Vacationers often wander into shops to pick up a souvenir from their holiday. A T-shirt, a jar of local berry jam, a Christmas tree ornament…or even a painting. Here are some paintings from vacation spots - an ocean beach, a country farm, a mountain trail. I think having a piece of art that reminds you of a special place can trigger lots of positive feelings. So if you see something that tugs at your heart while you are traveling this summer - buy it! You will be supporting a local artist in doing what they love and you will have a memory to take home.

On the subject of shopping, I have linked up with Fine Art America to offer print-on-demand copies of original paintings. These prints are created from photographs of the paintings and are available as stretched canvas, framed paper prints and more. You can choose the size and format that works best for your space, and you have control over pricing based on your choices. While I earn a small royalty from the sale, the transaction is with this well-established company. From what I have seen, the quality of their materials is first-rate, and they offer a money-back guarantee. 

I will continue to offer signed giclee prints and photographic prints directly through the studio, using photographers and printers that I have hand-picked to create reproductions of my work.

Original paintings are available directly through the studio, at shows and at select retailers. Currently, there is work hanging at the Marin Society of Artists Gallery in Ross, CA, and at Weathered Nest in Mill Valley, CA.

At the beginning of 2012, I set an ambitious goal. I wanted to double the number of paintings and prints sold, and double the income I made as an artist. It's a step in my transition plan from my marketing and communications career to my art career. 

It's the second week in December and I am currently ONE painting, FOUR prints and PENNIES away from reaching my goal. Inventory is low, as of today are only FIVE landscape and still life paintings and ONE print available at Moss and Moss, Mill Valley. I also have the following framed floral paintings available in the studio -- they are not listed on my website, so please contact me for details on sizes, frame types and pricing.

Looking ahead to a promising 2013, I have been awarded an Artist's Residency in Sonoma County (more on that later), and look forward to tipping my career balance further in the direction of art. Thank you for your continual encouragement, kind words, Facebook "likes," purchases of notecards, prints and for acquiring paintings for your collections.

Saying goodbye to summer isn't as hard in Northern California as it is in other locales. Right now the fog is at bay, the air is clear, the sky seems bluer and the light is spectacular. I'm counting on a gorgeous warm October so I can keep on painting outside.

"Palms" is a plein air study of a chapel building in a decommissioned military base in Marin County. Unity in Marin is very generous and allows artists to paint on their premises, which features white stucco and orange tile roofs reminiscent of California missions and Mexican haciendas.  I enjoy painting locations that evoke memories of unspecified, yet familiar places, and times of year. This painting reminds me of a beautiful summer day that can go on forever.

To celebrate the official change of season on September 22, this painting will go to the highest bidder at an auction that starts LOW and has a special twist:
It's all about the number 22. I originally posted this painting on Facebook on July 22, and I recall lots of people "liking" it. I went back to the post a few days ago and checked how many. At that moment in time it was 22. I was framing new paintings yesterday and tallied how many paintings had sold so far this year. When I saw it was 22, I knew the theme for the auction. The opening bid: $22. The incremental raise:$22. If the bidding ends at $220 or higher, the winner gets the original painting, and all other bidders can have a print for $22. The bidding ends on September 22. 

If you want to get in the game of 22, head over to my Facebook page and place a bid in the comments. If you aren't on Facebook or want to bid privately, send me an email and write "Auction Bid" in the subject line. I'll post your bid for you and keep you updated on your standing.

P.S. At 2:22 on Saturday the 22nd, you might just find me buying a lottery ticket!

P.P.S. Congratulations to the winning bidder, Jennifer Faulker from Colorado!

Three cheers for the Red, White and Blue! These painterly summer flowers are looking for a new home -- and the color combination is actually a lot more versatile than you might expect. Zoom in on this photo and you can see the actual brushstrokes and colors. Imagine it in a beach house, a summer cottage, or any room that needs a pop of color -- a kitchen, a hallway, a bedroom, a guest bath.  

Red, White and Blue is an 11 x 14 oil painted on canvas and framed in a classic light wood floating frame. The regular "Buy Now" price is $500, but to celebrate American Independence Day it will be sold tax-free to the highest bidder at auction.  

Starting bid is $150 - bid in increments of $10 - the auction ends Tuesday, July 3rd at 8pm Pacific. Collector gift certificates not valid for this sale, sorry. Shipping costs are extra. Interested? Leave your bid in the comments or on my Facebook Page. 

Blogs require lots of care and feeding, and over the past year I sadly neglected the "Paint and Pantry" blog. My aim was to couple my interest in cooking with my interest in painting, but after 20 posts I had run out of steam on food paintings and other interests took over. And spammers started posting totally random comments and website urls. So, farewell "Paint and Pantry" on blogger.

I had been using the home page of my website to post news, and occasionally sending out emails to my mailing list, and my Facebook page has become a regular source of updates and postings, along my not-so-frequent tweets on Twitter,@PaintandPantry.

I realize not everyone who is interested in my art is on Facebook, or Twitter. And honestly, how often are you going to visit a website unless you know something new is happening?
 
So...hello, news on the website -- which you can get delivered by clicking on the words RSS Feed (the little orange icon under the Categories listing.

But, if you do tweet and use Facebook, anytime you would like to retweet or "like" a post, feel free!

Today, I've moved some of the "front page" stories from the past year to this "News" section, which probably needs a catchier name.


Any ideas?