Day 27- Alone at the cottage

 

'Alone with my roses',

5 x 7 inches , watercolor on Arches CP paper

already up on etsy here

'Afternoon at the cottage',

7 x 8 inches, watercolor on Arches CP paper

already up on etsy here

 

My husband and daughter took the ferry to the mainland early on in the day,

and left me alone to paint. And I painted. At some point I had to rush out to draw some deer strolling

slowly through our backyard . I am sure you will be seeing them in a watercolor or two, soon. I also listened to a very interesting  Tate interview with Arne Glimcher about Agnes Martin (here). 

I think this is going to be a lovely place to live.

Day 168- Still life with squash

Day 168- Still life with squash

5,5 x 8 inches acrylics, acrylic inks and house paint on vintage paper

Almost gave up on this. I am not sure about the white house paint. I like the way it feels on the

brush but it kind of deadens the colors I mix it with. Maybe I should mix it with some Zinc white as well.

Maybe it's not about the house paint at all. Maybe the composition is too flat. But I like what is happening in the background. Tomorrow is another day. 10:54pm now. Goodnight.

Day 150- Study no 107 (girls with white dresses)

 

Day 150- Study no107

6 x 8 inches, mixed media on vintage paper

                                         
I am working on this image, or almost like it, on a much larger scale. So I thought I would
just keep trying things out in small studies at the same time as I am working on the larger panel.
That gives me time to sit back and think, and evaluate my progress.

Day 149- Two, rather than one.

 

Day 149- Two, rather than one.

9 x 12 inches, acrylic on paper

 

You might already know this but just in case:

 

http://inthemake.com/

 

 

Day 148- Cupcake

 

Day 148- Cupcake

9 x 12 inches, acrylics and acrylic inks on paper

 

It's not about the sunlight, it's about the shapes.

 

 

All hours in the studio-

Acrylic on canvas- 30 x 36 inches

Probably finished-

Acrylic on canvas- 30x30 inches

Have to get back there-

It's almost as if life is on hold-

until these paintings are done-done-

meanwhile, enjoy Aloe Blacc  here

Hugs-

Annamaria Potamiti

New painting and some peach clafoutis-

Reading by the window

Acrylics on masonite- 8 x 10 inches

Bid here

Ok. So I am the Queen of the Snail's Pace.

All my life, it's true.

I am not bothered by this anymore (sort of). I try to work with it.(try)

Like  I seem to dicscover some good things very late in the game .

Such as making a super moist, not too sweet, very peachy, peach clafoutis.

Of course I should have been making this already for years now.

Still...maybe it's sweeter that way... 

And I made this darling treat, because I was so very

inspired by Alicia's blog from the thoroughly delightful 'Posie Gets Cozy'.

Again I am probably the last person in the blogging world to have come across her blog,

but maybe I came about it just at the right time.

You see apart from being 'slow', I am also very happy to be home and

stay home, and sit quietly in my corner and do my thing, paint. I don't need parties, or

too much social interaction at all. Indeed all activities that are out-of-home, are almost painful to me.

 This always caused me great amounts of guilt, which

 Alicia has totally thrown all out

the window for me, she had indeed 'healed' me from a load of nonsense it seems.

Thank you Alicia, you are indeed so very clever, and so very talented, and so

very happy at home...!

As for the clafoutis (Alicia seems to like clafoutis too),

 I read three or four different recipes, and then did my own thing.

5 peaches

1 cup half/half

1 cup all purpose flower

1/2 cup brown sugar

1,5 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

pinch of salt

Easy, peasy:

Preheat at 375*

Slice the peaches and put them on a greased round 9inch baking dish.

Mix everything else starting with the sugar and eggs.

Pour gently over peaches.

Bake for ten minutes at 375* and then lower the temperature at 350*

for about forty minutes .

Some people cover the baked clafoutis with icing sugar.

I just put a nice spoonful of whipped cream over each slice.

Now all are content and happy (at home)-

Hugs-

Annamaria Potamiti

Elvira found out that she was the captain.

mixed media

8 x 10 inches

I borrowed the quote by W.E.Henley:

'I am the master of my fate;

I am the captain of my soul.'

I realise how important the storytelling aspect is in my artwork,

and I am going to stick with it. At the same time, I want to create more

layered, textured images.

The girl's dress comes from a printed drawing I did last year,

It is a flower upside down. Which is how she often feels.

Vulnerable as a cut flower.

Storm raging.

The mirror shows pink. Soft.

And yet, ultimately, Elvira, soft, pink, flower and all,

is the captain,

and the sea is full of treasure,

if only she can stay still and collected now.

Not to blame the storm.

Storms happen.

Hugs-

Annamaria Potamiti

What was in the mail and some new work-

I have loved Francesca's work for the longest time. Now I have one

of my favorite prints at home. I had wanted to frame it before I showed you, but my

days are too crazy busy. I decided to do a variety of markets this summer, and that on top of

everything else, it  is just non-stop work. I am not complaining, I love it.

But I wish I could do justice to Francesca's beautiful work. You can take a better look here

And you can also visit her funny, lovely, gorgeous blog here!

5x5inches, mixed media on paper

I have also been feeling that I have been getting too literal,

with my birds and all, and I just wanted to do a few looser

pieces, just going about it inuitively, thinking of texture and colour.

5 x 5 inches, mixed media on paper

I have this thing about pink, maybe its the light here of the very early mornings, maybe I am dreaming it,

maybe I am hungry for it, whatever it is, it is the colour I need to see these days.

And how are you my sweets?

Is there anyone else doing markets and shows this summer?

Are you just hanging out on some exotic beach,

or cooking delish summer dishes in a hot kitchen,

or drinking iced coffee while you are browsing through the

blogging world?

Whatever you are doing,

I hope you are loving it!

Hugs-

Annamaria Potamiti

Elina waited-

Acrylic on wooden panel, 8 x 8 x 3/4 inches

In the sunner Elina would go with him to the beach and then wait while he went fishing. While he
was off doing his own thing she ate a lot of watermelon. She later complained that her hands got sticky with the sweet juices and sand.

But I can't wait around, I am off to the studio!

Hugs,
Annamaria Potamiti

Nina celebrated her birthday-

Nina celebrated her birthday in her housecoat,

sitting in the garden with her best friend-

I just celebrated a birthday that I was somewhat 'anbivalent ' about,

and a little later I was having breakfast at a coffee shop when these two women showed up

in their housecoats, with funny things in their hair, giggling and all

excited, because on of them was celebrating her birthday.

I think next year I will do just the same and (bad word)

all 'ambivalence'. So there, you are invited! Next April

in your housecoats!

Hugs

Annamaria Potamiti

Susan takes her littlest for a stroll-

Red haired Susan is taking her littlest one for a stroll.Maybe they will end up at the park.

Maybe they will just walk around aimlessly, looking at the gardens, talking to some birds,

smelling pretty flowers, spotting a fox, all the usual things that a mom and toddler do

when they are out for a stroll.

Hugs-

Annamaria Potamiti

She's my rainbow-

acrylics on wooden panel. 6 x 8 inches.

Rea, is passionate about her yoga. She is thinking of becoming an instructor.

I was thinking she's my rainbow.

Hugs,

Annamaria Potamiti

The writer who hid the chocolate bars-

A few years ago I met a lovely, striking woman with the most

amazingly thick, gorgeous, chestnut hair. I didn't know her all that well but she once confided to me that she and her husband

had never given their children chocolate, not even for birthday cakes.

Never, ever chocolate for the children.(who were already twelvish and elevenish)

They hid chocolate bars around the house for themselves, and secretly ate them

after the children slept.

Later I found out this woman was a writer. She just

published her first book.

Writing and hiding chocolate

both involve loads of

discipline I am sure-

Hugs-

Annamaria Potamiti

Half Eeyore- half piglet-

(image from here)

Yes, I tell you, Eeyore is just who I become very often...

Particularly, when I have a cold-allergy combo that makes me

hug my numerous tissue boxes for dear life-

And Piglet too.

Oh My!

My favorite painting from the show-

Rea enjoying the very loud classical music from a passing car-

Posing for mom-

Who rewarded her with coffee and 'fruit fries- with yogourt ketchap'-

a 'Little Nest' specialty for little kids, which is absolutely perfect for big kids as well.

Ok my sweets, I will go back to eating my thistles now, and do some

more painting - I should say I guess, that I am doing a new series of

'make me feel good paintings', just to go against the being in the dumps

mood-Is it bad to make 'kiss me better' paintings? Hey, I liked the

sound of this- Hmm-

Hugs, my sweets-

pink painting (about a badass wolf)-

Wolf on the sofa- bad pink wolf!

Wolf on the table-Stay wolf-stay-

Hugs-
Annamaria Potamiti

The love of Fairlield Porter(1907-1975)-

When I don't know where to turn to..., I turn to my sketchbooks. Last year I made a series of black and white watercolour studies in my sketchbook.

I painted casual arrangements around the house. I love the way watercolour 'sinks and spreads very fast' into the thin sketchbook paper. It's a challenge...

The small studies were inspired by the work of Fairfield Porter, which I was thinking about at the  time. I believe I went through every book on his work in our city's library system.  I love the way F.P. painted around his home (or right outside his home). The portraits of his children, wife and friends ( male lovers?). The sittings are casual, the sitters are usually doing something quite normal, like eating at the breakfast table, reading, playing the piano, lying in bed with a headache- I guess that's what I mostly delight in , F. Porter painting 'life as usual'. The above is a rough copy of a painting of his daughter Lizzie, at the breakfast table- I studied the composition and the way he worked with values- I felt my work was (and gulp!- often still is...-  wishy-washy- so I always have to be extra vigilant about my values)-
I have also made a note in my sketchbook that I saw similarities here with Bonnard's 'The Lamp'. I don't remember this, but I will look it up again. Fun.

This is another rough, little copy of  a F.Porter painting-'Island Farmhouse-(1969)- the dog sitting in the shade on a hot, sunny day- while this is a value study,  the most gorgeous element in the actual painting is F.Porter's use of yellow -In my notes:' he has just squeezed out the very essence of this. Summer lemonade.'

Best thing to contemplate in mid-February!

Hugs- 

A successful show and planning what's next-

Thank you all you lovely people who came by and were interested and enthusiastic and supportive in so many ways! I took photos in the beginning of the opening reception so it appears quiet whereas it was really, really crowded!!! Yay!!! At the back is the wall with the work of Riitta Peirone.

This wall has Jane Hennessy's work. Riitta is standing on the left .

My wall!!

Jeniffer Mitton discussing her paintings!

Jane Hennessy holding flowers!

And now the time has come to plan again,  set new goals. I feel this part of my work which is very immersed in my autobiographical story-telling is coming to an end. I strongly feel it is a chapter closed.

Right now, I have many, many sketches and watercolors that I am  revisiting and working into paintings.  

Seriously planning:

time

money

more shows

new studio?

a new series-

rethinking the way this blog is put together- I want to focus on the work and what's happening in the studio-

soon...

hugs-

New work- about rain-

 My husband is Scotish. He sings when it rains.

 I am trying to see what he sees.

But my bluebird still sings louder when it's sunny!

Hugs-

Searching- outside-inside-

Walking  when it sunny.

 Finding treasures.

And inspiration.
Happy week to all.
Hugs-