Please Join me at My New Blog, Joi-Ful

Hi friends, as of July 2014, my blog has moved! Please join me for studio updates and to share the ride as my family and I move to Asheville, NC.  I will be sharing all the fun, creativity and bewilderment as this native New Yorker moves south to continue becoming a self-supporting artist! The new website is www.joi-ful.com.


I sure do hope to see y'all there!

House of Waves

"House of Waves" encaustic on wood panel. Print now available on Etsy

 

This is another encaustic painting in my "Housewarming" series where I am exploring the physical and emotional aspects of "home." Some of us live near the water, on the water or dream of a life spent at sea with only the "waves" to guide us on our journeys.

 

You can find this piece and the rest of the series at my Etsy shop. I am also offering FREE SHIPPING today and tomorrow in honor of Winter Wednesday.

Winter Wednesday Sale - 4 Prints for Under $25

Black and White Series Prints on SALE today $22 Each at my Etsy shop.

 

It snowed yesterday, and we made snowmen! It was so much fun and really got me into the winter spirit. I love that snow and barren trees -- winter's slumber as it may be -- can bring magic with it. I created this black and white series with that thought in mind. They were all created before I quit my day job and needed to wake up at 5:15 every morning to spend some time in the studio. It was cold and dark, but somehow it was also the perfect petri dish for playing with monochromatic color. There are two more paintings in the series coming soon.

 

 

You Are My Happy Place

"You Are My Happy Place" - brand new print just added to Etsy today.

 

Happy Winter Wednesday! I have just added this new piece to my Etsy shop, and it was inspired by a very lovely couple's anniversary (which is today!).  The poem behind the "you are my happy place" phrase is from Rumi, and it is very romantic.

I have also chosen a title for the painting I displayed last week of the girl walking through the rain. The title contest winner was Claire Ishino (on Facebook) for "Through Rain, I will Travel to You." There were many wonderful (and some humorous) suggestions. I thank everyone who participated. A special thank you to awesome illustrator Jessica Stride for being my only blog commentator. Thank you Jess for reading and commenting here. Makes me feel less alone out here in blogland. :)

As promised, I will do a special feature on Claire's work soon to show my appreciation for the great title.  Have a great winter Wednesday!

Mystery Painting Recovered

I found this painting this morning, and it was like being reunited with an old friend. I remember painting it around the time I completed "The Red Boots, A Love Story" series back in 2005! There were 11 other paintings in that series -- along with a soundtrack created by Jay DiPaola -- but I must have lost the painting before including it. We are planning to re-release the series as a book along with Jay's original score this Valentine's Day. It's funny how this one turned up just in time. Maybe it needs to be in the book. I just cannot figure out what to call it. If you have a title suggestion, I would love to hear it in my comments section. If I pick your title, I will do a blog post in gratitude linking back to you site. :)

Here are a few of the other paintings in "The Red Boots" series:

 

 "Adagio" (available at my Etsy Shop)

 

"Requiem" (available at my Etsy shop)

The Dreaming Tree

"The Dreaming Tree" 7.5x7.5 inch print on 8.5 x11 inch paper available on Etsy.

 

This is a new print added today to my Etsy shop in honor of Winter Wednesday. Use code FREESHIP all day today to receive free shipping on any Etsy orders from my shop.

 

This painting is part of a black, white & gray series I worked on last winter. I painted all of them at 5 a.m. before leaving for my day job. It was a way of showing myself that I was committed to my artwork -- and it was actually very peaceful! The whole series retains that sense of morning stillness. Isn't it interesting that the mood we are in when we create can become part of the creation?

1st in the Starving Artist Childhood Games Series

Have you ever spent $40 on a new toy for your 5 year old only to find that he has at best no interest and at worst a tear inducing tantrum after playing for 10 minutes? Have you ever spent hours completing a Lego fire truck that was "for your child?"  If so, you will love this new game: Alien Edge. You just make a paper spaceship and slide it back and forth for half an hour with points for getting the spaceship to balance in the edge. Perfect for those last few minutes before the kindergarten bus arrives. And perfect for the starving artist on a budget. 

House of Love

New print - "House of Love" -- added to Etsy today.

 

Another "house" has been added to my growing collection. This one, "The House of Love," is part of my "housewarming" series. Right now I do feel that I live in this house, and I am very grateful.

 

Enjoy 15% off my entire Etsy shop today by using coupon code "houseoflove" as part of my Winter Wednesdays special offer.

Happy Winter Wednesday. NEW 2013 Holiday Cards and 10% Off!

Get a little package of these cards on Etsy!

 

In this little scene, all the animals are holding hands, putting aside their differences for the holidays. The little monkey is holing a globe ornament in his hand. I am selling cards right now on Etsy, but I will also be releasing 8x10 prints very shortly, too.

 

Today, Oct. 30, use the code SAVE10 for a 10% discount storewide!

House of Serenity

 

"House of Serenity" - Original acrylic & mixed media on wood panel 18x24 inches.

 

I finished this new painting. I was inspired by the beautiful, peaceful landscape of the Crab Meadow marsh by my home. I was jogging the other day when the unbelievable beauty of the early evening landscape prompted me to dash home & go back for a photo via bicycle. I managed to get there before the sun set. This fall weather is so spectacular. I find myself wishing I had a camera mounted on my bike's handlebars. This original painting is available through Lyrical Fine Art.

Winter Wednesday Special Offer Today!

20% off the brand new Cathy Nichols 2014 Calendar today only!

 

And stay tuned for a special offer every Wednesday from now until December 25th as part of my Winter Wednesdays promotion! To get the discount use coupon code CALENDAR14.

House of Winter Magic

"House of Winter Magic" Available as a print at my Etsy shop.

Inspiration for New Painting "House of Winter Magic"

 

 

This little strip of patterned paper was created by lyrics from musician Jay Dipaola. They are so beautiful and have inspired a new painting I am creating.

 

"gold the morning sun on your face

let my wings uncover 

cold and lonely memory erase 

all the layers changing color 

 

I’ll hang here beside you 

when the snow buries us deep 

into the ground we’ll whisper 

on your body I will sleep"

Fire Cat

 Annabelle's fire prevention poster. I love Fire Cat!

Sneak Peek

What do you get when you mix music and painting? Lots of beautiful live music for inspiration and maybe even collaboration. Stay tuned for more news about this new project. 

Plein Air in the Backyard

For the past two afternoons, while the kids are at school, I have been experimenting with painting my backyard "en plein air." What amazed me about this process was how interesting my old backyard was once I started concentrating on it! When I first looked at it, I was like, "Ok, I have this enormous 30x30 inch wood panel and nowhere else I can lug it to but the backyard, but it's a shame all I see is green, green green."  Apparently, somewhere along the way, this perception expanded to include some other colors! I am not done with this piece yet, but I will keep you posted. So far, this is a really interesting experiment.

Artwalk 2013

Fellow artist, Demerise, and I had a wonderful time representing The Firefly Gallery yesterday for the Northport Artwalk. It was a great opportunity to meet the many art lovers not just in Northport but in the surrounding towns of Long Island and as well. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the local long island art scene!!

Sketching vs. Photos

Pastel sketch at Caumset Park in Lloyd Harbor, New York.

 

 

I have been doing more plein air sketching lately. Today I went to Caumset State Park -- a spectacular place -- and rode my bike through the sprawling grounds in order to sketch this seaside scene. I'm using these enormous pastels on cheap paper, but I think even with my clunky supplies, there is something so special about drawing from life. For one thing, it seems like my eyes are able to see details that the iphone camera just blends together. When I looked at this scene, I saw so many colors, but when I look at the photo vs. my drawing, there are so few. Have you ever noticed that? It makes me want to venture out more and brave the sand gnats to do more drawing. :)



Under A Tuscan Moon - In Progress

The moon has been so bright and clear here for the past week that I was inspired to create this moonlight painting. It's only the first afternoon's progress, and there will be more to come. And there are little details in the right tree... not simply reflections but words and feelings. I think the title will eventually change to something incorporating the contents of this tree. Still thinking about it.

Autumn Ride

  "Autumn Ride" Original 16x20 inch painting on wood panel. Available through Lyrical Fine Art.

The idea for "Autumn Ride" came from a late afternoon of sketching in pastels down at Crab Meadow beach. I had ridden my bike there with all of my sketching supplies and ended up just amazed at the beautiful shifting light of the setting sun. It turned everything it touched to unexpected colors. When I got back to the studio, I created a finished painting on wood panel from the sketch. You can see the sketch above along with another from that same day of the nearby marsh.