New ACEOs for December

In between the cookie baking and present wrapping I snuck off to the studio for a little ACEO painting. I thought this flash snowflake presentation was appropriate!
These aceos are on ebay here

Snow Day

Yesterday we had 26" of beautiful Lake Effect Snow  Sounds pretty doesn't it? 
It is when you don't have to go outside. And yesterday I didn't since the road wasnt plowed and the driveway drifted over. So I stayed inside and painted - snow!




This piece is 11 x14 and is available now on ebay for a limited time.

Happy Thanksgiving

..one of my favorite Norman Rockwells.....
Wishing you and yours a blessed day filled with good food and laughter. And special prayers for all of those who cannot be with their family today.

This and That

I haven't posted much to this blog lately but that doesnt mean I haven't been busy and painting a lot. We've been getting ready for the Holiday Gift Show at Peninsula Art Academy. First day I sold my large pointsettia painting (Clickback)! Timing is everything. I've been re-stocking some local stores that carry my small paintings and painting ornaments for sale and for gifts. Here are two miniature pieces I did this month. One was a commission based on an ACEO

 

    
and the other this small 4x4" piece called "Upward Mobility"



of course ACEOs are always listed on eBay here

Anna Louise Harrington

Welcome Anna Louise! Anna arrived late Friday night November 5th and joined big sister Lily. Anna is Grandma Kathy's 6th grandchild!

Veteran's Day

Dad, finally home for Christmas 1946

This is my Dad,  Francis John Shipman. I called him today to thank him for his service in the Army during World War II. He thanked me and said it was all a long time ago and he thinks that most people don't even know about it anymore.

Dad was in the 551st Field Artillery Unit as a Forward Observer. For the duration. To me that is a really big deal. But then he has always done exactly what was expected of him with no fuss or fanfare. Just like his dad did in World War I.

I am so proud to be his daughter and I thank him for all he has done for me and for our country.

Ohio Collage Society

        The Passage

This is my entry into the Ohio Collage Society Show in the Kirk Gallery at Tiffin University. My painting is 18 x 24" and incorporates paper and tissue as collaged elements. The title refers to the journey from the old world to the new.

Grande Dame

I am loving the play of warm and cool tones in this one. I used an orange prime coat when I started. Ha..warning! Look for more gray and yellow from me. 
I called it Grand Dame since this one beautiful old tree dominates the countryside and everything else is there to support her. The scene is based on trees I have seen around here although it is not from one specific location. The painting is 9x12"

Hudson Ohio Photo Book

  

                                                              Cover art  "Hudson Ohio"

Its done! The community effort to produce a glossy, coffee table style book of photos of our town is now available.

Kristina Roegner, teamed up with Liz Murphy of the Learned Owl and Keith Curley of Western Reserve Systems Group, LLC  to spearhead the project in early 2009. 
I was so intrigued with this that I combed through my photos of Hudson and went out to take more. On a hot June day last year I took this photo at the Saturday morning Farmer's Market and submitted  it   - it was accepted!

                                                                                               photo by K Harrington
This past Sunday afternoon there was a release party for the photographers and authors at the Learned Owl Book Store:

.

.... and it was a great party! A wonderful opportunity to see old friends and share stories. On the way out I couldn't resist snapping a photo of the view across the street from the Learned Owl - the side view of the Congregational Church as it is framed by two leafy trees..... maybe good  for the sequel?

 

Mama Llama

Isn't she a sweetie? Everyday on the way to work I pass a llama farm. These animals are so graceful and seem so intelligent. I painted this lady on canvas board 9x 12" and added a bit of colorful yarn to her harness.

October @ the MD Garage

I thought this palette was perfect for the last show of the year at the MD Garage. In addition to the ochres and violets there is a lot of bronze metallic mat paint used. i wanted to keep the edges very soft and the moody dreamy. The painting is 16x20"

Art Show in Twinsburg

This month I am exhibiting my paintings in the public library in Twinsburg, Ohio. I decided to make a large part of the exhibit about ACEOs. They were very well received - two sold while I was setting up the show!

This is a pen and ink with watercolor of the monument in the Twinsburg town square that I matted and framed for the show:

Grandpa's Truck - Redux

The ACEO served as a model (no pun intended) for this larger version of an old, rusty but classic truck.
Its been in the same place for so long that the grass and vines grow over it and through it. I like the idea of soft foliage and hard metal together and will probably try similar scenes again. Maybe play up the texture of the rust....
This is listed on eBay now

Fear of Sketching

The sketch book arrived.... almost a week ago. Its still sitting on the kitchen table and I am still avoiding it. I have been jotting down ideas and thinking about what I will do. Maybe I will actually get started over this long weekend. Maybe....

From One Extreme to the Other

This is my most recent ACEO, 2.5 x 3.5" its watercolor on paper.

And this is my most recent full size work - its 22 x 28"

Its currently in a show at the MD Garage in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I enjoy painting both the big and the small!

Happy Birthday Matt

 

This is a painting I did of my grandson Lucas on his third birthday. I painted it as gift for my son Matt for HIS birthday yesterday.  I used photo refs of Lucas at his pirate themed birthday party last fall. Is painted on canvas 11x14  I find portraits a real challenge and struggle with flesh tones but when it looks right it is so rewarding!

Sketch Books

I have two or three sketch books lying about and lots of loose paper with snippets of ideas and compositions laid out. So when I first heard of the Sketchbook Project  from Karen Koch I knew I had to try it. I've been involved in other national and international art exchanges including the Bakers Dozen collage swap but the idea of keeping one book with a purpose and a timeline attached intrigued me. I chose "I'm sorry that I forgot you" as my theme and  paid out my $25 for a moleskin sketch book.

Read all about the project here   And get ready Brooklyn, NY ,Austin, TX , San Francisco, CA, Portland, ME, Atlanta, GA, Chicago, IL  I'll be there soon... Eiyahahahhhaaa!

Dutch Roses

Slow Boat to China

This is a new ACEO that I just listed on eBay.  I've been painting this week and have come up with some new cards.

"Green Onions" is another new ACEO

 and "Heading Home".....

Lillies for Lily

This is a mixed media piece I did for my granddaughter who will be one this week. The canvas is 12 x 24 and most of the image is painted. I collaged colored tissue in places, used raffia for the bow and stamped the letters on. I think she likes it!

July ACEOS

Calla Lily...




and from the same palette ~


These will be on my Ebay   this week

Grace Evelyn

Welcome the newest Harrington, Grace Evelyn! Grace was born July 13th

at 11:31 p.m., she weighed 6 lbs 15 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long.
Mom, Dad and her three older brothers are thrilled. As is Grandma Kathy!

At the Vineyard

This painting is 11x14". I started with a red underpainting and added thin layers of color to the sky.I painted this while my daughter in law was in labor  and I waited for news so I'm going to title it Grace's vineyard in honor of my new granddaughter.

Summertime is Pandatime

In the words of  Crane from  Kung Fu Panda I'm just doing a little of this; a little of that. I watched the movie with my grandsons last weekend and I'm full of Panda wisdom now.

And as I  wait for Baby Girl Harrington to arrive (grandchild #5) I'm painting some new ACEOs which I haven't done for a while.

One often finds his destiny in the path he takes to avoid it.Master Oogway


Here are some of the new ones I've listed:

Also I have a continuing clearance sale happening on eBay now. 

There's no charge for awesomeness or attractiveness. Po

K.I.S.S.

We all know what that means - keep it simple stupid. I'm finding its especially true in painting. A simple composition, a simple palette, quick and decisive brush strokes are the keys to a fresh timeless painting. I kept this in mind while painting this garden pond scene and I'm pleased with the results.

 

I Wish I Had Met...

Samuel Bookatz. Unfortunately he passed away last year at the age of 99.
I had a conversation this week with Dick Kleinman at his Eton Square Gallery about local and regional artists and the artists that he represents. Dick said that he did represent Samuel Bookatz and was surprised that I had not heard of him. So you know as soon as I got home I was googling Mr Bookatz and came away in awe of his incredible life and prolific work.

There are a number of examples of his work at Dick Kleinman Fine Arts. It was written that Bookatz  works “simultaneously on nearly a dozen different paintings at a time,(he)moves back and forth between different styles, media, and subjects as if they were all pieces of the same complicated puzzle." A man after my own heart. An 'everything painter'.

There is an obituary in the Washington Post that chronicles his amazing life story.

and a few more

I had time to work out two 8x10s while at the marsh Sunday. Both are done with palette knife on canvas. 
I had to leave all the paintings, varnished and framed at the Academy by 5:00 on Sunday. All the artists had fun comparing notes as they came in from the field and got their work ready for hanging  I had to choose two to enter into judging. The other three will also be displayed. I must say that coming home without my paintings felt very strange... like coming home alone and leaving my new baby at the hospital! The competition will be judged by Larry Churski and the opening reception is June 26th. Hope to see you there!

Day 2

On Sunday we got started a little later in the day. Once again there were thunderstorms in the area. I knew I wanted to paint at the marsh.

I set up at edge (as far away from the poison ivy as possible) and close to the parking lot (well, there's lots to carry and the real possibility of a speedy exit being a necessity). I had decided to use a palette knife; partly for speed and partly to catch the rough gnarly feel of the marsh. the bull frogs were croaking and I painted.

 I met lots of great folks who stopped to chat. At times the sun poked thru. It was a great day.

Day 1

I started painting about 9:30 Saturday morning with one eye on the storm clouds. The view is wonderful and I turned the easel so I could paint the northern view of the Cuyahoga.

This is the painting. It is 8x10"

 

There was still plenty of time so I started a 12x12 stretched canvas of the tree roots that were hanging over the edge of the bluff.

 By 2:30 I was ready to clean the brushes. The clouds were dark and I got back to PAA just as the rain started in earnest. 

 

Plein (Air) Fun

Here I am painting at the back edge of the property behind 'Fire and Water', a great book store/coffee shop in Peninsula. The Cuyahoga River runs below my vantage point and the drop off  is sudden and steep.I 'm painting the view of the river as the morning sun hits the water.

This is the front of the shop where owner Jeff makes coffee and bakery and everyone likes to stay and chat.

I was joined this morning my local artist Nicki Lanzi who also worked in acrylics.

Ginny

The 1964-65 Worlds Fair was a huge event for anyone growing up in the NYC area. It was the place to go, a place to get a glimpse of the future - imagine computers and fax machines and phones with tv hook ups!


It was a place to have fun and ride the sky cars and thats just what I did with my sisters.



Today, on the third  anniversary of Ginny's death I remember happier days when we flew through the sky, wearing silly hats and had the world at our feet.

Knife and Day

Hudson Clocktower

This was done with palette knife on canvas. Looking at the image on the screen the tower looks a bit out of whack... something I didnt 'see' with the naked eye. I'll fix that!  I'm getting ready for the annual June Days Art Show this month in Hudson an decided t odo some local scenes.