time of year without a line of cars all along the road?!?" I guess I just got lucky!
This is the second of the paintings I started in summer 2011. In August of 2009 my family and I headed north for two weeks starting on
the New Hampshire coast, then traveling up into Maine and Acadia. We
found a beautiful campground along the Schoodic Scenic Byway called Flanders Bay Campground.
This campground is surrounded on three sides by the stunning Flanders
Bay. The weather was perfect, and the mornings were so still, allowing
views like this of lobster boats, islands and distant mountains. I took
so many photos, like the one I used to create this painting. We loved
this campground and the Schoodic Peninsula so much, we returned again in
August 2011. I highly recommend a visit!
Bethany, Silas and Ken
For many years I been part of an online community that started as a message board for a music festival we attended each summer. Over the years, I met many "boardies" in person and we have become good friends. Others I have yet to meet in person, but we have followed each others' stories over the years and it feels as if I met them long ago. I am grateful to this community for supporting my art from when I first started sharing it. I have painted many commissions for boardies, and these opportunities have help my painting grow and improve. Bethany is someone I have yet to meet in person, but I have come to feel very close to her through the commission she asked me to paint of her and her family this summer. This was an artistically challenging painting for me in the sense that she had a collection of photos to paint from, and I worked hard to create the composition before I even began to paint. As with any commission, hearing from Bethany that she loved the painting made me feel so happy. Best of all, Bethany has an amazing talent of giving new life to worn out jewelry. We have worked out a trade and she has been repairing and recreating many of my beloved but tired pieces of jewelry. You can see her beautiful work at her website Bethkaya Design and Consulting.
Summer Rocks
This painting was also inspired by a boardie friend, and it was the first in my fall painting spree to have new pieces for the craft fairs. I love heart shaped rocks, and also very rounded circular and oval
shaped rocks. I photograph them whenever I find them, and collect them
when it's appropriate. I recently learned that an Oregon boardie friend has
similar feelings. Her name is Summer, and she shared this photo from one
of her visits to a west coast beach. It immediately caught my
attention, and I was so grateful when she said I could use her photo for
inspiration. This is the painting that resulted. Thank you, Summer!
The next fall painting was inspired from a beautiful weekend of camping. In September my family and I went on a canoe camping trip at
Pillsbury State Park in nearby Washington, NH. We woke
to incredible fog one morning, and these two loons were coming in and
out of the fog just off the shore of our site. I love how they came
together like this. I took a photo that I painted from later. It was so
amazing listening to loons call throughout the weekend.
Foggy Pillsbury Islands
This painting was also from a photo I took during our Pillsbury camping weekend. It was such a lovely time of year to camp. It
was chilly and rained some on Saturday night, but the air was free of
pesky bugs. On Saturday morning I loved watching the rocks and
islands come and go in the fog until the sun had a chance to burn it
away. It was magical and mysterious, especially with loons calling in
the distance.
Dandelion Puffs
After painting the two foggy paintings from Pillsbury State Park, I was
in the mood for a colorful painting, full of movement. I came across an
old photo of my daughter twirling, which gave me the inspiration I was
looking for. I found other old photos, including the field of dandelion
puffs from my daughter's 3rd grade field trip to the Nature Museum in Grafton, Vermont. The
students ran through the tall grass collecting insects by dragging
pillowcases. It seemed like the perfect field for my painting of
celebration and color.
Now that I have a new collection of paintings, it is time to shift gears and get ready for my first holiday craft fair of the 2012 season.This Saturday Marlow's Christmas on the Pond will take place from 9-3 in the historic buildings of Marlow village. I always enjoy this event and seeing so many familiar faces. Time to print, fold, package, frame and get organized! I hope you will support your local artisans in this holiday season.
Now that I have a new collection of paintings, it is time to shift gears and get ready for my first holiday craft fair of the 2012 season.This Saturday Marlow's Christmas on the Pond will take place from 9-3 in the historic buildings of Marlow village. I always enjoy this event and seeing so many familiar faces. Time to print, fold, package, frame and get organized! I hope you will support your local artisans in this holiday season.
Posted by Stephanie Tickner. Posted In : Paintings
