Mary Richmond Design

New ACEOs

View this photo I have posted the beginnings of a new series of ACEOs at my Etsy shop.

These images are not uploading correctly. They are uploading as if they were vertical format when they are really horizontal. Typepad is looking into it for me so I am leaving them up even though they're funny looking.

You may click here to see them the way they should look.

Painting Dogs, Painting Pet Portraits

Every now and then I get a request to paint someone's dog or dogs. These two lovely retrievers belong to a woman who found me on Etsy. She emailed me some pictures and I went to work.

I love to paint animals and I love dogs so it's not much of a stretch for me to do work like this. However, I rarely paint two in the same picture so I was a little stressed with this one, trying to get both likenesses to work out right. I actually repainted it several times, beginning each time on fresh paper.

When I finally got one I like the cat walked through the darkest paint on my palette and walked across the painting so I had to start over yet again.

Anyway, here is the finished product which is on its way to its new owner!

Watercolor Shorebirds and Article Writing

More little bird paintings in my moleskine sketchbook today. Nice and wet watercolors for a wet, windy day. It's been nasty and cold most of the week and I, for one, am ready for some real spring....

I am disorganized this week and it's not a good week to be disorganized. I have my taxes to finish, my studio to pack up and clean out, several orders to pack and ship and one more interview to do for a magazine article I'm working on.

I've gotten lots done this week but mostly it's been writing and teaching so I'm behind in other areas. That's not exactly new but is difficult to balance, for me anyway. There's always something left just a bit out of the mix that keeps me from really being productive.

Today four publications came out carrying my writing. They are all small publications but it's still pretty cool, for me, anyway. There are two articles on local authors in the Cape Cod Times. You can read one of them here. There are my columns, "Weekly Nature Watch" in the Enterprise papers and "Nature's Ways" in the Cape Codder and then an article on home offices in a home and garden supplement for the Barnstable Patriot. I don't think any of them are online.

So back to balance.....my goal for the rest of the year really should be to find some with all the things I like to do, all the things I commit to do and all the things I want to do....as an artist, writer, naturalist, teacher.....and wife, mom, grandmom, sister, aunt, friend, mentor......busy days.

Watercolors and Moleskinerie

Whenever I don't know what else to do, I paint birds. Whenever I feel like painting just a little, I paint birds. Whenever I have just a few minutes and I just have to paint, I paint a bird. When I'm feeling a little blue or a little happy, I pull out my sketchbook and paint a bird.

When I bought my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook I knew I wanted to use it as a book of paintings somehow and if you've read my blog before you know I decided to fill this one with bird heads. It's about half full now and gives me a quiet focus at the beginning of my studio day. It's a sort of meditation for me to do this kind of painting.

They don't take very long and yet they require enough layers of color that I must practice a certain patience and I have to be paying attention, especially while I'm waiting. This is good discipline for me for I am somewhat like a little bunny jumping around from one thing to another on most days.

But I have to be attentive when painting these, though they look like they are just splashed on the page. To get the right effect I always have to be aware of how wet or dry each area is getting.

It's a real drag when the phone rings at an inopportune moment....especially if it's someone I really should talk to...and after all I do have clients I need to answer to.

Each bird takes on its own unique personality. After all these years this doesn't surprise me. What does surprise me is the personality itself; for often the personality seems to have nothing to do with what I'm looking at, thinking about or feeling in that moment. It's sort of uncanny. They seem to have and develop a mind of their own....

I don't really know why I feel about birds the way I do. In these paintings perhaps some of those feelings come through. I just know they are an expression of something deep inside me. They are flying high as spirit, yes, but they are also so very grounded.

Look into a bird's eye and you will not find much mushy stuff there....birds are right on it. They are sharp, a little fierce even, and they miss nothing. And they're beautiful, sleek, efficient and smart. What more could we want in an animal?

New Watercolor Sketches and Random Thoughts

I've been doing a lot of what I call watercolor sketches in my moleskine lately. It should tell you a lot about my frame of mind and attention span. I always joke that I must have a bit of ADD and seriously, I have not been able to sit still for more than about 5 minutes over the last few days. I'm figuring things out and somehow that means I have to be moving. Does being in motion somehow help the flow of my thoughts? Perhaps.

It looks like I will be giving up my retail space within the year. Most of my business is coming from wholesale accounts, designer referrals or from my website as well as this blog. Last month only 10% of my sales came from my shop. As you might imagine I have a fair amount of overhead and I'm thinking I should reconsider keeping this space.

The truth is I really hate being tied down in the shop. I would like to have a studio where clients could come and where I might have an occasional show but really I just like the work space.

I miss my work as a naturalist and I miss my freedom to be able to go out and paint when the weather is fine and the mood is better....

My landlords have been very patient with me but I don't think they'll be heartbroken to see me go. I need to stay in the residential space for now but if they have someone interested in the space I would be willing to let it go. I would like to stay another month so I can have a big sale but I will do what works for them. If they don't have a tenant in mind and would like me to stay through the summer I will try and find another artist to share the space, cost and responsibility with. In the meantime I am hoping to secure some seasonal naturalist work to get myself back outside for the spring, summer and fall.

I've been feeling pretty discouraged this past week. I'm in debt, I'm not happy with my painting or my apparent lack of abilities and I've just been feeling overwhelmed. It's only a temporary thought and today I'm feeling much better. Part of that is feeling like I'm starting to make decisions that are once again in alignment with my goal of wanting to be a better artist living in harmony with my integrity.

If you're a fellow artist reading this, how do you deal with these setbacks in creative input and output? How do you deal with your financial life? I've always supported myself as an artist but it's also been a pretty hand to mouth existence. Right now it's below that. Trying to maintain the retail space has put me in pretty substantial debt and I am now at the threshold of my comfort zone. I can't and won't accumulate any more. I'm not giving up on my business, just the place where I do it. I will go back to wholesaling my work, which actually gives me much more freedom.

These little sketches are fun to do. They are quick but very concentrated. They may look very loose but it takes a fair amount of energy to keep all that free flowing water where I want it. There's much more control in these than you may want to believe. Many of my students bemoan the fact that their attempts at being "loose" fall apart. And yes, that is what happens if I don't pay attention to all the running water and color. Experience has taught me where and when to push and pull the color, when to add more, when to be patient and let it dry just a bit.

That's true of so much, isn't it? What looks easy and simple is actually often the result of much practice and attention. We have to bring our patience as well as our willingness to be spontaneous to whatever we do. It is good to have an idea of what may happen next but also to be open to the adventure that awaits us in every moment. I think this robin agrees with that thought...

Busy Studio Day

I did some more watercolors in my moleskine watercolor book today. I'm still working on bird heads, thinking a book full of watercolor bird portraits could be fun.

One of the problems with painting in a book is that I paint so wet the color leaks onto the page behind it. I used some paper towels today and that seems to work a little better. The paper towel absorbs the excess water and pigments before it settles on the page beneath the one I am working on.

I especially like this blue jay. It came together in about 5 minutes. Working this wet is all about controlling the flow of water, playing the hard lines against the soft and keeping the blooms of water where you want them. I love the happy accidents and have learned how to deal with many of the less fortunate ones. It all came together in this little piece, for me anyway.

I started this oil painting today. It's 18 x 36" though it looks much smaller here. I did a 12 x 12" panel, too but couldn't photograph it without a lot of glare. I will photograph it tomorrow when the light is better.

My goal in these paintings is to work fairly abstractly. They are reminiscent of landscapes but they are more about color and mood than realistic or even impressionistic rendering. I've been spending a fair amount of time in doctor's offices, hospitals and even chemotherapy units with sick friends lately and as I look around the walls I think it would be nice for people to have sort of dreamy, ambivalent paintings to look at. Something soothing, healing and imaginative that they can get a little lost in while enduring their treatments. The oil paintings I did today are only my fourth and fifth oil paintings since I was a student many years ago. I think I have a long way to go but am pleased so far with the experience of doing these paintings, if not all the results.

Watercolors and Ceramic Tiles

Here's a picture of the latest tiles I painted for a kitchen backsplash. They are going in a single row between a counter and a shelf, both with brownish gold granite with black in it. There are blank tiles being used as well and yesterday we added a few more birds to round out the numbers the client needed. These tiles are 5", a size I am using more and more as the new stoves and counters are coming in with higher risers.

The woman I did these tiles for is replacing tiles I did for her about 25 years ago and she wanted the same designs. These are my old classic tiles, still very popular with people who want specific birds illustrated.

This is the watercolor I did in my moleskine yesterday, continuing with the idea of each page having just a bird head, painted pretty loosely.

And here is today's piece. I love working quickly and wetly with my watercolors. It's sort of the opposite effect from what I do on the tiles, which is usually much more detailed and controlled. A time and place for everything, including technique and expression.

Watercolors, Hand Painted Tiles and a New Intern

Another day, another watercolor, another bird....

More tiles, more birds....

and a new intern from Sandwich High School through the School to Careers Program...She'll be with me through April, working on her drawing and painting. We're trying to figure out how to get to some life drawing classes but their schedule and her schedule are clashing for the moment.

Today I had her do some drawing with ink and then some work with black, gray and white pastels.

In the fall the students are seniors and in the spring they are juniors. It's been two years since I had a junior. They have such wonderful, innocent energy, very different from the seniors. The seniors come in pretty stressed out about putting their portfolios together while the juniors are just excited to really be working in an artist's studio....funny how much difference a year or really just about 6 months can make!

I love working with these kids in this program. They're motivated, talented and open to everything. They're excited and willing to work really hard. They want to achieve, to succeed. You hear so many things about kids that are negative and yet I see so many positive, hard working and just all around great kids through the programs I'm involved with. There's still plenty of hope out there....

Watercolors and Ceramic Tiles

These days I'm only in the studio from Thursday to Sunday. The rest of the week I'm trying to take a little time off, am visiting clients and catching up on my writing and financial record keeping.

This morning I started my day in the studio with this little watercolor in my moleskine book. It's a warm up piece, one of my favorite ways to start a day in the studio.

I also painted and glazed these bird tiles for a kitchen installation due this weekend. I paint a lot of birds on tile, especially shorebirds. There are times it feels a bit monotonous but mostly I really like to paint birds and find individual personalities in the birds, even when painting the same species.

I met with a client in the shop, prepared a mailing and chatted with my assistant. All in all, a good studio day.

Watercolors, Hand painted Glasses and Clay Portraits all in a Day's Work

Busy day in the studio today. I warmed up with this quick watercolor study in my new moleskine watercolor sketchbook. I am thinking I'll make it a book of bird heads or just birds. I'll see how it develops. I've always liked working in series and I love making and putting together books so we'll see how this goes.

I've been thinking of adding some hand painted glasses, dishes and mugs to my repertoire and today I bought and painted these flutes and wine glasses. I am also looking at some bisque ware to hand paint. There's a part of me that thinks I should make the pottery I paint but I am not a potter. I make tiles, it's true, but I'm really not interested in making plates, cups, bowls, etc. I love to paint and decorate and so why not paint and decorate some dishwares?

I am working on some small clay sculptures of a family. The work must be done quickly as they are to be gifts for Valentine's Day. (A man is having the sculptures done of his 3 kids for his wife for a gift--how sweet is that?) I told him I'd need front, side and back views of the kids so he posed them all for me. The pictures are great and they feel like wonderful kids. They are fun to be working on. I hope to finish them tomorrow and have them ready to be fired on Sunday. Then I'll paint and glaze them to be refired and ready for delivery on Tuesday. Nothing like a rush job to keep the juices flowing. Just so you don't think I'm a wicked procrastinator, I got the working photos yesterday afternoon....

This one came together quite quickly. I'm not working on the real likeness quite yet, just trying to get the bigger shapes right. I told him I am not really a sculptor or a portrait artist and he just wants them to be fun. I, of course, want them to be as good as I can get them.

I'll post more pictures as I go.