Blueberries and Watermelon

 Blueberry Pie

10"x10" oil on cradled board (sides painted - no need to frame)

$200

#165

Watermelon

10"x10" oil on cradled board (sides painted - no need to frame)

$200

#164

to purchase, click here for the email and telephone number

Does your kitchen need sprucing up? Here's an easy way to do that and to help a great cause. My two paintings of garden produce are available at the online Tidewater Farm benefit run by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Half the proceeds go to the farm (and half to the artist). The sale ends on September 2.

If you’re ever in the Portland Maine area and want a beautiful place to paint, I recommend this saltwater farm. I love teaching my plein air class there. Let me know, and I’ll go with you. Here are a few posts of paintings of the marsh on the property. There are also buildings, the garden, and additional marsh views.

http://bobbiheath.blogspot.com/2015/09/marsh-at-tidewater-farm.html

http://bobbiheath.blogspot.com/2015/09/tidewater-greens.html

http://bobbiheath.blogspot.com/2015/09/tidewater-in-secondaries.html

http://bobbiheath.blogspot.com/2015/09/tidewater.html

Watermelon

Watermelon

10"x10" oil on cradled panel 

$200 at the Taste of Tidewater event in August

My second painting for the Tidewater benefit is called Watermelon. I liked the idea of the round subject from the pie, and thought that pulling out a piece would improve the composition. And then there are the colors, red/pink and green are complimentary, which is a great combination.

When you read this I’ll be in London, and will be off on Sunday night with members of the Wapping Group of Artists, on their summer painting trip to France. I joined them in 2012, and am looking forward to this year’s trip. I’ll try to post from France.

Blueberry Pie

Blueberry Pie

10"x10" oil on cradled birch panel

$200 at the Taste of Tidewater Event in August

As I’ve said before, I enjoy painting for a cause I believe in. Tidewater Farm in Falmouth Maine and its community garden is one of those causes. Their Taste of Tidewater event is coming up in August 20th, including a sale of over a hundred paintings from local artists. Last year I did well with a food painting, and so I’m continuing that theme this year.

My first painting for this year is of a Maine specialty, blueberry pie. I made the pie using a recipe from our cousin Ann, and was dismayed to find that I’d used the wrong one. Like any good Mainer, Ann has two blueberry pie recipes, one for a topless pie, and one for a pie with a top crust. The scribbled recipe I found stuck in the front of our New York Times Cookbook turned out to be for the more juicy version with a top, not what I had in mind for this composition, where the missing piece of pie is key. I was ready to make a new pie, and then had the idea of putting this one in the freezer on a tilt. It worked! Sorry about the bad photo, I'll replace it with a better one once the painted sides dry and I can stand the painting up for another shot.

And for even more fun, I’m teaching a plein air class at Tidewater farm again this year, It will be on Tuesdays, August 9th, 16th, 23rd and September 6th and 13th, 9am – 12pm. Check it out here.

For those of you who can’t make a class every week, I’m also teaching a plein air workshop for River Arts in Damariscotta on July 13 and 14th. More info on that is here.

What's in a Name?

"Promise of Adventure"

10"x10" oil on canvas panel

Value under painting

I feel like this painting turned into a saga! It was done from a photo, and a pretty over-exposed one at that. The drawing was tricky, and finally after lots of grid lines and measuring of angles, Rob Abele gave me a great suggestion. I printed the section with the kayak on paper and cut it out, including the opening, and laid it over the dry painting and then traced the outline of the kayak over the one I'd already painted. Some adjustment was definitely needed! You can see the difference between the value under painting (above) and the nearly done version (below).

Nearly done, what's wrong?

I still wasn't satisfied. I felt that the kayak looked glued on, since it was much lighter than anything else in the painting. The fix was lightening the sand to be closer to the value of the kayak. I think it works much better with the lighter sand (top image).

Finally the painting was done, but I couldn't think of a better name than "Yellow Kayak". So I reached out to my Facebook friends and asked for some help, and got over 40 responses! Many of the names were just great and  I'll probably be able to use them for future paintings. Here's the list, which one do you like best?

Waiting

Arrangement in Yellow and Green

Sunshine Waiting

Low tide
The Promise of Adventure

Hope

Awaiting High Tide

Waiting on High Tide

After the Lake

Summer Respite  (2)

At the Ready

Waiting for a Friend

At Rest

New England Ready

Landlubber

Ready to Roll (2)

Where’d You Go?

Yellow Kayak (3)

Waiting For You

Floating Bliss

Relaxation Station

Low Tide (3)

Invitation

Temptation

Ready for an Outing

Whatever the name of the boat is

Tethered

Homestead Mooring

Four Steps Down

Lemon Drop

Grounded

Dry Dock

Sunday Nap

Waiting

Lemon Wants to Go for a Ride

Still Life with Kayak

Moored

Anticipation

Mellow Yellow

Dry Ground

Waiting for Adventure

After a Long Day's Journey

Above the Tide Line

Waiting in the Tide

Banana Boat

Concord Art Association Members Juried Exhibit

"Boatyard"

10"x10" oil on Raymar panel
$385

I'm honored to have had "Boatyard" chosen for the annual Concord Art Association Members Juried Exhibit this year. Larry Powers of Powers Gallery, in Acton, MA was the juror. The show will be up through February 16th. Check out all of us happy artists with our paintings here.

"Lucky Lady III"

"Lucky Lady III"

10"x10" oil on Raymar panel

I'm finishing up paintings for an upcoming show and wanted to include larger versions of some paintings I've done before. I've painted the Lucky Lady twice previously, both times in 6"x6". The first time a friend bought the painting, the second time I was asked to paint it by a very nice woman who wanted to give it as a gift to the new owner. What a great present! I'll let this one dry before I paint the name.

"Boatyard"

"Boatyard"

10"x10" oil on Raymar panel

Normally I paint plein air, and do my best to finish each painting on site. But sometimes it just doesn't happen. So I'm on a kick to finish up those that I think deserve it. "Boatyard" was started last June at the Royal River Boatyard in Yarmouth, where we keep our sailboat. I loved the view of the fishing boat with the slings of the travel lift in front of it. I plan to put it in an upcoming show at Yarmouth Frame and Gallery.