Monhegan & Manana Islands painting for sale

Here is my favorite Monhegan painting. I've always wanted to paint this scene..........for years! It's the view overlooking the front of the island from the lighthouse looking down at the graveyard, the field (once a saw a wedding in that field), village, the Island Inn and then Manana Island beyond. It's fun going to the island in October after the summer people leave. There are less people and the colors of the grasses and water are unique to the season. For those of you unfamiliar with the Monhegan, it is a small, rocky Island ten miles from the nearest mainland and scarcely a square mile in area. It is accessible only by boat and there are no cars or paved roads on the Island. Since long before the explorer John Smith visited it in 1614, it was known to Native Americans as a prime fishing area, and today its economy is still ruled by those who make their living from the sea, fishing and lobstering. The year-round population has seldom exceeded 65 in recent times.
For more than 100 years, Monhegan has been a summer haven for artists and other visitors who appreciate its isolation, the beauty of its wilderness areas, its quiet relaxed atmosphere, and its unhurried pace.
Outside the village and harbor most of the island is wild . About 17 miles of trails, often steep and strenuous, lead through wooded areas and over rocky ledges up to the highest ocean cliffs on the Maine coastline.
I'm offering it framed or framed. Please contact me if you're interested. It's very reasonably priced.

Monhegan Roses (SOLD)

Here's another painting I have just completed of some gorgeous roses on Monhegan Island which is right off of the coast of Maine. Monhegan is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. My aunt had a home there for years. I wish it was still in the family but unfortunately it's not. I've always wanted to paint so many beautiful scenes I have seen on that island. Finally, I've got a little time now to fulfill that dream.

I'm also working on an 11x14 of the view of the island from the lighthouse, overlooking the graveyard, hotel and Manana Island.

"Monhegan Roses", 6x6, unframed oil on masonite, $375.00

Horse and mule in training

As many of you know, I train horses and dogs in addition to painting. Here is an Icelandic Horse and a mule that presently reside here for training.

More foxes

I think we're running a fox kit day care center. There were 7-8 kits in the backyard yesterday, all jumping, chasing, etc. Very entertaining. The cute girl on the top had her photo taken by Mary Fournier, a friend who is also a phenomenal professional photographer.

Henderson's Marsh, 11x14, oil on masonite (SOLD)

Here's a painting I've just completed of a beautiful view (with a little artistic license) down the road from our place. I see it when trail riding my horse and always think someday I need to paint that scene, it's so beautiful this time of year. I have it very reasonably priced unframed.

Foxes

We have a litter of seven fox kits nearby this year. They're about three to five weeks old now and just adorable. They live under a barn and come out to sun themselves in the middle of the day. This might have to be a future painting. Hmmmmmmmmm........

How to personalize your commissioned painting

Here is a perfect example of how to personalize your commissioned painting. My clients wanted portraits of both dogs and weren't sure what they wanted for a background. I suggested their yard or a favorite play spot . They take their dogs to a specific park for a daily run so I took photos of their dogs at their home and the park . When discussing the park photos with my clients I learned the pond, red barn and dogwoods were important to them. I took a bit of artistic license and composed the painting so that all of these were incorporated into the background with the dogs. Although it was an overcast and rainy February day when I took my reference photos I knew the client wanted more of a spring like painting so I added the daffodils, dogwood trees in bloom along with a sunny day.

Springer's Surprise has changed colors!

I decided I didn't want the Springer black and white so switched him to the more common colored Springer. I also took away the long tail of the "field" Springer and replaced it with a docked tail like those of the "bench" Springers.

American Kennel Club Museum

I just got word from a dear client who informed me she's made arrangements to donate her painting of her champion English Setter to the AKC Museum. I'm honored and thrilled to have this, my third, painting donated to such a prestigious museum (http://www.museumofthedog.org/). The other two paintings to be donated are of two champion Shetland Sheedogs which can be seen above.

Charcoal commission of "Cabot", better known as "Cabs"

For those of you not entirely familiar with my artwork, I also do charcoal portraits. I just finished this head portrait of "Cabs", who is a very handsome appaloosa horse. Oh, those spots! Every one of them has it's own place.

His owner, Nancy, tells me before she aquired him he had flunked out of "coon huntin' school" in Arkansas. (I can't stop giggling as I write this) I wonder what's required with the graduate program? He's older now and has been a reliable "steady Eddie" trail horse for Nancy for years. With increased bouts of colic and old age creeping in, Nancy was smart to call me when she did.

That's something for potential clients to always think about. Get those photographs and the artist out there before it's too late! People assume they have good reference photographs when they don't. Frequently, the portrait's quality will improve with better photos taken by the artist.

I just sent a photo of this to Nancy to make sure she was pleased with it before she paid the balance and she made my day with this response:

"I LOVE IT. You have captured his look, especially his eye perfectly. I am so happy I had you do his portrait, it's so much more personal than a photo, and I will treasure it and my memories of him every time I look at it, thank-you."

Callie Update

I just want to thank-you all of you that have asked how Callie's doing. She's really done well now that I had the Phenobarbitol reduced twice. She's back to her old self. I'm thrilled. Hopefully this will last a while.

New Painting available, "Springer's Surprise"

Here's another painting I just finished. I adore action shots and I love painting and looking at fields. I got the inspiration for this painting when I was watching a client's dog play one day. I really enjoy this pose, as if he was caught by surprise at the last second when the pheasant flushed out of the tall grass.
Springer's Surprise is a framed 11x14 oil painting on masonite offered for sale. 1950.00.

New Painting available, "Practice Makes Perfect" (SOLD)

Now that Callie's having a better day, I was able to finish two paintings.
I thought this was a fun idea. In this painting the hounds are practicing their "voice" as the fox meanders by in the background, unnoticed. The two hounds on the left are pretty tickled with their performance indicated by the look they're giving the viewer. Those of you who have dogs are familiar with "that look"!
Practice Makes Perfect is an 8x10 oil painting on masonite, framed and available for sale for 1200.00.

My older dog, Callie

Our 12 y.o. French Brittany, Callie, (photo by Mary Fournier) had a bout with grand mal seizures this week. Very scary. It took 13hrs for the vets to get them under control. What I attributed to old age personality and physical changes this past year have turned out to be symptoms of a brain tumor, or so they suspect.

She's now having a difficult time adjusting to the antiseizure medication which has caused her to become extremely lethargic, restless, very anxious at times, and very unsteady on her feet. I'm having to lift her up and down stairs, etc. I've been unable to paint and have become a private nurse instead. The vets say if we can get through the initial two weeks of this adjustment to the medication, things should be looking up on the third week. I'm hoping. I feel so sorry for her and want her to continue to enjoy her life.

If I don't paint over a few days when at home, I'm become easily agitated. It's almost like a drug. I have to paint. I've got my fingers crossed tomorrow will be a day in the studio.

Spring

Well, spring (more like mud season) is here. There's tons of outdoor work to be done around the farm. I'm busy taking a few hours per day just clearing trails in the woods. We've had tons of blow downs from the winter. More branches than usual. I've already sent my husband, Peter, out with the chain saw.

Trying to keep my gray horse, Gully, clean is not working. He loves being muddy and this is his favorite season. He looks in the mirror and his reflection lives up to his expectations. I'm riding him at 7am in the mornings so no one sees how dirty he is. That's the best time to ride anyway. All of the birds are singing now.

Believe it or not, we still have snow but not everywhere. Just in shady spots in the woods and fields and still up to 8" in places.

Great news! Out of my seven entries at the show, five were pinned and my Brittany and Woodcock painting won Best In Oils!

Here's another painting, Fall Light, that will be available at the Maine Sportsmans Show. This is a deadwater in "up-country" Maine where my husband and I have visited many times.

The Maine Sportsman Show

I will be exhibiting many commissioned works as well as a couple of paintings for sale April 3-5th at The Maine Sportsman Show in Augusta, Maine.



This Brittany and Woodcock, 8x10 oil on masonite will be one of the available paintings for sale.

Another Cover!

I arrived home to see my painting Irish Memories

made it on the cover of The Equine Marketer.

Ahhhhh, spring............I'm back home looking at nothing but mud at the moment.

Here's South Boundary Avenue, where we drove the tandem of horses. The road is lined with beautiful oaks not entirely in bloom yet.

Here's my hostess, Ann Wicander, practicing her polo swing.

Here's the Tandem hooked up and ready to go.

Aiken

I just returned from a wonderful warm week in Aiken, S.C. One of the highlights of the trip, other than finding a rental for next winter, was driving with Joan Schisler, who is known for driving Tandems. She has two Morgans, one which was 28yrs. old. She took me for a wonderful drive through all of the nook and crannies in the city and through the Hitchcock Woods. What a treat! Here's a photo with one horse hooked up and one of her Westies waiting for his driver.

Circe's Portrait

I've taken the images off because there is distortion that needs to be rectified.

Daily snowshoe walk with the dogs

I'm still snowshoeing every morning. If I go early I can manage to stay on top of the crust. Here's a photo I took from this morning's walk. Both dogs are in the photo. I put bells on so they warn the animals they're arriving. There are more deer tracks now that the snow's beginning to melt . In the woods it's still one to two feet deep in snow.

Tame Grouse

This is a tame wild grouse, if that makes any sense. We found him in our neighboring woods last fall. He would follow us everywhere getting within a few feet of us. He would greet me everytime I entered the woods. The deer hunters as well. Over the winter I found a pile of grouse feathers and was afraid it was him but to my delight I was walking the "bird" dogs a few days ago and there he was, crossing my path within a few feet of Whiska, my Griffon, and myself! I thought she was going to have a heart attack she was shaking so much. He seemed totally unconcerned and continued to hang out with us, chirping to us the whole time. I'm hoping to get another photo of him for he's matured a lot since this photo was taken. I can't believe he's survived the winter. We have so many coyotes, owls, and fox. Just amazing.

Here I am riding with the "gallery" at the Field Trial. The plantation owner let me borrow one of his Tennessee Walkers. That was one of the nicest horses I've ever ridden in my life! Four hours in the saddle (when I haven't ridden in a while) and not a bit sore the next day! A few minutes after this photograph was taken, the president of the club, knowing I was there to take reference photographs for upcoming paintings, invited me to ride behind the judges in front of the gallery. What a treat!

Here's a photo of a two hour ride Pete and I went on with our hostess, Ann, in Aiken, S.C. Ann's in front.

The gallery, Dog&Horse Fine Art.

Here I am with the new president of the American Academy of Equine Art, Lloyd Kelly, and artist Nancy Pellatt.

A photo at my reception with the publisher of the Charleston Mercury, Charles Waring III, and his wife, Susan. Charles wrote a wonderful article about my artwork that was front page news in his paper while I was in Charleston. It's soon to be on my website.

This is The Meeting House, where we stayed one night. The photo on the left is looking down from our porch.

The old Polo Club now a home for carriage horses

Charleston carriage ride

This dog pulled his handler and horse home.

When the dogs are done hunting sometimes they get to ride home!

A photo of Pete and our hostess, Maggie

Field Trial Photos

Here's a "brace" taking off

I have arrived home from the warm south to the cold, ice covered north. I made quite a few new aquaintances, drank too much wine and ate too much food. Once again, the show was a hit thanks to Dog&Horse Fine Art's owner, Jaynie Spector and the Charleston Mercury. Charles Waring III, wrote a very nice article about my art. If you care to read it go to my website.

Photography Tips

When I head down south on Wednesday I plan to take many reference photos and have a date with two Springer Spaniels for a commission. Here are a few photography tips when photographing your animals.

1) Take photos on an overcast day for better detail and color. The sun washes out the lights and frequently makes the shade too dark.
2) Make sure you're at the animal's level when taking the picture.
3) Just before you click the shutter, use an element of surprise, perhaps a white plastic bag for a horse or a squeaky toy for a dog.

This will be my last entry until we arrive home Feb. 20th. We have wonderful people moving in to take care of everything while we're gone. I hope to get some vacation photos up the week of our return.

Value Study

This photogragh is a rough sketch of my values (darks and lights).

Beginning the underpainting

The photo to the left is the same sketch with Naples Yellow over it in order to not make the white of the ground so bright. Clipped to the masonite panel are a couple of photos I'll be working from for my foxes.

The development of a painting

Here's the beginning of a painting I'm very excited about. I've already named it "Moonlight Romance". January and February are breeding season months for the red fox. We have a few on the farm. They leave a strong skunky odor this time of year which is very potent when I snowshoe with the dogs everyday in the woods and fields. They're also more visable this time of year and I frequently hear them barking for one another at dusk.

I've always wanted to paint a moonlit painting so I guess this will be the first one. These two foxes are running through the snow looking down at a village where there will be orange lights shining through the windows. Overhead is the moon casting a glow over the river. The New Meadows River runs behind our home and frequently I see the river moonlit late at night. It's beautiful! I have even seen foxes in the snow at this time.

This sketch has taken a long time to finish. Composing a painting can take as long as the painting itself. I usually use photographs but ended up just drawing the foxes the way I wanted them to run. As you can see, I couldn't decide where to put the moon. That's still a decision I have to make.

Here's a photograph of our front fields looking out the studio window. The horses are out there somewhere.

Here's a photo of part of my studio

First post in the life of an artist

After numerous requests, I've decided to start a blog. I thought this might be a fun time to start it as I have my fourth yearly one woman show at Dog&Horse Fine Art Gallery in Charleston, S.C. next week. The reception is Thursday evening, Feb. 12th, 5-7:30pm and the show will run for a month. This show is in conjunction with the Southeastern Wildlife Expo which takes over the entire city of Charleston Friday, Feb. 13th- Sunday, Feb. 15th. I have many of the paintings that will be exhibited displayed on my website : www.bethcarlsonportraits.com under "Upcoming shows". Quite a few have sold already which is good news, considering the economy.

I've been invited to a new Plantation while we're down there so I hope to have many more photographs for reference material for my quail hunting paintings.

From Charleston, we're heading to Aiken with the hopes finding some leads for a rental for next winter. We've also been invited to ride a brace or two in a Field Trial in Georgia and will do that with friends on their Tennessee Walkers. I'm going to take my camera along for the ride more reference photographs for upcoming paintings. So look foward to many photographs in a few weeks!