Vermont H'Art

2009-09-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

Fall is here in Vermont. We are getting some Indian summer which is good and the leaves are donning their fall coats which is always a joy to see. Nature is amazing.
I am posting two more images of the card collections for you. One from each- Irises and Peaches and Cow of Vermont.

"Its all about joy that comes out of sorrow, its all about soul" Billy Joel

2009-09-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

I am a watercolor artist who loves to draw so my paintings always begin with a drawing sometimes intricate and sometimes just an outline. For instance above is a painting of a farm up the road from me that started with an intricate drawing. I have found of late that I can draw with a paintbrush as I am painting which is new for me. I am very lucky to have my art as all people who have found their passion are fortunate. It matters not if others appreciate it, although it is so wonderful when that happens. It is my refuge. I could not live without creating art. But I digress.
This post is about introducing my card collections. I have two. One is Family Farm Collection of which the picture above is included. The other is Still Life With Flowers Collection. This Hydrangea painting posted here is one of these cards. Each set has 6 different cards. The sets are selling for $12.50 apiece or $2.35 per card.

As an aside, I am part of a painters group that I don't get to every week but when I do I am free to be me, to share my creations. I went today and it is with thankfulness that this group is so kind. Best wishes to all --

"Always Maintain a Kind of Summer" -Thoreau

2009-07-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

Thoreau's advice is well taken as always. Summer, 2009 has been rainy and quite chilly actually. In an attempt to make the best of it, I am posting a small painting of hollyhocks at left that usually bloom in the height of summer. This is a 2x3, "Hollyhocks at the Lake ", and if you would like the original it is $39.00 matted and framed- 5x7. Prints are always available.
On the right is one I did years ago. These red hollyhocks were right outside my door and I painted them more than once. Those were hazy, lazy days of summer. The kids (grown now) usually would run around the corner of the house and take one or two hollyhocks with them so by the end of the season if we had two or three left we were lucky.

Enjoy the day - don't let it get away!

2009-07-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

"SUMMER TIME AND THE LIVING IS EASY
...One of these mornings
You're goin to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky" - Gershwin

Even though we have had too much rain, when the sun shows up all is forgotten and it is glorious summer once more. On your left is typical of cows in summer and this is part of the Family Farm Collection I am doing. I am having trouble uploading the first of this series but maybe I can do it later.

I got a visit from a cousin of mine today- one who I used to be with most of the summer when I was a kid. His family would come up for a portion of the summer or more and stay at the camp on Colchester Point. I would get to stay with them alot so nostalgia was running high. The Irish are known for nostalgia kicks and I am not any different than the next Irishman or woman. For the Irish and especially for the Irish cousins I am posting an icon I did last summer.
St. Patrick -Patron Saint of Ireland. There is quite the chapter in The Story of the Irish Race

by Seumas MacManus on St. Patrick. Both humble and quick to defend, a reason why the Irish related to him, his story is well worth the read as well as the full story of the Irish Race.

Here is a part of one of St. Patrick's poems to close this post.

"...Blessing of elements, blessing of valour, blessing of dexterity,
Blessing of glory, blessing of deeds, blessing of honour, blessing of
Happiness be upon you all...."

"St. Patrick worked so many miracles and wonders, that the human mind is incapable of remembering or recording the amount of good which he did upon the earth"- Story of the Irish Race
St. Patrick rose up singing, spread his wings and took to the sky..........

So much for my Family Farm Collection.. maybe next time

"Love is always patient and kind..." 1 Corinthians

2009-06-21T04:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day! In memory of my father, I am posting a couple of cow paintings that he never got to see. He was a farmer who was always patient and kind and I miss him with all of my heart. The holstein cow dotted hillside and pastures everywhere I looked as a child. I lived in a farming community so virtually everywhere I went there was that familiar sight. I was traveling to Middlebury, VT the other day and was struck by holstein cows on a green hillside and was shocked to realize that it is was surprising to me to see that scene in that area. Stuart Osha’s book, Loving a Dying Way of Life: Poems and Stories about Farming in Vermont, self-published in 1999 is a book about the farming life of Stuart and his wife and saving the small farms with vision. It is available at Cover to Cover Books in Randolph, Vermont. This book has been highly recommended.
We have got to do more for the farmer to keep our family farms working farms.

To close this post, a bouquet of sweet peas would be appropriate to honor my father.

If you need to get in touch with me - vermonthart@hotmail.com

"Oh, Who Can Ever Gaze His Fill" W.H. Auden

2009-06-15T02:53:00.000-07:00

I have had a movie this spring of the Cardinal. My post is the Cardinal in winter but the story all spring has been the male and female at the suet. It has been a joy to watch. If there is a male Cardinal which we never miss because of the shot of red, (named for the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, with their bright red robes) the female is there with him somewhere. The duller gold or brownish color blends in and we miss seeing her. Just look, she is beautiful! I plan to paint her soon. The Cardinal brightens our world!

Yesterday, a Great Blue Heron caught my eye. The Heron was standing on the beach with a big fish (bass) in its mouth. It was a sight to behold. Every spring they appear swooping down on the beach and then all of a sudden in flight in all their majesty. They come and go until all the campers are back. It is a real treat to watch these greats. I painted this last summer. It is a tribute to the Great Blue Heron and this is how I saw it exactly except for it had a fish in its mouth which is much more interesting. The picture does tell the story though as the Heron is a lone hunter and is king of the waters and it does stand in the water just like that when it eats.

The Goldfinch made a brief appearance the other day just passing through but I see them intermittently all summer. It is named for the summer color of its shiny feathers. The Goldfinch is suppose to indicate an awakening of the fairies and elves. Summer is the high point of their activities. So keep an eye out.

The robin is all around me and is the traditional sign of spring. Robins do not always migrate, if they find a food source. In fact, this painting was inspired last January when one day 25 robins landed in my yard. After they left, I went into my studio to paint and looked out to see one standing there looking right at me. That was all the inspiration I needed. The robin went down on paper. Supposedly, the red breast symbolizes new growth in all areas of your life. Robins give hope for new creation. So when Robins pop up or drop down, take note.

My offerings for today - Beautiful Birds- so much joy. Summer will be here officially next week as well as Father's Day!

2009-06-05T06:24:00.000-07:00

"CAN'T SING BUT I 'VE GOT SOUL"- U2
I know this is June, but guess what lilacs are still blooming although I must say that this rendition is of the last one of May lilacs in my yard. That doesn't count the new variety of dwarf lilacs I have in my garden which are just beginning to blossom. Supposedly the lilac is the flower of first love so I guess that is why there is so much nostalgia surrounding it. Also way back, to celebrate the beginning of the season, young ladies were crowned with lilacs, either purple or white, during May Day festivals. If they wore the flowers on any other day, they most likely would never marry.
The lilac originated in Constantinople and came to Vienna in 1563. Early settlers brought cuttings to America. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both noted planting the lilac and enjoying it as we do in New England for no matter how harsh the weather, the lilac is always on schedule. These interesting facts are from The Ways of Flowers.
Just wanted to post a flower for today as a busy weekend is coming up. I am at the Artist Market on Saturday in Burlington. Again, "Its a beautiful day, don't let it get away."-u2

2009-05-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

"ITS A BEAUTIFUL DAY, DON'T LET IT GET AWAY" - u2

I am posting some small paintings of the lake- that is Lake Champlain as in Samuel de Champlain.
"Samuel de Champlain (1567?-1635) was a French explorer and navigator who mapped much of northeastern North America and started a settlement in Quebec. Champlain also discovered the lake named for him (Lake Champlain, on the border of northern New York state and Vermont, named in 1609) and was important in establishing and administering the French colonies in the New World."
Its strange that this year I actually started to paint the lake and it is the quad centennial of Samuel de Champlain. Amazing! There is a theory out there that there is no such thing as coincidence. The happening was meant to be. That digression aside, if you like any of the small paintings of the lake and would like the commemorative logo to accompany the painting, I can accommodate that since the state of Vermont has sanctioned me to use the very attractive logo with my lake paintings. These are miniature paintings for the most part. They sell from $39 to $55.

The sunset on Lake Champlain fills one with awe. I so wonder at this. It is such a treat to see it happen before my eyes. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I spent many childhood days on Lake Champlain so there is a lot of nostalgia associated with it. We are very fortunate to have a beautiful lake in Vermont. It is all the entertainment we need just watching the changes that occur on the lake with wind shifts and light. I took it all in for many years and now it is starting to come out. I find that in itself interesting.

If you need to get in touch just email me at vermonthart@hotmail.com.

2009-05-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

"THERE ARE ALWAYS FLOWERS FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO SEE THEM" -Henri Matisse

There are a few more spring blossoms I am posting for your enjoyment. The Violet is usually the first blossom I see in the spring. ( I don't have Crocus) I was a wood nymph as a kid and I remember bounding over the lawn to get to, up, and over the fence, then across the field to my destination, the woods. It was in bounding over the lawn that I was taken by the little bunches of Violets peeking through and all of sudden in full blossom. I could not miss them even in my eagerness to roam the woods. I would bend down and pull and a whole plant would come out and it would accompany me on my trek. I captured one this year. Usually, the two weeks of blossom passes before I can get it down on paper. I love the Violet.

And the flower that greets me at the garden center every spring is the Pansy in all its splendor. There are so many colors in one flower I can't help but marvel at that and it is fun to try to recreate it on paper. I always like the results because any pansy touches a fond remembrance.

"The sweetest lily withers,
The roses soon depart,
But oh, the dainty pansies-
They live within my heart!"
-unknown

These small flower paintings are for sale - matted & framed in a 5 x 7 in thin lined black is $39.00 & shipping.

2009-05-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

Where the Sweet Pea should always be present at weddings, it is the one occasion on which the Narcissus is the inappropriate choice. The narcissus may bring vanity upon the bride thence unhappiness. Again I refer to The Meaning of Flowers.
Short post today but wanted to include some spring flowers before summer. After all, this is Vermont!!
Interesting fact about the Tulip bulb- during World War II, when the Dutch were starving under German occupation, Tulip bulbs became high priced because they had become a life-saving food. In the seventeenth century, they were considered a delicacy when boiled and eaten with butter. What a great little book. My sister gave it to me.
Enjoy the spring flowers -

"We have got to get ourselves back to the Garden" - Joni Mitchell

2009-05-14T06:19:00.000-07:00

As promised I am posting a couple of single flower renderings. The Sweet Pea is my favorite flower among favorites. My father grew the sweet pea flower. He was a farmer so he always had a garden but really never got to tend it until he was retired and that is when I especially remember the sweet pea flowers growing most of the summer. I think he planted them for my mother. This flower has a long history with our family. As lore would have it, back in the '30's, my mother's family grew Sweet Peas and sold them in the village for weddings and such. The Sweet Pea is known as Bride's Blessing and should always be present at weddings. They are good omens for brides. That is according to a flower book I have, The Meaning of Flowers.

There is nothing more spectacular to me than a bouquet of Sweet Peas in a white ironstone pitcher or any jar or vase. Its all about the rainbow of blended colors! When I first started painting, I found myself painting sweet peas. Like the teacups, it was something I kept revisiting with pleasure. It brought my father into the mix because I associated him with that flower. Here are a couple of those first paintings of Sweet Peas.

And finally, a third one - I do know where these originals are and am happy about that. A former neighbor has the first, a relative the second and a very true friend of mine has the the one on the right. Prints are available. You just have to inquire.

Email address: vermonthart@hotmail.com

2009-05-10T03:57:00.000-07:00

"ALL WE NEED IS LOVE- LOVE IS ALL WE NEED" - the Beatles

Happy Mother's Day!

I am up early as usual, however, by the time I post this it might be mid afternoon. I thought I would write a post before I do anything else otherwise another day will go by with no blog entry. The problem is, I always want to paint and delve into it the minute I get my coffee and that becomes the day.

In memory of my mother, I am posting one of my teacup paintings. She was a very interesting woman and I miss her. She had a teacup collection and as a child, I often set up her teacups for dinner parties or tea parties. I came to love the shapes and delicate qualities of the cups and when I started painting I spent years on this subject. I felt very connected to the paintings and still to this day will paint a bunch of flowers in a delicate teacup. Actually, this next painting is one I just finished a few weeks ago of delphinium in a Shelley teacup.

I have been painting miniatures of the lake and single flower favorites. I start the Artists Market next week- May 16 - and these will be my original offerings. I have decided to post a small painting every few days and that will keep my blog up to date.

This is a painting of Mallett's Bay - Vermont. My grandparents had a camp on Lake Champlain at Colchester Point and we would have to drive through the bay to get there. It was a breathtaking view with all the docked boats and the mountains. As I drove through the bay a few weeks ago, I thought of all those trips to camp as a child. I caught this northern view toward my hometown and I had to paint it. Inspiration seems to always hit home in some way.

2009-03-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

Above you see a painting of the lake at sunset with a lone fisherman. I moved to the lake about six years ago and this is my first attempt at painting what is right in front of me. I believe it took that long for it to become embedded in my subconscious because all of a sudden intuitively my ability to paint the lake came together. I thought it was fear that prevented an attempt to paint the lake but actually it was just a matter of time. I have found that if I am patient things eventually fall into place.

2009-03-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

An artist I discovered when one thing led to another on the web is Harriet Wiseman . This is one of her paintings. It caught my eye and for some reason made me think of my mother and I. I really relate to her paintings. She is a self taught artist who after therapy discovered she was painting her childhood etc. Her paintings depict life in the "50's and '60's I believe. I probably should investigate more before making these statements but please take a look.

More to come....