Happy New Year 2023!

Just a sampling of the 40 pieces of art created and sold this past year!

Greetings and salutations to all on this wintry day. The laundry is done, the dishes are done, the Christmas things are mostly down, my business taxes are filed - whew! The birds are snatching up the seeds as tiny white flakes spin down from above. And I'm free to play catch-up here, for a change.

2022 was a great year for sales of my watercolors. Over 40 framed pieces sold between the Bellefonte Art Museum, Art a la Carte, and The Gallery Shop in Lemont. That's truly exciting. Lots of prints were sold last year, too. So I've been able to keep my supplies coming in and my paintings going out - with a bit of a profit, to be sure.

And what are my thoughts about the coming year...?  Perhaps to broaden my subject matter to include more types of wildlife. And maybe to expand on my trial efforts using gold metallic paints/inks with the watercolors... Possibly to add some details to the background with pen & ink... and more mixed media, perhaps.

I chose a special frame with gold detailing to accent the gold moon behind this mockingbird

This is Merlin, a mixed media mounted on a panel, which then was varnished numerous times before painting. No glass is required when this method of finishing is used.

So far, I have limited myself to two sizes of framed work, making it easier to order bulk frames to meet my needs. I have experimented with a few new sizes - including a small square frame, which worked out nicely with some petite paintings.

My studio is in the process of returning to being my studio, after spending several weeks as the Christmas storage room for gifts, wrapping papers, ornament boxes - not to mention the bird seed, my indoor plant shelf, new frames waiting to be used, numerous drawings on 300# Arches watercolor paper awaiting my paint & brushes to come to life.

I'm looking forward to cleaning out the boxes and getting back to painting once again. May you all be looking forward to new opportunities for love, laughter, and contentment as we move into 2023!

As October Draws to a Close

 

October 2022 in Central PA

It's been a super busy year here. Lots of changes, additions, switches, flip-flops, and more. But things are settling down into a "normal" of some sort. The seasons are changing on time, life has patterns again, and all is well at our house in Central Pennsylvania.

I've added another location for my work to be exhibited and sold: The Gallery Shop in Lemont, PA. So there are three locations where one can purchase original art, including my paintings. Art a la Carte in Bellefonte and Twiga, The Bellefonte Art Museum's Gift Shop.

At this time of year, the Bellefonte Art Museum hosts an annual Holiday Art Show & Sale. I will have two pieces hanging in the exhibit - shown below. And my 8x10" prints will also be available for purchase at the show. "Meadowlark Singing" and "Raven in the Grass #2" - framed watercolors measuring 14" wide x 11" high.

I also have new work at both Art a la Carte (on-line sales available) and The Gallery Shop. Here are a few of the pieces available at these locations.

These last two have metallic watercolors added to them for a slightly different effect. I'm enjoying trying some new products and new ways of displaying my work. More on that next spring!

The next two month will be a little slow-down time for my artwork. Real life intrudes with holidays and so much more. But I'll be back after the new year to update my blog. Meanwhile, anyone interested in purchasing my artwork from me personally, can send me an email and we can go from there. I can mail things out via USPO Priority Mail in secure packaging, if requested.

Have a wonderful holiday season! See you again in 2023!

Completed Commissions & New Work

I've done a few cat portraits recently - one was of Lily, a special hi-bred similar to Siamese, and the other was of 4 cats the family had as family members over the years. Lily's painting required some adjustments to bring the painting into a better likeness of the family cat. Here is the final resulting painting, fully approved by Lily's family.

"Lily" - watercolor portrait 12 x 16" - (c)Pat Dolan 2019

The other request was for all of the family's cats over the period of a dozen years or more. It is a gift from the eldest child in the family to her youngest sister.

"Four Cats" - watercolor portrait 11 x 14" - (c)Pat Dolan 2019

Yesterday I was unwinding from several events and chose to do some very LOOSLY painted watercolors. One is of a male Cardinal in full color. The other two are still in progress - they are field mice. Something a little different from my usual bird/cat paintings!

Drawing of the male Cardinal

"Male Cardinal" - watercolor portrait - 5x7" - (c)Pat Dolan 2019

Works in progress - two field mice

And here are a few photos taken of birds in the last few days during the cold/snowy weather. Most are bluebirds dealing with the wind. Plus a Junco and a Mockingbird. Enjoy!

Junco

Mockingbird