All's Right with the World

8x10, oil on masonite

Storybook Farmhouse, Charlotte, NC

5x7, oil on canvas panel

I found this snug little house just a few miles from my house. It's on some rare undeveloped land here in Charlotte.

Framing Small Paintings

5x7, oil on canvas panel

5x7, oil on canvas panel

I have been painting even more than usual these past two weeks because I'm entering 4 group shows in November and December. I even have paintings I haven't posted on this blog! Yesterday I realized I hadn't done any really small paintings lately, and I like to put some on eBay. Many people who do not have original art in their home like to start off with a small painting, and I think that's a good idea. So I got busy last night, stayed up late, and painted these 2 5x7s. They will be on eBay tonight starting at 29.00. You can always access my eBay items by clicking on the icon on the top right.

So...what to do with those small paintings? First of all, buy more than one!--unless you plan to display it on a easel on a table. Second, frame it! A frame isolates the painting from its environment so that it becomes more of a focal point. Those large painting on gallery wrapped canvas can be the exception, but I'm talking big like 2 x3 feet. Above is an example from my house....3 would have been better, but I didn't have them. They are tucked away in a fairly small space and hung close together so that they become a unit. A small painting in a large space just looks lost, like a small child crying for his Mom. Folks, don't let this happen to your paintings!

Well, now that I'm on a roll, I would also like to post about wide and narrow frames. Above are examples of both. The top is an oil painting, not too large, and it needs a wide frame. The bottom is a collograph (original print) which requires a mat, glass, and frame. For these, such as prints, watercolors, etc., begin with a large, wide mat and then frame with a thin frame. If both were wide it would be too much. If both were small and narrow, the work would have no presence.

Oops, nothing like a photo to make you realize your paintings are a little crooked on the wall! Oh, well.

Connie

Seen from the Train, Maine

8x10, oil on canvas panel

This painting originated with a photo I took during a train ride in Maine.

Hidden by a Hedge, Smithtown Road

8x10, oil on canvas panel

The Long Blue Barn, Union County, NC (sold)

10x10, oil on canvas panel

This beautifully proportioned barn is actually an unromantic turkey barn....but I expect you not to tell since I'm putting it on eBay tonight. I jazzed it up a bit by pushing the color. Another plein air painting this October at Linn's place.

Barn, Milton, Georgia

8x10, oil on canvas panel

This is another I painted during the three day workshop...on eBay tonight.

The Wheelbarrow

10x10, oil on canvas panel

Just got home from the Tim Horn painting workshop--it was excellent in every way. I painted this on the second day (one of two I painted that day.) I found the scene, and it was almost perfect as it was. I moved the wheelbarrow a bit and angled it a smidge. Everybody loved it, and quite a few of the workshop participants painted it als0. It's so interesting to see the different interpretations of the same subject.

October Clouds (sold)

8x8, oil on canvas panel

I am now the proud owner of a Canon Power Shot. I kept hoping that my old camera, which was also a Power Shot but a different number, would show up. I suppose I have lost it for good.

Meanwhile I have done many plein air paintings in this beautiful fall weather we're having in North Carolina. The one above was painted at my friend Linn's house in Union County. He has so many "good" views that my plein air painting friends and I love. I'll be posting these plein air paintings for the next few weeks. Friday I begin a painting workshop with California artist, Tim Horn.

Painting above on eBay tonight.

It's great to be back!!!!