I'm sorry I haven't been very diligent about posting new works. I had a very busy summer/fall this year and sold most of my newer works. I will be doing some new paintings in the upcoming months and promise to post more regularly. Be patient with me.

Father & Daughter

Sometimes a commission can touch your heart. In this case it is the story of a soldier in Afghanistan who has only seen his young daughter a couple of times between deployments. He wanted to give her something special for Christmas and commissioned me to do a portrait from a photo of he and his daughter. The painting was done inside a custom painted toy box.

We all pray that he and all the other young men and women come home safely to their families and friends. We also thank them for their courage and wish them a very Merry Christmas or whichever holiday is meaningful to them.
Stay safe...

Pet portraits

Keep in mind...pet portraits for Christmas gifts. Just contact me with your name and address and I will send you one of my brochures with prices, information, etc.

The Ah-h-h Moment

I wanted to create a painting that was both moody and serene. I actually visualized this while sleeping and woke up to make a sketch.

I am still making adjustments to the painting as I post this so it may change a bit before I'm totally done. This happens to lots of us artists. Give us time to stare at our work and we'll always find something to adjust. The illusive word in our vocabulary is "stop".

Anyway, shows this year have been surprisingly successful. I didn't know what to expect because of the economy but I have been selling at each show and look forward to my luck continuing for the next four shows. Check my website for places and dates.

Well, back to painting.

#46 20x24

The Perfect Day

This is one of four paintings I did for the Sharon Arts "paint out" this past week. The lighting was wonderful and the painting made me happy. The previous day that I painted I was grumpy all day as I had little sleep the nite before. Boy, does that affect your painting abilities.

Fortunately, I was able to bounce back for this image. We had really nice weather all week except for drizzle last Monday. I have mixed feelings about the weather since my well is still dry after almost a month. Thank goodness for neighbors and their generous offers to let me shower and do laundry at their homes. I have a dug well that is only 16' deep. It hasn't dried up like this for almost 16 years. It will take a lot of rain to fill it up again. We've only had a little over 2" since beginning of July. We look at other places that are flooded and I'd rather tote my water.

#45 11x14

Mt. Monadnock

I'm getting ready for my next 6 art shows and just finished this painting of Mt. Monadnock. I am aiming for more color in my landscapes and hope I have achieved it in this work.

I tried underpainting with very vivid colors (reds, purples, golds) which a lot of artists use and found it gives more life to the painting. I am also trying not to do so much detail work but rather a suggestion of the subject matter. It is difficult for me as I am so detail oriented, but giving it a go anyway. I will still do the fine details in the artwork that calls for it so that I don't have to go cold turkey.

I hope some of you will be able to make an upcoming show. My schedule is posted at my website: http://www.eileenbelanger.com/.

#44 18x36

Prelude to the Proposal

Sorry I've been so tardy in posting to blog. It's been a very busy time but I am really going to try to do better.

This painting evolved from a conversation with a friend. Her daughter was going to receive a proposal and we were discussing nice ways to have it done.

I have been hearing doom and gloom about the art shows this season due to the economy but I have been very fortunate to have two very good shows so far (with 6 more to come). Needless to say, I have to get busy painting as September and October are my next shows.

I am participating in a "paint out" sponsored by the Sharon Arts Center of Peterborough, NH. Artists will paint in Rindge, NH with a reception showing all of our paintings at the Cathedral of the Pines on August 20th.

#43