Warm Pear, Cool Snow

Warm Pear, Cool Snow

A Forelle pear set into a snow drift by my driveway in Shapleigh, Maine 

on January 28, 2014, sketched on January 30, 2014
9" x 6", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite,
on 300 lb Arches cold press archival watercolor paper

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping 

also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

Splash Walking Where Skiers Skied

Splash Walking Where Skiers Skied

cross country in the fields beside my home in Shapleigh, Maine
on January 28, 2014, sketched on January 29, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping 

online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE
also online at the Daily Paintworks Snow Challenge HERE
"Your challenge this week is to paint snow."
I love looking down at the blue sky caught in snow's shadows, defining the white of snow. I also love splashing through snow in my vintage forty-year-old Red Ball boots, purchased then for my days as a Maine island caretaker and fishing my few lobster traps. Like the local fishermen, I wrapped my socked feet with newspapers for insulation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Red Balls in Snow 
by Bruce McMillan

© 2014 Bruce McMillan, may not be used without permission

My feet swinging,
splashing in snow,
wearing my Red Ball boots;

crystals flying,
out on the go,
wearing my Red Ball boots;

shadows catching
sky blue, below,
wearing my Red Ball boots;

sunny hiking,
thinking long ago,
wearing my Red Ball boots.

Pacing Outside the MFA

Pacing Outside the MFA

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) denied entry at the
Huntington Avenue entrance to the Museum of Fine Arts
in Boston, MA on January 17, 2014, sketched on January 28, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping 

Petal's Edge Waves

Petal's Edge Waves

on a blooming amaryllis set out in the snow in my yard in Shapleigh, Maine 
on January 26, 2014, sketched on January 27, 2014
6" x 4", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping
 

Red Bloom on Blue Snow

Red Bloom on Blue Snow

in my yard in Shapleigh, Maine
on January 25, 2014, sketched on January 26, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Sunrise Spills Over Fort Ridge

Sunrise Spills Over Fort Ridge

in Shapleigh, Maine on January 21, 2014, sketched on January 25, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

This is bordering on the abstract, going with blocks of color; 

I know this scene well, the view from my home

with the snow field of my yard in the foreground.

The surprise was the well placed bit of yellow; I used no yellow.

I thinned the cadmium orange at the lowest part

and let the white paper shine through, the coming sun.

Boston MFA Strong

Boston MFA Strong

along Huntington Avenue outside
the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA
on January 17, 2014, sketched on January 23, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Between

Between

two works in the Catherine and Paul Buttenwieser Gallery
at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA
on January 17, 2014, sketched on January 23, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

 

My Painting Partner

I looked down at the brush wipes
on my wet paper towel,
whoa, hi; I wasn't alone.

Kisa

Kisa (Icelandic for Kitty)

sketched on January 22, 2014 for the Daily Paintworks Challenge,
The Creative Color Challenge: "I have provided a black and white photograph
of my cat, Max. The challenge will be staying true to the values given."
Patti Vincent Dayton, OH
4" x 6", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite,
on 140 lb Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
online at the Daily Paintworks Challenge HERE
and also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping 

Bloom in Blue

Bloom in Blue

A White amaryllis blooming set outside in my snowy
yard against the deepest blue sky in Shapleigh, Maine
on January 6, 2014, sketched on January 20, 2014
10" x 7", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

NFS

Two Canadians Outside...

Two Canadians
Outside the MFA in Boston

Two Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) outside the
Huntington Avenue entrance to the Museum of Fine Arts
in Boston, MA on January 17, 2014, sketched on January 20, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite,
on 140 lb Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

On Viewing Sargent's Watercolors

On Viewing Sargent's Watercolors

at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, MA

on January 17, 2014, sketched on January 19, 2014
10" x 7", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite,
on 140 lb Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Chair Buds Sprouting People

Chair Buds Sprouting People

in the Taste Café and Wine Bar at the Museum of Fine Arts
in Boston, MA on the evening of January 17, 2014,
sketched on January 18, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite,
on 140 lb. Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Afternoon Heralding Bloom

Afternoon Heralding Bloom

an amaryllis by my shingled home in Shapleigh, Maine
on January 6, 2014, sketched on January 17, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors, #3 graphite, on 140 lb
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

 

Open Wide

Open Wide

an amaryllis blossom set out in my yard in Shapleigh, Maine
on January 1, 2014, sketched on January 16, 2014
10" x 8", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE 

$300

Swiss Snow Train Teague

Swiss Snow Train Grandson Teague

from a photo by my son Brett in Switzerland in
January 2014, sketched on January 15, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb. and #3 graphite
on Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper

also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Reading Gunnlaugur Scheving

Reading Gunnlaugur Scheving,

one of my favorite Icelandic artists (1904-1972),
in my enclosed sun room porch in Shapleigh, Maine
on January 12, 2014, sketched on January 13, 2014
10" x 7", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
NFS
also online at the Daily Paintworks The Interior Challenge HERE and
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE
What I was reading HERE (Icelandic) or HERE (English).
See his work HERE and HERE

The Party

The Party

outside during January thaw in Shapleigh, Maine
on January 12, 2014, sketched on January 13, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

Old and Young

Old and Young

amaryllis blooms residing together on the same stalk
outside on a winter rainy day in Shapleigh, Maine
on January 11, 2014, sketched on January 12, 2014
9" x 6", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper 

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

Ageing with Grace

Ageing with Grace

A White Amaryllis outside in the snow in my yard
in Shapleigh, Maine on January 9, 2014, sketched on January 11, 2014
10" x 7", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping 

 also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

Pistil and Stamens

Pistil and Stamens

of a white amaryllis in the late afternoon in Shapleigh, Maine
on January 9, 2014, sketched on January 10, 2014
9" x 6", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 400 hot press archival watercolor paper

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

Still Standing

Still Standing

white amaryllis blooms wilting in Shapleigh, Maine
on January 6, 2014, sketched on January 9, 2014
10" x 7", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

 

Sunny Winter Blooms

Sunny Winter Blooms

in the snow in my yard in Shapleigh, Maine
on January 1, 2014, sketched on January 7, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

This is also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE
and this weeks Daily Paintworks The Summer in Winter Challenge HERE
Note:
This was the fifth sketch I did to get the feel of it right. I've been painting more representational than interpretive with the flowers, unlike the flow when I was painting the Monhegan series. I was filling in the lines, like a pictorial coloring book, not letting the brush make the lines. I worked through that. I painted two of one view before I realized that perspective wasn't going to work. Then I went on with this view and by the third one I was loose and confident with the brush strokes, back to where I want to be.

      The blue is no accident, a mix of Prussian Blue, Winsor Violet, with a touch of French Ultramarine, which is painted last with my biggest #20 round brush, my favorite part of the process. Before then it looked like nothing, but when the blue fills the space around the flowers and they take shape and the flowers pop, voilà; it reminded me of painting seagulls overhead in a blue sky and using the white of the paper and negative/positive space. In the practice ones I realized that I didn't need to lay on so much shadow, one of the things I reminded myself while getting loose and back in the groove.

Yesterday's Bloom

Yesterday's Bloom

on a winter rainy day on my deck in Shapleigh, Maine
on January 6, 2014, sketched on January 7, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Shadow Stalking

Shadow Stalking

white amaryllis bloom set in the snow on a sunny day
in Shapleigh, Maine on January 1, 2014, sketched on January 6, 2014,
10" x 8", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb. Strathmore Series 500 hot press
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

The Long Shadow...

The Long Shadow of
Winter Blooms

white amaryllis blooming plant set in the snow of my yard in Shapleigh, Maine on January 1, 2014,
sketched on January 5, 2014, 7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Profile in Winter White

Profile in Winter White

of white amaryllis set on snow in my
yard on an overcast day in Shapleigh, Maine
on December 29, 2013, sketched on January 4, 2014
9" x 7", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

My artist friend Brenda Ferguson asked if she might paint it in oil
from my reference photo. It's fabulous, such a fine artist,
and sold within minutes of her posting it.

Room to Grow

Brenda Ferguson
Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100
sold within hours of posting on Brenda's web site where it's posted HERE

 

Icicle Dropping By

Icicle Dropping By

along the entranceway to my home in Shapleigh, Maine
on January 1, 2013, sketched on January 3, 2014
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper 
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Hanging Out

Hanging Out

an amaryllis set in my snowy yard on an overcast day in Shapleigh, Maine on December 29, 2013,
sketched on January 2, 2014
10" x 7", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper 
also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Guest Artist

Brenda Ferguson is a dear artist friend
and reader of my Postcard of the Day who sometimes asks
if she might paint from one of my photos. Below is one she painted
from the same reference photo that I used for the watercolor above.

 Winter White
Brenda Ferguson
with permission from a photo of mine
Oil on panel, 6" x 6", January 2014,
$100 + $10 domestic shipping
  available at Brenda's blog HERE

 

White Amaryllis in Snow

White Amaryllis in Snow

set in my snowy yard in Shapleigh, Maine on December 29, 2013,
sketched on January 1, 2014
10" x 8", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 500 hot press archival watercolor paper also online at the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge HERE

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Birch Trunk...

Birch Trunk Packed in the Snow

in the woods by my stream in Shapleigh, Maine on December 27, 2013,
sketched on December 31, 2013
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb. Strathmore hot press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

My Apple Tree...

My Apple Tree
Wearing Winter as the Sun Sets

in Shapleigh, Maine on December 27, 2013, sketched on December 30, 2013
9" x 6", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 400 hot press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Office/Garage in Winter

Office/Garage in Winter

after a fresh blanket of snow in Shapleigh, Maine on December 28, 2013,
sketched on December 29, 2013
9" x 6", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb. Strathmore Series 400
cold press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Snow on...

Snow on American Beech Leaves

in the woods by my brook in Shapleigh, Maine on December 27, 2013,
sketched on December 28, 2013
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore hot press archival watercolor paper  
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Mother and Son

Mother and Son

Daughter-in-Law Megan and Grandson Teague on Holiday in Salzburg Austria,
from a photo by son Brett on December 24, 2013, sketched on December 26, 2013
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb. Strathmore hot press archival watercolor paper

Brothers

Brothers

Grandson Finn and Grandson Teague fooling around on holiday in Austria
on December 25, 2013, sketched in Shapleigh from
a photo by son Brett on December 25, 2013
6" x 4", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore cold press archival watercolor paper

White Pine Needles Iced

White Pine Needles Iced
(Pinus strobus)

after the sun came out from an ice storm in Shapleigh, Maine
on December 24, 2013, sketched on December 24, 2013
9" x 6", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 400 cold press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Kings of the Mountain...

Kings of the Mountain
Grandson Finn and Grandson Teague

at Steinplatte, Austria HERE from a reference photo by son Brett
on December 22, 2013, sketched on December 23, 2013
9" x 6", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore Series 400 cold press archival watercolor paper
This painting is included and on display in the
Away From Home Challenge by Keiko Tanabe at Daily Paintworks HERE

Grandson Finn Catching Big Air

Grandson Finn Catching Big Air

at Steinplatte, Austria HERE from a reference photo by son Brett on December 22, 2013,
sketched on December 22, 2013
9" x 6", Winsor & Newton watercolors
on 140 lb. Strathmore Series 400 cold press archival watercolor paper

Amaryllis Green Bud in Snow

Amaryllis Green Bud in Snow

in my yard in Shapleigh, Maine on December 21, 2013,
sketched on December 22, 2013
9" x 7", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore 400 Series cold press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Upon Awakening

Upon Awakening

the view when I first opened my eyes at home in Shapleigh, Maine
on December 20, 2013, sketched on December 20, 2013
9" x 6", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 300 lb.
Arches Canson cold press cotton archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Beech Leaves on a Snowy Day

Beech Leaves on a Snowy Day

in the woods by my home in Shapleigh, Maine on December 16, 2013,
sketched on December 19, 2013
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore 500 Series hot press archival watercolor paper
unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

The South Side of Home

The South Side of Home

in winter's snow in Shapleigh, Maine on December 16, 2013, sketched on December 19, 2013
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore 500 Series hot press archival watercolor paper 

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Home Tucked in Snow

Home Tucked in Snow

My home on Fort Ridge in Shapleigh, Maine on December 16, 2013, sketched on December 18, 2013
9" x 6", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb.
Strathmore 500 Series hot press archival watercolor paper

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

Beech Leaves Over Snow

Beech Leaves Over Snow

in my woods in Shapleigh, Maine on December 16, 2013, sketched on December 17, 2013
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb. Strathmore 500 Series hot press archival watercolor paper

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

 

Rock Wall Blanketed in Snow

Rock Wall Blanketed in Snow

behind my home in Shapleigh, Maine on December 15, 2013, sketched on December 15, 2013
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb. Strathmore hot press archival watercolor paper

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping

The Snow Covered Bend...

The Snow Covered Bend
in the Apple Branch Smiles

on the apple tree in my yard at Shapleigh, Maine
on December 13, 2013, sketched on December 15, 2013
7" x 5", Winsor & Newton watercolors on 140 lb Lanaquarelle
hot press acid free mould made watercolor paper made in France

unframed, sold framed, $100 plus $5.50 sales tax plus $10 shipping