Karen North Wells Underground Art Gallery

"Day Camp" /The Family Schools of Cape Cod

2012-01-26T13:13:00.004-05:00

This is a painting that I did outside at the Brewster Day Camp part of The Family Schools on Cape Cod last summer during their day of fun activities. They had various artists for the day campers to see doing their craft. For more information about this day camp, please click here. The new gazebo gave me a focal point with the distant pool in the background.

2012-01-05T10:29:00.001-05:00

I know it has been a while since I have written on this blog. That is because no work has been done since the last blog.

Monday the new waterproofing and insulation is suppose to arrive and then the action will begin! I will keep you updated!

Water Boy

2011-12-24T16:07:00.002-05:00

This painting was painted as a demo at "A little Inn on Pleasant Bay" Near the patio, there is a pond with the waterboy overlooking it. I painted there last summer while the guests were having their breakfast. The Inn is full of beautiful gardens. This is an 24" x 18" acrylic. But I also painted a watercolor of their shed which is on my blog a year ago if you care to see it.(December 1,2010) I tried to keep the waterboy as the center of attention.

Hydrangeas at A Little Inn on Pleasant Bay

2011-12-01T12:04:00.007-05:00

I did this watercolor painting of A Little Inn on Pleasant Bay highlighting the blue hydrangeas. The Inn is full of flowers all season long. I have also painted a watercolor of their potting shed.(To look at it check Dec 1,2010 blog) .
The Adirondeck chairs are really the focal point of this painting. But the hydrangeas explain what the Inn is all about...pure beauty.
I wanted to make sure that the building was back lit,in shadow so that the Adirondack chairs would stand out. If you are on Cape Cod during the summer time.check out in The Inn on Route 28 in Orleans. The building and grounds are absolutely beautiful!

Dune Fence on Saints Landing

2011-11-16T16:50:00.002-05:00

Here is a watercolor I did as a demo for Cape Cod Museum of Art. I explain how much more interesting a seascape is when you can have some of the foreground interrupt the horizon
line.(Where the sky meets the sea.)

Wellfleet Harbor, Summer Solstice

2011-10-09T16:25:00.002-04:00

This is an acrylic 30" x 24" of the view across from the Bookstore Restaurant in Wellfleet. Next door was where the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater was located.

I painted this acrylic as a demo and pointed out to my students the importance of having vertical objects cross the horizon line. I also explained to them that it is important to view your subject not only different times of day but in different seasons. this building, the brick pump house painted white is usually in shadow but NOT at summer solstice.

A Walk on Chapin Beach, Sunset

2011-09-23T15:08:00.005-04:00

This watercolor should actually be called "A Sunset on Chapin Beach" I wanted my class at the Creative Art Center in Chatham to see how I approach a sunset.On the horizon I put two people in order to break up the horizon line. To magnify a sunset the objects and beach need to be dark. This painting is 17" x 13" with mat size 24" x 18". It is now being displayed at The Cape Cup Restaurant on Main Street in Orleans.

Daffodils, Jonquils and Tulips

2011-09-15T16:25:00.004-04:00

I know it isn't spring but when a couple in my gallery today complimented me on this watercolor, I thought that I would show it to them and to YOU on my blog and realized that it wasn't on my blog.So here I am now adding this image. I did this as a demo a while back for The Cape Cod Museum of Art. All the flowers were from my garden. I like painting water even if it is in a glass vase. I think I like doing it because I like painting reflections. I tell my students that a glass vase of water should have mainly neutrals but always whites for the reflection of light AND blacks for the receding negative space.

Blue Hydrangeas in Vase

2011-09-15T15:33:00.010-04:00

Here is an acrylic(18"x 24") that I painted at Country Garden in Hyannis,MA. this summer. They were having a two-day hydrangea festival. Master gardener C.L.Fournari who wrote Cape Cod Garden asked me to paint and display my art. So I used one of their hydrangea plants as a model while listening on Saturday to a talk by C.L. on growing hydrangeas. On Sunday while I painted, I heard a talk by Joan Harrison, the president of the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society. She told us about all the many varieties of hydrangeas. Her book The Colorful World of Hydrangeas is a hydrangea handbook for the home gardener. Both talks were inspiring and I mention their books because if you are a hydrangea and flower lover like me, you'll want to own both books. I also want to say how impressed I was with The Country Gardens. It is worth a visit!

Siasconset, Nantucket

2011-09-10T18:05:00.003-04:00

Have you ever been to Siasconset at the beginning of July when all the roses are blooming? This little community of summer cottages is absolutely breathtaking. I can't think of any other place like it, not even in Nantucket. I have done other Siasconset paintings and have prints of the originals on my website I felt with the flag that this was a feeling of Americana with the theme. I also liked the back lighting of the cottage with the flag and the roses filled with lots of sunlight.

Provincetown Garden

2011-09-05T09:49:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I went to Provincetown to view this 12" x 12" oil of mine that is being auctioned off at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum. It is a silent auction going on now. This is on a gallery wrapped canvas reading to hang.

As I've said before I like to have vertical objects such as the house crossing the horizon line. This gives the painting more interest and allows the viewer's eyes to run up the image. The horizontal clouds allow the viewer to see across the image. And then the the vertical evergreen bush bring one's eyes down to the flowers.
If you would like to bid on this painting or know more about the auction please click here.

Solitude on The Flats

2011-09-03T13:51:00.004-04:00

Here is another demo I did in acrylic for my class at the Cape Cod Museum of Art this spring. I stressed the importance in cropping. I explained how not only horizontally but vertically, the horizon or an object should be placed either one third or two thirds down or sideways on the canvas NOT in the middle. This painting is now on display at the Cape Cup Restaurant on Main Street,Orleans,Massachusetts for the month of September(2011) I also will be teaching at the Museum for eight weeks starting September 22. Please check my website or click here for more details.

Stage Harbor, Chatham

2011-08-29T17:58:00.009-04:00

This 14" x 20" watercolor was done as a demo for my four-week class at the Creative Arts Center in Chatham this summer. I used the Incredible White Mask as a friskit to block out the white in the boats. I painted the sky using Winsor Newton cerelean blue and yellow ochre,cadmium red light and French ultramarine blue in the clouds. Winsor Blue(Pthalo blue) was used first for water keeping it light in the background. Then I added Fr. ultramarine blue to water in the foreground and some cadmium red light to dull the water. I used more friskit for triangle shapes,ropes and ladder on dock. You can buy this Incredible White Mask at Cape Cod Photo and Art in Orleans, MA. and on the internet at www.ASWexpress.com You can see this painting on display at Cape Cup Restaurant in Orleans, MA for the month of September.

Stargazers with China Teacup

2011-07-13T15:17:00.010-04:00

Here is a watercolor that I did several years ago for a man who wanted a painting of a still life consisting of his wife's China and her favorite flowers. He gave the painting to her to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. After many e-mails and photos that he took of her China, I came up with this painting. The recipient of the painting, Marie Mouradian is an interior designer specializing in window treatments.
Today I received some lovely photos of her China and flowers with the painting. You can see how beautifully she had all the components for a lovely room! If you check out her blog, you will see more of her talent.

The Barn on Lower Road

2011-06-30T16:31:00.007-04:00

Here is an oil that I painted as a demo for my winter lessons at the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis . It is 14" x 11". The lesson was in perspective and values. I always explain to students that it is best if you can take photos of buildings with light on one side and dark on the other side to give contrast.
The building is two-point perspective while the fence is one-point perspective. My late husband , Malcolm Wells who was an architect has written a wonderful book on perspective which can be bought on his website www.malcolmwells.com .

Boat Meadow Beach ( plein air oil)

2011-06-18T16:47:00.004-04:00

This oil was painted while sitting on the beach in Eastham. It is a great place for painters because there is always a boat there in the summer to give the painting more interest. I love this time of year on Cape Cod with the days being so long.

There is a poet who is going to use this image for the cover of his book. When I get his name, I'll post it!

Howes Beach Summer Cottage

2011-04-22T09:47:00.004-04:00

Here is an acrylic painting that I did as a demo while doing the craft show for The Artisans' Guild of Cape Cod last November. I started out with painting the canvas cadmium red light which is opposite of blue-green. As I have said before I do it for three reasons.
1. Tomato red is neutral on the value scale. So when I paint a black or white on the canvas, it pops out making a nice contrast.
2. The complement color gives it a nice under glaze since most of my paintings are either a landscape or seascape using blues and greens.
3. I don't have to worry about painting in every white dot on the canvas because now the canvas is red-orange and if some of the red-orange appears, it helps give painting a nice glow. So if you look carefully, on all my oils and acrylics, you will see some red-orange paint coming through beside the other colors. This acrylic painting is 24" x 20" which will be on display at the Shark Tooth Gallery opening soon in North Chatham. I will tell you more about the gallery soon.

Autumn Marsh

2011-04-16T17:06:00.004-04:00

Here is another watercolor that I did as a demonstration for The Cape Cod Museum of Art Workshop. I will be starting another workshop on April 20th. If some of you look at this blog after April 20,and you would still like to take the class, I would think that the museum would pro-rate the fee.

on this 20" x 14" watercolor, I wanted to demonstrate making a wash with still water letting it get darker as it comes forward. I use a Winsor blue (pthalo) for the wash starting at the bottom making sure that the water is almost white in the distance. I ues a 1 1/2 inch Pro Arte flat brush to get a smooth glass-like texture for the marsh water. I also made sure to make the foreground grasses quite dark to allow the water to be the center of attention.

Saints Landing, watercolor

2011-04-10T11:39:00.004-04:00

I call this Saints Landing, watercolor because I did the same view in oil too. This watercolor I also did as a demo for The Harwich Artists Guild. While wc was drying I worked on the Central Park Tree in acrylic at the same time. I explained to the audience that I first painted the roses and some of the fence and then put a mask over these shapes so that I could paint the green areas freely over the pink roses and gray fence. While frisket was drying I painted the sky and the sand and one layer of yellow-green over the entire green areas. This is as much as I could do for the demo because I had to wait for the mask to dry before adding a darker shade of green.

Central Park Tree

2011-03-27T17:50:00.003-04:00

I started this acrylic painting for a demonstration for the Harwich Artists Guild. I first painted the canvas with Cadmium red paint which is a tomato red . I then showed how to divide the photo of the tree by thirds and in half, sketching the tree with ultra blue or pthalo blue acrylic paint. The sky was mainly ultra-marine blue mixed with white and a little pthalo blue I mixed cadmium red and pthalo blue for the dark areas and painted them after I painted the sky. Next I used yellow ochre in some of the bark and also to make the off white highlights in the bark. The autumn leaves were done last. The painting is 18" x 24". This painting is now featured in my show at The Cultural Center of Cape Cod which will be there until April 10th.

Race Point Lighthouse

2011-03-16T18:40:00.002-04:00

I put this lighthouse on my blog because i wanted to show a student how I painted this watercolor. I used masking to save the whites in the lighthouse and other buildings. If the white areas are too small, I scratch out the paint leaving the white of the paper.For example, the flagpole I can use a razor blade to take off the paint of the blue sky. I make the shading on the lighthouse curved to show the building is cylindrical. This watercolor is 14"x 10"in a 20" x 16" mat.

Breakwater Beach Road

2011-03-13T11:10:00.003-04:00

Here is a watercolor that I painted as a demo for my class at The Cape Cod Museum Of Art I took a picture of what my students saw me paint because one of the students wanted to know how to paint trees but couldn't make it that week of the demonstration . I therefore took a photo so that she could see the beginning process. I use NO white paint in my watercolors. To save the whites I use a mask ,"The Incredible White Mask" that I can paint over the whites and remove after i finish the painting. I decided to put it on this blog so that the rest of you could see how I began the painting. I took the photo for this painting on one of my walks that I do two or three times a week. I take a four-mile walk with one of my friends either Bonnie or Dana on Tuesday,Thursday and Sunday. We then get back to the Brewster Store for our coffee at 8:00 allowing ourselves time to chat with the local people in town. This is always one of the highlights of my day before I go to work. And it is a great place to network!

Hydrangea Sunset

2011-03-08T10:49:00.003-05:00

Here is a still life that I did a few years ago. It had a blue sky and darker blue water. One day I had a rude awakening that the color scheme would not work out if I wanted it in my living room. Therefore it might not work in other people's living rooms either. So I changed the sky and water to golden colors with a more analogous color palette!
I own many China tea cups but this English pattern is one of my favorites Its name escapes me but I will find it and edit this blog notation! This oil is 30" x 24".

Point of Rocks Beach Shoreline

2011-02-24T14:34:00.003-05:00

This fall I was walking along the beach with my friend Dana and took a picture of this view of Point of Rocks in Brewster. I used this photo for a demonstration pointing out how to make a series of steps for the shoreline instead of a straight line. This keeps the ground flat and not as if it is going up a hill.

The Blacksmith Shop

2011-02-05T13:50:00.046-05:00

Last summer I painted this oil at the Drummer Boy Park for Mills and Gills Day sponsored by The Brewster Historical Society. They had a bus that took the people from The Brewster Grist Mill to Drummer Boy Park to tour the grounds with the Harris-Black House,The Higgins Farm Windmill and The Blacksmith Shop which is now run by Blacksmith Peter Hirst
The first blacksmith with this shop, Henry Hopkins was located on Tubman Road. He made the hardware for carriages around 1868 in this building.

My oil is 16" x 12" showing Peter Hirst in the doorway. I always start with a tomato red(cadmium red light)canvas painted in acrylic. I use red because: 1. It is a middle tone color on the value scale. When you use a black or a white , the color pops. 2.The red gives it a nice under glaze when I am using its complements of blue and green in a landscape painting. 3. If a little red comes through, it looks much better than trying to cover every white speck of the gesso covered canvas.
The photo of me was taken by Jeff Blanchard.

Lilies in Glass Vase

2011-01-29T14:38:00.006-05:00

Here is a watercolor that I did as a demonstration for my class at the Creative Arts Center. I feel when painting water in a glass vases that there has to be a white (paper left white not a painted white) a dark for some contrast and the rest of water in neutral gray tones. For the bouquet area, I like putting the negative area in the center the darkest behind the leaves and then let the background get light as the flowers move out towards the edge of the painting. I usually use more than one color for the background starting with yellow ochre. I then add Fr.ultramarine blue and sometimes permanent rose.

Painting Lessons

2011-01-15T16:55:00.004-05:00

I sent a newsletter out recently about my painting lessons. Every Thursday morning I am teaching all three media at the gallery: watercolor,acrylic and water-soluble oil. The lessons are from 9:30 to 11:30 but students may arrive at 9:15 in order to set up. The cost is $25 for each lesson.

I am also teaching an eight-week workshop at The Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis, Massachusetts on Wednesday mornings beginning January 26. For more details on this class and a materials list, please click here .

Uncle Tim's Bridge

2011-01-14T14:48:00.006-05:00

This 24" x 18" acrylic painting is of Uncle Tim's Bridge in Wellfleet. I have painted it in both summer and winter but this is the first one in fall and I think that I like painting this autumn view the best because of the variety of colors instead of just shades of green. I also like the blue water complementary to the orange grasses.

Wing Island in Autumn

2011-01-09T14:37:00.003-05:00

Here is another view of Wing Island in Brewster done in watercolor (14" x 10"). As you can see, I have used the friskit to paint in grasses and then I painted color over them. I then masked some more grasses and again applied friskit. I used yellow ochre for the sand making sure it was very light. I thought that it was very important to keep the foreground water very pale blue which becomes my center of interest. These fall colors in the grasses sometimes become far more interesting than the yellow greens of spring and summer.

Paines Creek mural painting

2011-01-07T15:00:00.003-05:00

I painted this mural for The Brewster Council on Aging. Please read their COA newsletter for details. They are going to use it as a fundraiser by engraving people's names on metal fish that will be placed in the water.

The mural is 16' x 7' . I had a painting of mine that I had done a few years ago as the model. The mural was so large that I decided to wing it instead of making a graph. I first measured a third down from the ceiling and drew the horizon line. From there I just started painting looking at my model as I painted.

If anyone wants to see it in person, it is in the yellow Victorian building east of the Brewster fire station on Rt 6A.

Howes Beach Pathway

2011-01-05T13:15:00.007-05:00

This 14" x 11" oil is a view of the pathway leading to Howes Beach in Dennis. I like views best with just a sliver of water. I try to explain to my students that the best views are early morning or late afternoon so that the sun is not directly overhead. Shadows make interesting subjects. This view is in the morning around 10 A.M. I also suggest that if the shadows are not long enough, take liberties as the artist to make them the length that will help the painting. I try to use plenty of white in the sky near the horizon line. This way the water does not have to be too dark, It also allows the center of interest be directly at the horizon line where the sky meets the water. You can view this painting at the Creative Art Center in Chatham. There is now a show of their teachers'paintings. I am beginning an eight-week workshop at The Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis beginning January 26th.

Hydrangea

2011-01-02T10:48:00.005-05:00

Another demo for The Cape Cod Museum of Fine Art I started this hydrangea watercolor by painting the entire flower light blue. Then I used the Incredible White Mask as a friskit to define some of the petals to stay light French Ultra-Marine blue from Winsor Newton . I then repainted the entire flower with a darker shade of same blue again applying the friskit to areas that I wanted to retain the medium shade of blue. I went back a third time with more of the same hue of blue and then removed the mask
. I then painted the background. I will be teaching again at the museum for eight weeks on Wednesday mornings starting January 26,2011. If you are interested in taking the workshop ,please contact the museum. They have the details on their website.

Corporation Beach, Looking West

2010-12-31T14:21:00.001-05:00

This acrylic painting (24" x 18") was also a demo for the workshop that I was teaching for The Cape Cod Museum of Art. Again I have made sure that I have some foliage over the horizon line to give more interest to the composition. I also like having a variety of sizes. For example, the large grasses in the foreground compared to the short grasses in the background give the painting a sense of scale and distance.I changed the sky to make a more mono-chromatic painting.

Corportion Beach, Dennis (watercolor)

2010-12-15T09:56:00.003-05:00

This painting was done as a demonstration for The Cape Cod Museum of Art. I took the photo first from the road,I guess looking west,not from the traditional spot on the bluff. I painted some of the golden colors of fall first and then used The Incredible White Mask to mask these colors before I painted darker colors over it.I explained that when painting grass, the grasses in the foreground are vertical but in the background ,they become horizontal masses. I masked some of the pathways too but never the clouds where there are soft edges. I never use white paint with watercolor. I always use the white of the paper. The next acrylic painting that I will add to the blog this week is the same view but a golden sky to show the viewer that the artist is in command of the subject when creating a mood.

The Potting Shed

2010-12-01T17:07:00.008-05:00

Sorry I have been so late in reporting on this blog. I finally got some paintings photographed. So I will be putting in some extra ones to catch up .I plan to add eight paintings this month to my blog.
This beautiful setting I painted as a demo for The Creative Arts Center in Chatham this past summer. The potting shed is located at A Little Inn on Pleasant Bay on Route 28 in Orleans. All the whites in this painting are the white of the paper since this is a watercolor (26" x 20")
The potting shed is located up on a hill at the back of the property. The inn is filled with blue hydrangeas,a flower I definitely want to paint in one of the views of the inn.
I used the Incredible White Mask, a friskit to block out the light colors while painting the dark ones. I then removed the friskit.
I hope to paint more views from this lovely inn in acrylic and oil.

Provincetown Pathway

2010-07-14T10:28:00.008-04:00

Dear Readers,
I just finished this 12" x 12" acrylic painting of a view from Commercial Street in Provincetown
for the silent auction at The Provincetown Art Association and Museum starting with opening reception July 23th from 8 to 10 P.M. Bidding will start at $125. The final bidding will be September 11 at 5 P.M. I just became a member . So this is the first auction of theirs that I am about to enter. Each artist enters a 12"x 12" painting on masonite. Pathways have always intrigued me whether it is a street, a driveway, beach or garden path. I tried to use a lot of color in the neutral values. I hope some of you will be able to attend the auction because it is one of their biggest fundraisers of the year. This image is now an 8" x 8" matte finish tile which can also be used as a trivet.

Tulips

2010-06-19T16:13:00.003-04:00

This acrylic I painted several years ago. I first painted the background a darker shade, but found it a much more cheerful painting with the lighter green shade. I try to paint backgrounds in still lifes darker towards the lower half of the painting and let it get
lighter at the top. This way the flowers become more important than the background.The overhead light or the sun lightens the top of the painting. I also try to clump flower colors together just like a flower garden instead of painting them in a polka-dot pattern.

Stage Harbor

2010-06-02T14:58:00.003-04:00

This painting was a demonstration for my indoor class for the Mass Audubon. I demonstrated how to use a frisket (The Incredible White Mask)for areas that I wanted to stay white. When frisket dries, I paint right over it and then I peel off the frisket.
I also did the grasses in the foreground by painting the lightest green first and then paint a frisket over it and then paint the grasses again a darker shade and use frisket again. I use a pencil as the tool to paint frisket. This way I am not ruining any brushes. If I want a fine line, I dip pencil into water first. I painted most of this painting with a size 20 Pro Arte watercolor brush.

Quivet Creek, watercolor

2010-05-28T13:02:00.003-04:00

I have painted this scene over and over again as a demonstration for my workshops. Note the last one is in acrylic. I like demonstrating painting water and showing the shore line. I try to show how the shore line is a series of steps and the land on the shorelineis parallel to the top and bottom of the paper. If it is on an angle, the water will look as if it is going up hill. By using the step method and putting the darks horizontally(shadows between water and land) and leaving the light on the vertical grasses,the water will lie flat and not go up a hill. This is hard to write about but if you take a workshop of mine, I promise that I will be better at showing you. The workshops will be on my website soon. The first one will be at Mass Audubon in Wellfleet on July 17th and 18th.

Mass Audubon painting class

2010-04-25T12:20:00.009-04:00

My workshop was on Saturday April 24, 2010. We painted indoors from photographs.
Jack Ahlin on the left is holding his acrylic painting. The rest are watercolor. NONE OF THE PAINTINGS ARE FINISHED. I would say they all are half finished.There are seven people and six paintings because I am in the photo without a painting. I am standing next to Jack. Jack still has his foreground to work on. Tim, (the man on the right) has never painted before but got such a good start on his dune fence painting of Saint's Landing in Brewster. Julie(next to Tim) has shadows to put on the road. Barb, (between Julie and me) is going to add more darks and work on her cedar trees. Janet(in front of Jack) is going to dull her water by adding first Ultra marine blue and then cadmium red. Carol (next to Janet) has shadows on sand to paint plus more foliage to paint. Angela(in front of Tim) is going to work more on her fence and darks in the grass. I can't wait to see the finished paintings! This class was full of enthusiasm! The Audubon classroom is such a pleasant atmosphere in which to work. I'll be back for a two-day weekend workshop outside in July. Happy painting!

Meditation

2010-04-21T10:10:00.011-04:00

This acrylic painting 24" x 18" is a view of Mill Pond off Keveney Lane in Yarmouthport.
It can be seen along with my other 15 paintings at the Cape Cup Restaurant in Orleans.
I spent time trying to make the water more important than the light hue of the road. I look for a dark foreground in a scene to give more importance to the middle and background.The tree shadows help make this possible. This Saturday April 24, I will be teaching a one-day workshop at the Mass Audubon in Wellfleet. There are still openings in case someone is interested at the last minute. It is $45 for members and $55 for nonmembers. For more information, please e-mail Melissa Lowe mlowe@massaudubon.org or call 508-349-2615 ext 107.

Touches of Spring

2010-04-08T09:38:00.008-04:00

This oil painting I started last year as a demonstration for a workshop I was teaching at the Cape Cod Museum of Art. I continued on this painting for another demonstration at this year's workshop at the CCMA. It is a spring view of Bass River , a view I see as I drive out of the Cultural Center of Cape Cod parking lot. I tried to make the water the focal point. I also did NOT make the horizon line n the middle of the painting but closer to one third the height. I also made the road off center too . I feel dividing the canvas in thirds both horizontally and vertically makes for a more interesting painting. This way the center of interest is not in the middle of the painting. If you would like to see this painting in person , please go to The Cape Cup Restaurant in Orleans. I have my paintings on display and for sale during the months of April and May. They serve delicious breakfasts and lunches and Beanstock Coffee. Happy Spring!

Touches of Summer

2010-03-18T11:48:00.007-04:00

This is one of four paintings that I did as a demo for a workshop that I taught at The Cape Cod Museum of Art. I used a lot of a frisket (Incredible White Mask ),to put in layers of green on the rose bushes. First I painted the roses and fence.Then I painted the sky and sand. I masked the roses and the fence and some of the twigs and grass. After the mask dried, I painted the entire rose bush light, light green(Prussian blue mixed with cadmium lemon yellow made by Winsor Newton.) I then masked some leaf shapes. After mask dried, I painted entire green area again and then more masked leaf shapes. This green had more blue in it. I alternated with frisket and more green with each mask more blue added to green. The leaf shapes were made with the frisket, not the paint. The last color was cadmium red painted over some of the darker areas. After mask was all taken off I also squinted my eyes to see the values from my photograph where large areas needed to be darker. In these areas I used French ultra-marine blue. I like The Incredible White Mask the most . You can buy it at Cape Cod Photo and Art in Orleans or on line at www.aswexpress.com . I also talked about breaking up any boring horizon line with vertical shapes. So when I took the photo of the actual spot, I sat down to see the rose bushes looming over the horizon.

Catboat on Flats

2010-03-02T14:42:00.004-05:00

I didn't post in February. Where did the month go? Spring begins this month. And I love how light it is getting in the morning.

This 14" x 10" watercolor was painted several years ago as a demo for my workshop taught in Dennis at Cape Cod Museum of Art. This boat was moored at Robbins Hill Beach in Brewster.
I feel that the vertical mast gives the painting more interest especially when it cuts the horizon line. I also tried to keep the water light enough to give contrast with the grass. The dark boat next to the light sand immediately gives the viewer a center of interest. And I always like to keep the center of interest off centered to make the painting more interesting! Happy Painting!

Autumn Beach at Wing Island, Natural History Museum

2010-01-26T15:09:00.004-05:00

This 26" x 20" watercolor was painted as a demonstration at the workshop I taught at The Natural History Museum in Brewster.

I painted some diluted yellow ochre on the sand and some of the grasses. I also painted lemon yellow mixed with a very small amount of Prussian blue for the yellow-green grasses.

Then I used the masking frisket to paint over some of the grasses that I just painted to preserve their light colors in the grass. While that was drying, I painted the sky with Cerulean blue adding French ultramarine blue, yellow ochre and cadmium red for the clouds.
I painted the water with Winsor blue (pthalo) being careful not to make the water too dark. Now I was ready to paint more of the grasses with the same lemon yellow and Prusian blue adding a little more blue this time for a darker green.
More frisket for grass blades was added and dried and then more green.

I added more yellow ochre for the sand out in the water. And I added French ultramarine blue, cadmium red and yellow ochre for the shadows on the sand in the foreground.

Quivet Creek, East Dennis

2010-01-14T16:14:00.003-05:00

Here is another acrylic painting I did of Quivet Neck. I tried to get the distant water almost white. Then I gradually made the water darker in the foreground. As I have said before, if the water is still water, then the water is darker in the foreground but if it is running water like the ocean or bay, then the foreground water is lighter.
I started with a red orange surface . I do this for three reasons.
1. Red-orange (cadmium red-light)is a complement of blue-green which helps give the painting a glow.
2. Red-orange is neutral in value. Then when I put the darks and lights , they pop out showing the contrast with the neutral values.
3. I don't have to worry about touching up the white spots or dots that didn't get filled in when painting is finished because the white spots are now red-orange which I feel if left, helps the painting.

Quivet Creek in Autumn Colors

2010-01-02T13:19:00.003-05:00

Here is a 24" x 24" acrylic painting that I did this fall! I used a photograph for placement. I wanted these colors and used them even though the photograph was taken this summer. I painted it in colors that went with the neutral tones in my living room. At first I painted it with too many greens and then I repainted it to blend better with my living room colors. I learned something from this painting. And that is... that COLOR is an important factor in someone liking a particular painting.

The painting can be very well done but if it is not the colors that appeal to you or someone else, then it will not sell. Nor will you hang it for yourself.

HAPPY PAINTING!

The Brewster Gristmill oil painting

2009-11-09T13:44:00.002-05:00

Here is an oil, 24" x 30" of the Brewster Gristmill that I painted as a commission this summer. The customer wanted the flag in it which I feel added more color to the green landscape. This mill has been in the memories of many cape codders and visitors as children. I remember taking my children to this favorite spot in the spring when the herring are running.
In this painting I tried to put lighter skies at the horizon which I do in most of my paintings.
I have a watercolor print of it and two cards, one of summer and one of a winter scene with snow. Fall, too, is a beautiful time of year on the cape.

Irises

2009-10-20T15:03:00.010-04:00

Dear Reader,
I am sorry that it has been so long since I have last posted. Here are two oil paintings of some irises that I painted in June I had painted one a few years ago and had a customer interested in my painting some again. After painting them it took me a while to decide on the background. I finally decided on this neutral of a warm gray so that the flowers would stand out . I wanted the gray not to be too light so that the cream color portion ot the iris would have enough contrast with the background. I also wanted to make sure that the mauve portion of the iris was darker than the neutral background. . Every year I have to wait until my irises bloom . I hope next year that I can paint some that are different colors. These oil paintings are both 11" x 14". Note the one on the left. There is a third iris that is still a bud behind the top iris. I noticed that on every iris stalk that the top iris has another one growing very close to it. I am amazed at the variety of colors in the iris family!

Painting Sesuit Harbor, Dennis,Cape Cod,Massachusetts

2009-08-26T12:42:00.008-04:00

I found to my surprise that this is my fourth entry for the month of August. I had taken a photo of this view years ago and finally got around to painting it as a demonstration for the workshop that I was teaching at Cape Cod Museum of Art. On the distant shore I used a very watered-down yellow ochre (almost white) and then I masked it with the Incredible White Mask. This allowed me to paint the scene without worrying about painting over the very narrow stretch of beach in the distant shore.
I used some of the white mask on the grasses in the foreground and the fence on the right. I NEVER use the mask on soft edges such as clouds. When I painted the fence, I used colors of ultramarine blue, cadmium red and yellow ochre. I didn't mix them on the palette. I mixed them on the paper. This way the fence shows lots of colors instead of a boring gray. Happy painting!

Summer in All Its Glory at Mass Audubon

2009-08-19T14:11:00.004-04:00

Here is the watercolor that I did as a demo in July for the workshop at the Mass Audubon in Wellfleet. I wrote about the workshop on my blog July 31.
This painting has foreground , middle ground and background. I explained to the class that when it is still water, the water is darker in the foreground. I also explained that in order for the painting to come alive, the still water needs to be MUCH lighter than the land around it. Also when painting pine trees , I try to paint in clumps rather than show every pine needle.

The Center of the Universe...The Brewster Store

2009-08-10T10:17:00.004-04:00

Here is a different view of The Brewster Store which is the center of our universe in Brewster.
This general store has been in operation since 1862. It is a regular gathering spot for all the winter residents plus the summer people. I know one young woman who comes from England but visits The Brewster Store most mornings during her three-week visit on Cape Cod.
This Store has all sorts of things to buy including the penny candy that has attracted children for generations.
I have painted this acrylic (24" x 24") using one-point perspective. The stone structure on the left has a sign naming "The Egg" which is an oval sunken piece of land to the right. I tried to play down this stone work and make the store at the end of the sidewalk the center of attention. I hope that you all get to The Brewster Store. I have six different cards of it painted in all the seasons shown on my website under "Nostalgic Buildings". They are also sold at The Brewster Store.

The Adirondacks on Vacation

2009-08-04T15:47:00.006-04:00

This acrylic was painted at a home off Shore Road in Chatham . I was asked to paint for The Creative Arts Center Wine Gala put on by Harwich East Liquors as a fundraiser for The Creative Arts Center. Cosmos Catering in Truro did the catering. I like advertising these businesses because they both did a superb job!
The chairs were all lined up to make room for the large tent in the yard. And Adirondack chairs help me to give the painting a focus. I tried to repeat the sunset colors in other parts of the painting. And I was happy to get the foreground shrubbery on the left to break the horizon line to create interest with more verticals. It was a beautiful evening and lots of fun!

Mass Audubon Painting Workshop

2009-07-30T15:26:00.003-04:00

Dear Readers,
Here is my class of students who painted with me at Mass Audubon in Wellfleet , Massachusetts on July 17th and 18th. These students all worked in watercolor. The two acrylic students,Tanya and Katie, left before this photo was taken. They also did beautiful work. The workshop was for two days. and as you can see, some did not finish but they all got a good start and were all a pleasure to have in class. On the first day we painted on location but the weather was not sunny , the second day. So we painted inside from the photos that I had taken of their scenes. If you are interested in taking any classes at Mass Audubon, you can call Melissa Lowe, their education coordinator. It is such a lovely place to learn. 508 349 2615 mlowe@massaudubon.org
Happy painting!

Jackknife Cove, Chatham

2009-06-26T11:29:00.005-04:00

Dear Readers,
Here are two paintings that I did as demos for my workshop this winter at The Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis. Because of the running water of the bay, the water in the background is darker than the foreground. I love to paint images with either shadows and/or reflections. And there are plenty of shadows on this road to the beach.
When demonstrating painting pine trees, I try to explain that most of the needles grow up even if the branch is hanging down. Also very few individual needles need to be painted in order for the viewer to know that it is a pine tree. I squint my eyes and look at the masses of needle and then paint the mass. Afterwards I add the individual needles where needed.

The Peek-a-boo House, Cornhill

2009-06-22T14:50:00.006-04:00

This Cornhill painting is an acrylic on a 14" x 14" canvas. I was struck by all the fencing to protect the dunes at Corn Hill, in Truro on Cape Cod. I started with a tomato red canvas(Cadmium red light). I then painted the blue sky and the pale sand(mainly white mixed with yellow ochre). I added the house and then the grasses and the fences. There was not a cloud in the sky. The bright sunlight produced sharp shadows. The boarded up house peeked right out of the hill. I placed the building so that there was one-third sky and two-thirds land and I made sure not to put the building in the middle either vertically or horizontally.

Racing Day

2009-05-25T11:30:00.008-04:00

Today I am showing you another watercolor of the catboat race. Again I have chosen a view where I can break the horizon line by the vertical sailboat.I started out with Winsor blue (pthalo)with French Ultramarine blue in the foreground and also a wash of cadmium red to dull the blue.. When dry, I added the darker waves with more ultramarine blue. I used the Incredible White Mask to mask the staves and the small boats and then painted ultramarine blue over large sail and then masked the edges of the sailboat before I painted the water.
Happy sailing!

The Catboat Race

2009-05-09T12:47:00.010-04:00

Every August at Aries Pond there are catboat races among the members of that boatyard. This year I was able to get on the top deck of a fishing boat( I think it is a fishing boat?)and take photos in order to get some images to paint.This watercolor I did as a demonstration last fall at The Old Manse Inn .
Again I try to break the horizon line with some vertical masts of the boats. I use Winsor Newton, winsor blue to paint the water starting with the bottom portion of the paper , the foreground making it lighter in the background as I paint the blue. I then add ultramarine blue to the foreground, with a final glaze of cadmium red to dull the water. I finally add small wavy lines with ultra marine blue using Winsor Newton. (They have the best French ultra marine blue but NOT the Cotman series.)

Puddles

2009-04-13T16:07:00.006-04:00

Dear Reader,
Here is a copy of one of my new cards that hasn't even been posted on my website yet. I have shown you the painting before but wanted you to see the poem that my husband wrote for the front of the card. On the back of the card he writes how even a puddle can evoke memories. In many of the painting workshops that I teach, I try to teach that with still water the water is darker in the foreground as it is in this painting. But with running water, such as the bay and the ocean, the water is darker in the background.
I have four other new cards that I also hope will be posted soon on my website. The print of "Puddles" matted 20" x 20"(without words) and sells for $78.

By the Bay at Cape Cod Sea Camps

2009-03-23T15:52:00.002-04:00

Here is an oil painting I painted years ago at The Cape Cod Sea Camps. It is for sale hanging at The Beacon Restaurant in Orleans, Massachusetts. I have an attachment to this setting and camp because I worked there as the arts and crafts counselor for nine years. I painted this 24"x 30" oil near the boathouse. I can't say enough about this camp. It is so well run and filled with many good memories for campers and counselors alike. I feel that this painting works because of the trees crossing the horizon line and the way they are silhouetted against the sky give it a more dramatic view.

Bass River ( As Seen from Union Street, South Yarmouth,MA)

2009-03-05T14:48:00.007-05:00

Today's 20" x 14" watercolor is a view right down the street from The Cultural Center of Cape Cod in South Yarmouth. I see this inviting image every time I leave the Cultural Center. I am having this painting reproduced on a card that will be out in April. It was painted as a demo for my workshop at The Cape Cod Museum of Art .

While painting this demo, I explained to the students that I first masked the white fence on the left and small white shapes across the river. First I painted most of the sky with Winsor Newton cerrulean blue. Then I painted the Winsor blue water being very careful not to make it too dark. I started painting VERY PALE yellow ochre on the shore across the river and on the tree trunks . I then blocked in other areas with a cadmium red light wash being sure to go up the tree trunks to prevent a horizontal paint line coming through the vertical tree shapes.

I find seeing the trees without their leaves this time of year exposes some beautiful parts of nature including the beautiful tree branches!

The Promise of Spring!

2009-03-02T11:28:00.011-05:00

Dear Readers,
I was painting this 12" x 16" oil of tulips on the left and decided to paint two more to go with this one, Not knowing how to arrange the paintings on this blog all on the same line, I will place the next two "The Promise of Spring lll" to the right and "The Promise of Spring ll" at the bottom which would be in the center if I had them all on the same height on the wall. When painting flowers in a vase, I try to have some flowers reaching over the edge of the vase to make arrangement more interesting. But if this is not possible I use some of the leaves to break up that space and tulip leaves work very well for this approach. I also remember what Charles Reid has said about still lifes. He said to crop the objects so that these objects touch at least three borders. By doing this we break up the negative space and make it a more interesting composition! I also read from another artist that it is best to clump colors together for a more natural arrangement, just like the garden. Otherwise it will look like polka-dots. So I put some of the yellows together and some of the pinks together and then fill in with the same colors in other locations. I also try to have some unequal amounts of greens in different locations and have some flowers overlapping to also make a more natural arrangement.

Peonies

2009-01-31T16:26:00.005-05:00

Here is another form of marketing that some of you artists may be interested in. A few years ago, I started getting my work printed on tiles. Then a few years later, Mill Pond Tileworks started making 12" x 16" cutting boards from my images so I thought that I would show one to those of you who are artists in case you want to get your own work on one. I sell these cutting boards at my Underground Art Gallery for $45 each but they are not on my website. This watercolor was done as a demonstration at a flower still life workshop that I taught about five years ago. Happy painting!

A View from North Dennis Road, Yarmouth

2009-01-18T16:16:00.005-05:00

Dear Readers, I realize that it has been a while since I have put any paintings on this blog. Here is another view from North Dennis Road that I did in watercolor a few years ago. The image size is 20" x 14" When demonstrating the painting of still water I try to tell my students to paint the distant water very light and as it gets closer to you, paint the water in the foreground darker . With running water like the ocean or bay, it is the opposite. The water in the distant is dark.
I was prompted to write today because of my friend. Bernadette Waystack and her blog . She is an artist and teacher but also a very good writer. http://bwaystack.wordpress.com/ . She mentions me in her blog but I wanted to mention her so that you artists out there will think about blogging. It is a great way to promote your art work and it doesn't cost a penny. You can write as often as you like. Those who don't want to spend money on a website can blog to show off their paintings. If you want to see how easy it is to do it, go to blogger.com Happy blogging!

Corporation Beach

2008-12-18T10:45:00.005-05:00

Several years ago I did this oil painting of Corporation Beach for a client. I now have a tile of it . This spring I will be making a greeting card of this image because it is a very popular beach on Cape Cod in Dennis, Massachusetts. The original is 30" x 24". This view is painted from a clift looking down at the beach which is quite a spectacular view.

Resting on The Flats at Robbins Hill Beach

2008-12-18T09:21:00.007-05:00

Here is a watercolor painting that I did several years ago as a demo for a workshop that I was teaching at The Cape Cod Museum of Art. I think sailboats are a favorite for artists because of the vertical mast that breaks the horizon line , a subject that I was writing about in my last blog entry. I am thinking about making this image as a greeting card. The original measures 14" x 12" and is in a 24" x 20" frame. If anyone is interested in this as a card, please let me know. Thanks.

Looking through The Grass

2008-12-11T16:30:00.007-05:00

This 24" x 24" acrylic painting I did as a demo for The Cape
Cod Cultural Center in Yarmouth. In October the Center invited artists and craftsmen to come and demonstrate their craft. I feel this is an example of how getting low to the ground to see a view where the foreground overlaps the horizon line makes a more interesting painting. I try to get views with foreground, middle ground and background.

I sent everyone an e-mail newsletter with this image to advertise the workshop that I will be teaching on Wednesday mornings starting January 28 at The Cape Cod Museum of Art

Birch Trees

2008-12-07T17:27:00.004-05:00

Here is a watercolor that I did as a demo for a workshop that I taught at The Creative Art Center in Chatham. I like doing reflections. Here is an example of still water where the water in the foreground is darker than the water in the back ground.
I have often explained that when it is running water, like the ocean or the bay, the water is darker in the background than the water in the foreground.
I kept the white of the paper and used The Incredible White Mask that I use as a masking fluid before I painted some of the trees and the golden grasses. I buy The Incredible White Mask from Artist Supply Warehouse. I usually paint the grasses this time with yellow ochre before I paint on the mask with a pencil. I like using a pencil because then I do not have to ruin a brush and I have more control that using a paper clip. When I want a fine line, I dip the pencil in water before I use the mask.

Linger Longer by The Sea

2008-12-02T16:34:00.008-05:00

Here is an oil that I did last winter for a customer. It is 42" x 24" The building is a popular summer spot on Cape Cod for many families for over 50 years. There are apartments and cottages to rent by the week right here in Brewster. As you can see, it would have been difficult to paint this from the water, so I took MANY photos at different times of day and with different tide levels. In order to get sun on the building, I had to get here in late afternoon in August.
On this particular day I was delighted to see all the towels on the fence and the people in the water also with their colorful chairs and umbrellas waiting to be photographed and painted. I always try to look for reflections and the towel reflections made it fun.
I have also made a giclee print on canvas of Linger Longer by the Sea. The 8" x 10" in frame is $150. The 20" x 12" giclee on canvas in frame is $275. Happy summer memories to you all!

A view from Mass Audubon, Wellfleet

2008-11-10T16:33:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that I let a whole month go by without blogging. Sorry about that! Here is a painting I did at The Mass Audubon workshop that I taught in July. I explained in my demo, that it is important to make sure to leave the sand light in the background. I first painted the sand with a very pale coat of yellow ochre(mostly water)and then painted The Incredible White Mask over the sand so that I would not paint the water covering the sand .The light jof the sand dune was so important not to leave out. When I painted the blue water, I also painted blue the vertical dark green cedar trees in the middle ground. This way when I finally painted in the trees over the blue,there was no horizontal water line showing through them. When I look for a view to paint, I not only look for contrast in color and value but also in contrast of proportion with sizes and shapes. ..the strong contast of the little sand dunes in the distant compared to the tall grasses in the foreground. This painting is 14" x 10". With a 3 1/4 ' margin on a 20" x 16" mat.

Morning Light

2008-09-29T10:18:00.004-04:00

Here is a 30" x 20" oil I did of a barn whose shadows of a tree on it grabbed my attention. Whenever I do buildings I try to paint one side in shadow to give more light and attention to the building. This is easiest when the building is on the north side facing south. If the building faces north, I sometimes have to wait until late in the day in June to get the right lighting. This barn is located in Brewster on Rt 6A. The shaded building to the left is an antique shop. If anyone is in Brewster this week, they can see the building and come watch me paint in watercolor at The Old Manse Inn on Saturday October 4th at 10 A.M. and then watch me paint in acrylic at The Underground Art Gallery at 2 P.M. The galleries and inns are celebrating Fall for The Arts this weekend. Look for the red, orange and yellow balloons. We will be open on Sunday too!

Cape Cod Morning

2008-09-28T07:58:00.004-04:00

I realize that it has been a while since I have written on this blog. Sorry about that. This watercolor was painted last spring for a customer to give his wife for their 25th wedding anniversary. I have been waiting to post this one but they only picked up the painting yesterday and since it was a surprise, I had to wait .
What a romantic guy. He asked me to paint his wife's China with her favorite flower, Stargazer lilies.
This weekend they stayed at Chillingsworth and had dinner there. The plan was to come here to the gallery for her to pick out a painting . It was all very romantic. What a guy! What a couple!

Paines Creek Beach with Roses

2008-08-31T14:20:00.023-04:00

This oil painting of Paines Creek Beach was painted earlier this summer when the roses were blooming. Once again I got down low to make the roses tower over the horizon line to give the painting more interest. I added some permanent rose to the sky to repeat the color in the roses.I
also made the sky lighter at the horizon line to give more contrast between the water and the sky. This 30" x 24" painting is gallery wrapped with no frame.

Puddles

2008-08-25T11:26:00.007-04:00

I can't believe that it has been over a month since I've blogged. Many of you have seen this painting already because it is hanging at the Cape Cup Restaurant in Orleans. I have a show there for the entire month of August. "Puddles" is the old gatehouse at Nauset Beach where people in their cars and trucks stop to let air out of their tires before they drive on to the outer beach. After one rainstorm last year I was struck by the puddles left in all the pot holes in the driveway to the beach. I started this painting at the workshop I taught in Dennis. I explained that with still water, the water is darker in the foreground; hence the large puddle in the foreground is darker than the smaller background puddles. I also explained how reflections are a shade darker than what they are reflecting with the exception of black. It becomes a shade darker in the water. This is an oil painting measures 24" x 24". If I get enough interest, I may make this painting into prints. I love the square painting. And yes it ia now May 29 2010 and yes, I made prints and cards of it last year. The matted print 20" x 20" is $78.

The Yellow Boat ( watercolor)

2008-07-19T12:29:00.004-04:00

I call this The Yellow Boat watercolor because I have also done an oil "The Yellow Boat"which is also on my blog. . I wanted to show it because it is at The Brewster Ladies Library for the next week in their silent auction now going on. if you are on the cape ,please go see it and over 100 other works of art being auctioned. Then on Thursday night ,July 24 they will have a live auction of more art that you can view at the library. The live auction is $25 a ticket and will be held at the The Captain's Golf Course in Brewster.
This painting I did as a demo for The Cape Cod Art Association. I explained that when I am painting still water as in this painting, the water is darker in the foreground but when I am painting running water such as the bay or ocean I paint the water lighter in the foreground and darker in the background. I first painted some of the light grasses and then masked them so that I could paint the water and the darker grasses right over the lighter grass.

Mayflower Beach Rose Time

2008-06-29T11:57:00.006-04:00

Hello Everyone, Here is a watercolor of Mayflower Beach in Dennis painted also for a demonstration from the same image as the acrylic of Mayflower Beach with Roses. When I am painting sand in watercolor, I start with a very pale wash of Winsor Newton yellow ochre. since yellow ochre is an opaque watercolor and very staining, I try to impress upon my students to make sure that it is very light because sand in the bright sun is almost white.
If the sand gets too dark , the whole painting is spoiled. And you can't turn back with watercolor.
For shadows in the sand, I add more yellow ochre (right to the paper) ,French ultra-marine blue and either cadmium red or permanent rose.
All my watercolors are Winsor Newton. With the exception of mixing green, I try to mix on the paper and not the palette.
This image is 20" x 14", double matted in a muted-gold frame it is 26" x 20".

Daffodil Still Life

2008-06-25T19:24:00.002-04:00

Welcome to summer everyone! (Even though this is a spring subject.)
This daffodil still life was another demonstration in acrylic that I did for the workshop with water media this spring for The Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis. I usually under paint my canvases with cadmium red which is a tomato red because most of my paintings are landscapes of blue and green , the opposite of red-orange. But I under painted this acrylic with lavender, the opposite of yellow on the color wheel. I find by under painting my oils and acrylics with the opposite color on the color wheel, three things are possible. 1. It gives the painting a glow. 2. One doesn't have to fill in all the white dots left on the canvas and 3. Red orange or lavender are neutral in value, not white or black so that when I add white or a dark shade, they pop out and get noticed on the neutral value background. this painting is basically an analogous color scheme with yellow green, yellow and yellow-orange. the daffodils and forsythia came from my garden.

Ropes Beach,Cotuit Watercolor

2008-06-14T14:30:00.007-04:00

Today I am showing you another watercolor demonstrated at The Cape Cod Museum of Art. It will be auctioned off along with an oil of the same view at The Great Brush Off in Cotuit sponsored by The Cahoon Museum July 12 from 10 to 4. It is a fun day for all with hot dogs ,chips, hamburgers, and cold drinks and lots of good music to listen to while strolling through the park.

When I painted the tree trunks I masked some of the greens on the right first so that they would be light in front of the dark tree trunks. I also tried to make some of the tree trunks in different values.

Mayflower Beach with Roses

2008-06-11T17:52:00.006-04:00

Hello Everyone,

This acrylic painting 30" x 24"
is now a matted print (20"x 16")that sells for $66. I painted it as a demo that I did at our gallery when The Creative Arts Center in Chatham had their STUDIO TOUR on May 24th.

I enjoyed painting all day while people walked around viewing the gallery and my studio space /framing area. I also painted this same view as a demo in watercolor for Cape Cod Museum of Art

I just used this image on my first newsletter with images. If you would like to receive my newsletter, please sign up on my website.

Thursday June 12 I will be demonstrating painting at The Cultural Center in Yarmouth starting at 11 A.M.

Again I would like to point out the difference it makes when getting your subject like the roses and fences to cut the horizon line for interest. The sand was made my mixing white with yellow ochre and then adding more yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, and permanent rose for shadows. This painting was also underpainted with cadmium red. I try very hard never to have the center of interest right in the center of the painting.

The Boathouse on Barn Hill Road

2008-06-05T15:05:00.004-04:00

Dear Reader,
Here is a view of a Chatham Boathouse which I painted in watercolor. I feel it shows a good example of how I masked the light colors to paint over with the dark colors. The masking or liquid frisket that I like to use is The Incredible White Mask. I painted the grasses yellow-green and then masked them and the roses before I painted the darker greens right over them. This keeps some of the grasses light and the roses rose colored without muddying them up. I only mask hard edges and not soft edges. This watercolor measures 20" x 14" and is in a 26" x 20" mat and gold frame.

Paines Creek Road

2008-05-17T13:11:00.003-04:00

This is a different image of Paines Creek Beach from Paines Creek Road. It was another demonstration for The Cape Cod Museum of Art water-media class that I am teaching. Spring has arrived where there are hints of green in the grass and under growth. The anticipation of getting to the beach from this view of the water makes it all that more exciting! I love getting trees and grass overlapping the horizon line for a more interesting view. This happens naturally in this view becaue of the incline of the road. The image size is 20" x 12" and is painted in oil.

Wellfleet Sunset

2008-05-08T16:03:00.002-04:00

Here is an acrylic painting that I did for a home stager who needed something with yellow for a new home in Wellfleet. The house has been sold.
I got back the painting and felt the painting was O.K. but it needed something. I asked my husband Mac (my best critic)for his help. He said to get rid of all the twig-like objects silhouetted in the foreground. He said that they were distracting . And they were! So with some paint and the paintbrush I painted over them. This is the advantage of acrylic paint. Wellfleet Sunset measures 40" x 23.5 ". It is framed in an oak color articulated frame because I have painted the sides of the canvas too.

The Red Door

2008-05-07T14:55:00.004-04:00

Hello to all. Here is another watercolor that I did as a demonstration for my winter watercolor class at Cape Cod Museum of Art. As I write this blog, I hope to help the reader understand my thought process as I paint. I wanted to do a painting with reflections in it.
I always knew to make reflections one shade darker than what is reflected. But artist ,Charles Sovek taught me that the exception is black. Its reflection is one shade lighter.

I also wanted to paint a building to show that if you slope the roof a little in an older structure, that it makes it more charming. My architect husband taught me this. NEVER have it arching up! My greens are made with Prussian blue and lemon yellow without titanium nickel. And when I want to dull the green, I add a little cadmium red, but only a little in some places. I always add red to the green to the paper and never to the palette. This helps keep the greens from getting muddy!

"A View from North Dennis Road"

2008-04-28T15:06:00.003-04:00

Dear Reader,
This was a demonstration in acrylic for my water-media class at The Cape Cod Museum of Art. The view is beautiful any time of year! I wanted to to show how the water is darker in the foreground because we are looking at still water. With running water, like the ocean or bay, the water is lighter in the foreground. I also explained how reflections in the water are a shade darker than what they are reflecting. The exception, that Charles Sovek explained to me is black. The reflections of anything black are a shade lighter. This acrylic painting is 20" x 16". I have two more paintings from this workshop that I will show on this blog as soon as I get them photographed. This past six weeks I demonstrated one week with oil alternating the next week with acrylic. This Wednesday I will begin teaching a new six-week class at the museum for all water-media students but I will be demonstrating in watercolor.

A View from Wing's Island

2008-04-20T17:27:00.003-04:00

This is a 16" X 20" oil that I did as a demonstration for my water media workshop at The Cape Cod Museum of Art. If you look at a former entry on my blog, you will see the same view painted in watercolor. (I had painted the view for my workshop at The Museum of Natural History on Veteran's Day weekend,2007. I thought it would be nice for the blog readers and my class to see the same subject handled in different media. I will be teaching a third workshop at the Cape Cod Museum of Art starting next Wednesday, April 23 in case anyone is interested. The demos will be done in watercolor but acrylic and water-base oil students are also welcome.

Breakwater Landing on a Summer Day

2008-04-11T14:11:00.004-04:00

Dear reader,
Here is another painting of a favorite spot of mine to paint. I painted this acrylic as a demonstration for my water-media class now going on at the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis. This was a lesson to show how much more interesting it is to break the water line by getting down lower than the horizon to view subject and/or take pictures.
I also wanted students to think about where their light source is coming from. Here the right side is shadowed while sun shines on the side without the fence.

Spring Bouquet

2008-03-29T17:13:00.003-04:00

Spring is here!!! I painted this watercolor a couple of years ago and it is now on notepads sold here at the gallery for $5.
Jeff O'Brien from O'Brien Printers has taken images from several artists and made 60 sheet notepads.
www.capecodnotepads.com On his website you can view all the images.
Artist Curt Rosser used to tell me to add a little yellow ochre
on white areas such as buildings, clouds etc. to warm them up. So you can see that I added the yellow to the vase. I use a lot of yellow ochre in backgrounds of still lifes.
Happy Spring!

Bayview Beach

2008-03-17T17:06:00.004-04:00

Dear Reader, I inadvertently deleted this image when I was trying unsuccessfully to upload images on my PC. Now I am using my Mac to put images on this BLOG. This is a beach in Dennis,MA. that I had painted on location with Gordon. It is an oil and is 24" X 18". I had fun painting the dune fence and shadows and the flats at low tide. Notice the time of year when the golden rod is blooming. I will be sending out an e-mail newsletter to subscribers about a new class I will be teaching at The Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis on Wednesday mornings for six weeks starting April 30. For more of a description please check my website. It should be on the museum's website soon too!

Apple Pie

2008-03-07T15:15:00.004-05:00

Dear Readers,
I was asked by The Cahoon Museum in Cotuit to paint something with the theme of food.
The museum is going to give a portion of the money made from the sale of these paintings to the Family Pantry in Harwich, an organization that helps the poor. I love apple pie(So does my husband whose nickname is Mac. Could there be a connection there?) Ever since I saw the DVD , "The Secret", I decided to have a symbol that meant prosperity to me. I chose the symbol of an apple because to me an apple is not only the symbol of health but also of wealth. I feel to be wealthy, one needs to be healthy. And then I met a psychic while waiting for my car to be serviced. I don't know how we got on the subject but she suggested that I put a word hidden in my painting. I always liked the way the New Yorker cartoonist,Al Hirschfield, put his daughter's name "Nina", hidden in his caricatures. So in this Apple Pie acrylic painting (24" x 24") I put the word"love", Can you find it? The exhibit at the museum will be up until April 13th. http://www.cahoonmuseum.org

Wing Island lV

2008-03-06T12:57:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone,
This is another demonstration for my watercolor class at The Cape Cod Museum of Art. It measures 14" x 10'"and in a mat is 20" x 16". I tried to demonstrate that having just a little water is sometimes more interesting than paints lots of water. I also talked about not making too dense a forest. it is good to have variety and sky showing sky between some of the branches, enough room for the birds to fly in these spaces. But I also wanted to show unity by placing cadmium red in more than one area.

Breakwater Beach lV

2008-03-05T11:47:00.006-05:00

Well, it sure is nice to be able to put another image onto my blog, thanks to my Mac computer, not just Mac, my husband. This watercolor is 14" x 10" and was a demo for my watercolor class at The Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis. Again I showed how to paint the foreground large enough so that it crosses the horizon line. I also wanted to show how light the sand can be by only using a "touch" of yellow ochre . I demonstrated how to use the masking so that the light grasses and leaves can be seen too without painting carefully around them. I will be teaching another water media six-week class starting April 30th at the museum. This class will have all demonstrations done in watercolor but acrylic and water-base oil painters are welcome too! Please check my website for details.

Dennis Marsh, Autumn

2008-03-02T15:09:00.002-05:00

Dear Readers, I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to download this image. I decided to change the computer so maybe I'll add images with just my Mac instead of the Dell. I also learned from my artist friend, Mary Richmond, not to make my images such a big file so I hope this works from now on or else I will use www.typepad.com instead. I painted this watecolor as a demonstration for my watercolor class at The Cape Cod Museum of Art. On this blog is also the same marsh only a summer view. I wanted to show the class how to paint a wash using a 1 1/2" flat brush. I also wanted to show the water's edge is painted in a series of steps without painting the land 's edge on an angle. This way the water will appear flat and not as if it is going uphill. And the last point I wanted to make is to get down when taking photos or viewing the landscape in order to get the foreground over the horizon line in order to make a more interesting view. This painting is 20" X 14" in a 26" x 20" mat.

More paintings when this website will allow me to download them.

2008-02-23T15:15:00.002-05:00

Hello readers,
For over a week I have tried to put one of my paintings on this site but for some reason they will not upload. I will keep trying but I did want you to know that I am trying and wish I knew more about computers to know why I can't. I have been teaching a class and want to put some of the demonstrations on this site. So maybe soon... I hope!
Karen North Wells

Tonset Landing

2008-01-13T11:19:00.001-05:00

This watercolor was painted as a demonstration on location for a watercolor workshop. If you travel to near the end of Tonset Road in Orleans and then turn right, you will come to this town landing where you do not need a sticker to park during the summer. If I do a workshop in the summer I try to find locations that do not require a sticker. If any of you readers have good suggestions for these locations, I would appreciate your input. I have been feeling very guilty for not adding to this blog lately so I my new goal is to try to write at least twice a month. I have finished a painting for a show at the Cahoon Museum in March so will show that painting on the blog after the show begins. Now I am busy painting a commissioned work.
Happy New Year. May this year be full of good surprises!

Wing Island ll

2007-12-14T14:57:00.000-05:00

Hello readers. Here is the watercolor with the corrected horizon line straight and parallel to the top and bottom of the painting. I am explaining again that this was done for the demonstration on the second day of the workshop that I taught at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History on November 10th and 11th in case I delete the last blog.

Wing Island l

2007-12-01T14:14:00.000-05:00

On November 10th and 11th I taught a painting workshop at Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster on Cape Cod. I thought what a beautiful site for students to paint.The museum has cameras for students to take photos and then when down loaded from museum's computer and printer the students could use these photos as subjects for painting. Some students did take pictures but weather was not conducive for good photography so they used photos that they had brought to class. This painting of Wing Island, I did as a demonstration for class. I had taken the photo in September. I told the class that I would post this painting on my blog. I hadn't gotten it photographed until now. In the next few days I will post the other demo. On June 7th and 8th I will be teaching another workshop at the museum. I hope we will be able to get outdoors more to get some good pictures of this beautiful trail.
On January 23 I will be teaching a watercolor class on Wed mornings 9:30 -11:30 at The Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis. People who paint in acrylic and water-base oils are also welcomed.
In March I will teach another class at CCMA with emphasis on acrylic and water-base oils but watercolor is also welcomed. http://www.ccmoa.org/studio-art-classes.asp
If anyone is interested, they can call or view web sites of the museums for prices and sign-up. I hope to see you there!

Serenity

2007-11-02T16:51:00.001-04:00

Here is the other painting of Paine's Creek looking toward Dennis that I did for the couple who needed to cover their electrical box. This acrylic is 20" x 36". I call it "Serenity" because the reflections were so still and beautiful that August day. I liked painting with the image these proportions and may never have done it without the request from my customers.

Paines Creek with Beach Roses

2007-11-01T09:35:00.001-04:00

I have painted this acrylic in a vertical format for customers who have an electrical panel that needed to be covered on a wall between their foyer and kitchen. I had painted one for the couple to use until I got this one painted. And I have painted a third choice from which they could pick. This painting is 20" x 36" and gallery wrapped. The roses are in full bloom at Paines Creek at the end of June and at the beginning of July every year. As you will see, this BLOG will have plenty of Paine's Creek paintings on it because it is a beautiful site and is close to home.

Painting The Airport Barrier

2007-10-29T12:22:00.000-04:00

I am taking a departure on this blog from showing you just one of my paintings by showing you a photo of me painting the barrier at the Cape Cod Airport in Hyannis. I received notice three weeks ago on the internet asking artists to submit an entry of a painting with the same proportions as the barrier which is 33" x 10'. My small painting which you can see to the right of my barrier painting was one of the winning entries. This is the first time that I have painted a mural. In the background is another winning entry painted by Charles Munro.The other two artists, Carolyn Weston-Patkowski and Gayle Mckennon, hadn't started yet when this picture was taken. We painted in the wind and the rain but at least it wasn't too cold. I understand that mural art is catching on at airports around the world.

Posted by Karen North Wells at 11:51 AM

Paines Creek with Sailboat

2007-10-20T17:26:00.000-04:00

This watercolor of Paine's Creek is the other painting I did as a demonstration at my gallery September 22 for the "Fall for Art" series sponsored by the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod to promote our "Artisans and Art Trail Guide".
http://www.capecodculturalexplorer.org/page.php?31,0,214970,art214970,,,Doc
The image size is 12" x 14" with frame size 18"x 20".