Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Evolution of an Artist

My first article has finally been published! Evolution of an Artist was published in the GNSI Journal of Natural Science Illustration this month. Thank you to the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators for putting me in the Spotlight! The Guild, or GNSI, is a professional organization committed to the nurturing and promoting of its members and is an important educational resource for anyone interested in this specialized genre of illustration work. They also provide important networking opportunities and general camaraderie for its members. I have been a member off and on since finishing graduate school in 1992. You can find out more about them by visiting www.gnsi.org.

Writing is something I've long wanted to do but never had the courage until recently. Like all good projects, it was a collaboration with support from several members of the guild and my husband. It is my first piece of writing but hopefully not my last. Below is the opening paragraph. To read the full article just click here. Enjoy! Your feedback is most welcome.


Bushwhack. One definition says “to make one’s way through woods by cutting at undergrowth, branches, etc.” This is how I ended up rolling through life.

Born into a family with an alcoholic father and a mother busy working to pay the bills and raise three children, “nurturing” was virtually non-existent in my rearing. We hear this sort of story all the time and most certainly there are people who had it much worse than I. But, this environment guided my early years and led me to seek attention and acceptance outwardly, have poor study habits in high school, low self-esteem, no long-term vision, etc. Fortunately, I soon realized the surrogate environment and bad attitude were just more dead ends and not the life I wanted. It took a while for this lost soul to find the confidence to start a journey completely alone. But I did. And that’s what matters in this story.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

This One's Gone....Don't Let Yours Get Away!

Quiescent    January, 2013
One of my favorite paintings of 2013 has a new owner.  This was the first one of the year that I felt I captured everything I was going for....color, light, values, composition and texture.  Interestingly, although Quiescent received a lot of interest throughout the year, it's not until now that it found a new home.

The piece has an emotional attachment for me, as it is a location that has special memories for my family.  I hope my brain forever retains the memory of that summer morning.

I will miss looking at the original but I know the home where it's going; no doubt I'll see it again.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Holiday Sale on all 2013 Works

Surprise!  All of the work created this year is on sale for 20% off through the end of December!  You can view it all on my Facebook page in the album titled "2013 for Sale!". Each piece has a price and size listed as well as whether or not it is currently for framed.  A lot of work has been produced this year and now it's time to let them go.  Shipping is available at cost.  There's still time to get yours delivered by Christmas!  :-)

Support your local artist and give the gift of art this season.  Click the Facebook badge to the left to view the work now.




Sunday, December 1, 2013

Final Four Paintings of 2013

Alas, the end has come.  My 30/30 October turned into 30/60 for October and November.  Actually, I'm still about five paintings short of my goal but no matter.  I'm done (and perfectly OK with that).

It's been quite a year of experimenting, creating, agonizing, delighting and surprising (myself).  At times quite hard to keep up with it all.  But so glad I did.  I'm a much better painter than when I started and now a new journey can begin.

In total I created 85 paintings, of which only 58 remain available.  Look at the numbers...how funny is that?  Support your local artists and consider a gift of art when you shop for family, friends and colleagues this season.  If you are a FB user, to see all 58 paintings go to my FB page and open the album titled 2013 for Sale:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Birchtree-Studio/212049277860?ref=hl

Otherwise, check my website in the next few days.  Some of the new ones will be added there by mid-week.  Until then, enjoy the final four paintings below.  And, as always, I am filled with gratitude and joy for your support over the years.  Thank you.


Crow 1    5.5 x 7.5"    $150, framed or $100, unframed

Crow 2    5.5 x 7.5"    $150, framed or $100, unframed

Duck Flight    11.5 x 7.5"    $395, framed or $250, unframed

Rocky Shore    11.5 x 7.5"    $395, framed or $250, unframed


Friday, November 29, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving! Four New Works Completed on This Day After...

Finally had time to get back to the drawing table, literally.  Sometimes, when a long break has occurred, it's really hard to settle in and focus on painting.  I squirreled away a bunch of time today for myself and boy am I glad I did.

Today's works all stem from imagination for the most part.  A few photo references were used but only to get a sense of basic shapes.  Otherwise, the work is all very intuitive.  I did not sketch out any plans beforehand.  Some thoughtful decisions were made along the way but mostly I just followed the paintbrush around the paper.
Cardinal Pair    11.5 x 7.5"    $395, framed or $250, unframed

Grasshopper Hunt    11.5 x 7.5"    $395, framed or $250, unframed

Winter Spruces    11.5 x 7.5"    $395, framed or $250, unframed

Winter Tangle    11.5 x 7.5"    $395, framed or $250, unframed
One of these will be this year's holiday card from Birchtree Studio.  I'm keeping it  a secret for now but you can leave your vote in the comments box.  If you do, your name will go into a drawing for one of this month's paintings.  Drawing to be held on Sunday, Dec. 1.  Don't delay!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Milestones

The word "milestone" is described as a "significant event or stage in the life, progress, development, or the like of a person, nation, etc." according to Dictionary.com.

With these two recent works I feel I've reached a milestone in my watercolor work.  Both are a bit more abstract than what I "normally" produce but they represent exactly the style I've been trying to achieve, something I intend to master.  About two years ago someone commented on my work, claiming they see a recognizable style developing.  While I appreciated the compliment I didn't necessarily see what they saw.  Now I can.
Departure 2    11.5 x 7.5"    $395, framed or $250, unframed
I absolutely love the ethereal, dusk feeling of Departure 2.  The loose and bold use of the medium is both striking and moving.
Waking Above the Clouds    11.5 x 7.5"    $395, framed or $250, unframed
Waking Above the Clouds is born from a weekend hiking trip I did with a few friends in October.  I was very hesitant to go on the adventure because I haven't done much hiking this year.  Even my running had been minimal.  Thankfully, I made a last-minute decision to go for it.  It was tremendously hard but I'm so glad I went!  I spent time with my husband and some really good friends, learned to work through an incredibly difficult (physically) task, and literally woke above the clouds on one of the mornings.  The trail is part of the AT, along the Saddleback Ridge section in Maine.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Busy Few Days of Painting!


Cattail Shadows    11.5 x 7.5"
$395, framed or $250, unframed
So, what's different here?  Pretty obvious.   These two images are nearly identical but I bet you can spot the difference.  I thought I was done with the painting (first image) then, later in the day, decided to add something more.  From a composition standpoint, which do you like better?  

I completed two more paintings today, as well, both of which I am quite happy with.


Departure    11.5 x 7.5", unframed
$395, framed or $250, unframed

Departure recalls the fall migration of tree swallows.  Have you ever witnessed this event?  Tree swallows gather together by the thousands.  They'll spend several days building their numbers then, one day, they take flight and head south as one massive group.  While their building in numbers they spend their time feeding voraciously in anticipation of the miles and miles they'll travel.  Standing under a swarm of thousands of tree swallows is something you'll never forget.
Greater Yellowlegs Trot    11.5 x 7.5"
$395, framed or $250, unframed

Greater Yellowlegs is a species of shorebird that spends time here.  This one was spotted at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.  The photo resource is another from Bill Gette, Director of Joppa Flats Wildlife Sanctuary on Plum Island.  I thought the bird exuded some personality with it's "trot" through the water.  It has a cute button-like large eye, too.  Really cute.

Go to my Birchtree Studio Facebook page and share the 30/30 October album for a chance to win one of my paintings before the holiday season is over!