Rainy Day Painting Day 1

Day 1 – Dec 1st, 2010


It is the biggest canvas I have ever worked on. It is a wrap around canvas and has a 1.5" thick border. I'll paint the edges last. This canvas measures 48"x48.” It is a big square. First I have to decide what to paint, this part takes some time. There is so much I want to create! I go through my collection of pictures and clippings of inspiration to form my visual idea. I begin by coloring the white canvas a warm orange. I could have used oil paint for my base, but I used acrylic paint it covers and dries faster than oil. The rest of this painting will be done in oil paint my favorite medium. After 15 minutes, the acrylic paint dries. I do a light pencil sketch or outline of the girl on the beach. I place a piece of tape on my horizon line to separate the sky from the water. This helps keep the line as straight as possible.
Now I paint in the sky and with oil paint. I stop for the day. I have spent about an hour to get started.

Rainy cold day, I say it is time to start a new painting of a warm faraway place

Aloha from Northern California! It has been a cold November and December thus far. I don't mind the change of seasons and I do love stormy weather, especially if I'm cozy indoors. Due to the economy I have been painting smaller pictures 8"x10", 11"x14", and 16"x20." However, at least once a year, I do feel compelled to create one large scale painting. When it is winter time here, I like to escape somewhere tropical and warm. Painting keeps me out of trouble and fills the time nicely. I’m not the kind of girl to bake cookies on a rainy day, I much rather be painting. Like I said, it keeps me out of trouble and helps maintain the weight! If you are trying to break any bad habit, I recommend you keep your hands and mind busy with a hobby such as painting.

Painting is a journey, and as you develop your skill, it does become more and more enjoyable. It is a nice challenge to paint a picture. Never boring, always interesting! I work with many beginner students and most feel a little intimidated to start their first, second, third painting etc. However, you need to push yourself beyond the fear and doubt. Never compare yourself to another artist. Measure your personal growth by comparing yourself to your own past work. See the improvement. Remember we all need to start somewhere. Most people are not born at the top; they had to earn their way there. You didn’t come out of the womb walking so remember to be patient with yourself. You will get there one step at a time, one brush stroke at a time, and one painting at a time.

Catching up on old news we moved our gallery!

Aloha my friends!

I was going to write about my recent hula show and reveal pictures of my almost complete paintings from this event. However, I was reading back through my blog and something in the past history did change that I should clarify now. Art on The Lane next to the Wild Vine - Wine and Bistro did not work out. The landlord was very challenging and unfair (I’m being delicate here and holding back on words) so both parties in the painful end decided to part ways. There is a crazy story behind that fall through, but I better not say more in this public forum.

The negotiating of our old space took several months of back and forth dealings and many artists’ hopes besides mine were raised and then crushed unfortunately. It is strange and yet funny in a sick way how one person can have so much control over many people’s lives in that brief moment of time and space. This also put my book project on hold further.

However, as I was walking away and feeling so done from having any art gallery, Barbara Davies and Joanne Robinson my original gallery partners decided to take the new space that I had found earlier but I had let got of due to all the confusion with our old land lord (she wanted us back at one point). This new space is very beautiful compared to our old space. And again it is just back to us three artists. Simple this way, no managing on my part. Our new home is in a beautiful renovated building that is reminiscent of other historical homes built in this area in the late 1800s. Down town Danville is very charming this way. A place that feels rich in beauty surrounded by rolling hills populated with wild oak trees and other native greenery and brush. I realize how luck I am to live here today. Sometimes I forget when I’m busy running around from one appointment to the next. However, when I slow down I soak it all in.

We have been at our new home since June 2010. I love our new gallery it feels and looks bright, vibrant, classy, and cheerful, our former location was old and run down and our new address is a short walk from the previous space.

Art on The Lane
178 East Prospect Avenue
Danville, CA.

We are located on the corner of Front Street and Prospect. We are more visible than our old location. We share the same building as Modi Mi clothes store. There is a Chocolate store just across the street with the best treats. I’m developing a sweet tooth for gourmet delicacies! And on the other side of our art gallery is Father Nature’s Restaurant. I love the food there as well and the historic atmosphere and the decor.

It is November 2010 and I did finally finish my first draft of my book! It is now in the hands of my editor friend for evaluation. I hope to have this book complete and ready for print and sale by March or April 2011. I have more paintings to do for this book.

Now that I am a creative artist full-time, the genie has been let out of the bottle and I have this insatiable need to create and bring forth new ideas that had been buried and untapped. I have a goal to write and illustrate a few more books including a series of children books as well as instructional how to art books.

I also caved in and set up a new Face Book Business page please check it out and "like" me:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/McCartney-Fine-Art/106690719394749?v=app_4949752878&ref=ts

My next blog will be about the hula show I exhibited at early November and I will post two completed paintings that I started live at this event. I’m almost done with the paintings. I am hoping Bob and Bonnie Hoffman who I exhibited with will send me some pictures to post from the event. I did not have fresh batteries in my camera and no time to get any.

A hui hou (Until we meet again)

Join us at the 30th Annual Hula Competition and Art Festival in Pleasanton, CA

Aloha and we hope to see you at this fun event! Wear your Aloha fashion and share in the Aloha Spirit! See flier to view more details.  Click to enlarge.  Tickets must be purchased to enter the event.

Maui Beach Bum

This is a dog named “Nani” that befriended me and my boyfriend on the beach in Oahu's North Shore.

Nani means beautiful in Hawaiian. She found a coconut that had washed ashore and she was trying to tear in to it. Obviously her owners had shared the fruit with her before. My boyfriend with some effort finally was able to help her break this coconut open. Unfortunately inside there was no coconut milk it had all evaporated. Hawaii beach dogs are friendly. What a life they have!

I painted Nani in Wailea, Maui this is the background although as I said earlier we found her lounging on the beach in Oahu.   

If anyone knows the breed of this dog I am curious please share with me if you know.

I am available to do your pet commission, just drop me a line.

There is no Other Place I’d Rather be But All Washed Up on The Shores of Kauai

I love all the Hawaiian islands for different reasons, but Kauai is my favorite.  I think for me it is because I long for solitude and this island is the least busiest and therefore more quiet. This island is the oldest in the Hawaiian chain and it has transformed into a place of complete lush greenery and jagged rock formations that can only be created with millions of years of rain and erosion shaping and chiseling this unique terrain.

I call this new painting that I completed 9/16/10 "All Washed Up on Kauai's Shores" well because there is no other place I'd rather be all washed up and renewed!

It has been awhile since I last blogged and I will try to do better going forward.  There is so much to write about, and so little time it seems.  To be more faithful to the blog process I plan to post all my NEW paintings here and write about the inspiration, process, and big or small details. 

For the past two years, I continue to teach art and for eight years work my MauiVision vacation rental business. I feel blessed that I can do both self created jobs.  I have always said if there is a will (dream) there is a way.  It is wonderful to work from home and in an art gallery painting with flexible hours. I have been building up to this day.  I am 3/4 way complete with my first book draft.  I need to stay focused and get this project done.  I have been working on it for several years just gathering material.  The hard part is to organize my thoughts and force myself to do a lot of cutting to make this book strong and interesting.  They say if your book bores you it will surely bore others.  I keep this in mind as I continue to create and edit it.  I really hope to have this project done 2010 but with anything big I have attempted my projections are usually off from my ambitious time line.  But nonetheless I will get it done!

I have been painting a lot and participating in art shows and events trying to get exposure as a new artist. I have been marketing myself for a few years now and still trying to figure out what the best strategy is to get noticed.  People recommend getting a FaceBook business page hmmmm something else to keep track of.  I don't know I'm not totally convinced it is something I should do.  As a creative person with goals I have to watch how time is spent and not spread myself too thin.

That's all folks!  At least for today!

Mahalo for visiting.

My Paintings on Sale on Etsy!