Blog

I am so excited to be able to offer this special sale on “A Day in Portofino” at 80% off. The featured painting is one of the Portofino art paintings in my Italian paintings collection.

I fell in love with Portofino after my first visit there a couple of years ago. This quaint, charming fishing village has turned into a hot spot for tourists. By the response from you my viewers, it is evident that you love it too.

“A Day in Portofino” invites you into the painting to walk among the many cafes looking for that perfect bottle of Italian wine. "A Day In Portofino" gives a good overall view of Italian art from the colorful buildings to the cascading flowers draped over the historic buildings.

From March 17 to 21, you will be able to purchase a 16” x 20” print on canvas for only $65. Since this is a special sale, there will only be 10 available for this price.

Fine Art America is one of the largest, most-respected giclee printing companies in the world with over 40 years of experience producing museum-quality prints. The prints are done on state-of-the-art printers using acid-free premium glossy canvas and archival inks to guarantee that your print will last a lifetime without fading or loss of color. All prints are stretched on a wooden stretcher frame “ready to hang” with pre-attached hanging wire, mounting hooks and nails. Your print will ship within one business day. Click here to purchase yours today.

As a resident of Upstate New York, I can tell you that our winters are long and dreary. I don’t think a day goes by all winter when I don’t hear about Florida’s Disney World. It’s either a TV commercial advertising some fantastic deal you would be crazy not to take or the AAA Club magazine’s feature toting a wonderful family vacation to Disney World, to the subtle hints of great airfare deals to Orlando. I finally caved in and put aside my series of European landscape paintings that I have been working on, and began a painting of Cinderella’s Castle at Disney World.

I have been meaning to paint Neuschwanstein Castle, which I visited a couple of years ago in the Bavaria region of German, for quite some time. It is this famous German castle that Disney’s Cinderella’s Castle is supposedly fashioned after. Quite frankly, I never saw the similarity myself but I seem to be in the minority on that point.

I have to admit that I had a good time painting the Disney castle and why not, who doesn’t like Disney World? My favorite part of the painting was inserting six hidden Mickey Mouse ears into the painting. Having gotten Disney World out of my system (at least for the time being), I am once again transported back to Italy and painting the intertwining canals of Venice.

Often it is with regret when we have the opportunity to travel down “Memory Lane” and find things not quite as we remembered them. I had a different experience. My recent trip down memory lane brought back some wonderful childhood memories.

It was a transitional time in my childhood having left Central New York for the sunshine state of Florida. I was 10 when we moved from the small college town of Hamilton, New York, to the beach town of Fort Pierce, Florida. We went from an old wooden farmhouse to a cement block house, from acres of land to feet of land, from snowfall to rainfall, and a change of four unique seasons to hurricane and non hurricane season. The move south opened up a lot of new and rewarding opportunities for me, some of them I am still benefiting from.

Recently I had the opportunity to travel back to my childhood home in Fort Pierce and revisit the place of my youth made even more special for me since I did so with my two children and a childhood friend by my side. It’s been over 45 years since I have laid eyes on our first Florida home and we were lucky enough to find the home owner, Clementine, who graciously let us in and showed us around. The house, which was once shiny and new, has dulled to a well-worn patina under a relentless sun. I was taken by surprise how small the rooms were and couldn’t understand how the house had shrunk. Did it shrink under that insistent Florida sun? But it was evident that the old house is loved, and I left there with a warm feeling.

Our next stop was to the A.E. Backus Gallery and Museum. “Beanie” Backus was a famous Florida landscape artist who I was fortunate enough to have worked under. I have so many fond childhood memories of Saturday mornings sitting on the floor with a drawing pad and pencils in “Beanie” Backus’ living room sketching with a roomful of my peers. The lessons I learned from Beanie went far beyond composition and form. It was Beanie who taught me to think for my self and paint from the heart and to paint what inspired me.

Beanie’s passion was the seascapes and landscapes of old Florida, mine have evolved into French and Italian landscapes, cityscapes and seascapes. Not only did Beanie take us children under his wing, but he started a whole movement taking a group of discarded Black men under his tutelage, giving them painting supplies and teaching them painting techniques. They became famous, known as the Florida Highwaymen, by selling their artwork along the main highways in Florida. Looking around the museum, it is self evident that I wasn’t the only one Beanie influenced.

So for this French and Italian landscape artist, once again living in Central New York, the trip down memory lane was a positive affirmation of who I am today. The influence Beanie had over me as a child still governs me today and I am truly thankful for his guidance which had developed me into a European landscape paintings artist.

Since it is February and National Presidents Day is Feb. 21, it has made me think about the man behind the presidents. It is hard to think of George Washington without visualizing the famous portrait of him painted by Gilbert Stuart. In fact, Stuart painted each of the first six presidents (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams).

One of my childhood memories is stepping into any classroom at school and seeing a painting of George Washington, the father of our country, next to the American flag. You got the feeling the he was not only still watching over the country, but over you too.

The man behind the portrait was Gilbert Stuart from Rhode Island who lived from 1755- to 1828, and is recognized as America’s foremost portraitists. He is best known for the unfinished portrait of Washington known as the Athenaeum, of which its likeness is portrayed on the American $1 bill.

In 1795, Stuart at the age of 40, was granted permission to paint George Washington. Stuart discovered a technique for finding appropriate expressions and poses for the people in his paintings by engaging them in lively banter. Washington was a difficult sitter and Stuart's usual charm and repartee failed on him. Stuart finally found a spark in Washington by engaging him by chatting about horses, a favorite topic of the president who was an accomplished equestrian.

Consequently, Stuart found himself painting Washington with some urgency which produced a portrait of a vibrant and lively man, also placing Washington high up on the canvas conveys the feeling that Washington is towering over us. The fiery glow of a halo in the background brings the president to the foreground with a uncanny 3D effect.

Stuart made more than 100 likenesses of Washington and by the end of his career, he had painted over 1,000 American political and social figures. He was praised for the vitality and naturalness of his portraits, and his subjects found his company most agreeable.

In 1824, Stuart suffered a minor stroke, however he continued to paint for two more year until his death in Boston at the age of 72. He was buried in the Old South Burial Ground of the Boston Common. Sadly as is the case for so many artist while living, Stuart died penniless. In fact, he left his family deeply in debt therefore his wife and daughters were unable to purchase a grave site, and Stuart was buried in an unmarked grave. Years later when his family had recovered from their financial troubles they planned to move his body to the family cemetery in Newport Rhode Island. Sadly the family couldn’t remember the exact location of Stuart’s body so it was never moved.

I love painting Italy and as an Italian painter, I have painted Italy over and over again, although I have to say this was a unique painting for me to choose. I usually find myself painting Italian seascapes and Italian landscapes; I seldom paint an object by itself. That is until I saw this old and crumbling fountain in Italy.

I like the worn look of the fountain and I made sure to emphasize it throughout the painting. The plaster has either fallen away or is about to around a good part of the fountain. The predominant earthy tones of cadmium orange, yellow ochre and Naples yellow give the painting a warm Tuscan feel.

The fountain is bronze which would explain why it is in such a good shape and not falling apart, as the wall behind it is. The floor is slate and the contrast of the blue slats against the warmth of oranges certainly draws the eye inward giving it a 3D effect.

I enjoyed working on this painting, I kept thinking of Rome, Italy, and all those wonderful ancient fountains scattered throughout the city.

As a Central New York artist, I have a personal connection with the Colgate University Bookstore. When I was a little girl, back in the 1960s, the second and third floors of the bookstore were apartments and I lived in two of them at one time or another. I remember sleeping through the fire siren blaring from across the street from the first apartment. From the second apartment I could watch the sign man putting up the letters on the marquee above the movie theater, making me the second person in town who knew what would be playing that week.

Both Hamilton, NY, and Colgate University have gone through many stages of change—always reinventing themselves to adjust with changing times. In the 1800s, hops were king in the area and in the 1900s, the dairy industry exploded onto the scene. By the later part of the last century, we saw the small farms which dotted our countryside all but dry up.

In 1895, a huge fire destroyed most of the Hamilton’s business district; however, the village rebounded back better than ever and saw great economic growth which was a good draw for Colgate University. However, times change and by the beginning of the new millennium, Hamilton’s business district resembled a western ghost town. Something had to be done, and done quickly to save our town.

Colgate University stepped in to meet with local community members, and out of that meeting the Hamilton Initiative was born. The first thing they did was to turn the old 25,000 sq. ft. Vantine Studio into the Colgate University Bookstore. This was a brilliant move both for Colgate and the town; it made the bookstore more accessible to everyone and gave the village a much needed face lift.

The old Palace Theater was another huge project which was no small feat, as for many years it existed as a garage (my mother paid $10 a month to park her car there in the 1960s). This led to more renovations and before long, Hamilton went from a boarded-up downtown to a bustling shopping district with an ice cream store, new restaurants, art galleries and more.

It was with a lot of pride that I painted the Colgate University bookstore and while painting it a lot of wonderful childhood memories were relived. Out of the ashes the Phoenix rose!

It’s the middle of January, winter has really settled in here in Upstate New York. During the winter months, the routine doesn’t change much for this Central New York artist and things can become a bit dull if you let them. My world has gotten so small that I am beginning to see art where I am not so sure art exist.

This morning I finished feeding the horses and was walking back to the house with the two dogs in tow when Cuddles the Lab did something which I thought was rather creative. As Lab owners know, Labs always have several balls laying around to play fetch with and release some of their exuberant energy. For our Lab, it’s also crucial to know where all of her toys are at all times. This can be a bit of a challenge when your dealing with several feet of snow. However, she had her favorite green and blue balls sitting pretty out on the front lawn and in her mouth was her favorite red ball which after much thought she placed strategically with the other two. I got quite a charge out of watching her as she figured out the best place for that red ball to go and thought, “Wow, even Cuddles is creating art.” That is when I knew cabin fever had struck.

I am now looking ahead to what Benny, my big old carriage horse, might come up with when he’s outside during the day. I wonder what interesting shapes hay strewn over the snow can take on? Subconsciously, I must be dreaming of lazy summer days, watching clouds up in the sky and guessing what animal shapes they look like. Not that I care or anything, but did you know that spring is 59 days away?

While walking the dogs this morning I had an epiphany. I look forward to my routine walks with our two dogs and so do they. They love the freedom of wandering free over our Central New York farm fields following the various scents that cross their paths. In my own way I am doing the same thing, following wandering thoughts that are crossing my mind. Every once in a while I have an epiphany and I had one of these “ah ha” moments the other day.

I found myself thinking about what makes me different from the abstract artist and as I was thinking about that, the path I was walking on split in two and it was at that junction that I had my “ah ha” moment.

There are two types of artists, those who paint pictures of places with feeling and those who paint feelings into pictures. I fall into the first category. I paint places that exist with feeling. They are places that either I have been to or places I long to go to. I paint what I see realistically, grass is grass, a tree is a tree and water is water. My goal is to bring to life all of the emotions and beauty of an actual place to the canvas.

The second kind of artist, the abstract artist, paints feelings into pictures. These paintings come from the mind, they are abstract thoughts, thoughts portrayed with use of random colors and shapes which evoke different feelings and emotions depending on the thoughts of the one viewing the painting.

For me there is a sense of security in painting what one knows a connection with what I know exists. Perhaps the second type of artist dreams more and is less connected with the Earth. It’s going to take another long walk to figure that one out.

While out hiking my dogs this week, slogging through the drifting snow, it wasn’t all that was drifting, my mind was too. Once again I found myself thinking back to some of the wonderful experiences I had while visiting my daughter and son-in-law in Europe a while back. One particular experience rises above all others, literally; and that is Ulm Münster, the tallest church in the world. The equivalent of a 53-story building, Ulm Münster soars 528 feet into the air.

Situated in the town for which it is named, Ulm is in Bavaria and on a clear day the Alps are quite visible. I bravely attest to this as I climbed all 768 steps to the very top. I say “all” because I had to give myself a pep talk to climb the final stairwell to the very top known as the “Third Gallery,” a truly frightening experience but once at the top, the panoramic views made it a truly rewarding experience.

Architecturally, Ulm is a Gothic marvel which first began in 1377 and was finally completed 513 years later in 1890. As an artist, I deeply appreciated the 15th Century choir stalls which are among the most famous pews of the Gothic period. Made by Jörg Syrlin The Elder from Oak wood and adorned with hundreds of detail-carved busts. I marveled at the intricacy of the Oak carvings and the work it took to carve into the hard wood. The church is a woodcarver’s paradise for the intricacy and number of these carvings which adorn the inside of the great sanctuary, which seats a congregation of 2,000 people. In the Middle Ages, before pews were introduced, it could accommodate 20,000 people.

Another fact that I found amazing, is that the church still exists. During the height of WWll in 1944, most of Ulm was destroyed when a devastating air raid hit and destroyed 80 percent of the Medieval village of which the church itself was barely damaged.

It was nice reminiscing, but as the dogs and I walked across the last field and trudged up the final hill, I remembered that I had horse stalls to clean and eventually I had to come back down to Earth. It's winter, really winter up here in New York, and it's frigid cold with the snow mounting up in my driveway, but for a little while I was in Bavaria and this Central New York artist had climbed the lofty heights of Ulm Münster.

Yesterday I started 2011 off with my first art show where I was the featured artist along with two other artists from the New York City area. My show, "The Wishful Traveler" is showcased at the Earlville Opera House in Earlville, New York. It was my first show like this where I am the featured artist, and not just showing a couple of pieces with many other artists.

The room where I hung my collection of French and Italian art was a perfect fit, as the room boasts high ceilings and a bank of tall, arched windows which lined one whole side of the room. Several tables and chairs were scattered around the room, which were very inviting proving so by the way people came and lingered for some time enjoying themselves as they soaked in the European atmosphere which surrounded them.

I want to give a special thank you to Patti Lockwood Blais, Earlville Opera House executive director, who was so kind and helpful to me. She couldn’t do enough to make me feel right at home. Also, thank you to all of you who came to the opening. It was wonderful to see old friends and to make new ones, because of you the time flew by way too quickly.

This first experience was so much fun, I really look forward to doing this over and over again. And if you missed the grand opening and artist reception, you can still visit the gallery through Feb. 19. The hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m.to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m. Click here for directions.