Plein Air at Five Islands

Five Islands

Occasionally I take my paints outside in my own yard and paint.  Saturday I joined the Western Maine Plein Air Painters at Five Islands, a lovely spot on the Maine coast.  It was a picture-perfect day and there were picture-perfect views all around.  A good group of nice folks showed up.

 

I spent a good part of the day painting.  When I took a mini-break I viewed my painting from afar (the blue canvas below the man's umbrella) and saw what I felt was a major flaw.  So I scraped out the offending problem and tried a new composition.  After working on that for a while I started to feel sunburned and tired on my feet.  So I called it a day.  Once home I knew this painting was irredeemable.  This is what is left from my day:

"The Twice Scraped Painting"

I now have a good puddle of blue-gray paint and well toned canvas.  I've learned it's better to admit defeat than try to redeem a painting that you will never, ever, ever like.

JALAPENOS

"Jalapenos" by Stephanie Berry



 

These are the hot peppers I mostly use in my cooking.  I do confess I usually use the kind in a jar most of the time but I'm using fresh ones more now.  TexMex is probably my favorite cuisine.

8x8" oil on linen     copyright 2013

LOBSTERS

"Lobsters" by Stephanie Berry

I was going to post "Jalapenos" but again once I view the photo I find I'm unhappy with the painting.  So here's the Maine treat everyone enjoys. 

8x8" oil on linen    copyright 2013

LONG ITALIAN HOT PEPPER

"Long Italian Hot Pepper" by Stephanie Berry



I wonder why I see so many things "wrong" with my paintings once I take a photo of them.  I'm posting this hot pepper but I'm pretty sure this will undergo some adjustments.  It's a time of year when the call of the garden is much stronger than my paints.  Maybe the rainy day will help me to focus once again.

 

8x10" oil on linen      copyright 2013 

 



BUFFALO

"Buffalo" by Stephanie Berry

I did this guy quite a while ago along with these two Texas cattle paintings.  He never looked quite  

right so I reworked him until I felt I got the weight of his massive shoulders.   Buffalo are not a site one sees in Maine but there is a buffalo farm in northern Maine that we visited once.  They eat massive amounts of hay.  The meat is so lean it's tricky to cook so that it's not all dried out.  The buffalo above was in a field with these other cattle in Texas.

12x12" oil on canvas   copyright 2013

p.s. Do any of you bloggers know how to arrange 2 photos side by side?  Nothing I do seems to work.

CUBANELLE PEPPER

"Cubanelle Pepper" by Stephanie Berry

Here's another hot pepper.  Too bad I wasn't more familiar with how to cook with all these spicy peppers.  Tonight is the first Art Walk Lewiston Auburn of the season.  It sounds like it will be lots of fun.   There will be 24 galleries, the Vault is featuring a wine tasting, there will be music on Dufresne Plaza and live music elsewhere, and a new "Arts Garden" to see.  The weather couldn't be nicer for a night out on the town.  Hope to see you there!  My work is featured in Hardy, Wolf & Downing.

8x10" oil on linen     copyright 2013x10n us tonight, and come and take a walk with Art Walk Lewiston Auburn

HAPPY DOLPHIN

"Happy Dolphin" by Stephanie Berry

This is the 3rd painting that will go in my granddaughter's nursery along with the mermaid and sea star.  You can't help but like these amazing creatures.

16x12" oil on linen   copyright 2013

BARTLETT

"Bartlett" by Stephanie Berry

Here's a break from the hot peppers.  My favorite kind of pear:  a Bartlett.

6x6"  oil on canvas

POBLANO

"Poblano" by Stephanie Berry

I don't think these peppers are as hot as the others but they seem the be one of the largest hot peppers.  The dark green was a challenge.  

HABANEROS

"Habaneros" by Stephanie Berry

Back to the hot peppers...here's a few habanero peppers which I think I'll need to revisit as they don't look scrunched up enough to me.  Painting hot peppers has been more of a challenge than I thought they'd be:  getting the shape right and the colors to work with a background.  Then to get a decent photo (sorry for the glare).  I'm going to have to buy more jalapenos as I ended up using them in a salsa.

6x6" oil on linen     copyright 2013

FRUIT DRAWER #2

"Fruit Drawer #2" by Stephanie Berry

Over a year ago I did a series I called "What's in My Fridge" where I painted still lifes of the food and condiments in our fridge.  A little while ago on Daily Paintworks there was a challenge to "paint what's in your fridge" so it being a familiar subject and one I really enjoyed I decided to tackle our fruit drawer again.  The contents haven't changed much.

 

10x10" oil on RayMar  copyright 2013



THE STARFISH

"The Starfish" by Stephanie Berry

This is another painting to go with the nursery group of paintings.  The prime focus was to get the right pink to match what will be the bedding for the crib.  I guess I won't know if it matches until I see it in person as this will be in a different time zone.   I've had next to no time for painting lately with the usual spring outdoor work but hope to get back in the groove soon.  

12x12" oil on linen   copyright 2013

MERMAID

"Mermaid" by Stephanie Berry

We have another granddaughter due in July and I've been doing some ocean themed paintings for her nursery.  The nursery is going in a room that already has that theme so these new paintings will fit in.  I have two others to go with this one.  It was a very different project with not having a model or a photo to guide me.

 

30x20" oil on linen   copyright 2013

UNCLE LAWRENCE at TRICKY POND

"Uncle Lawrence at Tricky Pond" by Stephanie Berry

This is an older painting-one that never got posted.  This is my great-great Uncle Lawrence who was a man familiar with the Maine woods.  My mother tells me he was stuffing his pipe.  After painting this I wanted to visit Tricky Pond when we were in "that part of the woods".  But was informed it wasn't reachable anymore unless you wanted to hike a long ways.

18x24" oil on linen panel  copyright 2008

PRIMORDIAL

"Primordial" by Stephanie Berry

10x10" oil on linen   copyright 2013

FIDDLEHEADS

"Fiddleheads" by Stephanie Berry

It finally feels like spring has arrived.  It's been above 50 the last couple days, maybe 60 and hasn't been blowing 40 mph and big plus the sun is shining.  So it's hard to paint when the gardens are calling my name.

Fiddleheads will be harvested soon here in Maine.  Fiddleheads are a fern that hasn't opened yet.  BUT not all ferns are fiddleheads.  You need to know the difference.  They make a tasty treat steamed and swimming in butter and salt and pepper.

14x11" oil on canvas   copyright 2013

ANAHEIM HOT PEPPER

"Anaheim Hot Peppers" by Stephanie Berry

Here's the 2nd of the hot peppers.  This one doesn't look as lethal as the serranos.  Maybe I'll try using it in something.

ps:  I had this mislabeled as a Hungarian pepper but I see it's called an Anaheim.    

6x6" oil on linen   copyright 2013

SERRANO PEPPERS

"Serrano Peppers" by Stephanie Berry

I'm starting a series of hot and spicy peppers.  I counted 10 different hot peppers at a local grocery store.  I bought these and a Hungarian hot pepper.  Now that I've painted them I'm not sure whether to risk cooking with them.  I'm familiar with jalapenos and cracked dried chilies but not these things.  Any advice?

6x6" oil on linen    copyright 2013

TEXAS STEER

"Texas Steer" by Stephanie Berry

I painted this trying to give a minimum of information without getting lost.  The paintings that show so much with just broad strokes of values are the ones I feel most drawn to.

 

12x12" oil on linen     copyright 2013

INSIDE a MUSSEL SHELL

"Inside a Mussel Shell" by Stephanie Berry

This shell painting isn't really one of the series I did earlier but it could be!  I've done the topside of mussels a couple times.  I thought it would be fun to try the flip side.

6x6" oil on RayMar    copyright 2013

ASPARAGUS BOUQUET

"Asparagus Bouquet" by Stephanie Berry

Even though the forecast is for snow tomorrow, I'm going to think spring.  Asparagus makes me think of spring.

10x8" oil on linen    copyright 2013

MAINE SHRIMP

"Maine Shrimp" by Stephanie Berry

Maine shrimp are so delicious-they are small, tender and sweet.  There is a limited season that starts in January or so and this year it was very short with limited catches.  The last time I bought them they were raw and in-the-shell.  They have very pointy shell parts that stab your hands so peeling them yourself is a real gift of love.

6x6" oil on canvas    copyright 2013

WINTER FIELD

"Winter Field" by Stephanie Berry

We had one long, cold and snowy winter this year.  It also seemed like one of the most dark winters with very little sun.  This is a nearby field with acouple dead  birch trees.  At least there was some morning sunlight this time.

11x14" oil on linen     copyright 2013  

15 Minute Oil Sketch

"15 Minute Oil Sketch"

I really enjoy using oils over pencils and charcoal.  Probably because most of my drawings aren't very good. So I've been taking my oils to life drawing.  Last night I took a few sheets of canvas and decided to try some quick paintings with the 15 minute poses.  The first one I did was pretty bad but no problem, I wiped it out and did this one on the same canvas.  Don't you love recycling?

21x15" oil on canvas

ORGANIC

"Organic" by Stephanie Berry

Another abstract painting and again a leafy theme seems to come through.  It must be my love of gardening.  I started this trying to keep all the colors very earthy and brown.  It was just too dull so I had to perk it up.  

10x10"  oil on linen    copyright 2013

JESSIE

"Jessie" by Stephanie Berry

I've been taking my paints to life drawing.  I have found clipping a piece of canvas to my drawing board seems an easy way to work plus carry a wet painting afterwards.  This week no model had been lined up so Jessie, our lovely monitor, sat in as our model.  I tried to not overwork this and feel pretty pleased with how it came out.

approximately 22x18" oil on canvas   copyright 2013

THRIVING

"Thriving" by Stephanie Berry

This continues my exploring abstract impressionism.  This one has a botanical theme but the others I've been working on are more just patterns and random shapes.  I love color and painting is therapy in this extremely colorless month of March here in Maine. There are so many things I would love to explore with painting--so little time!!

12x12" oil on linen   copyright 2013

MEMORY of TREES

"Memory of Trees" by Stephanie Berry

I know, the title doesn't seem to connect but this is a painting on top of a painting I really disliked.  First I worked at simplifying the old painting which made little improvement.  Then it evolved into something abstract.  But in the right light the brush marks from the trees show through like ghosts.

40x30" oil on linen    copyright 2013

BABY BELLAS

"Baby Bellas" by Stephanie Berry

After doing a series of 6x6" paintings of apples and beach finds, I want to do some other series.  It keeps me focused on one subject but with variety plus I like grouping them in an arrangement.  So I plan to do mushrooms but the rest of this series may come in later-like about 5 months-when wild mushrooms abound out in our woods. 

 

6x6" oil on RayMar    copyright 2013

GREENHOUSE in MARCH

"Greenhouse in March" by Stephanie Berry

It's the first day of spring and we shoveled about 8-10" of snow this morning.  Even though it looks like a winter wonderland the greenhouses start planting their inventory for the coming warmer months.  Mainers are fondly remembering that last year at this time we had summerlike weather and as I recall I had pansies out record early.  This is today's view from my studio window:

The wild turkeys come around for cracked corn.  About 20-30 show up daily. 

16x20" oil on linen   copyright 2013