Double Trouble, 6x6 Inch Acrylic Painting by Kelley MacDonald

"Double Trouble", 6x6 inch original acrylic painting on archival board

$100 & $12 S&H

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So.... it's a warm and sunny Summer morning, and you are out and about, listening to the birds, thinking about the day, and craving a coffee.  So you pull into a coffee shop (which will remain nameless but can be found on every 4th block in Rhode Island, anyway).  And you are just going to get a coffee.  Yes.  Absolutely.  

But... the woman behind the counter brings out a rack of plump puffs of sugar coated soft-as-a baby's-belly donuts oozing jelly... and WAIT.. where is your resolve?  How many do you WANT?  (how many can you fit in your car?) .  OK.  2.  No ... 3   So... 4.  Yes, 4.  And... it kind of makes a one-of-a-kind perfect morning, with enough to share with the dog, the spouse and anyone who might drop by (or the dog, if he can reach the bag).....

Oooops, I Did It Again.... 6x6 inch Acrylic Painting by Kelley MacDonald

"Oooops, I Did It Again..." Acrylic Painting, 6x6 inches

$100 & $12.00 S&H

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So it's finally, finally Spring, when our young hearts turn to thoughts of love and.. jelly donuts!  Those magical, pillowy mouthfuls of sugar and jelly and puffy dough... OOOH!  

I have in mind a whole box of them, of different design.. but I will always start and return to my lovely jellies.  I've been exposed recently to APRICOT jelly donuts.  Devils up in the Quincy area make them and ... well, let me just say it's worth the trip.

Enjoy the milder weather - I think we can put away our snow boots and shovels here in New England.  Breathing in, and breathing out....  thinking of new things to add to my blog!

OH!  Have you seen the GirlsJustWannaPaint pieces for this month?  I think... it may be our best month ever!  Go HERE to view! The topic?  "Looking Up"!

Party Jellies, 6x6 Inch Acrylic Painting by Kelley MacDonald

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I posted this painting on Facebook as a WIP (Work In Progress) and someone said it looked like a 'selfie' taken at a party.  OK, it's a donut party and the jellies are really having a wild time!  :D

I saw on the Dunkin Donuts Facebook page that some shops still carry the 'strawberry filled' jelly donuts of old.  So I wrote to the company to find out which stores, since those donuts really give off a jewel-like drip of jelly (yes, I know how crazy that sounds but here I am, saying it!).  My answer was that they DO NOT KNOW which stores carry it.  (simple enough - which ones do you SHIP the donuts to - they used to be made in the shops, but that was years ago.  Now they are all centrally baked and shipped).  I do, I know, know WAY too much about these donuts!

Point being, if any of you stumble across a Dunkin Donuts in NEW ENGLAND that has Strawberry Filled Jelly Donuts - PLEASE let me know.  kcareymac@hotmail.com.  I will be forever in your debt - and you get a donut painting half off!  :D

Droolworthy, 6x6 inch oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

"Droolworthy" 6x6 Inch Oil on Archival Panel

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Oh, I love these close up portraits of jelly donuts!  I particularly enjoy the jelly part (can you tell?).  Why?  Because it's the biggest challenge (hardest part, yeah..)!  How many layers of light and sweetness can you see?  I use about 7 or 8 colors here, the exact selection honed over about 7 years of painting donuts.  The jelly has layers, and so do the highlights.  In this way it's like painting colored glass.  

So... I just this morning begged my husband to stop at the donut shop after he picked up some dog food.  Nom nom!  But I'm getting in the mood to paint some pets, and I've exhausted my own.  If you would like to send me a head shot of YOUR fur baby or one you know, please do!  NO OBLIGATION, I'm looking for models!  Send them to kcareymac@hotmail.com!  THANKS... from me and.... Paco, who is having a very tough time between the 2+ feet of snow and the bitter cold! :D

This is Paco's "come hither" look...

Chocolate Chocolate Cream ... Plus... oil by Kelley MacDonald

Getting ready for the Hingham Arts Walk THIS weekend.... come SEE the 'wall of donuts' - 35 North Street in Hingham.  Most of these have not been seen by the world yet!  I discovered a true gem of a donut shop in Fall River, this donut is slightly crunchy on the outside, and tender and moist on the inside, PLUS filled with cream AND frosted with chocolate... WOWZA.  Do stop by Page Railsback's studio on Sunday!

Also.... I am endlessly fascinated by other artists' process.  So when I see some (and you should check these guys out) like Karen Appleton and Amy Hillenbrand, I just am mesmerized.  They paint in one location and move on to another... This speaks largely to the whole "my school of painting is the only correct one..." crowd.  You see, in the world of art, there IS no 'correct' method of painting.  Some people start by blocking out masses of shapes, some draw with  pencil first and then work they way methodically across the canvas/board, some draw with paint and lay down the darks firs.....  it's ALL good.  And what happens when you tend to judge is that you miss out on being OPEN and learning new things.  I'm re-inspired.  May just try this type of method soon.  I'll show you.  Although, to be honest, when you try something new, it takes about 6 tries to get it right...

Jelly War, 12x12 inch Framed Acrylic jPainting by Kelley MacDonald

I had so much fun with this painting!  Very contemporary, and framed in a black floater frame (which I am including free - and can be purchased without the frame as well), it was fun from start to finish.  After I painted it a friend said it looked like the jelly donuts had been fighting, and one, well, did better than the other - yes, the Mike Tyson of Jelly Donuts on the lower right ;).

People ask me "Do you prefer Oil or Acrylic paint?"  And my answer, unqualified, is "YES".  When I'm using my oils I sink into their juicy glow.  When I'm going to town with my acrylics I glory in their ability to stay with my plan, even when I change it - they're fun, they're unapologetic, they take to chunky strokes, and can disguise themselves as oil paint.

This gang got a lot of attention at my Open Studio, and I have to say I just love the assortment.  BTW I 'discovered' a new donut shop in Fall River this week.  Look for new, crazy donuts coming up soon.

Jelly Bomb, 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

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Oh MAN, this was the perfect Jelly Donut!  Out of the lineup of plump sweet filled jellies, this one was the star.  And usually I have to do quite a bit of coaxing to get that perfect 'drip', but this one just erupted with that ruby goo!

So, was it coincidence that this painting just 'slid off the brush'?  I think not.  I especially was challenged, but LOVED painting the doughy spot to the left of the jelly - apparently this donut was joined to another and this was the 'tear-spot'.  I thought, at first - "I can't do that!"  I thought about ignoring it... surely I've painted enough of these to know what a non-torn piece looks like!  But then.... ah... I have a little motto... "Do one thing each day that terrifies you..."... so I went for it.  And am happy with the result!

Are you enjoying October?  I HOPE so - it's my favorite month!

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Frosted, 6x6 inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

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Oh, the chocolate does me in!  I will admit!  And SOMETIMES, like this time, I ask them to re-dip the donut in the chocolate.  Evil, I know, but they do it for me!

I promised I'd post the painting I'm giving away this weekend at my Open Studio, so here it is, below:

All you have to do is print and clip the invitation BELOW.  Write your contact information on it and when you stop by my Studio, on the South Coast Open Studio Tour, drop it in the fishbowl.  At the end of the day on Sunday, my assistant will reach in and choose an entry.  I will ship it for free.  Good luck!

Extra Chocolate Frosting, 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 S&H

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LOTS of stuff going on.  Really.  Yesterday's painting was selected as a Daily Paintworks Pick of the Day!  This past weekend I had a couple of paintings in the Pembroke Arts Festival, and I did a donut demo there on Saturday.  Got interviewed on a local cable show there too.  I painted 4 donuts, below:

Today's donut is part of the plethora (now, haven't you always wanted to USE that word?) of donuts I'm painting for this upcoming weekend's Open Studio at my home/studio.  Ah-cha-cha!  The craziness here!  I tell you it's astounding!

If you cut this invitation out and bring it to my Open Studio, write your contact information on the back, because I'm GIVING AWAY a painting if you come because of my blog or my Facebook invitation!  Tomorrow I'll publish the painting I'm giving away.  Gonna be FUN!

Those Luscious Lips, 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

  Oh... those sweeties... and that top one was over-stuffed - don't DO that to me!!!  I have to fight my dog and my husband to get one of these! :)  I had these two picked out while I was in line at Dunkin's.  The lady in front of me acted like she was in STARBUCK's - she had questions about every beverage they carried, and she had a little boy that I was afraid was going to claim these excellent 'models'.  Turns out his 'event' was an in depth discussion about the merits of mixing flavors for a personalized 'Coolatta'  (at this point I have broken out in to a sweat, I felt like a junkie - wanted to place my hand over both their mouths and just beg "Please put the two middle jellies aside for me, OK?".  So, yeah.... I did a very small amount of foot tapping and eye rolling.. and then when it was my turn - don't you know I was 5 cents SHORT?  I had left my bag in the car and only brought in a little cash.  While I debated whether I should just get ONE of them, or neither, the lady who was in front of me reached over and tossed a dollar bill on the pile of money I had.  Yup.  Just like that.  I felt smaller and smaller (hadn't I just rolled my EYES at her?) and then, fortunately a dime fell out of my pocket, so I had it covered, but still.  Put me right back in my place, being patient.  Not judging.  Accepting what the Universe/God/Angles have lined up for me.

And I painted like the WIND when I got home!

Now - one of these days I'm going to do everyone a favor and start a Newsletter.  Yes, Leslie Saeta, I am!  But I want to tell you that NEXT weekend.........

You are all SO invited and would be extremely welcomed!  It's a wonderful Tour.  I can steer you to some of the most amazing artists!  Please introduce yourself (again?) to me, as I am swamped with faces those days... :D

Be Still, My Heart, 6x6 in Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

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In my Challenge Group, the Girls Just Wanna Paint, this month's topic was "Delicious".  I was in a tither here, because this mont I had painted a stack of donuts I loved, a Manhattan and a pair of Martini's - all Delicious to me!  So here we are... the day of the submission... and I sneak up to my easel (supposed to be doing other things, OK?) and THIS happens.

It truly won my heart.  I've painted a LOT of jelly donuts, but this one...  I don't know.  There is something loose and beckoning about it.  The powdered sugar.... the skiddy, drippy jelly with it's deep darks and sparkles.... Yup.  THIS is the most delicious thing I've painted this month!

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit - Happy June!

*I slipped a little doing the cropping - there is a sliver of background on the left side - I'll fix it tomorrow.  Tonight (last night of May) I'm visiting with friends and I don't have to COOK!

Finalists, 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

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Oh, YUM!  Soft, pillowy, sugary sweetness, one on top of the others.  It's like they're the 3 finalists for the Miss Donut Beauty Contest.  It's a real art, you know, coaxing just a dribble of that jelly out.  My family thinks I'm dotty because I first suspend them opening-down to get the jelly to pool in front… then I gently squeeze till just one ruby droplet peeks out - ahhhhhh…. perfect.  Lights… Paints… ACTION!

Raphael, 8x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

This is archangel #2 for a collector who wants 4 archangels  - one for every corner in a very special spa room.  Now she has Ariel, and this one, Raphael.  Two more to come.

I went to Joreen Benbenek's opening at the Pratt Library in Cohasset tonight - fabulous work.  A lot of her paintings were from our Maine trips, although she had wonderful huge paintings of Marshfield landscapes - and a gorgeous Hummarock Beach painting.  It's really a great show, she's very talented and prolific!

It's going to be a jelly donut weekend for me… heh heh heh… so guess what I'll be posting next week! I have a friend running in the Boston Marathon Monday, so I'll hopefully get to see her at the finish line - no painting Monday! 

Anyway - 'hi' to Kathy, who I met in person tonight…. someone who 'gets' the angels… and the donuts!  Great to meet you in person, thanks for the comments on my blog!

Dusted! 6x6 Inch Oil Painting of Jelly Donuts by Kelley MacDonald

Well, here we are, dusted with powdered sugar!  That is ALMOST my favorite part.  The jelly, always, is my favorite.  Same with doing dogs or faces - the eyes.  Because there are so many levels of light and color! So I'll let you know if the collector chose this one or THIS one:

*update* he chose the stack of 3 jellies*

Now, like a lot of artists… I can procrastinate with the best of them!  When I have a deadline I will do almost ANYTHING but work on the piece.  Why?  Why do we do this?  I think because, although it sounded like a good idea at the time, we are wrapped in fear.  FEAR that we will somehow screw it up.  Well, you know, don't you, that the only way to get rid of that fear is to FACE it.  And let Fear know NOT to MESS with YOU.

So… what did I do this morning?  A bad 6x8 selfie:

I was fighting bad brushes and dwindling supplies of paint.  Bad combo. I look really fed up, don't I?

Well, I put down that bad girl and went to the easel (I do the 'selfies' in the bathroom mirror) and finished the sugar on the donut, and finished an Archangel commission, and started another.  *BAM*

Nom Nom Nom! 6x6 Inch Painting by Kelley MacDonald

Eeeeps!  WHO loves their work more than I do?  I will admit this time, that Boston Creme donut got gobbled up soon after the painting was done.  Not my fault.  I had to take not one, but TWO bites to get the creamy filling to show!  (normally I do not even LIKE this type of donut, but when you are very hungry, and have to taste it - twice……)  This is a commission for a Facebook friend who used to share the same building where I had my very first studio.  I hope she likes it.  I certainly had fun doing it!

It is amazing to me how fast time is flying and that the holidays are just around the corner.  

As we age, I guess, the pages of the calendar flip faster.  With that in mind…

Which One Is Yours? 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

$100 & $10 P&S

Click HERE To Purchase

Friday I had the good fortune to be the Artist In Residence at the Furnace Brook School and once again, really enjoyed sharing my painting process with the kids.  I set up two easels and I painted on one, and every middle schooler that WANTED to paint, could on the other one.  

Every year, every single boy asks if they can eat the props.  This year a huge black fly kept alighting on them, but even telling them that, most of them still said they'd eat them.  These days I'd probably go to jail for letting kids eat donuts at school, so I always say "I wish I could, but :D no...."

This day, with all those kids who maybe never put oil paint on a canvas before joining in... is a highlight of my year. Thanks to the Parent-Teacher organization for sponsoring it every single month!

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Always, always a 'story' with me.  I knew there were cosmic reasons to paint something 'light' and frivolous on Sept. 11.  Although I know 2 wonderful people with birthdays today, I seem to be unable to stop bumping into remembrances that bring me down.  That being said - I go out of my way on this day to look for the bright side.  For example:  I pulled into Dunk's this a.m. for my coffee.  And what do I pull up next to?  THIS car, with THIS license plate (jellie)...

So, yes, it made me smile.   And I decided that it was a sign, and I should paint jelly donuts today.  So I went in, rather than driving up, because you can't trust anyone to pick out a nice, round, non-sweaty jelly, can you, but yourself?  And who do I stand next to - as I bought ALL THREE of the last of the jellies?  Yup, Mr. Jellie.  Who is dissolving over my purchase.  I was just about to cave and give up one ... just one, mind you... when the girl at the counter literally squealed, "LOOK!  We have 2 coconut/jelly sticks left!"  "THANK GOD!" He yelled, and happily trotted back to his car.  I was enthralled.

SO.  Here's a bit of the jelly process:

I have such a fun Thursday planned - meeting a Blogger/Facebook friend, and visiting Page Pearson at her Artist Residency in Provincetown.  I will tell you all about it in tomorrow's post AND give you a bit of a surprise twist on the jelly donut painting!!!!  Have a great day!

Box O Donuts, 12x12 inch oil painting by Kelley MacDonald

Ahhhh... We had a session and these were the 'runners up' that didn't get picked for paintings... so I gave them their own 'crowd shot'...  A bit of glare on the photo, but... hey, it's too late now that I've noticed it to take a new photo. I loved painting these donuts - I let myself be a bit more expressive than normal, and you know what?  It felt great!

I am ready!  For the Open Studio this weekend.  I have a number of new paintings, both in the 'Studies At Reasonable Prices' area, and the 'New Work for Shows, etc.' area. :)

I'm so looking forward to seeing everyone!  Good weather is predicted.  Donuts will be available (till they run out!) on Saturday!  Paco, Harry & Isabelle have promised - NO PET DRAMA this weekend!

Sweet! 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

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Well, maybe all these donuts look alike to you... but I guess, like a mother, they look unique to me!  Today I went to not one, but two different donut shops and drove the poor girls crazy selecting the perfect donuts to paint.  I have another Open Studio coming up in 2 weeks, at the South Coast Open Studio Tour for August (the 17th and 18th) and I know for sure I'll have friends from the blog and from Facebook, looking for donuts to satisfy their sweet tooth!  So today was pretty intense!  I did this 6x6, then a 10x10 inch, below.... (this one includes a CREAM and jelly donut... yes, Paco & I took a bite out of this one)

Then, just before cleaning up for the day.... I grabbed a 12x12 inch canvas and belted this one out, below:

This one is not the best photography job.... it's far, far better in person, and if I think to do it I'll re-photograph tomorrow.

Who Took That Bite? 8x8 Inch Oil Painting of Donuts by Kelley MacDonald

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Donut Mania.  Can't explain it.....