You Are My Sunshine – Always and Forever - original acrylic painting by Nancy Laliberte

"You Are My Sunshine – Always and Forever"

© Nancy Laliberte

10" x 8" acrylic on canvas panel

I looove being a part of surprises and gifts, and painting commissions give me the opportunity to do just that! A collector called me after seeing my sunflower post last week, and requested a larger version for an anniversary gift. How sweet is that?! This morning I received an email saying, "She has the gift and she loves it..." Totally made my day! Happy Anniversary B and C!

All framed and ready to go. 

Original art is a wonderful, lasting gift for any occasion. Commissions are always welcomed whether it is a painting you fell in love with on my blog or website and it has already sold, or your own image of a special place, person, or thing. Contact me at lalibertefineart@gmail.com and we will work out the details. 

From the South Shore of Lake Superior

"Water Play"

© Nancy Laliberte

8" x 6" Acrylic on panel

$95

I love the sound of moving water from the ocean, a brook or even a garden fountain. It is so peaceful and relaxing. While visiting and painting with my good friend, Val Berkely, I was captivated by the waves coming in and dancing on the rocks along the shore. My challenge was to capture the color changes in the water as it ebbed and flowed over the iron-rich rocks indigenous to Lake Superior.

Culture & Agriculture Exhibition

"Farm and Field: Winter Light"

© 2010 Nancy Laliberte

6" x 6" acrylic on panel

Available at New Visions Gallery, Marshfield, WI

SOLD

"Farm and Field: September Afternoon"

© 2010 Nancy Laliberte

6" x 6" acrylic on panel

SOLD

I am very pleased to share that two of my paintings have been juried into New Visions Gallery's annual, "Culture and Agriculture" national exhibition. Being a Wisconsin farm girl and all, this has always been one of my favorite shows. The opportunity to be a part of it makes it all the more special. In addition to the above paintings, I also have several other original pieces available for purchase in the gallery gift shop.

Opening reception is this Sunday afternoon...if you are in the area, please join us!

July 12 - September 3 Culture & Agriculture

New Visions Gallery — Marshfield Clinic

1000 North Oak Avenue Marshfield, WI 54449-5703 (715) 387-5562

Opening Reception

Sunday, July 11, 1-3:30 pm

http://www.newvisionsgallery.org/

House cleaning

"Basking in the Sun"

© Nancy Laliberte

8" x 10" acrylic on panel
sold

House cleaning? Well, not really, but I did need to clean off my palette. This is what happened when I made a mess and then "painted the air."

On another note, my daughter's soccer team won their game Thursday night and played again this afternoon for their sectional championship. They won! Yay! Now they are off to State! Go Lumberjacks!

Revisiting the Farm

"Fall on the Farm - Early Evening Light"

© 2010 Nancy Laliberte

5" x 7" Acrylic on paper

Available at New Visions Gallery, Marshfield, WI

(715) 387-5562

After finishing the piece featured in yesterday's post, I opened my drawer of "finished" pieces only to find this painting "unfinished" to me. I made a few changes to better lead in the eye and now I think it is finished. One always has to be careful to not "love it to death." What's that phrase? "Stop at 90%." See the September 2, 2009 post for the before look.

Painter Klatch

"Grazing"

© 2010 Nancy Laliberte

5" x 7" acrylic on paper

Available at New Visions Gallery, Marshfield, WI

I just came off of a very exciting weekend! My oldest son graduated from high school; way to go Ryan! He also delivered an incredible speech at his commencement ceremony. I am very, very proud of him. Also, my daughter's soccer team won their regional final and continue on to sectionals later this week. Her team won their conference, too. And, my youngest finished up kindergarten. Meanwhile, before all of that hit, I had the chance to have a "painter klatch" with some different acrylic paints with my good friend Val B. I worked with a new formula of the Winsor & Newton acrylic paints and kept it to a simple color palette. I don't think I am as much of a paint connoisseur as Val, but the W&N acrylics have less of a color shift wet to dry compared to some of the other brands out there, and they have a nice soft sheen to them which I think gives them a bit of life. Pictured above is the piece I painted during our get together, and below is my set up.

Petite Peinture: Nymphaea in Pink

"Nymphaea in Pink"

© 2010 Nancy Laliberte

4" x 4" x 1-3/8" Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas

$28 plus shipping

To help me explore composition and color ideas, I like to do smaller versions of bigger paintings. The 4x4 format is great for this. I am working on a series of water lily paintings for my upcoming show, "Where We Live," and wanted to do some "exploring" with the "portrait" of a water lily. I also wanted to experiment with color and capture the sunlit glow of the flower while keeping the background minimal.

A Bit of Sunshine

"A Bit of Sunshine"

© 2009 Nancy Laliberte

5" x 5" acrylic on paper

Nothing like a bouquet of flowers to cheer you up! I love painting these as they always get me warmed up for more...painting!

Fall Charette with Gingerbread Men

Gingerbread Series I through X

© 2009 Nancy Laliberte

3" x 3" acrylic on canvas

$15 each

Last week, I had the opportunity for a mid-week "charette" with my great painter friend Val Berkely at her Lake Superior "Lake Effect Art Studio" in the UP. We painted morning, noon and night, and talked about art the whole time. We also watched the Georgia O'Keefe and Alfred Stieglitz movie I mentioned in the last post. A video of some sort seems to be a tradition with the charettes. That, and a good glass of wine ;-)

The gingerbread guys were one of the projects I worked on during the charette. I used the opportunity to work on some color and brush techniques. The gingerbread guys were simply a means to an end. Yes, I "used" them and now I am sending them on their way! Half are going to the Center for Visual Arts gift gallery in Wausau and the other half are headed to the Riverfront Art Center's gift gallery show in Stevens Point. If you are interested in a purchase, they come complete with gold ribbon for hanging, stop in the galleries or send me an email and I can let the galleries know.

Pansies from Heaven

"Pansies from Heaven"

© 2009 Nancy Laliberte

10" x 8" acrylic on archival matboard

SOLD

My Granny O'Gara always planted pansies in her garden. In her memory I always make sure I plant a pot or two in my own garden. I started this piece last fall from life and then recently finished it up in the studio using a photo reference. It starting looking a little too "tight" so I took a big brush and went back in to simplify the shapes and give it the painterly look I was going for in the first place.

Amaryllis & Exhibitour

"Amaryllis"

© 2009 Nancy Laliberte

6" x 6" acrylic on panel

$45 plus shipping

I love these flowers and find it fascinating watching them grow and blossom. It's kind of like watching your children grow and bloom into a special person who brings great joy to your life.

My friend Val Berkely (she is the tall one!) and I named our Exhibitour event, "Double Blooms" and had a painting demo going for added interest. We set up my plein air easel and started with a simple sketch and a reference. As we painted we explained the "method to our madness" and how we work in layers and often start out with colors opposite to what the final layer will show. We used finished paintings to further exemplify. While Val and I have different styles, we both love COLOR. Watch for the finished painting in a later post.

The Three Muskateeers! Chris Mosse, Val and I will be having a three-person show next spring at the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau. "Where We Live" will feature paintings by Valerie and myself, and hand-painted furniture and other 3-D pieces by Chris. It is going to be a terrific show with lots of color and more...

Exhibitour has not only great art but also yummy treats. My little Nicholas, 5, came to support us and have some cheese and crackers, too. Nicholas is a budding artist and contraption-maker who loves painting, Playdoh, race cars and trains.

Art fans Debbie and Rick Clements stopped by to enjoy the art, conversation and wine. Thanks Debbie and Rick! Also a big THANK YOU goes to Amber and staff at Associated Bank for sponsoring us, and everyone else who stopped by to say "Hi" and check out our work.