It's a dog's World

Hi All. Coming down off of this year's open studio. Thought I'd post a pic I love from that weekend. This is Mattie, my significant other's little Maltese. She was resting in front of this painting and it looks like she is a part of it, don't you think?

The painting is quite old, an image of a friend's bedroom. I was doing a series of bedrooms which this was a part of. Almost sold it a few times and I wonder who it will end up with???

Looking at this painting now, I can hardly imagine it was not that long ago. I did this one hot June day at Harkness State park in Niantic, CT where I did a whole series this summer. Since this shot I have touched it up a bit adding some more highlights, etc. Settling into fall now and doing some major surgery on the last oil series I posted. Will show you soon.

Is it Really Fall?

"Wind in the Willows"

I can't believe how much has transpired in my life since I did this watercolor around this time last year. This past weekend I was driving around up in the mountains with sweetie and rode past this spot. It seems like lifetimes ago. When I did this watercolor I remember sitting on the hard ground in the mists (it was sorta rainy) and feeling a bit melancholy. (Well, how could ya not?). I felt good about the piece and came home and tweaked it a wee bit in the details. Not my best piece but I like it in some respects.

Live Mermaid Model!

Here I am back again after a long hiatus. I've been away a lot, some for work and some for pleasure. On my pleasure trips I have been hanging out at a beautiful estate in CT called Harkness State Park that is on the ocean. One day while I was there sitting on the beach a woman walked by with her young child and sat on a large rock. She looked just like a mermaid and I wished I had my camera. My boyfriend said "Just go up and ask her how long she'll be there" and maybe you can run back to the car and get your paints. Fortunately I always keep my paints in the car. So I did just that and she agreed to be still for a bit. I didn't capture her boy but I did a decent job of capturing her in a very short time. Very exciting!

A Change in Course

That's the title of this painting. I may have written about it before here but that theme is very much on my mind as I sit here in my Denver hotel room. I am here for the International New Age Trade show that I have a booth in each year for my Creatrix product line. I have been here at this show for the past 10 -11 years or so and I am reflecting upon how my life has shifted so much in these past many years. Now, after a split with my life partner of many years, I enter the show with from a different perspective.

It's all good, just very different.

The woman in the painting here had also been through a big shift when I did the painting so I am dedicating this post to us and to any of you out there who have had to flow with the river, or the tides with all the changes we experience in our rich and beautiful lives.

Namaste, Melissa

Good News!

I'm writing to you from the Outer Banks. I'm here on a work trip with a few days of pleasure thro able wn in. At the moment I am teaching a painting workshop here in my family's house and it is such a pleasure and privledge to be with these women. I have not gotten to know any local women who live in this area full time so this is a treat to gain insight into how folks live here. The group of women is happily painting away and I thought that I would take time to catch up a wee bit on my blog.

I am happy to share some good news! The divination deck I created and published last year has been selected as a finalist in the Coalliting of Visionary Retailers Awards to be held at the New Age Trade Show in Denver end of June. Keep your fingers crossed and if you haven't seen it yet you can check it out on my website.

Enjoy the warmth, Melissa

Acfoss the Lake

I just took this painting (called Across the Lake) over to a nearby town (Millbrook) to hang in a faculty show (for Barrett Art Center) at the Merritt Bookstore. I am part of their summer faculty and we are having a group show called Barrett at Merritt. I will be teaching a watercolor workshop as well as some classes in gouache. Looking forward to it. I have not taught "traditional " art classes in awhile. The classes I normally teach have a spiritual twist to them and involve mostly working out of one's head in other words from one's imagination. This will be a refreshing change. I did the above watercolor at Minnewaska, an area near here where I go to swim and I can't wait till it's warm enough to jump into the waters.

I've enjoyed being home for a few days. Last week I was in Andover MA at a wonderful store called Circles of Wisdom where I was doing my Spirit Essence Portraits. Lovely time. Lovely people. Off to do a bit of work.

Till then, Melissa