Acadia's Duck Stream Bridge sold

                    Duck Stream Bridge Acadia  6x8 oil on canvas panel

 I have been to this location many times and painted other views here. This is the first time I included this bridge. It was a sunny early spring day. I was able to stand on the rocks bordering the stream. There were a lot of small birds flitting about in the nearby branches while I painted. In between brush work I was grabbing my binoculars to see the birds up close. One bird seemed to hang around for some time, a Myrtle Warbler. I had never seen this type before. Warblers are some of my favorite migrating birds to look for. There are quite a variety of warblers and I am happy when I get to see a new one. There were also a few Gold Finches with their striking yellow and black coloring.   The summer is shaping up to be a busy one. I will be going on several painting trips and doing my outdoor shows in between.  My first trip will be in about one week. Monhegan Island. Looking forward to this. 
This week I made my first delivery of paintings to my new gallery,
North Light Gallery in Millinocket. While I was there I had the good luck to go out and paint without the black flies attacking me. I had two beautiful days to roam and paint. I hope to post some soon.   Sandy
www.sandydolan.com
www.artnorthlight.com

Poling on the East Branch of the Penobscot River, Maine

              
                        Poling on the River  12x12 oil on canvas panel
                Available at North Light Gallery  www.artnorthlight.com


   Don't stand up in the boat!  That is what we are always told right? That is why the first time I saw someone poling in a canoe I was in total awe. It seemed so graceful and impossible.
  I used to work as a photographer for the Belfast Republican Journal in the 80's and 90's. It was a fun job in many ways but mostly because I had the chance to meet many different kinds of people and see what they were up to. I wrote a story about poling and some Maine Guides who used this technique of travel on a regular basis. I thought it was very cool. They let me try it. Here is a photo of my 5 minutes of poling fame.

Sandy doing what she thought to be impossible.

 

When I was up painting in the Katahdin area last year  I saw this man, shown in the top painting, come around a  bend in the river where I was working. It still amazes me to see someone poling. I had to paint it! Have you ever had a poling adventure? Share it in the comments!

 

www.sandydolan.com

Canoeing the East Branch of the Penobscot River, Maine SOLD

                          
                           Rapid Response  8x16 oil on canvas panel
                  Available at North Light Gallery www.artnorthlight.com

  I have been working on some different subject matter in the studio these last couple of weeks. This is one of them. With this painting I was hoping to catch the sparkle of the light and the excitement of the moment.
  There are a lot of people hitting the rivers of Maine in their canoes right now with the snow rapidly melting and the rivers running high. A couple of days ago we had a rain storm that brought 3 inches to some areas on top of all the snow melt. It is a pretty exciting time.
  I hope you are enjoying spring were you are. It has been very cool temps here and a slow arrival of spring this year but the crocuses are coming up in the garden!  Sandy         www.sandydolan.com

Monhegan-One More and 2015 Show Schedule! SOLD

                                     8x16 oil on canvas panel   SOLD

   I have always wanted to paint the various buildings that line the harbor when you arrive on Monhegan.  I love the lyrical shapes and the way they bump along the rocky shore line.  If you go to Monhegan enough you know each one of these shapes and overseeing all of them is the iconic leader The Island Inn. There is so much history there not to mention all the past weather these structures have seen and survived. I think this is the last of Monhegan paintings for a while. I hope you have enjoyed them. 
    I have just posted my new show schedule for 2015. You can see it by clicking on this link  www.sandydolan.com then click on the show link in the left column.  My next online project will be to update the paintings on my web site and install a buy it now button on each painting to make it more convenient for all my customers out there who can't make it to the shows and would like the opportunity buy my paintings online. Stay tuned!!  Thanks again for stopping by, Sandy
You can still purchase some paintings from my etsy shop by clicking on this link.
www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart

Monhegan's Horn Hill Sold

 

Horn Hill View 12x16 oil on panel

This is another painting that I started plein air on Monhegan Island last fall. I had a few things to work on and finished it last week. The colors look more on the blue side here than they do in reality. Sandy

www.sandydolan.com

Big Changes and a Juried Show SOLD

                           Swim Beach Landing Monhegan 12x16
  Above is the new version of a painting I did on Monhegan Island. The one below is the original painting. I decided to take out the white dory in the middle of the painting. I thought it kept the viewer from traveling into the scene. I had to think about this for some time before I got up the courage to make this huge change but I felt that it would be a big improvement.

I changed a few other details to enhance the destination of the house. I was so much happier with the results. Big sigh of relief.
Yesterday my friend Dianne and I traveled one hour by car to Waterville to enter some paintings into the Maine Open Juried Art Show. This is a show that happens once a year. Each artist can enter 2 paintings. This new version of Swim Beach Landing is one of the paintings I entered. We dropped off our paintings in the morning then we had to wait several hours for the jurying process to be done. We went out for a delicious lunch and then went to see The 2nd Great Marigold Hotel movie. That was fun. We went back to see if our paintings got in and both of our paintings got accepted. That felt good! We rode home happy! Tuesday night is the opening and we will be there to meet the other artists and see what paintings got awards. Should be fun.
Thanks for stopping by to visit my blog! Sandy
www.sandydolan.com
www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart

The Red House Monhegan Island Maine SOLD

                 The Monhegan Red House   12x16  oil on canvas panel

  Last summer I went to Monhegan Island in late August. My friend and fellow painter Erik Minzner was there visiting with his family. We had the good fortune of being able to paint for a morning together. This is one of the paintings I did that day. I made some adjustments to this recently in the studio. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for stopping by the blog. I have been busy applying to my upcoming shows for 2015. I am looking forward to another season of traveling around Maine selling paintings and meeting all my wonderful customers.

Katahdin Peak Season SOLD

                      Katahdin Peak Season  12x16 oil on canvas panel
                    Available at North Light Gallery  www.artnorthlight.com

This is another painting that I started on location last fall. I have been working on it off and on since. I think this is finally finished. I have never painted a scene like this and struggled with several things including getting a feeling of the layering of the landscape and trying not to make the fall colors too intense. This photo is lacking in sharpness but I think you can still get a pretty good feeling for the finished piece. Thanks for stopping by. I have more studio work to show coming up. Sandy

Seal Cove August SOLD

                              Seal Cove August   8x16 oil on panel

  This is a painting I started on location last summer. These last couple of weeks I have been finishing paintings that have been in the studio waiting for some attention. Often I start a painting on location and then I will finish it in the studio. This gives me time to think about what I want to do for corrections and adjustments.  The next few paintings I will be posting here will be ones I have been working on over the past few weeks.  Outside my house today there is a lot of snow and I mean more snow than we have ever had! I can think back to when I was painting this and there where people swimming near by!!

Don't forget to look at my etsy shop to purchase paintings or just to browse
www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart

Acadia Fall View

                              Acadia Fall View  6x6 oil on panel

   Late fall in Acadia National Park can be quite lovely. It is much quieter and often I will see a deer or two while I am out scouting locations and painting. There are very few cars driving along the shore road. Walking is a great pleasure with the sound of the surf and the sun sparkling off the water.
This painting and others are for sale in my Etsy shop. Here is the link
www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart

Lupine SOLD

                                  Lupine  4x8 oil on canvas panel

In June here in Maine the Lupine bloom in abundance.  They can be seen all along the highways, tucked into back yards, and growing wild in fields. I love seeing them and never grow tired of these colors splashed across the landscape year after year.   Sandy
This painting and others can be purchased through my Etsy shop just click on this link to see it   www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart
Thanks for stopping by. Leave a comment!

Acadia Ocean View SOLD

                         Acadia Ocean View  4x8 oil on canvas panel

  This painting combines many of the things that I love about the Maine landscape, strong evergreen trees, mountains, and ocean. Maine is made up of a lot of granite stone. Maine granite has been quarried and shipped all around the country and world. This granite comes in different colors but white and pink are the most common. You can see both of these colors of granite stone all up and down the coast of Maine.
This painting and others can be purchased through my Etsy store. Just click on this link to have a look. www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart
It is so easy and secure to purchase from my shop with your credit card.

Summer Phlox Monhegan SOLD

                            Summer Phlox   6x8 oil on canvas panel  SOLD

 If you are among the lucky people to travel to Monhegan Island in the summer you will know about the beautiful phlox that sway in the breeze outside the public library. There are also some welcoming wooden garden chairs for the weary walker to relax in right next to this lovely garden. Thank you Monhegan library for these two things that brighten up anyone's visit to your island.    Sandy
This painting and others are available for sale through my Etsy shop.
www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart

Bird in the Garden-Red Breasted Nuthatch

                           Red Breasted Nuthatch  6x6 oil on panel

  I took a photo of this bird last fall as he was making his way through a bush full of rose hips. I like the color combinations here. I enjoy keeping an eye out for different kinds of birds when I am out painting and walking. I have a hedge of cedars outside my studio window that attracts quite a few birds. This time of year I see pairs of Red Cardinals, Chickadees, and bright Blue Jays. In the spring and fall this same hedge comes alive with so many kinds of birds during migration.  This is the first bird I have painted. I will try to do more in the future. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy this painting.   Sandy
This painting and others are available for sale through my Etsy shop
www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart

Garden Fresh sold

                                                                                                                                                 

 Garden Fresh   6x8 oil on canvas panel

I thought I would continue with the garden theme for this one. The sun is shining beautifully here today but it is very cold out. The radio in the studio says the wind chill temps are below 0. This garden looks very inviting to me today! I hope you are warm were you are!   Sandy

This painting and more can be seen and purchased through my Etsy shop

www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart

Show Stoppers SOLD

                             Show Stoppers  6x6 oil on canvas panel

I sell my work at a lot of outdoor shows in the spring, summer, and fall around the state of Maine. One of my first shows of the season is usually the one held in Bar Harbor in mid June. There is a flower garden there on the Village Green right near my booth that is always blooming beautifully at that time. I have taken many photos of it as the light is quite nice too. This painting is done from one of those photos.
This painting and many others can be seen and purchased through my Etsy Shop  www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart  It is very easy and secure to purchase through Etsy with your credit card.
Thanks for looking and reading! Sandy

Portrait of the Artist Dreaming of Summer

                         Portrait of the Artist   6x8 oil on canvas panel

We have had quite a cold spell this past week. You can see what I am dreaming of.  I have been on the road for a couple of days so I missed posting a painting for those days. I am back now and working in the studio.
So happy. Thanks for checking in. Sandy

Monhegan Buoys Fish Beach

                         Monhegan Buoys  6x8 oil on canvas panel

In September I took a few days and went out to Monhegan. The weather was perfect and the island was a little quieter than it is in say July. This painting shows a view of Fish Beach where a lot of the lobstering gear is kept and made ready for when the lobstering season begins in October. I liked the color on these buoys. There were more boats on the beach than are showing here. I wanted to simplify the scene some. I have been working hard on getting values correct. I hope it shows.
This painting is available in my Etsy shop  www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart 

Changing It Up - Day 5

                         Riding Economy  6x6 oil on canvas panel

I decided to shake it up a bit in terms of subject today. Quite often I love to paint the coastal subjects. That is were I live and what I love. Today I wanted to do something a little more graphic. I love this scooter and the shadow it is making on the pavement. When the weather is good I will often start my day with a walk along the waterfront in Belfast. This scooter was parked there many times and I finally got a photo of it. In painting this I worked on my drawing, values, and tried to think about a good arrangement of the subject within the square format.
This painting is for sale in my Etsy shop. I am featuring free shipping for the month of January.
www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart
I hope you are all staying warm. It is getting very cold out there. I have been filling the wood stove all day today.  Thanks for stopping by! Sandy

Back Cove - Day Four SOLD

                        Back Cove  New Harbor Maine  6x8 oil on canvas panel

This past fall my painting friend Dianne and I took a trip to New Harbor. We found this area called the Back Cove. This was quite a nice location for painting as it was very quiet so we could set up our easels and painting equipment without being in anyone's way. Some lobstermen paused to chat with us a bit. In the background we could hear the sounds of boats making their way in and out of the small cove. It was a very pleasant day of working outside. This day four painting was done from a photo I took that day while we worked.

This painting can be purchased through my Etsy shop.   www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart   
 Thank you, Sandy



                     
                           
                       

Monhegan Worker SOLD

                                         Monhegan Worker   6x6 oil on canvas board


  This painting is from a picture I took coming into Monhegan Harbor on the island ferry from Port Clyde. That is the island of Manana in the background. I liked the light in this one.

This painting is available in my Etsy shop. I am featuring free shipping for the month of January.
Here is the link to my shop  www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart
It is very easy and secure to purchase paintings through Etsy with a credit card.

Welcome to my 30 Paintings in 30 days Challenge

                                   Seaside Cottage by Sandy Dolan    6x8 oil on canvas panel

January is always such a quiet and cozy time of year here in Maine. Last January I participated in Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 painting challenge. The artists who are a part of this event paint a painting for each day of the month and post them on their own web/blog site as well as Leslie's web/blog site. Her link  www.lesliesaeta.blogspot.com  It was such a good experience last year I decided to do it again this year. There are over 1000 artists world wide who are involved in this event. It should be fun and hard work too. I hope you will keep in touch and follow along in an adventure that I hope will spice up January for all of us. Here we go!!!
These paintings I am doing will be posted in my Etsy shop. They will be sold unframed and the price will include free shipping for the month of January only. When you see a painting you like I hope you will make a purchase during this special offer. It is so easy and secure to purchase with your credit card through Etsy.  Here is the shop link   www.etsy.com/shop/sandydolanart
Thank you! I am so excited. Sandy