Every One A Memory, 5x7 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

Happy New Year Everyone!

Time to put the ornaments, candles and garlands away and get on with 2015.

Let's hope this year simply sparkles for each one of you!  I loved painting this because of the challenge each glass ornament provided.  And yes, the highlights on the gold one in the middle DID look like a smiley face!

Breathe in... breathe out...  face each day with an open mind, and know that the people who love you will continue to love you, no matter how close (or not) you come to the goals you set.  Me?  I'm just going to choose faith and hope, rather than goals this year.  Let's see where that takes me.

Little Snow Bear 8x6 Inches, Oil Painting of Stuffed Polar Bear

$100 & $10 S&H

The holidays (oooops, I meant Holidays) are a time when I feel very sentimental.  I love all the decorated homes and the lights on the trees.  I remember as a child my parents driving all through town to see the lights with me, and my mother teaching me to sing Christmas carols with her (in harmony, OK?).  So after my Mom passed away 16 years ago my Dad used to have me spend a day with him every week, and we'd just do stuff together.  The first Christmas we were ordering a floral gift for one of his friends and I spied this little stuffed polar bear at the florist's of all places - I LOVED him!  And, of course, my Dad bought him for me.  I left him 'out' in the living room for 2 years straight.  He looked All-Season to me!  Well, now, to protect him, I wrap him up in January (OK, March) and put him with the Christmas decorations.  It always makes me so happy to see him when I start to get the Holiday spirit!

Pinky Tree, 5x7 Inches, Acrylic

GIVEAWAY!

This little tree is a gift from me to you:  it's not the last giveaway this month, but it will be the first.  I have this little clear snow globe tree - that turns color when it is switched on.  Pink, lavender, blue, green, yellow, orange and red... then back to white.  It's lit from inside at the bottom, and I love to sit and watch it change colors!

OK, to win this  - simply be a 'subscriber' to my blog:  that is, sign up for email posts in your Inbox!  The box on the top right of my blog is where you sign up.  If you hit 'reply' from a post from now to Friday, December 16 - and shoot me an email saying "I'm a subscriber - I would love the Pinky Tree!" I'll enter you in the giveaway.  I'll notify you by email, and let everyone know who won (free shipping, too) on Saturday.  Good luck!!!

Snow Globe With Santa And Snowman, 6x8 inches, Oil

$100 & $10 S&H

My annual obsession with Holiday trinkets - starts here with this snow globe.  I have a number of them, so I have a few coming up!  Things are so busy this time of year, aren't they?  I'm happily working on a few commissions, humming holiday music (yes, I think you CAN call it Holiday music, because there are many albums with no words..).

All the while I'm working on my website, Imagekind, Picnik, etc. etc... expanding my knowledge base - at this rate my brain will be SO fit! :D  

Three LIttle Kisses, 6x6 Inches, Oil

SOLD

This painting is on display at that very cool shop in Dedham for the Holiday Season.  622 High Street.  Better than the mall, for sure, although I do love Legacy Place.  Every year I paint little kisses.  I love the challenge of the foil reflections!  And, if you have read my blog  awhile, you know I love to paint the words "Kisses" on the little papers.  It's the little things in life that 'make it', you know? ;D

I hope you are all enjoying this pre-holiday time as I am.  I love the lights, the glitter, the Hope, the Anticipation... 

Pepe's Pizza, Original 8x8 Inch Painting by Kelley MacDonald

SOLD

I can't even believe I forgot to photograph this when it was finished.  This was a commission that was due about two months ago and I finally dropped it off December 23rd.  AND to top it all off I forgot to photograph the finished piece!

It was a crazy day... I was also dropping off my 24x48 inch commission of the Provincetown Pier - yup, forgot to take that photo, too.... And I had on the first new coat I've had in FIFTEEN years, and guess what - it was WHITE.  And I got blue 'sky' all over the right side and arm.  The coat wasn't even 2 weeks old!

My buddy Nancy Colella was right - crazy for an artist to buy a white coat!

Anyway, THIS painting was so fun to do - it was a loving gift from a wife to her husband, and it had his favorite 'pizza' food - Pepe's Pizza from New Haven, CT  (if you haven't gone, it's worth the ride, believe me), and Faxon Park Soda (also a New Haven treat) and clam-shaped Italian pastries - which can be purchased within walking distance of Pepe's.

My husband and I took a drive there and had a wonderful lunch - and got the soda and pastries.  

I got an email yesterday saying the recipient loved it, and there he is, on Facebook, with the Pepe's baseball cap on, holding the pizza painting, which was in a pizza box.

Made my day...

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday!

Holiday Greens Plus

I began this painting the day I did a demo for an art association, and did the same subject for them.  It's so different when I can control the light, have unlimited time, and there are no questions to answer!  I was able to make a more finished piece.  The demo I did for the East Greenwich folk is below:

I just couldn't do things like the ribbon in the time it took to do the demo, answer questions, explain about blogging - as it was I put the poor woman right in front of me to SLEEP!  Riveting, that's me! ;)

Penguin Snow Globe, 6x6, Oil

Penguin Snow Globe, 6x6

$100 + $10 S&H via Paypal

I had a painting of the last (really!) rose from the garden, but at the last minute decided not to post it because I really think I need to work on 'roses'. The vase was OK, but the flower was not as rich in color as in real life, and I could see a real struggle with the petals.

THIS little guy, however, just sprang onto the board. I must really like painting little toys and such, you know? Anyway, just wondering... do you guys think I talk too much in my posts, and include information/subjects that are too personal? I'm thinking of applying (again!) to the Daily Painters.com. And I think my work ranks high enough to get in this time, but you never know what they'll reject you for. Just give me your honest opinion in the Comments section. I definitely can take it. And maybe I should reserve the more personal stuff for my 'Studio' blog, no?

YUM! 6x6, Oil

YUM!, 6x6

$100 + $10 S&H via Paypal

This is the last of the goodies from Allie's donuts! And I don't even know if it was TASTY, because it 'waited' it's turn at the studio.... so it was a few days old when I attempted it. Although I have to tell you, a little while under that light, and the studio smelled like someone was baking a cake! horrors! Sorry for the glare. And yesterday morning I woke up to the most beautiful morning.... view from my bed below! Now, just disregard those electrical wires, will you? It was such a soft blue with pinky light at the horizon. OK. I'm taking a couple of days 'off' at the end of this week to re-structure my email subscriber group. I'll try, but man, at this time of the year it's 'get-together' time!

Snowman Fun! 5x7 Oil

Snowman Fun, 5x7

$100 +$10 S&H via Paypal

Today I had a lot of fun in the studio. Paco was being the BEST studio friend, and things were just 'working' with the paintings, you know? I heard that we may get snow - and although I don't really believe it ( I mean I was wearing no jacket, just a sweater today), I thought I'd celebrate by painting this little guy. He 'walks' when you wind him up. Fun!

Candy Canes, Acrylic 8x8

My oldest son loves plain old peppermint candy canes (yes, he's 29.... so what?) so in addition to putting a bunch on the tree I like to have a jar of them hanging around during the holidays. This year I popped a bunch of matte red glass balls in the middle of them. Yesterday I had some time to myself (everyone gone home or visiting or napping) and I set up my acrylics, which I haven't really used much since my Carol Marine workshop, and went at them. The red is more vivid in real life. I like doing holiday themed little paintings, because who cares if they don't sell? I just prop them up in every room and it makes everything a little more festive! And it's good exercise for your eyes - when I would normally, at this point, with a bit of quiet in the house, just head for a comfy chair with tea and my "Splanket" (my daughter bought them for the whole family - we look like a monastery:)!) instead I take this hour or so and measure, measure, measure - value, drawing, color... so it's kind of like going to the gym for your creative self!

I hope everyone had a peaceful holiday. I just may get around to sending out my holiday cards this weekend. We'll see! ;0

Holiday Kiss, 6x6 Oil

This is $100 through Paypal - just email me if interested.
I had a terrible time photographing this. The green is prettier in person. The background is darker, too - but the glare was impossible to get rid of! I know I'll be sorry I bought a bag of these things - but I need them for my Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies - next week is 'Cookie Week' where I drop everything and make something like 38 dozen cookies to give as gifts. Today I strung some colored lights in my studio, but I still have to dig out the Christmas music (I'm the sort of person who has to be told in Feb. "It's annoying everyone else to listen to Christmas music in February...") and I try to keep it to December, but next thing I know it's months later. When we split our time between Hull and Tiverton, during the hour car ride my cat Isabelle would only settle down if I had Vince Gill's Christmas CD on (I played it for her till May) - yeah, I know, Vince Gill? But we did experiments and she cried with any other CD.

OK - just a reminder - FRIDAY's POST will be FREE to the first subscriber who emails me!

Snowman, 6x8 Oil

This is a little plastic snowman (a la Christmas Tree Shoppes) that has been hiding in plain sight in my bookcase waiting for the Holidays. I'm not putting him on ebay, so if you're interested just email me, at kareymac@hotmail.com. Kind of tonal, but fun to paint~

Santa Snow Globe, 6x6 Oil

Reserved

Click To Bid

Uh-HUH! The stores are all decked out for Christmas already! I went in to pick up a presciption and CVS was completely Christmas-ed. So this little guy was 99 cents, and I said to myself - I wonder how I'd paint THAT.... and the next thing I knew he was standing in the spotlight in my studio just DARING me to paint him! So it's a bit early for the holidays, but I'll probably be tired of all that by December anyway! The inside of the globe was a challenge, but not as much as I'd feared (of course that depends on if you think it succeeded!), and the little pink and green sparkles were fun - I had some fancy smancy paint - I think it was Daniel Green brand - that was 'radiant', in magenta and green, and honestly, I've never found another place for them! I'm just having fun today!

Nutcracker, Holiday Cup

This cup would be my ideal mug from Coastal Roasters for the Holidays. Notice the two little peanut butter/hershey kiss cookies for Santa...

This nutcracker is the only nod to the Season in my house so far. I never nocticed how the teeth on these nutcrackers remind me of the Bog Man's teeth! He could probably crack nuts with them, too!