Three Shiny Objects

Tabletop Reflections, 6 x 6" oil on archival panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

It's so nice to paint without thoughts of many things that must be done by a certain time.  There is always plenty for us to do but I am happy all the holiday chores, such as wrapping presents and mailing cards are no longer on my mind. Painting can now take precedence and that's the way I like it.

I am looking for more colorful glass and hope I can find some blue, purple, and amber glass.  I guess beer and wine bottles might be fun to paint, but I really want dishes and drinkware.

I hope you have great plans for New Year's Eve, whether it's a quiet evening or a big party.  

More Colored Glass

Cranberry Glass Admiring Green Dish, 6 x 6" oil on archival panel,©2012, Fay Terry

Today I decided to add another glass color, using a Cape Cod Cranberry glass from my grandmother's collection.  The shadows and reflections are so unique and fun to paint. I wish I had more colors of glass to try out. 

One of my favorite artists, Brenda Ferguson, almost always works in series and I have wanted to paint in series for quite a while so I am hoping this glass  painting will lead me to another idea to try next.

I hope you are enjoying this holiday week and looking forward to the new year as much as I am.  It always feels like a fresh start and I love knowing that the days are getting longer.

Glass Dish

Lemon In Back, 6 x 6 " oil on archival panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

Today I decided to work on painting colored glass. I found this cute little green glass bowl at the Habitat store and finally got around to using it in a still life.  I love using two solid objects and one translucent one since they all have interesting shadows.

I am also working on composition and having at least one object going off the edge, in this case two.  I love the little triangle of red in the back corner.

One Of My Favorite Things

Mugshot, 6 x 6 " oil on archival panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

I love this mug which magically appears full of coffee each morning on my nightstand while I am still getting my eyes open. My husband is such a thoughtful guy and he knows how much I love that early morning coffee.  So while he goes to work-out downstairs every day, I settle into an upright position and enjoy the warmth of fresh coffee before my feet hit the floor.  What could be better than that?

The holidays have been wonderful and now I am officially back at work in my studio so I plan to resume my predictable daily schedule so that you can enjoy more new paintings.

I have lots of new ideas and I am full of enthusiasm for art in the new year.  

Thanks for all your comments, purchases, and encouragement in 2012!

Counting The Days

Christmas Camellias, 8 x 8 x 1.5" oil on gallery wrapped canvas, ©2012, Fay Terry

Everything is falling into place here as the beehive of construction activity winds down and these flowers are going to be adorning our new kitchen as soon as the freshly refinished floor is dry.  I can hardly wait to try out my new gas oven by baking cookies and bread in the next few days.

I loved getting time in my studio to paint these flowers, arranged in one of my favorite handmade pottery vases.  It felt so good to be reminded of the beauty in nature and of flowers that bloom even in the winter.

I hope you find something beautiful to look at today!

Sunny Day

Sunshine On A Plate, 6 x 6 " oil on panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

I have been buying oranges and enjoying them for afternoon snacks. This blue really makes the orange color glow.  

My studio has good light but I usually enjoy working there on a day that really good light is coming in the windows. Today is the exact opposite of yesterday's grayness and rain.  The sun is shining brightly and it is almost seventy degrees. 

I hope you enjoy this bright painting of one of my favorite fruits!

Who Knows?

Only One Grazing, 24 x 30" oil on canvas, ©2012, Fay Terry

Donated

There is an old song that contains the line "who knows where the time goes?", I think it may have been Judy Collins, but I'm not sure.  That's how I feel right now with all there is to do, but I am optimistic because there are still two weeks until Christmas and during that time I know my kitchen will be finished and ready for cooking. That is my major goal since it will make having everyone home much easier and more fun since we always congregate in the kitchen before dinner.

I did another sheep painting to donate to the FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital Auxiliary Ball which Bill and I attended Friday night.  We had a wonderful time dining, dancing, and spending time with friends-all for a very good cause.  This year the ball proceeds will go to support the development of a tobacco cessation program for teens. There are almost no programs in the nation that are specifically tailored to teens despite the fact that data shows that 1 in 4 high school seniors have smoked cigarettes within the last month.

The winner of this painting was quite thrilled with it and of course, that made me even happier.

It is such a good feeling to be able to help out by donating a painting.

Something New

Christmas Coffee Break, 6 x 6 " oil on museum panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

I have been wanting to paint these glass ornaments for quite a while so I set this up in my shadowbox with a piece of glass under it so that I would have some good reflections.  This was so much fun to paint ( I know I say that a lot).

If you are looking for one of a kind gifts, this would look great setting on the little easel that comes with it. The price reflects the 25% off sale that I am having through the end of December, so let me know and I will gift wrap it for you, too.

Quick Study

River Bend Rooftop, 6 x 6 " oil on archival panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

I painted this as a study for a larger painting that I am getting ready to do.  I just love the blues and greens in this one as well as the tall trees in front of the red roof.

All of my paintings on this blog will be priced at 25% off the regular price until the end of December.  If there is one from the past that you would like, let me know and I will change the paypal button to the sale price for you.

Thanks for following my art!

In Full Bloom

Red And White Amaryllis, 20 x 16" oil on canvas

Available at Gallery

contact the artist for price

This is the first of my three Amaryllis bulbs to bloom, the other two are not very far along yet.

This is the first red and white one I have planted.  I had it in my studio for awhile and it was getting good light so maybe I should put the others up there, too.

Each one of the stalks has four large flowers on it so we are really enjoying the amazing beauty of this plant.

Winter Beauty

Amaryllis In Bloom, 16 x20" oil on canvas, SOLD

This is a painting I did quite a while back and really liked the result.  One of my current Amaryllis bulbs is blooming and has six huge red and white striped flowers. I am working on a painting of it which I hope to show you soon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this one!

A Few Radishes

Fresh Radishes, 6 x 6 " oil on panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

There is something I love about painting red vegetables, especially with greens attached.

These three are on the cutting board ready to go into a nice big salad.

I love the way the light is hitting them and the nice shadows they are making.

Sunlit Door

Sunlit Door, 5 x 7 " oil on canvas panel,©2012, Fay Terry

This is another version of a door that I have painted several times and I think this one is my favorite so far. I plan to paint a larger version of this from a slightly different angle.

I hope you all had a most enjoyable week-end. I am looking forward to the month ahead and spending  time with family and friends as well as painting some additional holiday paintings.

Back To Birds

Winter Bird, 5 x 7 " oil on archival panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

I have taken more photos of birds recently as they seem to be everywhere outside right now. This cutie looks pretty well fed and plump.

I am jumping around with my subject matter for daily paintings and I can see that art parallels life.

The  days feel strange while I am without the comfortable familiarity of a kitchen.  This seems like camping out with too few of the conveniences of home. I am excited about the end result of tearing out the old kitchen and starting over but I am having a hard time remembering that I have no cabinets, sink, countertops or appliances, especially when I walk in the kitchen to get something. It is like flipping on a light switch and then remembering the power is off.

It certainly does make me realize how much I can be thankful for because my situation is only temporary.

Bright Bloom

Poinsettia On Lime, 6x6" oil painting, ©2012, Fay Terry

Today was cold and rainy so painting something bright was necessary and fun.

I love these flowers and the many ways they are used to decorate at Christmastime, especially at the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC.  

My husband's grandmother knew how to keep hers growing indoors so they would bloom again the following year. I always toss mine in January when they start looking pathetic.

Hoping tomorrow will be warmer and drier.

Potted Bulb

Growing Up, 5 x 7 " oil on archival museum panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

This is how one of my Amaryllis plants is looking already so it will probably be the first to bloom. This one is going to be red and white so it will be fun to watch it get taller and fatter in the next few weeks.

I had fun painting the fabric behind the pot because it has so many fun shapes in it.

Pomegranate And Grapes, 6x6" oil on archival museum panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

The Camellias are really starting to bloom now, even the ones that usually start flowering in December. Some of them are double and this one is a single layer of petals which makes these look much more delicate and the color is a little more deep pink than red.

Today has been a wonderful day for working in the studio while a fine misty rain continued most of the day.

Museum Visit

The Ameya, (glassblower) Robert Blum, 1893

We just returned from a trip to New York City where we had a wonderful time and amazing sunny weather.

The Metropolitan Museum Of Art was one of the places we spent a good deal of time. I discovered  this painting which was incredibly beautiful and appears almost three dimensional when you are standing in front of it.  The colors are very pure and rich. (click on photo to view larger)

 Robert Blum (1857-1903) was an American artist from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Pomegranate

Pomegranate On blue Plate, 6x6" oil on panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

Chicken In The Morning

Chicken Shadow, 6x6" oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

The Morning After

Winter Sunrise, 6x6" oil on museum quality panel ©2012, Fay Terry

This was an attempt to capture the beautiful light coming in our bedroom window this morning and reflecting on the mirrors and windows in one corner. It was very fleeting, but beautiful and fragile for several minutes. This was really fun to paint.

The Nutcracker

Nutcracker, 6x6" oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

When Bill and I were first married, we lived in a little house in the country on the outskirts of Raleigh.  We were fortunate to have several pecan trees in the yard and had many pecans to shell each fall.  We had a fast and efficient nutcracker called a  Reed's Rocket nutcracker.  We still have it but most of the pecans I get these days are already shelled.  

This nutcracker is strictly the ornamental type and could not do any heavy duty cracking of shells.  He is cute and colorful with lots of fluffy white hair.

Winter Squash

Squashed, 6x6" oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

Butternut, Acorn, and Delicata squash are all favorites of mine this time of year. I am going to make some soup and thought it would be fun to paint these shapes and colors before I cut them up to cook.

I am always trying new recipes and have found some really good ones recently. My cookbooks rarely come off the shelves anymore because it is so much fun to cook with my iPad in the kitchen for recipe references and photos.

Pansies

Purple And White Pansy, 6x6" oil on museum quality panel

This is one of the giant pansies we planted in September and they are blooming up a storm.  This bloom was so large it just kind of draped itself over the edge of the vase.  I don't usually pick the pansies because they are so much prettier on the plant where they will stand up tall and show their colorful faces but I wanted to paint this particular one.

I hope you are having a  wonderful week-end.  We are enjoying being outdoors in the sun even though it is a little chilly.

Memories Of Amaryllis

Red Amaryllis 3, 6 x 6 in. oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

I am watering my newly planted bulbs in great anticipation of having more gorgeous blooms like this one from last year. My mother always had Amaryllis blooming in December when I was growing up which is probably one reason they are so dear to my heart.
 I am so in love with these flowers and I recently came across a poem that I liked by Connie Wanek.  I hope you will like it too.

Amaryllis

A flower needs to be this size

to conceal the winter window,

and this color, the red

of a Fiat with the top down,

to impress us, dull as we've grown.

Months ago the gigantic onion of a bulb

half above the soil

stuck out its green tongue

and slowly, day by day,

the flower itself entered our world,

closed, like hands that captured a moth,

then open, as eyes open,

and the amaryllis, seeing us,

was somehow undiscouraged.

It stands before us now

as we eat our soup;

you pour a little of your drinking water

into its saucer, and a few crumbs

of fragrant earth fall

onto the tabletop.

Top Hat Snowman

Carrot Nose, 6x6" oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

There are lots of places you could build a snowman today and even a couple of colleges in the NC mountains canceled classes today, which rarely happens.

I have been happy to hear from some of the art bloggers in New England that they are doing okay in spite of last night's arrival of Sandy. 

This little snowman will be available at the Festival Of Trees and I will be delivering all of my paintings, including the large one for their beautiful display at the Festival, to One Eleven Main tomorrow. I am including the information below if you are local and would like to attend.

Oh, I almost forgot, today is my 500th painting posted on this blog!

Festival of Trees

November 6-11, 2012                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             The Carolina Hotel, 80 Carolina Vista, Pinehurst, NC

FESTIVAL OF TREES WEBSITE

Festival of Trees is a display of over 200 decorated holiday trees, wreaths, gingerbread and gift baskets in a winter wonderland that will be available for silent auction.  Each auction item will have a “buy it now” price, so come early for the best selection!  Every item remains on display until Sunday at 3pm.  All proceeds go directly to Sandhills Children’s Center and benefit children with disabilities in NC.

Contact Teresa Copper at Sandhills Children’s Center (910-692-3323) to volunteer or make a gift for the 2012 Festival of Trees.

Complete Angel

Angel Of Hope, 6x6" oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

This is the same angel that I posted last week when it was unfinished.  I am pleased with it now and I love the colors around her and the grass beneath her feet.

Time To Start Bulbs

Amaryllis, 6 x 6 " oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

available soon at the Festival Of Trees Marketplace

November 10, 2012 at the Carolina Hotel, Pinehurst, NC

for the benefit of Sandhills Children's Center

I am painting Amaryllis from my photos of my 2011 flowers. I have just gotten the bulbs started for this year and I am hoping they will bloom right around the holidays.  They seem to grow very quickly once they get started.

I hope you enjoy this painting and maybe it will prompt you to get a bulb or two planted this week-end to enjoy in your home.  They are very easy to grow.

Thank you for following my art!

Angel Of Grace, 6 x 6 " oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

available at Festival Of Trees Marketplace

11-10-12 at the Carolina Hotel, Pinehurst, NC

 Looking at this painting seems to give me a very peaceful feeling and I hope others can feel it, too. This angel is perhaps sending out a message of love and hope. The word "angel" is derived from the Greek word aggelos, which means messenger.

I am really enjoying painting these small angel paintings!

The Nutcracker

Holiday Favorite, 6x6" oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

I had so much fun painting this little nutcracker, especially the fluffy white hair.  This is the favorite in my small collection of Christmas nutcrackers. I just love the bright epaulets on his jacket and the yellow stripes on the sleeves.  

This is really early to be painting holiday themed paintings but these are going to a fundraiser for the Sandhills Children's Center that is coming up very soon. It is the Festival Of Trees and is held at the beautiful Carolina Hotel in Pinehurst.

Angel

I am not quite finished with this angel but I decided to post it to show you how it looks right now.  I want to add more definition to her wings and work on the background.

This is the second angel painting this week and I will post the other one when it feels finished, too. It really helps to look at a painting for a while sometimes, especially first thing in the morning to see what the next step is.

Moonlit Snowman

Snowy Fun, 6x6" oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

available at the Festival Of Trees Marketplace 

Carolina Hotel, Pinehurst, 11-10-12

This was another fun one to paint and brings me up to five that are ready for this annual fundraiser for the Sandhills Children's Center.

I will also have 2013 calendars for sale at the One Eleven Main space at the Marketplace.

Looking Ahead

Lime Green Scarf, 6x6" oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

available at Festival Of Trees Marketplace, 11-10-12

Does this make you feel cold? 

 It felt strange painting this today after spending the week-end at the beach in Southport where it was in the mid eighties.  I actually had to buy some shorts while I was there- It was much too warm for jeans.

I've been working on some fun paintings for the holiday season.

Friendly Grin

Move Over, Pirate! 5x7" oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

These tall metal buckets have long lasting candles inside so they line the walk up to the front door. They really look great all lit up at night, half of them are orange and half are black. I'm going to start lighting them every night next week.  Our neighborhood goes all out decorating for Halloween and there are already several houses all lit up each night.  One of my neighbors has a really great circle of ghosts in the front yard that look pretty spooky at night.

Everybody gets really creative and I think the adults have as much fun as the kids.

Outside My Window

Closely Observed, 6 x 6 " oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

available soon at Festival of Trees

I recently walked into my bedroom and spotted this little bird looking in at me.  I hastily grabbed my camera and hoped that I could get at least one photo.  It turns out I had an interested observer checking me out, in no hurry to leave. I was able to snap several pictures and have seen him several more times  in the same spot.

This is the male Cardinal, naturally the female is much less showy and quite plain.  This is also the state bird on North Carolina.

If you attend the Festival Of Trees for the benefit of Sandhills Children's Center, this is one of the paintings that will be for sale in the Festival Marketplace on Saturday, November 10th.  My 2013 calendars will also be available for purchase along with some of my small daily paintings in the One Eleven Main shop set up in the Grand Ballroom of the Carolina Hotel.

Pretty In Every Season

Crape Myrtle In Fall, 6 x 6" oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

I love Crape Myrtles when they are in bloom and when they stop flowering their leaves turn the most gorgeous yellows and oranges.  This one has been pruned correctly and has the traditional graceful shape.  They always remind me of ballerinas wearing their tutus on top of their heads.  This is the first time I have painted one of these trees and I look forward to doing more of them. The most prevalent colors for the flowers are bright pink, magenta, deep lavender, and white.

This was meant to be posted last night but I fell asleep without remembering to post it.

Fair Weather

October Leaves, 6 x 6 " oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

Here's another in my Fall color series but I cannot identify this tree. I usually am able to name most of the deciduous trees based on their bark and leaf shape but this one has me stumped. I will figure it out soon though.

This was a quick study done at the end of the day after my husband and I spent the day together in Raleigh.  We were hoping to go to the State Fair for a little while, but had other commitments and ran out of time. It goes on for ten more days, so maybe we'll get there before it closes.

Dazzling Leaves

Peak Color, 6x6" oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

This is another version of the Dogwood tree I painted a couple of days ago and I am pleased with the result. This time I massed in the tree with a combination of Alizarin Crimson and Venetian Red.  This was dark but not bright, allowing the brighter colors I added later to stand out much more. Also I did not add any white to lighten the leaf colors so they remained stronger.

 I decided the contrast of blue sky in the background helps make the tree really pop. I may do a larger version of this one.

Enjoying Figs

October Pleasures, 6 x 6" oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

This is a great time of year to enjoy fresh figs which are plentiful right now. These are Black Mission figs and I consider them very delicious.  When we were in Charleston recently we had lunch in Mount Pleasant and went to Whole Foods which was adjacent to the restaurant. I discovered another variety of figs that were available for tasting. It was amazing to me how many fig halves were in the small trash can beneath the sample tray with just one bite taken from them.  I guess figs are not as popular as I thought!

Dogwood Tree Fall Color

Sunlit October Tree, 5 x 7" oil on museum quality panel, ©2012, Fay Terry

This is one of the Dogwood trees in the yard across the street which is surrounded by Pine trees making it appear like a bright jewel in the landscape.  I was experimenting with capturing the sunlight on the leaves and branches as well as the path of light going across the pine straw.  I will probably try more variations of this in the next few days. Today was the first sunny day we have had in a while. A few rainy cloudy days tend to make one more appreciative of beautiful weather when it arrives.

I hope ya'll are enjoying these beautiful fall days as much as I am.