FREE Paintings

Hello! Christmas is over and the new year is fast approaching. I'm thinking about art goals for 2023. One of my goals is to reduce my inventory of paintings on hand. 

To do this, I'm planning a painting-give-away through my website to those who would offer my paintings new homes - just pay for shipping. If you already receive my month-end email from my website, you saw this notice and may have already responded. If you aren't already on my email list:

1. Go here and subscribe. That will make your email address recognizable by my website. 

2. Next, send me an email (barbaranewton@comcast.net) with "yes, add me to your free painting notices." That will let me know to add your name to the free-painting notices list.

It will take me a while to go through my inventory and Collection of the Artist to decide what must go. I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, I continue to arrange and rearrange my new mini Studio. Today, between raindrops, we managed to move most of my flat files into the studio to replace the table you may have seen there before. Waiting for a dry day to bring in the drawers for the bottom flat file as well as all the beautiful watercolor and printmaking paper I forgot I even had.

The pastel paintings on the wall above the flat files are my next victims for rework. I have my second rework on the easel now.

"Winter Afternoon," pastel. First rework in the new Studio.

Also, today we delivered paintings to the Vashon Senior Center for a solo exhibit January/February 2023. 

Many thanks to Pamela Wickard, Volunteer and Program Manager for the opportunity to show my work.

More about other art news next time. Until then, HAPPY NEW YEAR! May all your dreams come true.

 

Studio Tour

 

It’s a mini-studio! We moved and I gave up my 500 square foot studio. I’m learning how to compromise. As you enter, looking left is the little desk space I created for small acrylic work. Next comes my big Hughes easel with rolling wire rack to hold my French Mistress and oil paints in plastic jars, organized by color. A favorite tool is the Palette Garage (see it on top of the French Mistress). Stored behind the Hughes is my good old Soltek easel. Heavy but great for plein air work.

Turn to the right and you’re in the framing area. My table is a fold-out from Costco covered in a drop cloth and topped with indoor/outdoor carpeting. I’m grateful for the shelves already installed along this wall. Hard to see but framed paintings are stored beneath the shelves on the left. Art books are under the shelves on the right, watercolor palettes on the top shelf. Open Box M and Bitteroot Pochade are on this shelf. The wall above the table is where I organize paintings for shows so I can see how the body of work will look when hung together. 

Turn right again and you’re at the pastel work station. Two stainless steel tables hold pastels and two lazy-susans loaded with bottles and jars. My biggest challenge is lighting. We installed two new light fixtures and I have additional lamps but I’m still experimenting with light bulbs. Surprisingly (to me), I think I will love my mini-studio for painting. But there is no room for students or sanding panels or framing large pieces; that will have to happen in another building. 

October 24th checking in

 Checking in...here's the link

A Little Problem

I'm very happy with my mini-studio. However, I do have a little problem. Well, sort of a big problem. I can't find my paintbrushes for oil and acrylic. They are all in one box marked "Brushes".  They must be among the boxes still in the garage but I have looked there many times with no luck.

My watercolor brushes and watercolor paint are in the studio and I am eyeing them because the early autumn pastoral scenes here are spectacular. Lovely browns and golds due to the lack of rain. I am contemplating what to do - should I go back to watercolor until I find my bushes? I even have a chair for contemplation in the Studio now that my office isn't in my studio for the first time. Hmmm...coincidentally, I have also hung one of my watercolor paintings in the studio. Go to the end of this post to see it.

The view East from my contemplation chair. 

Looking West. There's the chair I plan to sit in to contemplate life (art, what to make for dinner, etc.). You may notice that my pastel workstation has rotated so I'm not blocking either of the north-light windows.  

Out the east window is the garden. Today we have smoke from fires.

Out the west window is the little shed where all my panels and canvases are stored. Yes, I've looked in there for the brushes. Not there either!

"Trust," watercolor, ©2004 Barbara Benedetti Newton

Collection of the Artist

Mini Studio Progress

I'm checking in on a beautiful early October day. We have been at our new location about 6 weeks and the house and property have taken most of our attention but in the last couple days it has been the mini studio!

The pastel workstation corner of the room is near completion. 

This is my MABEF easel with an Artist's Air filter attached to make my pastel workstation. I've arranged the stainless steel tables to form an U or alleyway for the pastel boxes. This formation has worked well for me before and is especially useful when you are working within a limited space.

I haven't figured out the studio lighting yet so for now, my two Ott lamps illuminate the pastels.

The best part! I found my two Lazy Susans and they hold an amazing number of supplies for all mediums.

I hope you are having wonderful end-of-summer, early fall days. My favorite time of year!

One Month Mini Studio Update

Today is our one month anniversary of moving back to Vashon Island. Each day has been full of moving in, repairing, repainting and replacing both in the house and in my mini-studio. The studio has been painted white and the MABEF pastel easel has arrived. My big Hughes oil easel is still in storage…coming soon. Making progress!
See a short video tour here: Mini Study Update

The 11 x 16 foot building that will become my mini-studio had two brown walls, two green walls.

I found a can of white paint left over from the previous owner.

That helped!

Stay tuned for more updates.

Nest-less and Happy

I'm without a studio and all my work is packed and stored. We are currently enjoying Northilla Nest Beach House at the tip of Maury (Vashon Island, Washington) while waiting for the purchase of our new home in Dockton on Vashon Island to close. I'm not sure when I'll be able to paint again but I look forward to serving as Juror and Judge for the Northwest Pastel Society 2022 Member Show. Thanks to NPS for using some of my images for the Call for Entries reminders. 

Stay tuned as we create a new home, studio and life. Whoohoo! We are excited. I hope every older couple (that's us) who have one more dream will see that it is not too late to create the life they want for the rest of their story.

Edge of Winter

Anticipation

Movie Star

55 paintings to move! Many of these are Collection of the Artist accumulated over the last 20 years but I also see a drastic Moving Sale in my future. 

Leaving the nest

 

Checking in today ... here's the link.

Gratitude and a link

FASO, (my website provider), randomly selects and posts one of my artworks. Today it was "Gratitude," a plein air pastel of the garden outside my Studio. It is tucked away somewhere in my flat files but I was happy to see it again online. 

If you have time, take a look at A follow-up to my last post on my Golden Years blog.

The Rest of the Story

 I've neglected my Golden Years blog. Just posted. Take a look here.

AIS 2nd Annual Associate Member Online Exhibition

 Very happy to be included in the American Impressionist Society 2nd Annual Associate Member Online Exhibition. Take a look here.

Heartsong Revisited

 About a year ago I completed a pastel painting, framed it and hung it in the guest bathroom. Today I unframed it and fixed a small area that has been bugging me.

Original painting Heartsong from 2021

Heartsong II, pastel, 13 x 13 inches

 You may also notice a difference in color between the two photos. The color in the latest photo is more nuanced. I guess I attribute that to my cataract surgery last week. Everything is so much brighter now. Before surgery, perhaps I was overcompensating for lack of light? Both photos were color matched to what the painting looked like to me at the time.

Three Oranges

 

"Three Oranges," oil, 14 x 11 inches ©2022 Barbara Benedetti Newton

Here's the setup

Studio Stuff Sale

Deep cleaning my Studio in preparation for a move this summer!  If you can't see the video above, try this link If that doesn't work...oh well...

I have removed my Walker Display art hanging system and painted the Studio walls. Three 8 foot sections. If you are interested and are within the Black Diamond/Seattle area, let me know. This system really saves your walls from having a million picture hanger holes.

A few books for sale. Creating Impressionist Landscapes in Oil by Colley Whisson is brand new! I studied with him in 2020, bought his book and then found I already had a copy.  All in excellent condition as I apparently have time to buy books but no time to read them.

Frames, cut mats with plexiglass, archival mat and archival foamcore backing. And, white 3-ring binders.

Email me barbaranewton at Comcast dot net if you are local and want any of these.

Happy Spring Cleaning to you!

 

March! Spring is springing

 

SPRING!

These five now available on SAVOR. Take a look. There is also a video of me painting the Lilies.

SAVOR online gallery is hosted by Puget Sound Group Northwest Artists. 

Every Day Mocha Moment

 In follow up to yesterday's post, here are the first two steps of today's painting. These paintings aren't completed in one day but I will need 10 - 12 of them in about 8 weeks so my goal is to start a new one each day or two. After the blue pastel pencil sketch, the acrylic foundation is next, then to the oil easel for a couple sessions. After that, each painting will sit (and dry) while I figure out what to do with it next. 

The blue pastel pencil sketch on freshly gessoed and sanded wood panel.

Acrylic block-in

Acrylic - value and color decisions. Now it is ready to go to the oil easel. Stay tuned. 

Thanks to all new subscribers to my website email list. I'd love to have you join me there.  

My Every Day Project

My horoscope today tells me to write my story and share it; add illustrations. So, here I am this Sunday morning to share the backstory of my latest series, Every Day. This project will take me into gardening season so I have about 6 weeks to develop it. It is a body of work of every day still life scenes from where I live, Mill Pond Cottage. 

Each of us has had an opportunity over the past two years of COVID to enjoy more time in our personal spaces - not just our studios but whatever encompasses what we call home. I believe it is important to express gratitude and appreciation for every-day small pleasures. For an artist, many of those pleasures are visual.

These still life paintings may be the lead-in to a series of interiors, something I've wanted to do for a few years. There just aren't enough hours and/or energy in the day and life gets in the way. Well, that's the my current story.

And, now a few illustrations. 

A simple moment from this morning. 

How I might crop the scene for a painting. 

And, here are two paintings-in-progress along with their reference photos.

"Most Days There Is An Avocado" oil in progress

"One of the Reasons I Drink Tea," acrylic foundation for oil painting

As you may have noticed, I'm not blogging nearly as much as I used to. My focus for sharing current work is on Instagram and on my website. If you aren't already subscribed to my monthly newsletter, I'd love to have you join me there.  

The Meet Me There Project Wrap-up

I've been working on my "Meet Me There Project" most of the month and it has been a good way to loosen up at the beginning of a new painting year.  But suddenly, it is nearly the end of January and I have to move on to other commitments. These mini pastels can be viewed larger by clicking on the group image or by visiting  my website.

The Meet Me There Project

A new project for the new year! Mini landscape memory paintings in pastel. Each painting is pastel, 3.5 x 5.5 inches, matted, and ready for a standard 5x7 frame with glass. Free shipping within USA. We each have memories of places we've been, real or imagined. Sometimes, we see them as we are drifting off to sleep. 

The "Meet Me There" project: I've just completed number 8 of 25.

Meet Me There, 1

Meet Me There, 2

Meet Me There, 3

Meet Me There, 4

Meet Me There, 5

Meet Me There, 6

Meet Me There, 7

Meet Me There, 8

This is a fun project. Acrylic under-paintings with pastel on top. Some happen easily while others take an amazing about of give and take, time and thought. Available on my website.