Poppies, 6x12 inch Acrylic Painting by Kelley MacDonald

As we drove to and from painting sites during our week in Maine, we were treated to gorgeous displays of poppies.  These, against the deep dark of the woods, were these brilliant glowing flowers! We took so many photos of them and I knew I'd paint them.  One thing I love about this painting is that the woods are not a flat black area, there is depth and branches and trees and all sorts of stuff going on there! A nice, 'tuckable' size, too, 6x12.  

I always see poppies as a hopeful sign, that the cold winter is really really gone, and the flora of summer is on it's way.

Maine Rocks, 6x12 acrylic painting by Kelley MacDonald

NFS

Right about now I'm visiting Pemmaquid Light House.  These rocks were painted with a cast of thousands (felt like) standing behind me.  A big bus load of people emptied out and they thought this was part of the Tour. :)

Well, many left when I painted the whole canvas magenta.  ("She doesn't know what she's doing....")  And the way I painted it, I blocked in huge abstract shapes at first.  Then I went in and added depth, detail, strong values, color.  When I look at this I can hear the pounding of the tide on the rocks.  Yes, Maine Rocks. xo

Oh, Honey!, 6x12 Acrylic Painting by Kelley MacDonald

Right now I'm on my yearly painting retreat in Maine.  7 days of art - IMAGINE!  We only have to worry about what's for dinner one night each, and we do housekeeping the morning we leave.  It's a love fest, and a week of intense sharing of news in the art world, techniques, art history and ideas.  

On the road to the nearest lighthouse is a beekeeper who sells her wares from her porch.  She lines up different sized jars with a 'honey bee bear' on the railing.  Against the house are the butterflies she makes and sells.  I look forward to this still life every year. And the light coming through that honey - BAM!

The Way Maine Makes Me Feel, 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

Perfect blue sky, gentle breeze, deep blue ocean... lone island against a far shore.....  shell pink horizon... one tiny puffy cloud.

Slight wind... two, no three more puffy clouds, still small.... then more... then larger, heavier, plump and luscious clouds..... wind picks up... water unsettled...

Then GUSTs of wind.. a parade of chunky clouds, water flipped by the wind that picks up my palette and throws it facedown on the rock bound coast of Maine.....  the growth of a Maine morning....

Laughter of fellow painter....  another rushes with paper towels, scramble to save the tubes of paint skittering away into the crevices... a decision to save the rest of the painting for another day, when the scent of the ocean is a vague memory and the visual of the army of clouds bringing flinging breath disrupting my efforts..... *love* Maine.

Farmhouse Bedroom, 6x8 Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H

Click HERE To Purchase

In a little coastal town in Maine, a group of artists gather every June.  Photographers, pastellists, oil painters, acrylic and watercolor - all sorts of art gets made.  Wonderful food is prepared and devoured.  Wine selected by an artist's husband (who really knows his stuff) and beer and cocktails.... all enjoyed daily.  The breeze floats right up from the cove, flutters the old fashioned sheer panel curtains... the quiet is so profound it's hard to get to sleep the first night.  All the beds are old and comfy, and when sleep does come you are truly in dreamland... until.... the lobstermen launch their boats - then we are privy to some very colorful language!

This big farmhouse is a haven for us.  We talk late in to the night about our lives, our art, our struggles, our successes.  We follow the progress of each others' work, year to year, as well as how all our kids are doing, our spouses, our houses and gardens.

AND we paint!  Morning, noon and night!  

A couple of larger pieces did not make it in here, but this is the bulk of all of our paintings!

Little Red Dory, 8x10 Acrylic Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$250 & $10 S&H

Click HERE To Purchase

Ever notice how first thing in the morning the water is like glass, only tiny ripples, and it reflects the sky so perfectly?  My favorite time of the day - oops, except sunset!  Anyway there are a few dories around here that sit so gloriously on the water at that time of day, it makes me almost compelled to get in, row off to my nice big sailboat (which, ahem, I do not actually have) and spend the day gliding through life.  This one is an 8x10, on a panel, and will pop into a ready-made frame.

So!  I couldn't resist taking another stab at the TURQUOISE Dory!  I basically punched up some colors, quieted down other colors, and added a small bit of detail to the lobster trap, and weeds. 

Romance, 8x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

SOLD

There was a wedding at the Providence Art Club, and every table had a gorgeous silver vessel overflowing with old fashioned roses in whites and pinks.... perfection. ( The painting is so hard to photograph!)  But I love the little petals that fell around the base of the pitcher, and the reflections  too!

I'm about to delve into a week of painting in Maine with some buddies.  I look forward to this all year.  I may not be able to post, but I'll try.  A farmhouse on the water, filled with talented, generous, funny women - a whole week of just art, laughter and fabulous dinners - I'll think of you all!

Honey Honey Honey Bear, 6x12 Inch Acrylic Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$175 & $10 S&H

Email me HERE for a Paypal Invoice

It's no secret that I love Maine, and it's not only for the ocean.  I've got ocean.  It's for the fresh, straightforward, simple, way it has about it.  On the way to Pemaquid Lighthouse there's a little house that stacks jars of honey (and a 'honey' bear) on their porch railing.  I look for it every year, and last year I bought some of their delicious honey.

I gave myself one hour to paint this.  One of my favorite memories of my friend/teacher Ros Farbush was her response to people asking "How long did it take you to paint this?"  She would say "65 years plus three hours."  (or whatever it took)  Because every painting is a building block - a learning session.  

I was waiting for dough to rise for pizza tonight and as soon as I popped the dough bowl in the warmed oven I ran for my paints.  My photo reference was perfect, although sometimes it's better if it's not.  I truly let myself go on autopilot and just remembered the sights, the smells, the feel of the air against my skin, the happy days and nights with fun and talented artist friends... and let it rip.

Listening To The Heartbeat Of The Sea, 8x8 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

This painting is in response to the Challenge of our Girls Just Wanna Paint group.  The topic was a line from an e.e. cummings poem.

maggie and milly and molly and may

  by E. E. Cummings

             

maggie and milly and molly and may 
went down to the beach(to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang 
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,and

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing 
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

may came home with a smooth round stone 
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me) 
it's always ourselves we find in the sea

-

"For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), it's always ourselves we find in the sea...." I myself am always drawn to the water, be it a stream, pond, ocean, pool, etc.  I stand at the ocean's edge and feel my heartbeat sync to the lapping of the waves.  I feel like I can find the solution to any problem there, and that in the end, it will all be OK.  This couple must feel the same way.  In Maine lots of people walk out on to the rocks, as in this painting, and sit and just experience the deep, cool, peace of the water's edge.  This painting, as well as the others posted today on our blog, will be shown at our show at the Thayer Academy gallery mid November - December.  Please plan to stop by! 

The Oil House, 6x6 Inch Oil Plein Air Painting by Kelley MacDonald

SOLD

Better than a scrapbook, better than a photo, having my plein air paintings from different trips bring me right back to that location.  I spent a blissful day painting at the Pemaquid Light House last week.  For $2, I got to park, wander, paint, check out the lighthouse  station, 2 outbuildings, see a an art show, use the restrooms, get food from the cafe next door and have a picnic.

I also met LOTS of nice people.  There was a watercolor workshop next door with Skip Lawrence - really!  And the participants wandered over and spoke to me - two gals from Montreal and I had a great long discussion of workshops in general, and abstraction, mediums, etc... I await their friend requests on Facebook ;)

Blue Boat, 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

This was, I think, the first plein air painting done this trip in Maine.   The first morning there I decided to do the obligatory 'boat painting'.  I mean, we were in Maine, right?  But boats are notorious.  They spin with the wind, they drive away, they get filled up with lobster traps as you look... but right off the bat I felt I had nailed the boat and reflections.  I was packing up my brushes and I heard a motor start up and, you guessed it.... this blue boat drove off!  I think I might paint this in a much larger format - or do you think it would be too much 'boat'?

Hanna's, 11x14 inch Acrylic Painting by Kelley MacDonald

Been off 'the grid' for a week, as it was my yearly trip to Maine with the South Shore girls.  This year we had phenomenal weather, not that it really matters to us - in case of rain or fog we just set up our easels inside and do interiors, or still life!  

We stay in a big farmhouse at the edge of a cove.  Mornings we wake early (I think every one of us saw 4:58 at least once) because the light is so intense, and we grab our morning beverage of choice and either pad down to the dock and listen to the water lap and the fishermen get ready for their day or we park ourselves on the rockers on the large porch and read or sketch.  Then we start in earnest.... someone found a field of buttercups not to be missed, someone wants to paint the rocks at the point, or the lupines growing almost everywhere.  Everyone is considerate and kind, and we enjoy fabulous food (we each cook one night) and icy beverages (my specialty was Cosmos) and watch the rosy sky, talking about art, families, our struggles and joys.... and THIS week Sally Dean Mello and I cracked the code for using the DVD player, so we watched movies at night.

This painting was done with Sally and Peggy Farrell Bruno and it was my favorite from the week. Please check out their blogs, as well, I think you'll like what you see! After 4 days of plein air painting (boats, crashing waves, still life on the porch, landscapes, etc.) I FINALLY relaxed.  

I'm grateful for this annual trip.  It re-sets my clock.  Takes down my blood pressure.  Gets me to really reflect on a lot of things.  I am simply, now, a Maine-iac.  And I love it!

AAaaaand this year we went to Maine earlier, so I could be with my husband on our anniversary (#36), which is the 24th! 

Cocktails For Two!, 8x10 inch oil painting by Kelley MacDonald

8x10 inches

$200 & $10 S&H

Click HERE To Purchase

In my painting classes last week we had a 'cocktail party', and I was totally inspired by the colors and set ups that my students selected.  So I thought - I MUST have something to celebrate, and it will come to me as I paint.  So... *tick*tick*tick* (time going by)... I found out my painting Maine Chicks won an Honorable Mention at the upcoming North River Arts Festival.  I'm honored just to get IN that show!  So... Cheers! (And yes, I ate 2 cherries just setting this up...)

(and even though I always HATE to put a $200 price on a Daily Painting, this is 8x10, and that is a fraction of what it will go for at the gallery - if it doesn't sell this week, it goes on the Art Stable Gallery walls!)

Here's the little Maine Chicks...

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....

Christmas Cove, 20x24, Original Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

This painting was inspired by a visit to Christmas Cove (Bristol?) Maine, on my recent trip.  I love the pine trees clinging to the rocks, with barely a toe hold on a small grassy area.  Off to the right is the passage, by larger islands, to the open ocean.  Reminds me of 'kick back time', and Maine's motto, "The Way Life Should Be..."  What's not to love?

This painting is hanging at The Art Stable Gallery in Westport, MA - which, BTW has tons of new work hanging - I must say it's a great summer to be in that gallery!

Go, Ebony!!,12x12 Inch Original Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

THANK you everyone for your wonderful response to yesterday's painting!  This is #2 in the series of 3 paintings.  I'll include a video below of an actual jump - video taken by my friend Sally's with her PHONE :D.

There's just something about these retrievers.  They love having this task, and doing so well at it.  They truly reacted to the cheers of the crowd, and I can only imagine how great it felt to swim on that warm day!  This painting, as well, is at the Art Stable Gallery, 865 Main Road, Westport, MA.

I'm trying to keep them nice and loose, and about the movement and the 'doggieness' of them.  Have fun watching the video!

Good Dog, Bailey!, 12x12 Original Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

"Good Dog, Bailey!"

On our way to our painting retreat in Maine last month, my buddy Sally Dean Mello and I pulled off the highway to take a break.  In a shopping center parking lot there was this huge tank of water with a ramp, and a lot of dogs (mostly, but not all, retriever types) in line.  Turns out it was some kind of competition for the dogs to run and leap as far as they could, pick up their toy that had been tossed, and swim back.  To say that these dogs had a blast was an understatement.  They could NOT get their turn again soon enough!  I've gotten 2 of my 3 painted, on 12x12 gallery wrapped (no need for frames) canvases.  They are now at the Art Stable Gallery at 835 Main Road in Westport, MA.  

The South Coast Open Studio Tour for July (I'm doing the August tour at my house and I would LOVE to see you!) happens all around our gallery.  Here's what I suggest, on this lovely weekend.  Stop by the gallery around lunchtime.  The shop next door, called Partners Village Store, has fabulous lobster rolls, $19, and worth every penny, with fresh local lobster, and a lovely patio to eat on right in front of the gallery!!!!  Now, here's the tip:  call your sandwich order in ahead (they also have great ham, turkey and veggie sandwiches) because it's a half hour wait.  Then come, devour, and stop in to the Gallery.  I'm going to try to be there around lunchtime at least on Saturday.  I'd be so happy to meet you!   Anyway, clicking on the link HERE, will get you the downloadable Tour Guide.  Email me if you'd like the insider's guide to some really cool artists....

And a *shout out* to Margaret - (friend of Maria Hock's!) for stopping in the gallery last week while I was there.... SO great to meet you!

Christmas Cove, Maine, 8x8 Inches, Oil

This is a painting done from a study I did in Maine at Christmas cove.  Lovely, lovely place.  This painting has lots of thick paint, which is giving off a bit of glare.  This 8x8 inch piece is done on cradled panel - so frame or don't if you want a more contemporary look.  While the painting is scheduled to hang at the Holiday Show at Nest in Dedham, if you would like it you can email me at kcareymac@hotmail.com, and purchase it through me.  The price is $200, and it is wired and ready to hang.  Shipping would be $10.

AND... I thought I had showed you before, when in Hilton Head with Karin Jurick's workshop,  but here it is... Rhode Island Red Chickens, also in Maine last summer.  My pal Jody and I were a little lost, and we went down a road that got smaller and smaller - and we passed this: 

NFS

I am BUSY making my famous meatballs for FRIDAY night!  There is talk on the internet of various BLOGGERS planning to invade the Girls Just Wanna Paint Opening at the James Library!

6-9!  Let's see if Georgia and Virginia make a showing....

Old Friends, 6x6 Inches, Oil

$100 & $10 S&H

Now home from my Karin J's workshop, I'm alone and on my own in my studio.  YIKES.  Ok, I'm remembering what she talked about. I can do this!   I've got my own photos.  This one was from a painting trip to Maine -(remember, Jody?) where we painted at Pemmaquid Light(house).  These 2 women sat on a bench with a fabulous view of the ocean and rocks below.  They were traveling companions, and very comfortable with each other.  I liked the way the one on the right leans in...  Sadly, I think I actually own the same hat as the lady on the left.  :O

On Saturday and Sunday Nov. 12 and 13, at the famous North River Arts Society's Holiday Sale there is a 'Stage Sale' for larger, more 'significant' paintings.  Every artist can put in one painting.  This one is the one I submitted, below.  

Magical Moonlit Evening 12x16

And here I'd like to say 'hi' to Amber - who I met at the drop-off - thank you for supporting my blog!  I truly appreciate it!

Bristol Swing Bridge, 8x10, Oil

NFS

This was my favorite painting done on location in Maine last week.  It is in South Bristol, I believe, and it is at the location of a tiny Swing Bridge (the whole piece of road spins around like a top to let the boats go by), and in a couple of years from now it will be a drawbridge, as all the Swing Bridges in Maine are slated for replacement.   If you know who Connie Hays is, I think she painted in this area, too.  I was very disciplined about using my new viewfinder with grid lines - as there was so much I wanted to include, plus the wind-y road and the house on the hillside.... it made it so much easier!  

I enhanced the colors on the houses and road, because... well, because I wanted to.  I, at this point in Maine, started feeling freer.  It has continued and expanded since I've come home.  When I show you the first painting I did in my studio when I got back I'm sure each and every one of you will say "Wait.... WHO is this person who painted this???"  And I'm having a walloping good time doing it, that's what I'll say!