Scotch, I Mean Butterscotch, 6x6 Inch Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

These little sweeties are going to be in the Valentine show at the James Library in Norwell, MA.  I'll have 4 candy paintings and hopefully they'll make someone's sweet tooth smile!

I did this as a demo for my Saturday Class, which is fun in very many ways, and will be a mix of people who can commit to the 8 weeks, and those who can't and just drop in.  We're going over the basics, which everybody can benefit from, right, from time to time?

Today was "Composition Day" and we talked about things to avoid, and had, I thought, a simple subject - candies.  What I hadn't thought about was 1) my students are artists in other mediums and were thinking about values, edges, color, etc. etc.... ACK!  I thought candies were just shapes.. but they also had cellophane, and at least 2 levels of highlights...  Well, they did just great, even with all those other concerns!  Happy, happy day.

Sunday Donuts, Dunkin Donuts, 5x7 Inches, Oil

SOLD

Here we are, truce over, in the Donut War with Susan Roden.  We've come back from our truce with more directed ammunition.  Dunkin Donuts vs. Starbucks - so is it about the donuts?  The coffee?  The ambiance?  East Coast vs. West Coast?  White collar vs. blue collar?  Yup.  All of it.  And we're taking it week by week, informing you all of updated ammo, plans and casualties.  This opening salvo I'm sending to California is a whole BOX of jelly donuts! OK, I had one bite and Paco had me give him a piece, too.

The most fun part of this painting?  the little 'flag' boxes on the side - Seriously!

Have a GREAT week!  I'm taking down my show from Nest, so I get to *shop* there :D.

Salt Water Taffy II, 5x5 Inches, Mixed Media

This is the last week for my show at the wonderful shop called Nest in Dedham, MA.  These candies were bought on my trip to Provincetown, and painted during Hurricane Irene.  The 'mixed media' was a complete accident.  It was supposed to be an all-acrylic painting, but something funny was going on when I started painting the yellow and green striped taffy.... I picked up the tube of Lemon Yellow and saw that it was Oil paint!  So... mixed media it is ;)

Also of note... Paco discovered during this painting that he LOVES Salt Water Taffy.  He was so quiet, and I finally turned to him, and he had a green one with the twisted ends of the wrapper sticking out of each side of his mouth, acting very nonchalant, so maybe I wouldn't notice....

YUM! Chocolate Frosted Donut, 6x6 Inches, Oil

SOLD

Ooooey Goooey frosting, and I sent this guy back to get EXTRA frosting.  My theory is this:  If someone actually decides that they will purchase a frosted donut, DON'T skimp on the frosting.

Anyway I am happy to announce that I have been asked to join the DailyPainters.com group - and I am thrilled, thrilled, thrilled!  I have long had it as one of my artistic goals to be part of this group.  By Monday night I hope to have the widget link on the side of my blog that will take you right there!

Also, Susan Roden and I have been talking about re-igniting the Donut War!  She and I are passionate about these comely balls of fried dough, and will soon be slinging the jelly and frosting from coast to coast - me, being the East, and she being a CA resident!

I don't know what the weather has been like for you guys, wherever you are, but here in RI we have nothing to complain about.  It was a perfect weekend.  And I got a new PINK hydrangea plant.  I Luuuurve it!

North River Members' Show 2011

What the Juror, Joseph McGurl, said upon bestowing an Award Of Excellence:

"Lively brushwork is interesting to look at in its own right.  Great color choices.  Nice, careful observation"

Honestly, I am thrilled.  It is my very first award at North River, where I have been a member for most of   20+ years.  Not that I can bring myself to believe what he said, being 1/2 Irish.  But since I had my sons over for dinner that night, I couldn't make the Opening, and found out about my prize via Facebook.  So you won't hear ME slamming Facebook!  I also got the hours the show was open via FB, as it wasn't readily evident (to me, anyway) on the website. 

So my friend (and fellow award recipient) Jody Regan was kind enough to re-enact the Awards Ceremony, and I had my Sally Field moment:

I do want to thank all of your who share my artistic journey, which is so very important to me, by reading, following, subscribing to and commenting on this blog.  I never knew when I started it 4 years ago how much of an impact it would have on my art career, my friendships and... really, my life!

Muchos gracias...

Cupcake III, 6x6 Original Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

SOLD

Here's the final of the cupcake trio.  I guess I've been really intent on the cupcake scene - because today was my husband's birthday, and what did I do?  Bake cupcakes!  

Mine were white cake with light chocolate buttercream frosting.  We took them to brunch in Boston and shared with our grown children after a nice brunch.

Susan Roden is preparing a retaliation I think... so we'd better duck!  I've got frosting all over the walls here......  I think tomorrow it will be non-food items - I need a long walk!

Citrus Cupcake, 6x6 Original Oil Painting by Kelley MacDonald

Susan Roden has been flinging frosting at me during this Frosting Fight!  All the way from California I took hits this weekend~!  This delicious cupcake was only ONE of a dizzying array of flavors (I can vouch for the Strawberry!) of beautiful cupcakes at the new CupCakery in Westport, MA.  The only fault I see is they somehow (?) have neglected to make coconut cupcakes.  Anyway I've been busy getting ready for my Open Studio next weekend, getting set for my Painting Class this coming Thursday in my studio - AND I've had a wonderful visit from friend and fellow blogger Amy Hillenbrand!  My husband and I took Amy and her husband Bob on a "3 hour tour" (a la Gilligan) of Rhode Island.  We me in Carol Marine's class in Santa Fe, and she invited me to stay with her when our Workshop Women (from that class) had a reunion in Austin this past January.  It is amazing that blogging brings friendships that are so dear and wonderful - what a thrill to be a part of all this!  As a younger woman - heck, 5 years ago I never could have imagined I'd be 'friends' with women I've never seen in person!  Long story - sorry.

Below, I will show you cupcake #2 - also was wiped out to make way for the more successful one, above.  It had no...ooomph.  Boring composition.  Yes, it was a recognizable cupcake - but, as they say on the South Shore of Boston - it did not survive the 'so what?' question.  So I changed the composition, and background color, and I think it's better.  You?

It Takes Two, 6x8 Original Acrylic Painting by Kelley MacDonald

The Donut Wars have begun! My blogger friend Susan Roden and I are engaged in dough warfare - I promise it's a fun 'fight' - and are painting our hearts out in donuts! This morning I trekked over to Allie's Donuts (the box, I swear, says Allie's Donuts... Rhode Island... as if everyone just KNOWS where it is), and yeah, we got lost .... twice. Finally enough of the "Don't you have your iPhone?" and "I thought you KNEW where this place was..." and we remembered - in our new car we have a built in GPS! D'OH! Rhode Island is a tiny state, but we had to drive over 2 islands to get to Allies, and pay EIGHT DOLLARS in bridge tolls! Yeah. For donuts.

I struggled a bit with the acrylic paint for no good reason. I am used to the creaminess of the oil paint, although I did the painting BELOW in acrylic, in a trip we've made an annual pilgrimage to P'town last Friday. No problems with the paint that day. With the perspective, with the flag, with the fleeting light, but the paint was fine! I hope you all had a good weekend, too!

Pick One! 6x8, Oil

Trying to get back in the groove of donuts, and feeling rusty!  I was listening to Leslie Saeta and Dreama  Tolle Perry on the radio show "Artists Helping Artists" about doing workshops.  I learned a lot, but I think I should EITHER listen or paint.  Today there was no option, as we have our Girls Just Wanna Paint meetup, and I had to run a bunch of errands, as well as whip up something tasty to share before hitting the road (not to mention puppy face-time!).  So hopefully more donuts to come.  

Our Painting Challenge for May is up and loaded - check it out!

Coffee & Donut, 6x8, Oil

The coffee shop across the road has started selling their own coffee mugs - in adorable blue with yellow insides!  So, of course I had to stop in and get a jelly donut (and yes, that big bite was DELICIOUS!) to sit and keep the coffee company.   I liked painting their relationship.

Did I mention that my work (and Paco's face) is in a beautiful video that Myra, whose wonderful Blog I follow, made and posted on YouTube?  Oh, you have to check it out!
$100 & $10 s&h via Paypal

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!

Trio, Oil, 6x6

Trio, 6x6

$100 + $10 S&H via Paypal

From Allie's Donuts! And I hope some of you who normally get my posts in their Inbox are checking in... I have no way to tell you I'm in Google Hell! Through some bug my 'Group' has become inaccessible to me, and there's a long process of recovery of the mailing list. Soooo... it may be a while, or I may have to ask people to sign up for a new group, due to this glitch. Enjoy your donuts, now...

Jelly, Jelly, Jelly, Oil, 6x6

SOLD

I found this place called Supreme Donut ("Our name says it all" it says on the box.) in Seekonk, MA, and although they actually don't have very MANY donuts, their jellies are far superior to Dunkin or anyone else's I've found in terms of pillowy texture and drippy jelly (if you like that kind of stuff, which, ... I do when I'm painting them!). I was going for a 'monumental' feel in this little painting, and also a sort of empathy, which I was trying to achieve with loose brushstrokes. I know, empathy for what???? But that's what I was going for!

Iced To Go, 6x8 Oil

Well, I guess I never get tired of painting snacks. There were a few people interested in the last one, so if you wanted one and didn't get it, here's your chance. And for my son Conor, who is always looking out for my health - I ordered it with HALF the regular sugar. ;)

Chocolate Glazed From Twin Donuts, Oil, 6x6

Chocolate Glazed 6x6

$100 + $10 S&H via Paypal

My daughter Molly's boyfriend kindly brought down a bag of donuts from Twin Donuts in Allston (did I spell that right? Geez, I used to LIVE there!) for me to paint. By the time I got around to painting them, the only one that held it's 'character' was the chocolate glazed donut. I love the 'drippy' side (not that I'd ever EAT a chocolate glazed donut), and thought it would be a good challenge to paint.

And CONGRATULATIONS to Mary Small of RI for winning the "Stacked Colors" pictured below. I just love giving my paintings away, because people write to me and say what they love about the painting, so I get a lot of feedback that people don't leave in the 'comment' area. I was happy and surprised when I realized it was Mary, because I didn't recognize her email address. I met her and her lovely daughter at my Open Studio in August - and I liked her right away. We spent a lot of time chatting, and now I get to see her again when she picks up the painting! We'll do another raffle at the holidays... so don't get discouraged - there's better odds than with the Lottery!