A Ship Scene

The Star 

Today, I thought I'd talk a little about ships.  Over the years, I have painted many of them, too numerous to number!  

I really loved all the blue on this piece.  Blue is really a strong color right now, and I love to incorporate it into artwork.  This painting really shows off a number of the 'blues.' 

As I was painting this, I added some stars across the top of the sky,  It seemed like that time of the day when light and dark are parting, one will take over the other.  Is it almost night or is it nearly morning?  You can decide. 

In this above shot, you can see how I added some additional ships.  There can be only one STAR, though, and my big ship is that Star that shines in this piece. 

This would be a nice piece for over a sofa or mantle.  It is what I'd call a large painting.  The sailboat over the buffet is really huge.  I seldom paint that BIG unless I have a customer in mind. 

In this shot, you can see that we sometimes at Spicher and Co, print seascapes on our Vintage Vinyl.  They make a great doormat or dog mat!  Message me if you want to buy one.  Here's another... 

The ship at the top has not been scanned or printed yet.  It is not for sale yet, either.  There is still some work to be done on it and it is being painted for the Wilton Show which takes place in November, 2017, Wilton, CT.  Here's a link for that show.  Let me know if you want tickets! 

http://wiltonhistorical.org/events/american-artisan-show/

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Rufus Porter Style Wall Panel

Sofa Sized Wall Panel 

Landscape 

Rufus Porter Style 

Rufus Porter Wall Mural 

This little picture above is an actual Rufus Porter mural taken from a book that I have.  While I want to paint in his likeness, I don't want to completely copy him.  It has to look like a "Kolene" painting, I think.  

This is going to be a long post with a lot of pictures. 

Here was the first step in my painting which is literally about the size of a door frame.  

I started by painting it a soft yellow and pink tone.  You can see the pink along the horizon of the reference picture above. 

Then I put some mountains in on the horizon.  This is very roughly painted for now.  I am resisting the urge to pick up a little brush.  I have learned to lay it out first.  If I get caught up in the details, I will be stuck. 

Here you can see that I am starting to build some color.  Even as I type this, the painting is nowhere near done.  I am just building color at this time.  The further I go, the more I will think about adding elements that make up the composition. 

In this shot, I am starting to add some deeper tones at the base.  This will cause the other elements of the painting to form a cohesive look.  Everything starts to come together.  

This is an actual Rufus Porter wall mural.  I like the colors on this because I happen to have a grey living room.  I think the warm tones with the subtle pink hues will blend nicely.  

My first tree. 

I admit, I really didn't want to have the trunk of this tree as wide as it became.  I decided that with some bark added, it would take my eye away from the width.  I was right.  I like this.  

Here is my second tree.  It looks very basic, but art takes time. Each day I work on this painting, the colors will develop into an antique likeness of an 1810 landscape.  (Or so I hope.)

I found this on line.  I happen to like the colors of this fire board a great deal.  I confess, I don't remember who painted this.  I think it was R.Porter but I can't swear to it.  I love how the colors have come together on this board.  

Here is what I have so far completed.  Tomorrow, if there is time to work on this, I will add more detail.  

Do you remember these silhouettes I painted a few years ago?  I kept some of them and they hang around my home.  Some day I might sell a few of them, but for now, they are mine.  I happen to really love the bird one and plan to place some birds in the painting.  This is a detail that will be added much further in the process.  Every landscape has to have some birds.  

Enjoy! 

Kolene Spicher 

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Original Whaling Scene, Maine

Reproduction Whaling scene 

Curtis Island, Maine 

Today, I started a custom painting that will be what I like to call a story painting about Curtis Island, Maine.  

We are starting with this lovely large period frame.  I believe this dates to about 1820-30.  It's original and comes with all the little qualities that make it very desirable.  The finish has not really been touched.  It is about as original as it gets.  

My customer lives near this lighthouse.  This is Curtis Island (above).  I love the sailboat.  

Here's my drawing for the above frame! 

This is actually  on a small piece of paper that I proposed to my customer.  I call it a thumbnail sketch.  Actually, it's a bit larger than a thumbnail.  I am going to be painting a mini-painting at the same time.  

The composition will be very similar for the larger painting.  I will post pictures as I progress! 

Loving the red roof! 

Here's some more pictures that I found off the internet! 

I love the color! 

This painting will have lots of action!  There will be a large whale, ship, and some sailors.  I am even going to paint a little man at the lighthouse! 

Lastly, here's a closeup of the frame.   It's a beauty.  The picture doesn't do it justice!  This painting will be behind glass when it is finished.  

Watch for more posts.  Thanks for looking. 

Enjoy. 

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Plans for a Large Scaled Vintage Photo Frame, Post 2

...A Change of Plans

I know that I said I was going to do something with "Flags" and "driftwood" but after looking at the frame for a bit and also the driftwood that I had collected, I decided that the driftwood was not consistent enough in depth.  While some were shaped perfectly, there were more shaped imperfectly.  

It's hard to imagine what this would look like after the tape is removed, but It will look
just fine.  The green certainly clashes with the blue but that will all go away in a bit. 

I liked the folky waves but ended up softening this look as the painting progressed 

In this shot, please notice the darkness added at the base of the painting.  
This creates a sense of
distance.  

I would call this sunrise... 

At the moment, I have decided to look at this painting for a few weeks.  I might add another boat that is larger in the foreground.  I had a wall over some sofas in my living room that badly needed some artwork.  This will do just fine for the time.  

I had a shelf that needed assembled and set to the right of the fireplace.  This painting will end up over that shelf (see below).  

Here's another shot that shows it with regard to the entire space.  

The colors blend very nicely.  Check out the piece of vintage vinyl on the right on the floor!  

I love using blues and reds and whites.  You can sort of see a red and white quilt on the bottom of the shelf.  When you have dogs like we do, you absolutely MUST cover these white sofas.  I use these quilts to do so.  No worries, the dogs are light and will not ruin the quilts.  

See how little my Girl is??  This shot also shows a good picture of the round floorcloth.  You can go to www.spicherandco.com to purchase this look or contact me on my blog, I can direct you.  

I also love the use of shells in a nautical house.  Someday soon, I am going to show you my seashell folk art.  I have a lot of it and love the way it blends with my 'stuff.' 

I love this shot of the artwork.  I am busy painting for the Doylestown Art show in September.  Go to this link to learn more. 

http://www.traditionalartisanshow.com

If you want tickets to this event, message me thru Facebook by going to the page that I manage.  Here is a link to that, too. 

https://www.facebook.com/Kolene-Spicher-224370351101609/

Enjoy! 

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