To Blog or not to Blog???.ee

     I have left my blog dormant for a long time, actually forgot about it in the past year as my life has changed dramatically!  It has always been our dream to live near Acadia, and now we do.  We both are now working in Bar Harbor, and our home in Weld went on the market last week....so I need to change some names around....I think will continue with Center Hill Studio, as our new home
 is on a hill in the center of a peninsula in Frenchmans Bay. So the past year and a half has had some stresses, moving and changing jobs with three weeks notice, searching for and finding a home in a pretty tough market, loosing our two precious collies to old age, and getting a puppy...
     This morning Jackie, our new puppy, and I drove to Schoodic where we walked and I tested a new set up using a cigar box pochade in the car, it was 9 degrees out. Schoodic is just a few minutes away, and each time I go, it gets me in the mood to paint.
      I read a post on Facebook last week, someone was wondering if anyone blogged any more, and the response was that it has become another way of journaling, blogging for yourself basically.  Reading my past posts was such fun today, I have decided to continue, just once a week and mostly  to keep myself accountable in the pursuit of my art.  I will have to learn to use my iPad to make posts....I hope my journey will spark some interest for others not to give up

A New Start, Again!!!

I finally had the courage to creep down to my studio today and get to work, again.  This Spring I have made a commitment to a new, temporary, but very challenging job, to run a 5k in August, and even though my lack of painting fills me with dread and guilt, I can't seem to make a commitment to work on my art.  Time to face the music.

So I dusted off the pastels and proceeded to waste some paper.  Naturally the end result makes me a little sad, but what do I expect the results to be?  I have pretty much put zero effort outside of a few sketches and a little painting on vacation.  Time is a factor, but I seem to think I have time to run, I am going to have to carve out some time and gather some discipline and get to work, or live with that constant nagging.

So with great humility, here is today's effort.

Walking Back From Otter Cliff, pastel on Uart Paper

Brighter Days Ahead

This slightly crazy looking cardinal was how I choose to use my brand new set of reds!  I received several sets of pastels for Christmas, and before I broke up this gorgeous set  I decided to use them in a painting.  I have never done anything so red before, and I love it!  I think I will end/start off the year doing a series of birds, (sorry Melanie).  I need to stretch my wings, and have very little experience with our feathered friends.

The days are getting longer again, there is hope!  We finally have a nice thick covering of snow and I was able to start the day with a ski.

Looking back over the year I have not spent as much time painting as I had planned, and I have not conquered that fear of wasting paper yet, so I have plenty to work on in 2013.  Happy New Year!

Christmas is coming.....

One of the precious pieces of Wallis paper got used today!  I discovered that chamois does a great job of removing trees, you can see a ghost image if you look closely.  Of course this is a view of Acadia, we took a long hike last year, following a mysterious set of stairs at one end of Sand Beach....we were well rewarded with some beautiful cliffs. 

 

Christmas is a few weeks away, and I have only purchased one present.   I am avoiding watching TV as I get so tired of the commercial's and the hype.  Thanksgiving is now about Black Friday, and Christmas is about gifts...really?  

December 1st

My friend Martha celebrates her "Birthday Month", and I think this is a wonderful idea!  I am going to give myself a gift every day, it won't be "things" but real gifts.  One is permission to use my good paper and don't worry about using it up!  I am going to set aside 31 pieces of Wallis paper to "waste" every day this month and I am going to enjoy it!  I am going to give my self permission to burn a few paintings too, and gesso over even more. 

This is of Sand Beach in Acadia on Wallis paper.  There are a lot of things I love about this painting, mostly that I did not approach it as precious, I just had fun.  Having fun will be my biggest gift to myself this month.  I think that is an awesome way to honor the gifts I have been already given by the one who I share my birthday with! 

Acadia Drive

Today is the last day of rifle season here, so tomorrow no more excuses for long walks.

I moved my french easel upstairs  for the winter...it worked well last year to have a painting in progress that I can work on in bits and pieces throughout the day. I hope to keep a painting going on in my studio also, but it can get chilly this time of year.

 This scene is from Acadia.  I even love the rainy days there.

October 27th.

Today was the first day of deer season here in Maine, but I did not remember that until I got home from my early morning walk, safely.  I heard a shot when I was coming out of the woods, but I just assumed it was someone after birds....

I took this reference as I came out of the woods, it was a foggy morning, punching up the intensity of the colors.  This is a mixed media, starting with a triad of watercolor, then a little acrylic for fun, and then I rescued it with a dash of pastel.  Then I spent a productive but painful hour breaking my pastels in half.  It hurt a bit, but they are much easier to use this way, and I have room for more!