October-2024:Challenge: Topic - "Comfort"

 

"Gott's Island. Maine" 

woodcut- 24"x48" by Sally Dean

My husband and I have visited this special island in Maine for many years- there is so much natural beauty. There are no cars, so my dog can run around freely. I feel comforted knowing this place is here for me.  

“Aqua Sea Study” Oil Painting 4”x4” Margaret Farrell Bruno 

A small study in color for a larger painting 

“Bug Light”

6x6 watercolor by Mary Sheehan Winn

Sounds of surf and ocean scented air are my comfort zone. 

I love passing Bug Light in Plymouth Harbor on a cruise to Provincetown. Love where I live. 

"A Cup of Comfort" by Jeanne MacFarland 6x6 oil   A cup of tea makes everything better

"The Comfort Of Sammy" 6x6 Acrylic by Kelley Carey MacDonald

My daughter's dog, Sam, is a love bug, and he happily gives comfort to Molly and Mike!

"Sunny Window" 12 x 12 oil by Jody Regan - sitting in a comfy chair by a sunny window is a great joy and comfort.  I have a few favorites.  Do you?

"Fluffy" oil 8 x 10 by Pamela Copeman  - is there anything more
comforting than a sweet fluffy dog?

September 2024 Challenge: "Home"

"My Porch", 12x12 Acrylic by Kelley Carey MacDonald

My favorite thing about my home is my porch garden.  I milk it along till late fall, and the collection of geraniums I keep from year to year seem to love this time of year the best.

 

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"Marshes and Blue Skies" 6X12 gouache  by Jeanne MacFarland

 

. I “Bringing it Home”6x6 Watercolor by Mary Sheehan Winn

My Summer SketchbookI was so lucky to take a drawing and writing workshop with Nick Flynn and Mark Adams at Castle Hill in Truro last August- we sketched a lot in walnut ink and pen, and when I returned I continued - I filled a water brush pen with the walnut ink and love the fluid quality of the stroke- and inspired by the drawings of Van Gogh- I'm using line and mark making in a whole new way! These scenes are all close to home.pages of my sketchbook- by Sally Dean

Mordecai Lincoln Home 

This house and property in Scituate MA was owned by Mordecai Lincoln, Sr. who was Abraham Lincoln’s great, great, great Grandfather. It is now owned by the town through the Preservation fund. There are also trails to walk on the property. The group I plein air paint with painted there recently. 

"Yellow Roses" oil 36 x 18 by Jody Regan
Our farmer's porch is a little slice of 3-season heaven. I love sitting there, watching the sun cross the yard while the birds visit.   Every time I come home, I look forward to the time I spend there.  These cut flowers greeted my this past week. 


 

"Coming Home" 5 x 7 watercolor by Pamela Copeman

August Challenge 2024: "Child"

 Two children excited to visit Disney. Oil on panel 11”x14” by Margaret Farrell Bruno

"Isn't She Pretty?" Oil, 8x10 by Pamela Copeman

Summer" 4x8  gouache by Jeanne MacFarland

"Practice" 6"x8" by Kelley Carey MacDonald

She's a very earnest ballerina xo

“Favorites”  12” x 9”   Acrylic by Victoria Chesley Brega

Nora

My grandbaby turned one last week. Time moves fast while watching babies grow.

4"x4" pencil on paper by Sally Dean

 

"Birds of a Feather" 6 x 8 oil - by Jody Regan. I collected things as a child, and still do.  I had some little birds.  Here are two of my favorites, and a favorite Winslow Homer painting 'Boys in a Pasture"

 

July Challenge 2024: "Provincetown"

"A Peek Down A Path in Town" by Pamela Copeman

"Dusk In Ptown", 12x12 by Kelley Carey MacDonald

An iconic view of this historic, beloved spot at the tip of the Cape. 

"Wood End Lighthouse" 4x8 gouache by Jeanne MacFarland

When I think of Provincetown, Mary Oliver comes to mind. 5"x5" watercolor by Sally Dean 

THE SWEETNESS OF DOGS 

by Mary Oliver

What do you say, Percy? I am thinking

of sitting out on the sand to watch

the moon rise. It’s full tonight.

So we go

and the moon rises, so beautiful it

makes me shudder, makes me think about

time and space, makes me take

measure of myself: one iota

pondering heaven. Thus we sit, myself

thinking how grateful I am for the moon’s

perfect beauty and also, oh! how rich

it is to love the world. Percy, meanwhile,

leans against me and gazes up

into my face. As though I were just as wonderful

as the perfect moon.

“The Bloodhound”

12x12 oil on panel by Mary Sheehan Winn

Entry to PAAM 12x12 silent auction (link not yet live)

Cruising into Provincetown on the Captain John, we were treated to the sight of the

Bloodhound, sailing off of Long Point Light. 

She is the sister ship to the famed 100 year old Hindu which has spent the winter in Maine, being rebuilt from the ribs up. The Hindu will be returning to Provincetown very soon, if it hasn’t already. 

I used choppy brushwork to dramatize the sky and the water while creating light in the sails. Everything about this scene speaks to me.

“Dunes” by Margaret Farrell Bruno 4”x4” oil 

 

“P-Town Bound” 6”x8” Acrylic 

Tori Chesley Brega

“Family weekend trips to exotic early 70’s Provincetown on our beloved sloop “Triumvirate” were a real treat. Always so magical to see the monument come into view after crossing from Scituate…”

"P-Town in July" 6 x 6 gouache by Jody Regan - I love the busyness and the inclusiveness of the P-town streets

June 2024 Challenge: Favorites From Our Archives. Celebrating 15 years of GirlsJustWannaPaint!!!!

 We never dreamed that this group would still be working together, painting and posting on this blog when we started in 2009!  We have all had both blessings and distress in our lives, but painting has been the thread that binds us together.  Here's to many more memories!

Right now our work is hanging in the James Library & Arts Center in Norwell, MA, and we would love to have you visit and let us know (comments here, a guestbook at the show or however you like) how the show makes you feel!  Thank you for all your support through the years, we appreciate every single one o you!

"Inspirational", 20x30 Oil, by Kelley Carey MacDonald

This painting is sold and hanging in a beloved friend's daughter's house.  I love skies and sunsets in particular... they make me feel at one with the universe for some reason.  I always find peace.  I used to live in a place with this sunset, in a different version, every night.  I felt very blessed for that reason.

"Still Life With Lilacs", 12x12 oil, by Jeanne MacFarland

"Beauty", Klimptesque gold leaf and oil by Pamela Copeman

A favorite!

                                                       Art school Drawing- 1981-by Sally Dean

 When I was at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston I mostly drew- and would teeter on abstraction . I loved charcoal and seeing this makes me want to revisit drawing!

“Holy Cow”   9” x 7”   Acrylic by Tori Chesley Brega

“ I have always enjoyed painting cows, and this is the first in the series of the Holy variety…”

"End Of Day, Yosemite"  24"X30" Oil by Margaret Farrell Bruno

"Yosemite holds a special place in my heart with its majestic landscape 

and also being with my whole family and sharing its beauty."

"That's Entertainment" oil 16 x 12 - by Jody Regan. the North River Arts Festival happens every Memorial Day weekend.  I paint on the street and love this slice of American pie; music, friends, family, art, joy.  This painting was selected as the Festival poster in 2011; exactly twenty years after my Mom, Joanne Regan, painted the festival poster.  There is tradition, legacy, and a little melancholy that my mom wasn't around to share the moment.  

“Stonington Cove” 12x16 oil on panel by Mary Sheehan Winn

I’ve never duplicated the deliberate brushwork I used in this painting of a lone sailboat in Maine. I love everything about this painting. It exceeded my expectations, won a prize and I wish I hadn’t sold it. But, that’s how it goes in the world of art.

May 2024 Challenge: The Artist's Life

 

"Aspirations" 14"X18" Water Media Study by Tori Chesley Brega 

“Sometimes we soar, sometimes crash and burn;  striving  for clarity of vision, inspiration and 

the strength to persevere… “

"Well Rock" 9"x12" oil by Margaret Farrell Bruno

An Artist's life sometimes comprises climbing up with all your equipment onto a tall sea wall for a different angle. You precariously paint your scene making sure if you do stand up, 

you or your equipment and paint supplies don't topple off the edge.

"Time Off For Good Behavior", acrylic 16x20, by Kelley Carey MacDonald

A yearly plein air trip to Maine sees a half dozen artists working hard painting - both plein air and interiors - and playing hard in the evening.  We line up the empties on a window in the entryway.  Good times, traditions and good friends. 

"Festive Facade" 12 x 12 oil by Jody Regan.  Every Memorial Day weekend, the North River Arts Festival  begins the summer with music, art, and fun. I paint on the street for both days each year, chatting with old friends and new while recording the joy of the days and hanging with my artist friends.

"Artist's Gallery", Acrylic, 12x12 by Page Railsback

"An Artist's Life - always looking to other artists for Inspiration", watercolor by Pamela Copeman

Wool seat pads by Sally Dean 

I love to knit and crochet, and recently learned rug hooking with a punch needle. It's a lot faster than traditional rug hooking, and it's great for using up wool, as well as scraps of fabric and other fibers. I loved making these and repurposing old stools for my kitchen.

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April 2024 Challenge: "On For The Ride"

"Car Talk" 18x11 Acrylic by Page Railsback

"Riding The Tide" 12x12 mixed media by Kelley Carey MacDonald

"Side Yard" 12 x 12 oil by Jody Regan
I have been "along for the ride" this spring, painting in my car.  The soft spring colors are alluring as I sit in car with coffee, favorite radio and paints.  This is an oil done in studio from a small car painting.  Happy Spring.

"Along for the Ride" oil 20 x 24 by Pamela Copeman.  

On my Road!

My neighbor plants lupines in her front yard-this is a plein air painting started last summer-finished today!

Looks like Maine in Massachusetts!

11"x14" acrylic on canvas by Sally Dean

“Heron” 9x12

Lino cut on gelli printed background

By Mary Sheehan Winn

I’m along for the ride in my Lino Printing class. 

I love all sorts of printing techniques and love learning new mediums. 

It’s fun to be around and inspired by other creatives.

Stay tuned.

“Not Without Me”  6” x 8”  acrylic wash drawing by Victoria Chesley Brega

“ Dogs know the vocabulary of our movements so well,  

Buster would wait for me in the car when I was getting ready 

to launch, my devoted companion for 17 years.”

"Aqua Reflections" by Margaret Farrell Bruno 6"X6" Oil 

This buoy seemed to cuddle up and be along for the ride beside this turquoise boat.