Whale Scene on Nantucket by Pennsylvania Artist Kolene Spicher

Painting A Custom Whaling Scene for 

Nantucket Country

Nantucket Country Store 

All paintings except what is in the center (unfinished) are either sold or not available.  

I included a few unavailable pieces just so that you can have the correct feel for the coloration.  As I put washes on the water, it will pull more blue (like the mermaid next to it).

Similarities (see below) without completely copying.  Note the color of the water is more blue than reference. 

Yes, this is the middle painting reflecting additional work time throughout the week.  I love the action and light in the water.  I think the playful polka dots add interest to the folky whaling boats. 

Nantucket Whalers 

This painting is the Reference Material for the above Nantucket Country painting
This painting is available as a print ONLY.

I actually have a few paintings to blog about but am behind.  The above painting captures some action that Cam Dutton of Nantucket Country would like to see in her piece.

She wants her painting  to have less green in the water with more blue in the sky, whaling boats more prominent, and whales unobstructed.   This week's whales are more playful and the light house is "Brant Point" on Nantucket instead of an unknown lighthouse. 

Love the Smoke Stacks on the ship.  I am sure those sails in real life would have been brown with soot! 

Caption reads, "This happened on Brant Point." 

I always love to add some writing to my paintings.  I think it adds interest and reflects my playful side.  (See below)

Finally, here is another shot showing more of the painting in its entirety.  This is available thru NANTUCKET COUNTRY, Nantucket, MA.  Message me if you need the number  

Enjoy. 

 

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Kolene Spicher Original Painting, He was an Oxford Man

The Man on a Prestigious  Horse

This was one of those paintings that I thought I would never complete.  I kept setting it aside for other jobs, even though I loved it.  I had about three different titles on it, one of which was entirely incorrect in its usage of the word.  Oh My, It's good that I have a day job that doesn't involve grammar and spelling.  People at Spicher and Co would say, "Amen" to that. 

As I painted this gentleman, I kept thinking that he looked...important.  Where was he going?  Where did he come from.  I just couldn't decide.  Was he a lawyer?  Maybe.  Could he be a doctor?  No, he didn't look like he was in a hurry.  Then it hit me, he was an Oxford man, whatever that means, I don't care, I like it.  

The frame is a bit beat up but it adds character to the piece.  The liner itself is in good condition. 

The little town in the background added the color that this painting craved.  

I seem to have a certain repeated attraction for distinguished looking gentlemen.  I love horses and farm animals, too, and think they make great subject matter.  

The outside dimensions on this are 18 1/4 x 16"
This is a nice size for just sticking it somewhere, not too large and not too small. 

I love the color tones, too.  It has a mysteriousness to it but with the light background and rich red houses, the painting seems bright.    I am going to put it on ETSY but will let it hang for now beneath my favorite ship painting.  They look great together.  Here is a full shot of the ship... 

Enjoy. 

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Rufus Porter Style Wall Panel - Post 3 by Kolene Spicher

Getting Closer to Completion 

What  a journey this has been from the first day onward.  Each day, I have worked a little on this piece and am nearing the stage where I will start graining the edges (see post 2). 

Ships and birds and flowers and leaves--one stroke at a time.  I am really loving this.  I think that I will be adding a little more of this red shade.  I love love love it because it brings this piece into the 21st century. 

Also, I love the gate.  I intend to add more ships...maybe tomorrow or the next, I will have a whole fleet of them. 

I also added the bird.  I am going to paint in some more, however, I am just not quite ready for that step.  I needed to add a few more balls of leaves to this tree in the center.  

Let me know, if you ever see a tree like this, please. 

My studio has the heat turned very low...  When the heat is normal, the paint dries too fast for my liking.  Right now I am on a ladder taking this picture, praying that I don't fall off. 

I love the ripples of the water, front and center. 

The painting is not entirely symmetrical yet it is balanced.  

I have had a good bit of interest in this piece.  I am willing to ship it.  It is not heavy.  I would pay for the shipping...I think.  If you live in Alaska, maybe not.  

Many people love the period look and find it hard to find the correct home decor objects.  While we at Spicher and Co. do not do this look exclusively, there are many items that we do sell that fall into this "reproduction" category.  

www.SpicherandCo.com

Check out the Vintage Vinyl that we offer, too.  You can see a piece of this on the floor of my studio.  We have that "look" that will create a period home.  

Thanks for looking at my ONE OF A KIND mural today. 

Enjoy. 

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Soldier Painting Williamsburg Style

Williamsburg Style Reproduction Painting 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/475268672/kolene-spicher-original-of-colonial?ref=shop_home_active_1

Nautical Soldiers

This painting is featured in an antique frame.  I believe it was an old Currier and Ives frame.  The finish is in good condition.  I did not have a piece of antique glass for this one, however.

The colors are vibrant without being brassy 

The technique on this painting, while not unique, is common for me.  It is what I would refer to as Pen and Ink with watercolor.  I love the ships in the background and the symmetry of this piece.  I love the yellow, too.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/475268672/kolene-spicher-original-of-colonial?ref=shop_home_active_1

Check out the flags.   I have two American and two British.  To me, this screams 

Colonial Williamsburg.  

This give you an idea of the scale. 

Both of these paintings will be for sale on ETSY.  Please message me if you have any questions.  

https://www.etsy.com/listing/475268672/kolene-spicher-original-of-colonial?ref=shop_home_active_1

 Enjoy! 

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Repainting a vintage sailor whirligig

My Deep Fancy for Sailors 

Love all things NAUTICAL 

I have always had a thing for sailors.  I remember when I was in my early twenties, I used to write the word, SAILOR.   It's not surprising I married a boater.  

So the above whirligig was given to me by my Mother back when my kids were young. I don't think it was overly valuable but it wasn't super cheap either.    At first I liked the painting on it just fine, then all of the sudden,  I disliked it.  I decided that it looked sort of imported...sorry.  

So I repainted it, from head to toe and antiqued it.  However, before it was not a sailor but rather some sort of officer.  (Not in the Navy).   In order for me to want to keep it, it had to be repainted.  Now he fits in just fine.  I think one of my kids dropped it when they were little, too.  It was busted, now its fully fixed and looks awesome with my decor.  

I signed it on the base

Notice that I wrote "hand painted."  I did this because I did not carve it, I just painted it.  Whoever painted it the first time, had primed it a great red.  I just scraped down into the red to get the look that I wanted.  *Don't try this at home, folks, I can't guarantee the results. 

Here's the backside.  I will admit, this was a little more time-consuming than I had anticipated.  It was fun, though.  

Interestingly enough, I dropped this thing while painting it, and the arm snapped off at the paddle!  Nothing broken
but it was toward the end of this process~I panicked for a second needlessly.  It snapped right back on.  It was  dowed.  This thing was made well.  

To prove how much I love sailors, just look at the other sailor art I have done over the years.  If I do a show and it doesn't sell, it comes home! 

I actually have even more 'sailor' artwork but didn't want to underwhelm you! 

Thanks for looking! 

Enjoy. 

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Custom Boy Portrait - Part 2

The process unfolds 

Look at the brush strokes in the grass, water, and his pants 

If you read my Custom Boy Portrait, Part 1, you will remember that the last picture that I presented had the young boy drawn in pencil.  It was what I call a composition drawing, something that I do before starting to paint. 

Saint Bernard 

The customer wanted a Saint Bernard in the painting along with a book and a ship.  It is fairly common to see portraits of this  period including both a dog and a book.  

  

I love his sweet little smile and the colors really pop on the high quality water-color paper. 

When deciding on the composition of this piece, remember I had said that it was important to illustrate the dog in such a way so as the viewer realized that the dog was  of a large variety.  Even as large as I made him, I could have gone bigger.  I know this because my neighbor (growing up) had a St. Bernard.  To me, it looked like a horse.   Let's just say this is a young St. Bernard.  

This is a great example of what I am talking about.  

In this shot, you can see that the dog is really large.  It is nearly as tall as the child.  

This was one of the paintings that the customer referenced when requesting a child with a book.  They liked the ship, too, so I have included a ship in the background of our painting, as well.  You can read about this painting by going to: 

http://kolenespicher.blogspot.com/2015/10/portrait-of-young-girl-auction-item-for.html

This is almost finished.  I really love this frame
and think that the painting is really very sweet! 

I will look at it for a few more days, probably till Monday or Tuesday and then send it to be framed if I don't see any adjustments to be made.  

Thanks for looking and I wish you all a happy New Year!!  

Enjoy 

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A Kolene Spicher painting in the style of the Rufus Porter School

Primitive Retrieved Wallpaper Technique 

 Landscape by Kolene Spicher 

This painting and many others will be at the Bedminster Show in Pennsylvania next weekend 

http://www.bedminstertraditionalartisanshow.com

The crackled surface has the feel of being something that was "pulled" from a wall.  I invented this technique and use
it often with paper, too! 

This is a painting that is done in the Rufus Porter style.  He was an itinerant 19th-Century artist that roamed the New England area painting the walls in numerous homes.  Anyone who has an original Rufus Porter is one lucky individual.  Everything about this from the subject matter from the  exaggerated  trees to the colors reminds me of this  RPorter 'look.'  I love to paint in this style.  

Porter trees were graduated in size.

This tree fills the entire canvas, as far as the height is concerned.  This, too, was in  keeping with the way Porter painted.  The trees in the foreground were always as large as the  mural wall would hold.  I love the little guy on the boat! 

Oversized bright birds

This bird tree reminds me of a feather bush.  The red lighthouse carries your eye to the back of the painting, which I like.  A little color here and there will cause your eye to roam the entire painting.  

White background or Black?  

I prefer the black background or Mat.  I have not decided which way I will go.  I also grained this frame to make it look 'old' like the painting.  The sides of this frame are a simple black.  

Let me know your thoughts!  White background or black?  

Follow me on Facebook at Kolene Spicher.  Go to the page that I manage, not my personal page!  Thanks! 

Enjoy! 

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Kolene Spicher hand painted portrait of a distinguished gentleman

Table Top Portrait

A Distinguished Looking Gentleman Silhouette 

19th Century Style 

I am excited to say that my new REAL gold-leafed frames have arrived.  I am as excited to blog about these frames as I am about the artwork, itself.  

These beautiful Table Top frames are handmade in Florence, Italy.  This company has 

been specializing in gold-leafed frames since 1901 AND IT SHOWS. 

This portrait is so sweet with his little hairs that you can see upon closer view.  Of course, this is a painting and not a print, so the details are very light.  They need to be because it is very small.  The frame measures in about 3" Round.  The opening is 2 inches.  

Love his purple-y jacket

In this particular picture (above), I have the frame sitting in direct sunlight.  You can see the hairline easier and the watermarks.  

The back of the frame is nicely finished.  The ruler and the paint brushes give you an idea of the scale. 

I am going to be listing this on my ETSY store.  Remember it is a MINIATURE! The store name is KOLENESPICHER. 

Thanks for looking! 

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19th Century Style Portrait

Summer in the Country

1840 Style 

A Young girl sits for her portrait

https://www.etsy.com/listing/219812113/19th-century-antique-reproduction

Another Gold Leafed Oval Frame 

I can only imagine life back then.  I love the idea of  being where no cameras or phones or TVs exist (although, not really).  The backdrop for this painting could have taken place in my back yard with the columns and the water and the landscaping peaking thru the window.  As a child, I was always fascinated with picking posies. We had a butterfly type bush in our backyard.  One of my favorite memories was picking this flower and making "perfume" with the fragrant petals.   Some things never change.  I still LOVE fragrant flowers. 

The two pictures below were my inspiration pieces.  I love to paint portraits, but in my style.  Yes, the dress is similar, but the technique is clearly mine with the big eyes and soft tones.  The bright flower is about as 'bright' as it gets for me. I often put drapes in my pieces.   

Attributed to Sturtevant J Hamblin, c 1840

Quick bold strokes - Characteristic of Hamblin's style 

I am stock piling paintings right now.  They will either go to a gallery or on Etsy.  I am not sure which.  I just sent for some Antique Reproduction gold-leafed frames made in Italy.  They are beautiful and I can't wait to paint some children's portraits for them when they arrive.

Larger painting is SOLD

When I look at this little piece, as the viewer, I wonder, "What is she looking at?" 

Or I might wonder what is going on out the window.  I love the watermark on the wall and her sweet little smile.  All these things make me smile.  

https://www.etsy.com/listing/219812113/19th-century-antique-reproduction

Thanks for looking! 

Enjoy! 

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