Realism Guild - and Show!

So many shows and exciting events to write about....I'm going to try to just take one at a time!

For this post, I am excited to announce that I have been juried into membership of the International Guild of Realism! One of my goals for this year was to push myself a little to apply to shows and organizations outside of my immediate area. I figured this Guild was a bit of a reach - a number of artists whose work I really admire and look up to are members. I was thrilled to get accepted! You can check out the website HERE - be sure to take a look at the members' work - very inspiring stuff!

The Guild has a few juried gallery shows each year - and have just added an online winter exhibition. I am very excited to not only be accepted into the Guild, but also got a painting juried into the Winter show.

"Cherry Bomb" 11 x 14in, acrylic on canvas

"Cherry Bomb" was accepted into the 2019 IGOR Winter Salon Online Exhibition! You can see the entire show HERE - my painting is in the still life category. Lots of amazing work there - hope you can take a few minutes and look around.

The show will be online until May 20th.

Urban Snapshots - A new Series for Small Works Season

Hello - from my Haverhill studio at the start of a new crazy week!

I've been busy! Lots of new work, and lots of exhibitions coming up that I want to share with you. I want to keep this email brief, so I will be just giving the information for this week's events.

First of all, I am very excited to have been accepted to a "Small Works" exhibition at a newish gallery space in downtown Haverhill! The gallery is called The Switchboard and they are located at 43 Washington St. The opening reception for the small works show is Friday, November 2 from 6 to 8pm and the exhibit continues through December 27th.

I've started a new small works series I am calling "Urban Snapshots" and I am thrilled to have 3 pieces from this new series in the show at The Switchboard. These pieces concentrate more on architectural details, shapes and shadows - it's not about the signs or even specific cities/places - these little glimpses could be found in almost any older mill-type city - but I have to admit that at the moment Haverhill is my main inspiration.

Here are the small pieces that will be in the Switchboard exhibition:

 "How St. (No Parking)", 8 x 8", acrylic on panel

"47 (Washington St.)", 8 x 6", acrylic on panel

"Escape (Washington St)", 8 x 6", acrylic on panel

I hope you can come by the show and check them out in person!

Also coming up this week is the annual Wine and Art Reception at Veasey Memorial Park in Groveland. This fun event is Saturday, November 3, from 6 to 9pm. It is always a great time, with lots of great art for sale and a chance to meet and mingle with the artists.

If you are local, I hope you can make it to one (or more!) of my upcoming events. If not, stay tuned to my Instagram account to see the new work, and for your chance to purchase pieces straight from my studio.

Progression of a Painting - Stay

"Stay" is a recently finished 18 x 24" acrylic painting of a part of a sign from the Salem Willows in Salem,  Massachusetts.

I have an obsession with this sign! It combines neon and light bulbs, great colors and interesting shapes all on a sign with a bit of history. I have painted various parts of it from different angles - and every time I look at it, I see another way I want to paint it!

I am showing you some work in progress photos to show you a bit about my process.

I always start by sketching my composition out on the canvas or panel. Frequently I do rough thumbnail sketches on paper to make a plan, then I do a quick sketch on the substrate. Usually I go over my pencil lines with some paint; I like to get a feel for the composition, plus the paint stays in place, while the pencil lines usually get smeared or rubbed out.

Next I get into the painting by laying out blocks of color. If the painting has difficult values, then I will do a one color value painting as a base (kind of a grisaille). But usually with my larger paintings, I like to block in colors. It covers the white of the canvas and helps me check the composition and juxtapostion of colors. I can then make any corrections to the drawing and composition before I start adding details.

Then I do layer after layer of color, adding form and eventually details.

I work my way through the whole painting, then I go back with a few more details and add some color notes throughout the entire piece.

I am thrilled that "Stay" was juried into the Newburyport Art Association's Winter Members Juried Exhibit  (jurors Todd Bonita and Donald Jurney) and will be on exhibit at the Art Association until  March 4. It's a wonderful exhibition - hope you can check it out if you are local!

For more info about the Newburyport Art Association, see their website here. And for more information about "Stay", please contact me here.

Color for a Grey Day

How nice it is to be able to enjoy a touch of the tropics on a cold, grey New England winter day!

For the third year, the Haverhill Arts Association is holding a "Paint-In" inside the greenhouse at Nunan's Florist and Greenhouses in Georgetown, Mass. For three Sundays, we set up our easels, settle with in our sketchbooks, sculpt in clay - or work in whatever medium we choose - anywhere the main greenhouse at Nunan's. 

It is so amazing to work among all the color and beautiful tropical plants during the usually dreary month of January. There is colorful inspiration everywhere:

I usually have a hard time deciding where to paint - there are so many lovely things here! Besides the beautiful plants, there are wonderful statues, colorful pots and all kinds of fun accessories. Sometimes, I choose to set up a little still life. Other times I just  zoom in on a single plant. Then greenhouse is  usually fairly warm and bright, which makes it a pleasant place to be in the middle of winter.  It is also quite humid - which makes it a bit extra challenging to paint with acrylics.  I am used to painting quickly, in thin layers  - so paint that won't dry can be a bit difficult and requires me to be flexible. This year I decided to try working on canvas, since in the past I found that the paint on panels wouldn't dry at all. Experimenting always keeps things interesting!

One Sunday, I picked out a lovely tropical plant in oranges and yellows to paint. Here is my set up:

After wrestling with it for a bit, I ended up with this little 6x6" piece on canvas:

On Sunday, January 28, we will be having an exhibition at Nunan's from 12 until 3 pm to show what we have been working on the last few weeks. It is always fun to display our work in the greenhouse! More pictures to come......

Behind the Scenes....Setting up for a Small Exhibition

So, a few weeks ago, I got a last-minute opportunity to display my work in a new venue. I had originally planned to exhibit there in a few months, but the chance arose to hang earlier and I had work in my studio that had just come back from another venue so I said "Why not?" (I am trying my best to be flexible these days!)

I hadn't seen the actual space yet and just had rough dimensions to work with. To improvise a layout, I took some painters tape and a tape measure and marked the approximate size of each wall on my studio floor. Then I moved some paintings around, trying to figure out what worked best together and fit within the spaces.

I was definitely nervous about how it was all going to work out since I really had no idea what the actual location looked like. I packed up my chosen paintings, crossed my fingers and went to set things up.

I arrived with my work and my hanging caddy (a bag with some basic tools, extra hanging wire and "just in case" items like duct tape and paper clips) to find a lovely little niche with a new hanging system all ready to go. I've hung my work in a lot of different places - you never know what you are going to find - so this definitely was a pleasure. The Haverhill Arts Association president Ann Jones was there to help me and together we got everything hung rather efficiently.

In the end, I think it fit the small space rather nicely:

There was even a nice bit of publicity in the local media - thanks WHAV!

If you are local to Massachusetts and are interested in checking it out, my little exhibition is at the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub at Harbor Place in downtown Haverhill until the end of February.

Display at Farley's

As part of the collaboration between Newburyport Art Association and Farley's of Newburyport, I was selected to exhibit some of my selected paintings at Farley's. Today I dropped off 8 pieces that the staff stylist had picked out, and returned this evening for an artist Meet & Greet. It was fun to see how they displayed the paintings for the reception. Here is an example:

Isn't this a great idea? It is a win-win....the store gets some new ideas to build displays around, and the artist gets some good exposure. And the work is available for sale as well. Tomorrow, Farley's Master Stylist will more fully integrate the work into their windows and displays. I can't wait to see what he comes up with!

Trapped - Acrylic Painting of Classic Toy

Trapped

8 x 8 inches

acrylic on canvas

A fun painting! One of my entries to the "8 Cubed" exhibit at the Newburyport Art Association. Around 200 8 x 8 inch canvases are filled by member artists and displayed together in one of the galleries. The show runs from August 7-22 with a public reception on August 8th from 7-9pm. It is always a great show - be sure to check it out if you are in the area!

JA - Original Acrylic Painting of Neon Sign by Debbie Shirley

JA

Beverly, Massachusetts

20 x 16 inches

acrylic on canvas

So honored to find out that both of my entries were accepted into the Newburyport Art Association's Winter Members Juried Exhibition! And then to find out that "JA" won an award in acrylics - so excited! This is from the juror's comments:
"I love how this painting spoofs our culture’s over-saturation with advertising iconography by truncating — and thereby undermining — a commercial sign. The composition confidently fulfills the first two mandates of a good painting: engage the eye; stimulate the imagination."

From looking at the acceptance list,it looks like a great show - hope to make it out to see it if the snow ever slows down around here (more than 70" in just the last few weeks!). The show will be at the Newburyport Art Association through February 28.

Benson's - Small Acrylic Painting, Boxford, Massachusetts

Benson's

6 x 8 inches

acrylic on 3/4" cradled panel

Yes, you've seen this scene many times in my work. A favorite local haunt, this ice cream shop has been run by the same family for generations. They make all their own ice cream including special seasonal fruit flavors as the local fruit comes available. Their ice cream is amazing! And I felt I couldn't do a local exhibit without including a scene from Benson's.

This painting, along with 13 others from my "Along the Way" series are now hanging at the Boxford Town Library though September 17, 2014. There will be an artist reception on August 26 from 6-7;30 pm for those of you who are local to Massachusetts. It seems like this series will be going "on tour" over the next year, so stay tuned for details for more venues where it can be seen!

West Village Provisions - Small Landscape Painting of a Local Building in Boxford

West Village Provisions

8 x 6 inches

acrylic on 3/4" cradled panel

I started this little painting of a local business during their anniversary open house a few months ago. I didn't quite finish it that day, so I let it sit and recently decided to finish it up to hang in the show at my local library.

West Village Provisions is one of my favorite places in town. From it's historical beginnings as a general store, it is now THE place to get a yummy and healthy breakfast or lunch, the best coffee around, and some specialty groceries and gifts. The owners are very friendly and the food is great. They really support local farmers and businesses, and did I mention that they sell some of my paintings there as well?!!

This painting, along with 13 others from my "Along the Way" series are now hanging at the Boxford Town Library though September 17, 2014. There will be an artist reception on August 26 from 6-7;30 pm for those of you who are local to Massachusetts. It seems like this series will be going "on tour" over the next year, so stay tuned for details for more venues where it can be seen!

Tripoli - Acrylic Painting of Neon Sign, Retro Signage Art

Tripoli

12 x 12 inches

acrylic on 3/4" canvas

Oh my, so far behind on posting!
I've been painting like a madwoman, though. But with the kids out of school, all of their activities (and keeping them busy), endless games of baseball (go Bombers!), other family stuff, and then painting in any spare moments day and night, I just haven't had the time to keep up online. So the next few weeks will remain sporadic in posting, and then hopefully things will get back to a more normal routine.

This neon sign is for Tripoli Pizza in Salisbury, Massachusetts. I painted the sign once before in a 6 x 6 inch format and decided to try it larger. I'm thinking of going even larger with it - I have an 18 x 18 inch canvas, so maybe I will give it a try!

As far as the pizza goes, I haven't had it from this location, but I did recently try Tripoli Pizza in North Andover. My oldest son (14 years old) informed me that this is called "beach pizza". I never knew that there was a name for it! It is pizza that is hand rolled into large rectangular trays, a slightly sweet tomato sauce and just a sprinkle of cheese over a fairly crisp crust. Much of the pizza in New England is Greek-style, so this is definitely a change of pace.

This painting, along with 13 others from my "Along the Way" series are now hanging at the Boxford Town Library though September 17, 2014. There will be an artist reception on August 26 from 6-7;30 pm for those of you who are local to Massachusetts. It seems like this series will be going "on tour" over the next year, so stay tuned for details for more venues where it can be seen!

Left Behind - Floral Still Life Painting

Left Behind

8 x 8 inches

acrylic on canvas

I had this one in my head for a while and sketched from a set up I did a few months ago. I needed another 8 x 8" piece for the "Eight Cubed" exhibition at the Newburyport Art Association, so I thought I'd give it a go. I kept going back and forth on the painting and was very, very close to sanding and gessoing the canvas and starting again, but at one point the flower started to come together. Still not quite what I had in my head, but I think it is as far as I'm going to get at this time.

Can I say I really love doing 8 x 8 inch paintings? Such a great size!

The "Eight Cubed" exhibition runs from August 8-24 at the Newburyport Art Association in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The reception will be August 16, 6-8pm. This show was very popular last year - I am looking forward to seeing what this year will bring.

Hilltop - Painting of Neon Sign, Retro Sign Art

Hilltop

10 x 8 inches

acrylic on 3/4" cradled panel

Similar in composition to a smaller square painting I did a few weeks ago, this painting will be shown in my upcoming exhibition at the Boxford Library. The exhibition is titled "Along the Way: Scenes from the North Shore" and will include about a dozen of my recent "retro roadside" and local scene paintings. More details to come, but it will be hung August 7th and remain up for about 6 weeks. I hope you can check it out if you are local - and I hope to do a little something online for those of you who are not.....

Indiana Ave. - Small Still Life Painting of Vintage Game Board

Indiana Ave.

6 x 6 inches

acrylic on 3/4" cradled panel

This is the last painting for the "Spaces and Edges" show at MixtMedia Gallery in Ipswich, Massachusetts. The opening reception for the show is this Friday night, March 21st, from 6-8pm.
Their receptions are always fun - hope to see you there!

Here is the invitation to the show. Hmmmm..... I think I recognize a few of those pieces!

Paired Up - Small Painting Kitchen Still Life for #twitterartexhibit

Paired Up

4 x 6 inches

acrylic on watercolor paper

Yes, I took a week off from blogging!
After actually managing to post my Fun-A-Day paintings every day in January (and also posted them in the 30 Day Painting Challenge, and on Daily Paintworks, and on the Fun-A-Day Facebook group, I really needed a break from all that posing!
I have been painting though.....

The piece above is a postcard-size painting on watercolor paper for the #twitterartexhibit in Orlando. This is a quote directly from their website:

"Through art we can change the world."
#TwitterArtExhibit utilizes social media and public engagement to generate income for charities and nonprofit organizations. In the past, #TwitterArtExhibit has generated funds for a library suffering from deep funding cuts to purchase much-needed children’s books, for an abused women’s shelter seeking to improve the lives of the families they serve, and for an arts organization mentoring underprivileged young adults in preparation for careers in the visual arts.

This year, the exhibit is being curated by amazing artist Robin Maria Pedrero and will benefit The Center for Contemporary Dance, Special Needs Classes. I am excited to donate my art to this wonderful exhibit for a very worthy cause!

Day 6 - Rushing In Landscape Painting

Rushing In 

8x8 inches

acrylic on canvas

It's Day 6 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge!

Just  a quick post....I am packing for the River Ruckus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Come see me at the Arts Faire at 90 Washington Street from 2 to 7. This painting will be available at MixtMedia Gallery in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Day 4 - Falling Down - Landscape Painting

Falling Down

8 x 8 inches

acrylic on canvas

It's Day 4 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge!

Today's entry is a piece I have been working on for MixtMedia's next exhibition. The theme is "The Four Elements" and I have chosen Water as my inspiration for two pieces. I was in Maine when I heard about the theme for the show, and the next day I was sitting at Shin Falls as my kids were playing in the water and I was racking my brain for inspiration. I looked up at the falls, and thought "Hmmm...it doesn't get more elemental than that!"

The show opens on September 20, 2013, with a reception from 6-8pm. Hope you can check it out!

Adding Some Neon - New Work!

Busy, busy this week!

First off - here is my latest finished painting. This is for the Newburyport Art Association's "Eight Cubed" show, which runs from August 8 to September 1, 2013.  The opening reception is August 10th, from 7 to 9 pm. This should be a fun show of 200  8 x 8" works by member artists hung in two rows in the gallery.

Neon El

8 x 8 inches

acrylic on 3/4" canvas

On another note, I may be quiet here for the next few weeks. We will be taking off in a few days for northern Maine. Kinda off the grid, so I only get occasional internet access when we go into town - I am not sure how much posting I will do. But in September, look for a  blog redesign and all kinds of exciting things coming up!

Perpetual - Small Landscape Painting - Acrylic Seascape

Perpetual

7 x 5 inches

acrylic on 3/4" cradled board

The last of the 9 for the show at MixtMedia Gallery in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Opening reception is next Friday (June 7). Here is a glimpse of the whole group together (hopefully I can get a better picture at the gallery):

Evolving - Small Acrylic Painting Seascape Landscape

Evolving

7 x 5 inches

acrylic on 3/4" cradled panel

Today was the first "hot" day of the year - making me ready to hop right into that ocean....

This is number 8 of 9 in this little series for the "Keeping Equilibrium" exhibition at MixtMedia Gallery in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Opening reception is Friday, June 7, 2013 from 6 to 8 pm. Hope to see you there!