Paintings From Poppie Series I Now Available as Museum Quality Giclee Prints

All the paintings in Poppy Series I are Now Available as Museum Quality Giclee Prints !! So, if you missed purchasing the original or wanted it in a larger size, your time has arrived!

The popularity of The Poppy Series paintings has allowed me to offer high quality giclee prints of all the paintings in Poppy Series I through my gallery at FineArtAmerica. There will be a permanent link in the side bar to my FineArtAmerica Gallery. Paintings from Poppy Series II. will also soon be available as prints.

Each painting is available in 3 sizes, (Sm. Med. Lg.) at very affordable prices. You can choose from a variety of papers and canvas, as well as matting and framing options, along with the option for several styles of gallery wrap canvas.

Paper
Premium Archival Matte Paper
Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper
Epson Premium Luster Photo Paper
Watercolor Paper
Cool Tone Picture Rag
Somerset Velvet
Canvas
Bulldog Glossy Canvas
Bulldog Matte Canvas

Stretching
Canvas prints may be stretched on stretcher bars to reproduce the look and feel of an original painting.

Framing and Matting
There are thousands of combinations of frames and mats which may be purchased with each print

Purchasing
Once you have finished selecting prints and choosing accessories, its time to checkout. Checkout occurs via a secure page on FineArtAmerica.com (SSL encrypted). You can pay for your purchase using any major credit card (American Express, Mastercard, or Visa). During the checkout process, you will specify the shipping address where the prints should be delivered. FineArtAmerica.com will then calculate the applicable shipping cost and add that to the total order. Once you verify that all information is correct, the order is submitted for processing.

You will then receive an e-mail confirming you order was received and is being processed.
At this point, the production wheels are set in motion, and our staff begins the process of printing, stretching, matting, framing, glazing, protecting, boxing, and shipping! All framed orders are shipped in heavily-protected cardboard boxes. Print-only orders are rolled and shipped in cardboard tubes. Most orders ship within 1 - 3 days. All orders are shipped via UPS Ground (except Hawaii and Alaska). At the present time, FineArtAmerica.com will only ship orders to the United States and Canada.

As soon as the order ships, the you will receive another e-mail with the tracking information. In addition, you can login to your account on FineArtAmerica.com at any time in order to view his/her purchase history and the shipment status of each purchase.
Depending on the location of the customer, the print(s) will arrive within 1 - 5 days, and the process is complete!


Return Policy

FineArtAmerica.com offers a 30-day "no questions asked" return policy. Customers can return their purchased prints within 30 days of the date of delivery and receive a full refund of the purchase price (minus shipping costs). The returned items must be shipped back to FineArtAmerica.com in the original packing materials, and the customer is responsible for the return shipping fee. Returns are coordinated by contacting support@fineartamerica.com.

Flanders Field

Flanders Field, 30x30, oil

Here's a recent oil painting. I really like this large square format, it makes for an interesting composition. This painting will be featured on the cover of the February issue of The Art Guide Magazine. The Art Guide is a regional magazine featuring art, artists and galleries in the CT, RI, MA and NY area. Poppies and fields of poppies have been a recurring theme in my work this year. You can find more of them in my gallery at the Daily Painters site here.

Exploring the Seasons in Acrylic

Morning Meadow (spring), 6x8, acrylic

Poppy Morning (summer), 6x8, acrylic

Autumn Leaves (fall), 9x12, acrylic

Frozen Edge (winter), 6x8, acrylic

I've always been intrigued by acrylic paints. They seem very modern, comtemporary, edgy and 20th century. I've seen stunning acrylic paintings and some absolutely horrendous monstrosities. I've seen the most intricatedly detailed and accurate wildlife art, some beautifully expressive impressionist work and some wondefully textured almost sculptural abstact works as well. The colors seem vivid and saturated and the perks of soap and water clean up combined with their quick dry time add to their appeal. On the down side they never seem as full bodied, lush, buttery and rich as oil paints. Quite frankly many brands sem plastic-y and cheap looking. Creating soft atmospheric passages seem to take an entirely different working method than in oils because of the quick dry time so that's both a pro and a con). Lastly, and most unfortunately many collectors seem to prefer oil paintings and prices for acrylics are often lower than for oils. However, I believe that over time that will change.



So what am I doing in this series of new paintings? Well, playing around, experimenting and having fun for starters! I'm using a new type of acrylics, Chroma Interactive. These relatively new paints are meant to stay workable longer, while still drying much quicker than oils, and they definitely don't have that plastic-y look or feel. Combined with some Golden soft-gel and some of the mediums designed to go with these paints I'm getting some very impressive results. I don't know if I love them enough yet to completely abandon oils but I'm going to be doing my small daily paintings with these for the next few months to see if I can really produce acryloic works that ae essentially indistinguishable from my oils. Stay tuned for more results.

A Late Summer Symphony of Paintings

Marsh Flowers, 9x12, oil

Marsh House, 9x12, oil

Marsh Sunset, 9x12, oil

Here are three paintings done in a series, three days in a row at the same time of day. The first and third are from the same location, the former looking east and the latter looking west towards the sunset. The middle one was done several miles down the road along the Oyster River. These three pieces served as vehicles for some color experiments I'm working on. The idea is called "pigment soup" it's origins are with the early 20th century American painter Edgar Alwin Payne.

This idea is currently being discussed by a group of artists in the online art community www.WetCanvas.com . Simply put, you mix up a color which becomes the basis for the entire painting and each and every subsequent color that you mix contains a bit of the original color. This guarantees an immediate color harmony and gives you the opportunity right at the very beginning of the painting process to decide upon and enact a strategy for creating mood and emotion in your painting. It's this last part that I am especially interested in, creating mood and emotion in a painting. I am no longer content to just "paint what I see". My desire is to paint what I feel and inject a more spiritual component into my work. I want emotions and ideas like longing, joy, awe, lonliness, gratitude, wistfulness, peacefulness, solitude, contemplation, elation, brooding, desire, tranquility, vitality, happiness to come through. More like poetry, less like prose.

Speaking of poetry here's one that is especially appropriate as summer slips away and we long to keep it just a little longer before back to school and autumn 's rainy, chilly weather appears.

Fair Summer Droops
from Summer’s Last Will and Testament by Thomas Nashe (1600)

Fair summer droops, droop men and beasts therefore,

So fair a summer look for nevermore:

All good things vanish less than in a day,

Peace, plenty, pleasure, suddenly decay.

Go not yet away, bright soul of the sad year,

The earth is hell when thou leav’st to appear.

What, shall those flowers that decked thy garland erst,

Upon thy grave be wastefully dispersed?

O trees, consume your sap in sorrow’s source,

Streams, turn to tears your tributary course.

Go not yet hence, bright soul of the sad year,

The earth is hell when thou leav’st to appear.

Summer Garden

Summer Garden, 12x36, oil

I have a hot garden ! LOL This painting shows part of long border that runs the length of our property where it meets the road. You can see it from our livingroom window and since you see it from across the front yard I decided on a very hot, bright color scheme that would show up at a distance. It's filled with red, orange and yellow lillies of different varieties, crocosima, that's the deep red arching flowers. This particular variety is called Lucifer, there's also red-purple coneflowers and taxic cab yellow black eyed susan. In this piece the morning sun is pouring in from behind. I find it absolutely delightful to be in the garden, I have many bird and insect friendy plants and the garden is absolutely buzzing, quivering and singing with life. What JOY!

The Bee is Not Afraid of Me

The Bee is not afraid of me.

I know the Butterfly.

The pretty people in the Woods

Receive me cordially

--The Brooks laugh louder when I come --

The Breezes madder play;

Wherefore mine eye thy silver mists,

Wherefore, Oh Summer's Day?

~Emily Dickinson

Azalea Time

Azalea Time

6x8, oil
$100,unframed,
To Purchase: jan.blencowe@comcast.net

The garden is really starting to take off as we finally have some warm weather! Beautiful bold azaleas, along with tiarella and Spanish bluebells and some lovely creeping ground covers begin to create a floral fantasy along the edge of the wooded area next to my house. The dappled light was flickering as a gentle breeze moved the leaves of the trees about so it seemed to my eye that everything was in motion.

I really enjoy these small paintings I often get more satisfation form these little ones than large studio pieces. These little jewels seem to capture in more immediate, intimate way the sense of place that is so important in plein air work. Enjoy!

The Azalea

There, where the sun shines first Against our room,

She trained the gold Azalea, whose perfume She,

Spring-like, from her breathing grace dispersed.

Last night the delicate crests of saffron bloom,

For this their dainty likeness watched and nurst,

Were just at point to burst.

At dawn I dreamed, O God, that she was dead,

And groaned aloud upon my wretched bed,

And waked, ah, God, and did not waken her,

But lay, with eyes still closed,

Perfectly blessed in the delicious sphere

By which I knew so well that she was near,

My heart to speechless thankfulness composed.

Till'gan to stir A dizzy somewhat in my troubled head

It was the azalea's breath, and she was dead!

The warm night had the lingering buds disclosed,

And I had fallen asleep with to my breast A chance-found letter pressed

In which she said,'So, till to-morrow eve, my Own, adieu!

Parting's well-paid with soon again to meet,

Soon in your arms to feel so small and sweet,

Sweet to myself that am so sweet to you!'

Coventry Patmore