Nest 2

My school's big art auction is coming up and I really wanted to donate something this year. I think I'm on a nest kick right now because that's what I decided to paint. I like the way it came out and I hope it makes lots of money for the school!

mojito

Just a fun painting I did for a friend, but it definitely makes me want summer!

New Website

Thanks to my wonderful boyfriend my website has been updated!!!!!!
Check it out, I'd love some feedback

Spring Nest

something I have been dying to paint ever since I did my birds! It was fun and I actually had a harder time with the tree then I did with the nest. This will be hanging at Scribe in the next two weeks, along with some other spring paintings, but if anyone is interested now, it is 12 x 12 inches and it's $200., email me!

These were the two commissioned dog portraits that I had been working on. I'm not always a fan of painting dogs, but I had fun with these, especially compositionally.

Bird Show comes down

After a very successful Winter Bird Show, I am thrilled to say that there are only 2 paintings left! If anyone is interested in these last two (titmouse in pine and big fat bluejay), please contact me. The titmouse painting is 18 x 24 oil on masonite and it is $300.00 and the big fat blue jay is 6 x 6 oil on mdf and is $100.00

I have been busy working on some commissioned pieces which I haven't been able to post because they are gifts. They are coming soon. Also stay tuned for some new spring paintings and "Giant Food"!

Robin

It wouldn't be spring without a robin, and whenever I think of robins I picture them out in the grass snatching worms. I never realized how many colors can be found in there seemingly black backs.

spring bluebird

So this is my third bluebird. They are fun to paint, the colors are vibrant yet subtle. This one looks really spring like to me with all the little buds.

hermit thrush

I did the hermit thrush because it is Vermont's state bird. Very cute too!

little goldfinch

This is the first of four spring birds that will be hung and sold at Simple Nest in Manchester, Vermont. I am very excited to have my work displayed in another state, hopefully this is the first of many. It was also very fun to paint some spring birds, but it really made me want spring!

first chickadee

This was my first bird. It was a commissioned christmas present. It was fun, I like the way the red brightens it up.

Emily's bluebird

This was a christmas present I did for my friend, thought I would post it along with my other birds

winter birds

Here are some pictures of the birds in the window. It was really hard to get a good picture because of the glare on the window. They have been really popular, I only have 3 left (lonely bluebird, big fat bluejay and titmouse in pine) so if you're interested, contact me soon!

lonely bluebird

This was my final painting. I originally didn't think I would have time for it, but I did and I'm glad. This seems to be peoples favorite. I decided to keep it very empty to contrast with busy pine in the last two and overall I think the bird has a very powerful presence. It almost looks like he is guilty of something, which is cute.

Three little chickadees

This is my favorite. I especially like the chickadee to the far right and the way that he hides in that little area. I love the background too. It was a great series for me to do, because it broke me away from always using really bright colors. I learned how to work with murkier subjects (winter colors), but also keep with my style. When you look at these as a whole, they still have my light style and I think that is cool. Unfortunately this digital image is slightly blurry.

Cardinal love

This was my first big bird painting. It is roughly 12x24. I like the warm color scheme even though it doesn't give the cold winter feeling. I think the emptiness and twigs make it winter like. I like the female bird a lot, the male seems not as "realistic" but I couldn't quite figure out how to change it.

Titmouse in Pine

This was my least favorite to paint, but I like how it turned out. Those pine needles took forever!!!! It is 18x24

Chickadee and Berries

I love chickadees, probably cause they are so small and cute! My grandfather used to paint chickadees, I think that is another reason why I like them and want to paint them.

textured towhee

As I was painting this I didn't think it was going to turn out good. It was one of those paintings that really came together at the end. I think that this bird has the best texture out of all of them. It really looks like it has it's winter feathers. It is also one of those paintings that looks so much better when you stand back, you see more of the depth in the background.

little nuthatch

I enjoyed this painting, I think because I saw one in person for the first time right before I started painting the birds. I had no idea how tiny they were. I always thought they were the size of a blue jay or cardinal but they are actually really tiny like chickadees. They are so cool how they like to be upside down and I definitely wanted to paint one that way.

Cold Cardinal

This one was the last small one I did. It is probably my least favorite, probably because it seems simple, but I still like it. I think it rounds out the collection. They can't all be full of stuff.

Titmouse

I love these cute little birds, this is my other favorite small one. It is also the one I chose for advertising my show. I was originally going to go with the blue jay, but I liked pulling out the red from the berries for text more than the blue.

Porch Garden Lovin'

I love this painting, one of my best since the sunroom, I think. I was doing the dishes and I kept looking over at all my fresh picked tomatoes squeezed together on the counter. I couldn't get over the way the light when in and out of them and the variations in color since some were more ripe than others. I decided I had to paint them. I had already planned on painting something else, but I was just so inspired. It shows what can happen when you really are inspired to do something. I think this one's going in the illustration alumni show. oh and it's 6" x 12" by the way. I feel like the perfect size for the subject.

Where are the acorns when you need them?

Let me just tell you, I never thought I would get to paint these acorns! It took me 2 and a half weeks to find them! I'm not used to living in the city, and I'm not even in a real city! I just knew I wanted to paint acorns, and I wouldn't let it rest until I found some. I drove my poor boyfriend crazy! Finally I got some, and I'm glad. They were a ton of fun, just like I thought they'd be. Love all the fall colors!

First Gourds of theYear

Gourds are definitely something I have been looking forward to painting for awhile now! I almost couldn't wait for the season just so I could paint them! I really like the way they came out, I did this one really quick and I like the looseness in the yellow one. The stem is also really cool. I didn't actually mean for the background to be so crazy bright, infact all I could think of when I was painting, was Fred telling me I don't need bright backgrounds. haha, sorry Fred. I still like it though, fun for the season and it looks great with all the halloween stuff at work.

ghost peeps!

Just a fun painting I did for the store. I did get the 6 done that I had planned, I just haven't had any time to post them! This is probably my least favorite, it's a bit harsh and there are things I can see that could be fixed but I think the ghosts are funny.

Commissioned Portraits

This was quite the job. I definitely thought these two would be a lot easier than they were. Don't get me wrong, I love to draw, but when it comes to portraits : I NEED PAINT! There is something about it that just helps me, I don't really get it, but it has now been confirmed! Overall they did come out good, they just took much longer than expected. When framed with a white matte in a black frame, they really looked good!

The second one. I like this one better, the conte did something nice.

Apple

This is actually my second attempt to do an apple painting. I don't know what went wrong with my first one, apples should be easy especially after doing 100 of them for illustration 2! Anyways I am very happy that I tried again because I really like this painting.

Canoli

This has absolutely nothing to do with fall, but I was way too inspired not to paint it. This is actually the first one and I love the way that it came out! This will definitely be hanging in the store even though it's not "fall like".

candy corn

So normally I don't paint things way before the actual holiday, but I am finding that since I am hanging them in a store I have to be ahead. I thought that it would be hard for me because I wouldn't be "in the spirit" but it's not that bad. I am trying to get 6 paintings done and dry by Friday so I can hang them in the store. This was the second one I did, I am up to 5 but only 3 are dry enough for me to add tonight. I was most excited about painting candy corn, but I don't feel that this is my strongest piece, I actually think it's my weakest. I may try another one if I get a chance.

Gennaro

This is the finished portrait. I am very happy with the way it came out, and I would defintely paint a child again.

This is my most recent painting. It is a commission for someone as well as being my first baby portrait. I am very happy with the way it turned out. I spent a lot of time sketching in order to get the "baby" proportions, and it definitely payed off!

nectarines

I love this painting! I did it a couple weeks ago when I first found Carol Marine's work. I was looking through some links on another artist's page when I found her's. I was so excited to find her work. It is really bright like mine, and she likes to paint some of the things I do. I love the way she keeps her fruit blurry, you can really see the way she lays down blocks of color and it is amazing how they come together and make sense. I definitely did this painting in my own style but I worked with a bright background the way she does, and I really like the effect it gives. Another thing is that this painting is twice the size of my usual painting's a day, 12x12 instead of 6x6. I liked that as well, I will definitely be doing more like these soon.

Mojito Season 2!!!!

Mojito season is coming to an end. This was a commission I did earlier this summer to be hung along with the limes I painted.

peppers

These I'm not so sure about, I did these a few weeks ago and they were my first painting a day in awhile. I feel like I lost the looseness that I had gained from doing them all of the time and then tried to recover it after. It came out alright but it's not my favorite

butterscotch

This was a commission piece that I really enjoyed. I have fun painting candy and it always comes out bright and cheerful, just the way I like stuff!

lollipops

This was a painting that I almost didn't finish. I did not like the way it was coming out, but it made such a difference once I got the sticks down. It was hard to get them to pop on a white background, but I didn't feel like any other color would have worked as well. I am definitely happy I finished it.

mini shells

This was a tiny painting a day that I tried. I actually did it in the beginning of the summer and just got around to scanning it. It is roughly 2 X 6 inches. It was interesting to do it so small it made it impossible for me to get to involved in the details

Happy Fourth!

Here is a little patriotic one I did right before the 4th. I wanted to put it up earlier, but I have been having problems with my files.

green sandals

I like this painting a lot. It is funny because it makes me realize that I have many pairs of green shoes, but I don't actually wear green that much. strange. I like the cropping in this image.

illustrators rule!

School is out and I am finally going to have time to update my blog!!!!!! Last month was such a crazy month! I managed to get about 5 painting a day's done :o( very sad. Things have finally calmed down and now I can get back on track! With my awesome new scanner (thanks to mom & dad!) I should be updating this a lot more! Before getting right to the art, here is a picture from the night of graduation. I love it so much! All of these people (plus a few others that didn't make it into the photo) have been a big part of my life for the last four years. Critique after critique we've all helped one another out and I will never forget any of them! Thank you so much for everything! Hooray for Montserrat Class of 2007!!!!!!

Mojito Season!!!!

This is a fun painting I did while I was home in CT. Yummy limes that eventually found their home in a refreshing mojito!!!! I am finding that I really do love to paint food for some reason!

garlic

I did this painting the night of my last day of school. This shows how much of a nerd I can be. It was a weird day for me I wasn't that excited that school was over and all I wanted to do was paint. This was the result. I like it, but I like my first garlic painting better. That one can be seen on my website which should be done within this week!

grapes

I love this painting!!!!! I wasn't sure what would happen if I tried to paint grapes since I normally pay attention to all of the details and doing that with a bunch of grapes could be fatal. Knowing that, I attacked this painting in a different way and I love the result. My favorite thing about it is the way I captured many different colors in the purple of the grapes. Unfortunately I see that my elipse is weird, I can't figure out why I have had so much trouble with those this year. Freshman year I was a pro at them, I don't know what happened!

green pepper!

I had so much fun with my bananas I decided to paint a pepper the next day. This one was also fun, I have found that I enjoy painting fruit and vegetables

Bananas!!!

Sorry it has been so long, I am finding it hard to keep up with this blog while I am trying to finish school!
I did this painting a couple of weeks ago. There is something I like about it, it was fun cropping in close.