Day 2 of 5 FB paintings

Day 2 of 5 Facebook Painting Challenge.

I selected unpublished paintings that had a bit of humor when they were made. The first 'My Peonies Have No Ants' is a Springtime plein air; painting the flower buds outdoors I watched so many fat ants crawl around that I decided to be 'different', therefore, no ants.

The second was painted at a vendor workshop, 'Studio Zygocactus'. We were to paint from photos to evaluate a new paint product. I forgot eyeglasses and painted this sideways, displayed it sideways and didn't know it. Nowadays, I often paint outdoors without my glasses.

The last is a Botanical Gardens close up. Behind me was a vicious spiked cactus, hence the title, 'No Leaning.'
I nominate Patricia Gaeta to post 3 paintings a day for 5 days, we want to see what you are up to!

 — with Patricia Gaeta.

From Facebook Artist Posts 1

Day 1 of 5
I am nominated for the current Facebook Challenge by Frances Gaffney, a Manhattan and ADK artist and friend, to post 3 artworks for 5 days and nominate another artist each day. It has been a pleasure to see so much great work from so many artist friends and I am pleased to be a part of making FB posts beautiful.
These 3 are earlier works, pastels on 22x30 BFK created from real roses in my studio. I have always been inspired by nature and this series of rose paintings 2003-04 were stepping stones to becoming a better artist by observing and recording as well as the experience of working with limited color.
In the shadow of Frances, I nominate Elizabeth Flannery Damesimo to post 3 paintings a day for 5 days.
1. Investigating Pink
2. Rotated Rose 
3. More Moon Shadows

Finally lifting a brush to under paint a new studio painting, 36x24

 I say 'finally lifting a brush' because I have finally recovered from my wrist surgery in September. I had no idea how much I had been missing or how much I had been hurting until the pain was gone...the same day as the surgery. 

Thinking that it would work itself out was not the best plan for me, as it had started to really bother me in June of 2013, by August I wore a small brace and in the Fall I finally made an appointment. By then I had stopped using pastels and modified techniques with the brushes so I could still paint. A hand specialist gave me a bigger brace that kept my thumb immobile, various appointments involved cortisone shots, useless pain cream, different braces and suggestions to consider other tests and surgery. Not an ideal patient, I wanted to just be fine without any stitches. Boy, was I wrong, I could have saved a year of complications. Now that I have had a 'First Dorsal Compartment Release' and waited the right amount of recuperation time I can paint and pastel, within reason, at least until I get it all figured out. New artwork will be posted more often now!

Winter gift show at NACC

The Niagara Arts and Cultural Center winter gallery exhibit is titled 'Fire and Ice'. I have two paintings there but this is my display earlier in the day when the NACC was open to the public for a holiday show and sale on tables. I brought some mini paintings, the 2015 calendars and an assortment of small framed plein air canvases. It was a fun day and interesting to hear comments about the smaller works and to meet other artists with their work.

Snovember cancellation

 Not sure where there is a road open but the amount of snow on this car is a small indication of how much there is in the storm center. I assume this is in an area that is not the hardest hit.

A photo in the newspaper showed this marquee with a snow pile on top that is taller than the sign height. I like the message they added here.

This weekend was supposed to be my major end of year event, replacing the "Open Studio" I hosted for the past five years. Unfortunately most snow records were broken this week as the Southtowns of Buffalo were inundated with snowfall amounts measured in feet with numbers like 5-6 feet in the worst areas. Since the Holiday Art Festival was scheduled in the lovely Knox Mansion in East Aurora in the midst of the snowbelt it has been rescheduled to Spring. With the amounts of snow there- a whole year's worth in two days-some may still be melting in the lots then.

Obviously these are not my photos, we had about 3 inches on Grand Island, the photos are from the internet.