Strength, 4x4 Inches, Oil Painting

$65 & $10 S&H

For the Girls Just Wanna Paint Challenge for October, our charge was to paint "Hat"!  Hard, for me, as I don't usually wear, or like, hats.  Then I remembered my favorite photos of my Dad growing up were of him in his uniform.  I always thought he was so handsome, particularly in his policeman uniform.  Well, I couldn't find the photo of him, but this is very similar.  As a cop's daughter we knew every evening when we kissed him goodbye (night shift) there was every chance he'd be in harm's way that night.  He was strong and brave and a good role model for our whole family, and we were very proud of him, and that uniform.  

Check out our paintings for the Challenge HERE!  

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Happy Halloween everyone!  I've been unable to post because of Hurricane Sandy, and I hope you are all safe and intact.  My heart goes out to those NY, NJ, and CT people who were hit hard.  We keep them in our prayers.

This is my little orange boy Harry.  I painted him all morning and then wiped it off.  This was try #2.  I think I need to study the animals and paint them more.  Thinking of challenging myself here.  I've got two cats.  I have one dog and know lots of other people who would let me paint their pets for practice.

Harry is a wonderful pet (to me) and I tell him he's the handsomest cat in the world, but actually he has very small eyes for a cat.  Odd, huh?  So, like people, some cats have larger or smaller features, longer noses, rounder heads, etc.  I think painting them will exercise my 'eye'.  Now... it being Halloween, please keep your kitties inside today and tonight.  Better safe than sorry!

$100 & $10 S&H

It's Monday!  Time for a a Santa Fe Fling with my friend Pam Holnback!  Another Santa Fe Door - in red, for me... with a cross-shaped window that reflected the perfect Santa Fe sky...  and here's Pam's, below:

I think she did a great job!  

We had such a great time at the workshop, really delving deep into painting reflections, and spending time with such phenomenal artists and friends~!

Now... off to fight a hurricane..(Sandy!)

Isn't Life Good? Painting Commission by Kelley MacDonald

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This 6x6 inch painting was done for a fellow artist from South Coast Artists!  She loves the Life Is Good slogan and attitude, and I'm all for that!  I hope she likes it, and that it doesn't cause her lovely daughter to ask for donuts too often!  

This Sunday (today) I will be at the (Art Stable) Gallery, doing my stint as a "Gallarina", and I will be painting while I'm there.  I think, maybe, if you are out getting batteries and potato chips to insulate you from Hurricane Sandy you should stop by and say 'hi'.  I always love to see a friendly face!

I hope every one of you is spared Sandy's wrath.  They are talking about a 30 foot storm surge - and that's what took out the Stone Bridge by my house - in '38.  Be ready for the worst, and hope for the best. 

:)

Three Kings Of Cocktails, 6x6 Inch Original Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

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This wraps up the week's cocktail offerings!  Now.. TGIF and, as my Dad used to joke.. "Pick your choose.." (honestly he seemed to memorize every odd turn of phrase he heard).. it meant 'take your choice'.  I like all the blues and greens... no matter what's inside!

So... no matter what's going on in the world, one thing remains unchanging... friendships... so let's toast to that today, huh?

Silver Day, 8x6 Inches, Original Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H

Some days on the coast of New England, the sky and the water are silver/blue.  The world seems bright, but not colorful, as it does on gray days.  I did this painting from a photo I took on my painting trip to Maine this Summer.  It is painted on a canvas board, and usually I paint on Gessobord.  Gessobord has no texture, so it was a challenge to paint, and to photograph, because of the way the light catches the warp and weave of the canvas.  Anyway I love the pine trees standing sentry in front of the houses.  And the rocky coastline.  So Mainey....

SKYY Martini, 6x6 Inch Original Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H

I just love the cobalt blue bottle of SKYY Vodka!  Add those 3 little olives ready to just get popped in your mouth, and it's a win-win!  Always on the hunt for colored bottles, so if you hear of or see any... let me know!  In the meantime.... cheers!

I just heard on TV that letting your dog kiss you on the lips can be dangerous - and people have gotten some horrible diseases that way.  My question is.... I have had dogs almost all my life - never was this a problem.  Now I have THIS guy...

and all I can say is... he's a lover, not a fighter, but his kisses ALWAYS land.  And I believe his name is actually Pierre, if you catch my drift.  Gross.  I know.  I DON'T ASK FOR THIS. 

But he's stealthy.

Santa Fe Fling - Doors Of Santa Fe 5x7 Inch Original Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H

In the Fall of 2008 I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop held by Carol Marine in Santa Fe, NM.  The class was wonderful, and aside from the valuable lessons we learned from Carol, the group of students really clicked and decided to get together every 2 years or so for another painting adventure.  This Fall we had an Advanced Workshop with Carol, again in Santa Fe - about a half dozen in this class were from the original group, and the 'new' people were every bit as awesome as we could have hoped for.  More enduring friendships have begun!

Well, my friend Pam Holnback from the 'original' group and I seemed to share a fascination with the doors of Santa Fe, and we have decided to make Mondays a Santa Fe Fling Day.  We will be painting doors and boots and possibly other things - on Mondays, for our own, and hopefully your enjoyment.  You'll love Pam's posts because after teaching for her whole adult life she knows just how to make almost any new topic fascinating!

Now... I want to THANK everyone who stopped by the Hingham Arts Walk today.  Boy, oh, boy, is it  fun to meet people who 'know me' already through my blog.  It is such a pleasure to meet you in person!  Bad photo, but my table is below...

Vodka and Bitter Lemon, 6x6 Inch Original Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H

A really cool drink, and not too sweet (but certainly not bitter, as the label describes) is Vodka and Bitter Lemon over ice.  Kind of like lemonade only bright and lemony- -very refreshing!  Having fun with my glass in the SKYY vodka and the bitter lemon bottles (yes, bitter lemon is carbonated), and then there's the infernal lemon!  I find yellow anything a challenge to paint for some reason - and to also have light pouring through the fluid filled fruit is enough to make you crazy some days!  You see, the 'white' of the lemon is DARKER than the light filled fruit (lit from the side).  I love making myself crazy with this stuff.

And if you're around, I'm just mentioning it again, I'll be in the Framing Concepts (105 South Street) in Hingham from 12-4 on Sunday. Come to the virtual cocktail party!  And, yes, I have 3 new jelly donut paintings I'm bringing!  YAY Hingham Arts Walk!

ZOOM A Little Jelly!, 6x6 Inch Original Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H

This is one of the jellies that will be making it's debut at the Hingham Arts Walk 

with me.  I will be at Framing Concepts, 105 South Street from 12-4.  Be sure to stop by!  This jelly will be joined by a couple of other new jellies as well as new cocktail paintings!  Hingham is my old stomping grounds, and I am really looking forward to seeing a lot of familiar faces.

Tonight I was honored to attend the Opening of the South County Art Association in Kingston, RI and receive 1st Prize for my painting "Shall We Cross The Road?"  It was a great show and the people I met were wonderful!  The show runs through November 10.

I Couldn't Resist Carmel! 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H

Those little Goetze's carmels - for me, they should be banned.  My middle son and I could make short work of a bag of them.  Something about the creamy center and the chewy carmel - *sigh*!

I said I have a donut painting for you and I do - three of them actually!  But I forgot my camera at home and when I left the studio due to an 'art injury' (too much painting - aching shoulder!) I completely forgot the donut painting!  Good news, if you live in the Boston area - I'll be at Framing Concepts (105 South Street) in Hingham on Sunday for the Hingham Arts Walk - from 12-4 and I'll have them with me - so you can see them all together.  Also - my new cocktail series!  There are so many fun artists going to be there, it's a 'should-go' event!  I hope to see you there - stop in and say hello!

This Bud's For You.... 6x6 Inch Original Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H

Another painting for the Holiday rush!  I had a lot of fun with the distortion of the 2nd bottle in the glass.  Now... some folk (my husband) like their beer out of a nice glass.  Others (moi, for the one beer a year I drink) like it right out of a cold bottle.  You?

I loved examining the reflective surface that I put the beer and the glass on - its a classic case (thank you Carol Marine) of painting exactly what you see.  NOT what you know!

Can you stand a couple more of these alcohol-themed paintings?  Cause after this I'm heading into donut land, and THEN a surprise on Monday (hint:  it's based on my recent trip to Santa Fe...)

Waiting For Tonic, 6x6 Inch Original Oil Painting By Kelley MacDonald

6x6 Inches, Oil

First, let me just say that if you haven't tried Hendrick's Gin.... y'oughta!

This weekend marked the (belated) push for the Little Picture Shows.  I can hardly believe how many I've committed to.  This weekend I did 4 'cocktail' type paintings.  My first thought is to do 3 cocktail and 3 donut paintings for the Providence Art Club Little Picture Show, like last year.

Since taking Carol Marine's Advanced Workshop a couple of weeks ago I'm all excited to do glass and reflective surfaces... so look forward to more!

Also - as a balm to our hectic world, with all our anxieties and conflicts (think politics - and then DON'T think politics...)  I offer to you a recent sunset from my front porch.  Maybe someday I'll get brave enough to tackle them again!

Reflecting On Reflections

Today, our last workshop day, was about reflections.  All kinds of reflections.  Carol did a wonderful demo, and then did her raffle where people could buy her demo's - always a fun part of the workshop.  If there was a word to describe my fellow students here, besides 'talented', which they overwhelmingly are (a little intimidating really) is 'warm'.  By the end of the week, it felt like family.  Indeed we shared so much information about our painting lives AND family lives, we all felt like OLD friends by the end.  

We felt totally cared for and were in a safe, comfortable and comforting environment, and the food was so good (and vegan, or gluten free or anything-you-need-free) that the photography students took photos of it.  Well, our class started it, I'm just going to say that...

The courtyard had beautiful statuary and fountains and gardens.  There were walking trails behind our building.  No.  I did not take advantage of those, and, by the fit of my jeans I think I should have....

And to top it all off, Nancy Hartley's husband Brian, brought each of us a beautiful rose at the end of the workshop.   Besides being the person who tackled the division of the dinner bill each night, he was our go-to-guy for medical advice concerning scary rashes, and Chief Advisor for choosing our nightly feasts.  Thank you to Nancy for all her hard work setting up the workshop, and to her and Brian for opening their home on the first night here to welcome us!

Santa Fe'in....

I've been in wi-fi 'lockdown' since I got to Santa Fe. For some reason our side of the building does not have working wi-fi.  's OK.  I'm loving it here.  Loving the scenery, loving spending time working with Carol Marine, and having fun with her and the 'super group' we've gathered here in the hills around Santa Fe.  We're practicing painting white, painting metals, painting bigger, painting glass, and reflections.  The group, who are painters who have painted with her before, for the most part, just give ourselves over and keep an open mind about learning.  

Don't believe the rumor that I TRIED to set the room on fire.  It was small, and the wall-to-wall rug was completely covered with thick plastic sheeting that was REALLY easy to melt.  So, in the words of Mary Sheehan Winn, I also cannot be trusted with Clamp lights (begins with 'c' so fits in her theory), and of Kathy Cousart (nobody was keeping an eye on me...) we all survived... the people who run the school and the monastery are very understanding..... and here, below, is an evening shot...

AND some man who was at the beach last week when I was walking Paco was intrigued by his wrinkly forehead.  "Is he worried?"  he asked.  "Well, yes,"  I said "about everything... and nothing..."  and this man just found my email address somehow and mailed me this cutie photo of Paco (whom I miss very much!)