The juror didn't chose my painting and that's ok

I submitted this 24x24" oil painting titled Off Mill to the Newport Art Museum for the annual Member's Show and it didn't get in. From a field of 265 - 90 were chosen. Some years I've gotten in, other years not and I can reflect on my own growth over the years since I started submitting.
A thick skin was something I didn't have at all, and not being accepted was always taken personally back in those days. I could intellectually understand that it wasn't about ME but when you're taking a big chance to submit at all and then not chosen- it's hard to not feel hurt. I've been rejected is what just ran through my mind.
A few tips that have helped me over the years-
1. Love my work and feel it represents me in the best possible way. If I submit a piece that doesn't excite or satisfy me in some way, how can I expect it to move a juror?
2. Never paint for a specific show but look through my work to choose a painting that fits the theme. I have learned this the hard way when I once submitted to a colored pencil show and I'm not a colored pencil artist! It was a fun exercise, but not show worthy.
3. Remember that the juror is looking in a subjective way and what may not be chosen for one show can win a prize in another. So many factors go into jurying a show that are beyond my control.
4. My experience with being a juror myself and knowing how hard the choices can be. I looked for work that was technically well done and also roused some emotion in me. I picked work that touched me in a personal way. 

Inspired to paint more, see things differently and push myself to new places is always what I want when I pick up my brush.

And so too in life. There are many stumbles, and times when I didn't get what I wanted at the time. Only to find there were better things waiting for me around the next corner. Don't ever give up!

FOMO

Fear of missing out- it used to keep me going when I was already exhausted, overcommitted and running on empty. Then I heard one of my husbands favorite phrases- under commit and over deliver! A concept that has taken me years to really put into action. I am finally ok when I say no to take care of myself first. I've given up the idea that I have to multitask and always be DOING. 
I'm in Hilton Head for the next three months and missed the opening of CITY LIFE, the new show at Spring Bull Gallery, in Newport, RI. 
I missed out and it's okay. A change in my perspective lets me be grateful for what I have and where I am. Each day.
My painting is titled CHAT ROOM  and is oil on panel. 16x20.

Inspired by the beach...again!

Another day, another gull. What has me excited is the possibility of exploring on a larger format the abstract shapes of the water, the shoreline and the sand as patterns are formed with each incoming wave. 

Loved working within the range of beach colors. Soothing, calming and always a source of inspiration.

Two More from the Shore

I am really enjoying the chance to play with the abstract shapes in the water and in the reflections. Although I am working from photos, I am interested in losing detail in favor of obtaining a closer relationship with the vast space of the ocean and the birds along the shore. These are on linen, 6x6.

Art League of RI Exhibition

Here are the two paintings I'll be showing at the 18th Annual Elected Artists of the Art League of Rhode Island exhibition. I'm very honored to be in such great company- check out the website and you'll see what I mean. The exhibition will be at the Jamestown Arts Center, a town I lived in for eighteen years. The opening reception will be Thursday, September 20th from 6-8pm. Exhibition: September 20- October 20, 2018

Titled Boats & Dinghies, this oil painting is 16x20, and gave me a
chance to explore the range of neutral grays offset by clear color. Chroma is intensified when it's next to a neutral.

Titled Working Boats, I wanted to focus more on shape and color than on any specific boats or part of a boat. Tied up at the dock, when the tide was low, I was drawn by the shapes made by the pilings, and the hulls of the background boats. Also 16x20, oil.
Both of these are studio paintings, with multiple layers of paint, which is a departure from my usual "paint it all in one session" approach. This let me slow down and experience the process in a way I find very satisfying.

We're having a heat wave

When our plein air group met to paint at a lovely estate in Newport, steamy showers rained us out. I went back alone later in the week, on another exceptionally hot day. I stood with my back to a little gardener's cottage, looking at the water garden.

I had walked for a while around this large property, but without an umbrella, I couldn't see painting and baking in the sun. At least here, I had shade from the building.

This gorgeous building is a greenhouse, studio and rooftop deck that looks out over the ocean.

My surface was toned with acrylic cadmium orange,good for my mid range value, which struck me as perfect for the intense heat of the day. I worked with thin oil paint to lay down my composition, keeping shapes abstract.

We're in Maine now and the painting sits in the studio. I want to go in and make a few changes when I get home. 12x24.

My friends know I love flowers

The first time my friend Susan came to dinner she brought me a bunch of sunflowers, which of course I later painted. Last week she came over, again for dinner, and again with flowers, with a token sunflower in remembrance of that first dinner. 
She's thoughtful like that, and that's a quality I hope for myself with my friends. Remembering what they like. How they take their coffee. What's been going on in their lives. I'm feeling very grateful  for the close connection I feel with the women and men in my life today.
The next day I took the flowers out back, where I found a spot of shade, and found myself obsessed with the Queen Anne's Lace. Considered nothing more than a weed by many, I marveled at its' structure and divine color. This is oil on panel, 11x14.

Plein Air Beavertail

I was happy to get a chance to paint some of the buildings at Beavertail lighthouse on the neighboring island of Jamestown. This is quintessential Rhode Island and has been my home for the last four decades. My kids grew up on Jamestown, with all the advantages of small town and island living- bike riding to school, no need to lock the doors, plenty of open space to explore, lasting memories and friendships. And so I gathered with friends, my plein air pals from around the state and we each interpreted that summer day in our own way. Feeling so grateful for my island home.

White Rose

I painted this rose from direct observation as a demo during our last Gallery Night here in Newport, RI at Spring Bull Gallery. I wanted to talk about and show how "white is not always white". I had toned my panel with acrylic Payne's Grey which is more dark blue than grey. You can see where bits of it come through. Many subtle shifts of color, from warm to cool, along with value shifts are needed to make this rose come alive. Keeping the shapes is always a priority and is part of my painting style! Would it be fun to paint this BIG? I think it would.

Margaret's Iris

While they were still blooming, I painted a few iris in my neighbors garden. They welcomed me to sit and become totally absorbed in my work. The big challenge is to distinguish flower bloom from background, so I played around with finding the right value contrast between the edges of the flower and the background. 

Ida Lewis Yacht Club Backstory

Ida Lewis Yacht Club was first Lime Rock Light in the heart of Newport's inner harbor. The first lighthouse keeper was Ida's half brother, then her father took over. When he died Ida ran the lighthouse by herself performing many daring rescues and withstanding rough water, weather, and isolation until her death in 1911. Her unassuming impact on women's rights was the subject of an award nominated documentary by Marion Gagnon titled -  America's Forgotten Heroine: Ida Lewis, Keeper of the Light.

Trumpet Daffodil

 

Another take on my trumpet daffodil. Fun with shapes and color in all the ways that make me happy to be always looking and learning with paint. I'm feeling inspired by the beauty in nature at this time of year.

Respect to the mountain painters!

New admiration for all those plein air painters who paint the mountains! My experience is so little, yet it is basically the same thing- look and look and look. I picked a very small segment of the Catalina Mt foothills and just tried to find the shapes.

Zero In

I always seem to be drawn back to a closer focus, to cropping my compositions to make the space feel more intimate. I need to find out what kind of trees these are; they are abundant in this area and have the most fascinating branches and shapes. They are leafless this time of year; that only adds to their appeal to me!

It was an easier painting than the previous post- goes to show it really does help to become very familiar with your subject. Find something that can hold your interest while you learn more each painting session.

This one is 6x6 on linen.

Arizona or Bust

Last winter we traveled as far west as Big Bend National Park, in southwest Texas before heading back to Rhode Island in February. Now you know coming home in February was not part of the plan; we were headed to Arizona when we decided to come home after talking with Ted's Dad. He was 96, feeling lonely and that's all we really had to hear. He'd had another fall, another trip to the ER and he just wanted us to come home. There wasn't even a conversation; we stayed a couple of days longer then began the long haul home in our motorhome.

Murray died a few weeks after his 97th birthday in July, and we never regretted for a moment coming home. The last few months we spent a lot of time together and knew we'd done the right thing.

So now this winter we breathed a sigh of relief when we made it to Arizona! First stop, about 50 miles south of Tuscon,  Kartchner Caverns State Park. I love the state parks as there is always an abundance of natural beauty and space. 

Happy to set up to paint, although the weather has not gotten even to 50 degrees. And when the sun goes behind the mountains, it gets cold so fast.

My best effort, 6x12 on linen, a challenge to get the colors!

Las Cruces, NM

We are visiting Las Cruces, NM and I was so happy to meet with fellow blogger, inspired artist and perfectly lovely Julie Ford Oliver! As we are traveling this winter in our RV, and headed to Arizona, I wanted to reach out to Julie and see if we could meet. 

She was completely welcoming with a wonderful studio tour, visit to one of her galleries M Phillip's Fine Art Gallery and we met up again for lunch at one of her favorite spots in Las Cruces to talk about art, goal setting and so much we have in common.  Julie has a love for all things avian and since this bird was nesting in the tree right outside my window, I know I had to paint her.

In gratitude for your generosity and the time we spent discussing ART, thank you Julie! 

Dried Pods

Studio still life has many of the elements within my control- what I choose to paint, how it will be lit, the composition of the elements. In this painting I chose to emphasize the shadow as an integral part of the composition. 8x10 on linen. I'm fascinated with rendering the pods with minimum detail while letting the viewer know exactly what they're looking at.

Surface Tension

 Just thrilled that my painting titled Scattered Light made it to Surface Tension, an exhibition collaborating works between URI faculty and students as well as members of the Art League of Rhode Island. Held at URI's Main Campus Gallery, the show was on exhibit October11-November 18, 2016. I love forsythia, among the first to bloom in our gardens here in the Northeast, an explosion of the happiest of colors-yellow! This oil painting is 12x24.

Quick Demo

Using big brushes I laid in the shapes quickly. 

I have learned to look longer than I did at first, the excitement of painting outside giving way to looking at my set up, walking around to decide what attracts me most, and perhaps trying a few thumbnails before diving in. It's about holding back a little, so that I can be freer when I do pick up the brush.

Catching Up

I set up the freshly picked sunflowers in the buckets in a field behind the vineyard. We started painting at 3 and by the time the class was over, it was cold and a heavy mist hung all around. A little tweaking in the studio- 

I'm a believer in making the painting work- sometimes things that aren't that discernible show up with great clarity in the studio. And why not?