Wine By Candlelight

Wine By Candlelight
watercolor
by Jane McElvany Coonce

  I'm continuing to practice my watercolor to get myself back up to par so that when I teach watercolor on the cruise ship, I don't feel so rusty.  Watercolor makes me nervous.  It's not as forgiving as oil paints.  In oils, if you don't like something, you can just cover it up and do it again.  Watercolor is much more planned.

"Wine By Candlelight" will be another painting in February's show at the Northern Virginia Art Center.  Come by for the reception.  I'll be there; we can drink some wine by candlelight and eat chocolate!!!
(My favorite thing to do in this world.)

Brushing up on Watercolor

White Roses
Watercolor
by Jane McElvany Coonce

I have been brushing up on my watercolor because I have another teaching assignment on a cruise ship.  This time, we are going to the Panama Canal.  I teach watercolor on the ship when we are at sea.  Since watercolor isn't my main medium of painting, I decided I better brush up before leaving in April.

This is a painting I did of white roses.  Of course, even though flowers may be white, their shadows aren't.  I put in a darker background to make the white roses stand out.  I've been practicing my watercolor each week, so by April, I should be back in the saddle again.  I'm planning on putting this painting at the Northern Virginia Art Center for February.  There will be a reception on Fri. Feb 8  from 5 - 8 pm.  Stop by and have some wine and chocolate (yes!  we are featuring chocolate at this month's reception!) and see some of the other watercolors I've been working on.

Sailboat at Marina in Oxford

Sailboat at the Marina in Oxford
by Jane McElvany Coonce

Remember how I said I had about 4 paintings I wanted to finish up before the end of the year.  I didn't quite make it.  But I'm still working on finishing them up before too much time passes.  This was a painting I started last spring.  I had gone up to Easton to paint for several days.  One day, we went over to Oxford, and I started this painting.  I didn't finish it, but I took lots of photos of the marina.  So this past week, I worked on it and put the finishing touches on it.  It's headed to the framers.  Then it will be ready to show at either the Northern Virginia Art Center or at my studio at Stifel and Capra.  I finished another painting today, but I'll show you that in another blog entry.

Street Cafe Sells on Etsy

Dining Alfresco: Street Cafe
by Jane McElvany Coonce

This painting was featured on my blog a while back.  I also have it listed on Etsy, and it sold last night.

Some of you may not be familiar with Etsy.  It is a sight for hand made objects.  I have a store on the site and have my paintings for sale there.  A doctor from New Jersey purchased this piece.  I will ship it to her tomorrow.

If you haven't ever looked at the Etsy site, you should!  Make sure you type in ETSY and not ESTY(which is a dating service.)  To get to my store, type in http://www.etsy.com/shop/FineArtStudios.  I put new things up all of the time.  So you need to check back regularly to see what is still available and what new paintings have been added.

It's just one more thing a busy artist has to do!

Indian River Inlet

View from Inlet Bridge in Delaware
by Jane McElvany Coonce

I just finished a commission I've been working on.  A patron that has bought paintings from me before contacted me and wanted to commission a painting for his father's birthday.  This is a view of South Dewey Beach, just as you come over the Inlet Bridge if you were driving  from Bethany Beach.  He had a great photograph, but he wanted it at sunset or sunrise.  I have to say it was a fun one to paint.  And of course, Dewey has a special place in my heart because my brother has a beach house there and lets me go any time I want.

Now I need to get this to the framers so it's ready in time for the big birthday.  I've been painting a lot and I'll put some more up this week.

I've got several shows coming up that I will tell you about in the near future.

House Portrait

House Portrait for Chris and Tracie Morgan

One of the jobs I have as an artist is to do house portraits.  Usually I paint them for Merrill Contracting after they finish renovating a house.  I take a photo and then paint the portrait of the house. and they give it to their client as a gift for doing business with them.  However, every once in a while, I get someone who individually contacts me to paint a portrait of their house.  Chris and Tracey Morgan contacted me about painting their first house.  I was thrilled because they just moved into their starter home.  They are a darling couple who love art.  How could I not like them?  They bought a painting from me called "Marina Haze" (an earlier blog post).  Then they commissioned me to do their house.
So I just finished their portrait and delivered it today.  Your first house always has special memories, and hopefully, this painting will remind them of it for years to come.

New York Scenes

New York Squared
by Jane McElvany Coonce

One of my goals before the end of the year was to finish up paintings that I had started.  I managed to finish up two more before the clock struck 2013.  The first one is called "New York Squared".  I know it is a weird title, but it's for a show coming up for Vienna Art Society at the end of January.  All paintings have to be on 10 inch square canvases.  Luckily, I have finished the two I planned to enter.

The M5 in New York
by Jane McElvany Coonce

The 2nd painting I finished up before the new year is called "The M5 in New York". The M5 is the bus in the foreground.  It was from a photo I took when I went to New York last April.  I started this painting at the "paint-in" that was held at the gallery in Crystal City.  I just needed to add the finishing touches on it before I could call it done.

Although I didn't finish up all of the paintings I had hoped to, I got most of them done.  I guess in 2013, I still have my work cut out for me.