Oops .... Just Posted Comments

I apologize to those who have commented, then didn't see their comments.  I JUST NOW realized I hadn't published them.  Oops!!!  So now they should be up for all the world to see.  I appreciate your comments, and enjoy them all, so I hope you will keep it up.  Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to Everyone!

Wishing everyone, near and far, a wonderful 2012.

If it didn’t Bring you Joy,
Just Leave it Behind.

Let’s Ring in the New Year
With Good Things in Mind.

Let Every Bad Memory Go
That Brought Heartache and Pain.

And let’s Turn a New Leaf
With the Smell of New Rain.

Let’s Forget Past Mistakes
Making Amends for This Year.

Sending You These Greetings
To Bring you Hope and Cheer

Happy New Year!

Author Unknown

Tiny Painting

A tiny oil painting, 3"x3" 

I can now post this tiny painting, as it was also a Christmas gift.  Done on a 3 inch by 3 inch canvas, and resting on an equally small wooden easel, these little "gems" can be set around almost anywhere.  This one is of a beloved Cocker Spaniel, and will sit next to someone recovering from illness.  The photo is a bit washed out, but hopefully you get the idea.  Hope everyone has had wonderful holidays times, and looking forward to an equally wonderful new year!

House Commission

Oil on Panel - 5"x5"

I can post this now, since it is after Christmas, as this was a present.  I enjoyed it for the family that commissioned it.  A small little gem of a painting, framed with a heavy, 4" wooden, tooled, gold frame.  I love these little paintings, they are fun to do!  Happy Holidays!

Plein Air in December

Forestville en Plein Air

Oil on Canvas

A group of people in our area of Virginia have started the Shenandoah Valley Plein Air Painters group.  Two weeks ago four of us met in the small village of Forestville, to paint.  Forestville has an old school house which is now used by the local Ruritan group.  They have restored this wonderful old building, which sits high on a hill over-looking the village.  Although it was a cold, December day, we all wore lots of clothes and painted for a few hours.  It took me a little while to decide what I wanted to paint, and decided upon a different way of looking at the building.  Enjoy!

Different Perspectives

Patchwork Lives

Oil on canvas

3ft x 4ft

I have been very interested in painting scenes from a different perspective for a long time.  Many of my work has been done with this in mind.  The show that will be coming up for the month of January, in OASIS Gallery, in Harrisonburg, VA, is titled "Different Perspective".  In 2012 I will be working on more of these, as well as other subjects that show a different way of looking at them.  Lots of ideas are perking in my brain.  More on that later.

Art Shows

Evening's End

Oil on canvas

5ft x 4ft

This is another one of the large paintings in the Clementine's show in December.  It may also reappear at the OASIS show in January.  The photo is not the best, but it gives you an idea of it.  I really have had fun with these large paintings, although it does make things tricky if they have to be at the house!

Art shows are funny things.  As the artist, you paint like mad, work out framing, which paintings will go, then either you spend time actually hanging them, or, if you're lucky, someone else hangs them.  Openings are fun events I think.  You get to meet people who want to see what you have done, and get to talk about your art a little bit.  If you're lucky, there might even be a sale, although times are tough right now for selling artwork.  But we keep on going, painting, learning, and painting some more.   I hope I get to see you at the opening!

Getting Ready for Art Shows

Houdi's Ball

Oil on canvas

4 ft x 3 ft

I've been getting paintings ready for the various shows I have coming up.  The first one goes up this coming Sunday, November 27th, at Clementine's in Harrisonburg, VA.  The opening, for anyone in the area who can come, is Thursday, December 1, 5-7pm, in the downstairs lounge area.  I hope to see you there!

This painting is of a pretty cool dog, Houdini, better known to his friends as Houdi.  Houdi is a Border Collie, sans tail, don't ask how, that was adopted by our younger daughter's boyfriend.  The painting is actually larger than Houdi actually is, which is kind of fun I think.  It has been a lot of fun to paint these larger than life paintings!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone here in the states!  I hope you have a wonderful day.

Art in The Friendly City Food Co-Op

Today I took three large pastel paintings, and four smaller oil paintings in the the Harrisonburg 

Friendly City Food Co-Op, of which I am a member/owner along with many other people in our area who are interested in having a place to buy local, and better food.  Although the Co-Op isn't a "normal" place for hanging art, it works out well for people with artwork that relates to the store.  The co-op opened only months ago, and is still growing into its space.  My paintings are food/farm related, with the three large pastels are of close-ups of veggies.  The other smaller oils include a pig, a chicken, some cows and a great ancient old tractor (my personal favorite).  So, if you're in the 'burg, stop by the Friendly City Food Co-Op, get some great food, meet some great people, and enjoy my artwork!

You're Inivited!

Patchwork Lives

Oil, 36"x48" canvas

You're invited!  Actually to all sorts of things.  During this busy time of year, there are so many things going on, places to go, people to see, and ART OPENINGS!!  Yep, you're invited to these events:

Thursday, December 1 - 5:00-7:00 pm Clementine's Downstairs Lounge, Harrisonburg, VA.  Refreshments.  Show will   hang through the month of December.  

January, 2012 - OASIS Gallery Mezzanine, Harrisonburg, VA art opening time and date TBA

November until -  Friendly City Food Co-Op, Harrisonburg, VA

April 2012 -  Potomac Art Gallery, Potomac, MD

Hope you can get into one, or all of the events!  I'll look forward to seeing you!

Commission Sale Prices for The Holidays

 Take a Bow

5"x5" oil

 The Blue Cottage

8"x10" oil

 Looking a You

6"x4" oil

Pink Gloves

5"x5" oil

The holidays are coming up!  I am reducing my commission prices for the holidays, especially for the tiny paintings.  All framed, 5"x5" oil paintings are now $75, through December 12th!  Any subject!  These are fun paintings and remind me of small gems!  No real choice with the frames, just have to let me choose.  Ready to hang!

For larger commissions, the dead-line is December 1st, and there is a 10% reduction in price for the commission.  Go to Elaine Hurst Fine Art, my website, to check out prices.  

If you have always wanted an original painting of your pet, your house, a landscape, now is the time to get it.  I will also be giving a 10% reduction in prices on all paintings on my website, 

Elaine Hurst Fine Art, through December 24th!

Bigger, Bigger, Bigger

"Houdi's Ball"

Oil on 5 ft x 4 ft canvas

First, this is not a good photo, and I will be taking a better one.... I love painting large!  It is both challenging, physical, and intimidating, all at once.  This is a painting of our younger daughter's, boyfriend's dog, Houdini, who, true to his breed, a Border Collie, is obscessed with balls and retrieving.  Yes, a Border Collie minus the tail, don't ask.  My first intention was to paint him fairly representational, until, I saw the drips around the ball.  That was exciting!   I started letting a lot of drips go happen in the background, using extra thinner/OMS to make that happen.  I was very excited to work on Houdi's eyes, as I wanted him to be riveted on you, the viewer, potential ball-thrower, for him, Houdi, potential ball-retriever.  It is hard to see in this photo, so I will be posting a better photo soon.  Today is a great day for photographing paintings.  

Blocking in Another

Beginning of another 36"x48" oil on canvas

I have wanted to block in my ideas for several paintings so that got them onto the canvas, ready to go.  All are VERY, VERY rough, so you're seeing the ugly stage ++.  But you kind of get the idea where I'm going with them.  The beginning of this piece kind of got away from me, but I'll get back on track with it when I really get into it.  I wanted to go out to the very edge of the canvas with this one, and I ended up going right off the edge.  Stay tuned to see what happens next!

Beginnings

Blocking in stage of large landscape

oil, 36"x48"

I started blocking in a large landscape that will be part of the at least one, and maybe more, of the three shows I have lined up.  I am playing with titles for the the series of paintings, and going in the direction of  "A Different Perspective", or "From a Different Perspective", something along those lines.  

This painting is very rough, and the photo isn't very good, so it is pretty hard to see it.  But I will keep you all up.  I will also post the paintings from Ireland, I promise!

New Before Old

Houdi's Ball

beginning of oil on 48"x36" canvas

I have so many things to post on this blog, many of them paintings from Ireland!  But first, the beginning of a rash of new work, large work.  I have three shows coming up, two in Virginia, December in Clementine's in Harrisonburg, January, in OASIS in Harrisonburg, and one in Maryland in April at The Art Gallery of Potomac.

This painting was just started today.  I have been bouncing ideas around in my head for awhile for seveal large pieces.  A couple are landscapes, and several with animals.  Guess which this one is!  I'm having fun letting some of the paint run.  Can't wait to get his eyes, in, that will be fun....but not yet!  Enjoy.

Exciting News!

Another Red Breeze

Oil 

sold through the AAEA at The Kentucky Horse Park Gallery

Exciting news, I was asked today to teach a five day workshop for the American Academy of Equine Art, at The Art Center in Orange, in Orange, VA, next September 10-14!  Wow!  I am very honored that they would ask me, and consider me someone to teach an AAEA workshop!  I'm also a little nervous!  I do have a year to prepare....yikes....better get hopping!  :)

Commissions . . .

Commission

8"x10"- Oil

This is a small commission painting which I did for a family in a nearby town.  It was fun to create a painting which will hang in this young family's first home.  Enjoy!

Remember...

Carol and David lost their home – a fundraiser

Carol and David lost their home – a fundraiser

Website Update...

The Sub House

Oil

5"x7"

I have just finished spending an inordinate amount of time re-doing my main website.  I have added new work, re-done the colors, added a page, lots of cool things.  Go take a look ... Elaine Hurst Fine Art

P.O.R.

Irish Fireside Article

For your reading pleasure, an article I wrote for the site, Irish Fireside.   I am not a writer, although I enjoy writing, and am working on a few things for my own enjoyment.  I wanted to share a little of my experiences in Ireland with the Art in the Open plein air painting festival.  Irish Fireside also has a section called The Artists' Eye, on which I had a painted featured.  Enjoy the site.

http://irishfireside.com/2011/08/29/art-in-the-open-plein-air-painting-festival-in-wexford-ireland/

Dublin, and Headed Home

 Train ride from Galway to Dublin

 River Liffey, Dublin

 Temple Bar

View from my hotel the last evening in Ireland

I decided that I would take the train from Galway back to Dublin.  I love trains, and thought that would be a different way to end the trip.  I got back to Dublin, and had a little while to kill until I could get into my room at the hotel.  I found I had to take my luggage to a left luggage location other than the train/bus station.  I had long since decided that I would need to lighten the weight of my painting supplies for future trips.  I found wandered around Dublin, mostly the Temple Bar and Grafton Street area.  I thought how I should be going into the museums, but by this time I was getting tired, and so just wandered around.  Later in the day, I found I had to take a cab to the hotel, which was an experience in itself, since the cabbie couldn't find the hotel.  But, in typical Irish fashion, I had a great talk with the cabbie, and other than knowing my tab was heading skyward, had a nice ride.  I had booked in a hotel near the airport to make things easy in the morning.  To make it a bit more special, I found reviews that talked about the horses grazing all around the hotel.  Perfect!

Ireland: Connemara and the Picnic

 driving towards Connemara

 Connemara, notice the stone wall going straight up the hill

 Clifden

 peat bogs, where they have been digging peat.  It is drying in the little piles

 Kyemore Abbey, Connemara

 Ciara being watched by Chica

 Ciara and the dogs, Chica and Tazz

 Peat bogs, Connemara

 Tazz being sure that his people are coming back, and he won't be left with the Yank!

 You suppose they pay this Connemara Pony to pose for the tourists?!

 Roundstone Quay

 Our picnic spot!

!!

For those of you wanting to see paintings, they are coming, I promise!  But I also have to post pictures from Ireland.  It was such an amazing, wonderful experience, that I want to get the pictures out there, to share with all of you.  I am trying to hang onto the feeling that you get from travel.  It opens your eyes to other places, other people, other ways of doing things.  It makes things seem new to you again when you come back to your everyday life.  

Two quotes from Mark Twain, which I find so "right-on":

"...nothing so liberalizes a man and expands the kindly instincts that nature put in him as travel and contact with many kinds of people."
- Letter to San Francisco Alta California, dated May 18th, 1867; published June 23, 1867

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
- Innocents Abroad

Headford & Cong, Ireland

At Antjie, Davey & Ciara's house, an African bonfire in Ireland

 One of the gardens

 first lunch, blue flowers in the salad

 The "Quiet Man" cottage, used in the film with John Wayne and Marueen O'Hara

 Cong Art Gallery - same building as the hotel

 Cong Abbey from the 1200's

 Cong cat

Artist John Dinan's painting

I rode the bus into Headford, a small town outside of Galway.  There I was picked up by Antjie Henn, who, along with her husband and daughter, are South Africans living in Ireland.  Antjie is a Parelli practitioner, which is how I found her.  They were so warm and welcoming, inviting me into her home for three nights.  The first full day, they dropped me off in Cong, a really lovely little village,  One of the artists from the festival, in Wexfor, John Dinan lives in Cong, and I was able to see him, his wife, and some other artists.  I didn't paint, but I sketched quite a bit in the abbey, and the middle of Cong.

Cong is known for being the town where the John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara film, "The Quiet Man" was filmed in 1952.  The cottage is there, a pub, and there is a tour and museum to the film.  I was told that at the end of August, there will be a "Quiet Man Festival", complete with Maureen O'Hara at age 91.