Custom whaling piece by Pennsylvania Artist Kolene Spicher

Let's Take This Show on the Road 

From Nantucket to Staten Island...

This custom piece is painted around my New England Whaling themes that I love to paint.  "Let's Take This Show on the Road," is a one-of-a-kind piece of art featured in an old barn wood frame from Lancaster County.  The side of the frame was signed Rufus Hoover, who is an Amish man in his 80s. 

Three-D look

Across the bottom of this painting are various panels protruding outward that makes my whaling painting have a 3-D look.

I love to paint in this genre.  Take a look at this picture below:   Can you see the 3-D look.  Even my whaling man looks like he is ready to jump off a fin! 

More 3-D 

This whale is part of a show.  It swims to Newport from Nantucket and then to Narragansett and on to Staten Island and points south.  So much fun!

The frame is wonderfully weathered and great periwinkle blue.  The color theme is very current and looks Cottage.  

Huber the Whale 

I have a few other paintings that I am working on currently, including, a mermaid and another ship whaling scene with lots of RED.

Here she is in her ENTIRETY.  I love the red drape across the top!  

Let me know if you have any questions!  

Thanks for looking. 

Kolene Spicher 

Consider attending a show in New England November 3-5, 2017 at the Wilton Historical society.  Go to this link: 

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

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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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What goes into a custom piece like a mermaid

The Black Pearl 

I am working on a custom piece for a couple.  This is the painting that they referenced.  I thought today's post could be about what is involved in making a "Custom" painting.  

The first step is to find a frame.  In this situation, the couple is looking for a 'beachy' frame.  What is a beachy frame?  It's a frame that would go well with beach decor!  They are usually white, black, or natural.  

We immediately thought of black.  We have  at  (Spicher and Co.) a simple black moulding that we often will frame nautical pieces in. I have framed original art in this moulding and it looks fab.    In the photo below, it is featuring a folk landscape but imagine a mermaid... 

We also could go white.  In this next picture, you will see a beautiful chipped up white frame that screams beach. 

The scale is wrong on this, but we could have it cut to fit. 

LOOK

This leads me to my next step, choosing a size.  

My suggestion  for mermaids would be to go with something that is 18x24, and this would be painted on paper.  The frame would add even more size to this piece.  The frame is a big part of the art! 

Here are the colors! 

Correct color pallet

The actual black pearl painting is below.  The room is dark that this was photographed in so the colors are sort of muted and dull in the reference piece.  

Colors not accurate

I love this ocean.  Oceans can really reflect many different colors.  We can go dark sea or light.  Check this out! 

Beginning stages of seascape with whales (top)

This is what we start with!  I go bright and each layer subdues and enriches the next.  Till I am done with this, the colors will be wonderfully muted like this mermaid! 

Really, that is the process.  Frame first, which determines the size, and then subject matter, and finally color.  

All you have to do is message me!  

Enjoy. 

Thanks for looking. 

Kolene E. Spicher 

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Folky Black Lab portrait

Watching over me! 

Everyone loves a sweet dog portrait.  While this is just a non-specific dog, it was actually stylized after a dog named Patriot.  Years ago, I saw an antique painting at a friend's house 

of a  big dog with a house in the background and a tiny little fence 

going around the pup (as if it could ever hold the dog in!). 

Upper left side in Green letters is the title
WATCHING OVER ME

This painting is reminiscent of some of my landscapes.  If you know my work, you'll recognize the technique and coloration.

On the right side, above his left leg reads
A DOG NAMED PATRIOT, and above that
TRUE LOVE

ANYONE who owns a dog will tell you that you just LOVE them so much.  They truly are extensions of our families.

LOOK at that face.  

Here's a shot from a distance.  Being from PA, I happen to love primitive.  The graining on this is just fun.  It is sort of crazy looking, and I love it.

Vintage VINYL on the floor by Spicher and Co! 

I placed the painting around the house at different lighting so that I could get the very best pictures!

The little dog on the left was an antique that was restored.  This poor puppy is missing some feet! 

I love the colors of this painting.  I love the brightness of the grass contrasted with the blackness of the dog.  In real life, this dog is getting up there in years.  The owner of Patriot wants to preserve its memory, so maybe they'll be another dog portrait coming!  Stay tuned.

The flag was sort of tongue in cheek because the Dog's name is PATRIOT!  I am a true patriot!  

Thanks for looking.  I am going to be mailing out some cards (see below) for my customers as a form of SAVE THE DATE.  I have a show that I have begun to paint for that is located in Wilton, CT.  It's a long way off but not for someone who does one-of-a-kind work.  Each painting is truly unique and different from the next, down to the framing!  If you want to be added to my mailing list, please message me!  You can find me on FB, why not LIKE my page??  That way you'll see all the new stuff that I post!  

My Mailer!  

Here's some more info on the show coming up in November 2-3, 2017.
http://wiltonhistorical.org/events/american-artisan-show/

Sorry this is a little blurry!!  

Thanks for taking time out of your day to look at my blog!  

ENJOY!  

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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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Whaling Scene

The Tale of Two Whales 

The water is clear and the whales are free 

Have you ever gone on a whale watch?  I have and for some reason, the guide didn't go up and close!  Maybe the old whale is a little forbidding and needs to be viewed at a distance! 

Peaking thru the water! 

I love the red boat!  These six guys are brave!  I wanted them to be front and center and the water crystal clear!  

The flying whale! 

The tale of two whales!  

Trying to figure out the title was just as much as a challenge as ever.  After a while I came up with The Tale of Two whales!  (A take off from The tale of two cities).  

I like it next to my mermaid!  (NFS). 

ENJOY! 

Kolene Spicher 

PS, This is going to Nantucket Country! 

www.nantucketcountryantiques.com 

But I think it's sold! 

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Mermaid with Seaglass in Repurposed Antique Frame

Looking for Seaglass

After the shells and 'pickling' of the frame
AFTER  

I had a friend give me one of those Antique Criss Cross frames.  At the time, both of us were unsure what we would do with it.  I forgot to take a BEFORE picture so I had a base for comparison.  This is the best that I could come up with as far as showing to you the color of the frame at the beginning of my project.  

BEFORE 

This is the closest thing that I could find.  The first thing that I did was remove the gold liner.  I will save that for another painting for now.  Then I regaled the leaves on because they needed to be absolutely secure before adding the seashells.  

AFTER 

This is what the frame finish looked like after it was treated with my special pickling sauce, lol.  

Before the pickling, this is what I came up with as far as composition for the painting.  

One of my new hobbies is seaglass.  Why do I like seaglass.  I am sure that I don't know.  I just as fascinated with the idea of something tragic like a wreck or littering (in the bay) could somehow produce something as beautiful as seaglass.  

You can very subtly see the glass at the bottom of the painting.  I have painted it to blend into the sand because that is exactly like what it is like trying to find it.  Often times you will walk over a piece and not ever see it.  There seems to be an abundance of white glass...sigh.  I like the colored glass.  

Add caption

This is one of the many paintings that I will bring to the American Artisan's show in the fall at Wilton Historical society, 2017.  I am sorry but it is not for sale at this time.  

There will be over 50 artists present at this show.  It is in November.  Here is the link! 

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

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