white Christmas

A light snow has been falling most of this Christmas day. Doug, Christina  and I have enjoyed a quiet day. After a breakfast of blueberry pancakes we opened presents by the tree.  We walked the dogs and now 4 o'clock  tree lights and candles in the windows reflect there  images in the glass as snow flakes slowly decent from a darkening sky. Christmas Eve friends came for dinner, seven adults, three small children  and four dogs. It was a bit hectic. I love the company, to have friends and family together for Christmas. Best wishes for the holidays

Audrey

snow for Christmas

 

Hopper show

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On the 14th of October  i saw the Hopper show in Brunswick at the Bowdoin College Art Museum.  It was a major show of about, my guess100 paintings, all painted in Maine. Most of the paintings i had never seen before in books or the Boston show a few years back. It was exciting and inspiring to see. I bought the catalog book. I love my art books. Some people have said my architectural paintings remind them of Hopper, I do not try to emulate Hopper however most  artists are influenced by other artists works that they like, and Hopper is one of my favorite painters.

Waldoboro Village, Winter

 

Windy Day, acrylic  22x17

 

Hopper, House of the Fog Horn 11

 

Hopper, House of the Fog Horn 111

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abstract painting "Cube"

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Oct 1 2011

I plan to do some abstract paintings based on sacred geometry. I have been working on the Cube, 30x40 acrylic. From the sketches you see how I worked the geometry. there are several ways to get the 5 sided pentagon. One way is from the square. I took images of the canvas as I worked  out the design and colors.  On the right is the circle squared, the middle section has the 4, 5, and 6 sided shapes, the cube shape and the equilateral triangle with extended lines going to the edges. I didn't like the light purple square and kept the enclosed 6 sided shapes all warm colors. Last I added the dark lines. They may look random but I spent some time redrawing them until they looked right for the composition.

cube 1

 

cube 2

 

Cube 3

drawing

 

drawing

 

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vern's studio

September 2, 2011

I looked through my sketch books and found some drawings that were made when visiting Vern Broe back in the seventies. 

 His house was small. The inside was covered with  old boards he found at the dump. Those were the days you could pick the dump and could find some good stuff. Vern constructed all the draws and shelves. His lighting was tin cones hanging down on wires. 

Vern didn't eat much. He smoked and drank coffee all day. In one sketch is the stove cover with a board with stuff on it.

There were no screens on the windows and when they were open as in a couple of drawings the bugs came in and  some, those little nats, got stuck on the wet paintings. He  did the paintings of boats in series and about 10 would be lined up on a board against the wall. I guess he must of sanded or scraped the bugs off.

Vern played the guitar and he had piano keys with no piano, so no sound. Sometimes Vern and Charlie talked about music theory . 

The house was in bad shape and you see  in one sketch the leaning door. Outside on the propriety  the bushes and trees were never cut so the house was being taken over by nature. Vern had a lot of art books and he collected pots and things like wooden tackle for boats, and tin cans that got crushed by cars. These things would be hanging from beams or on shelves and I found them interesting to sketch. 

The memories  of Vern will be with me always.  

 

 

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Vern Broe

Vern Broe passed on yesterday August 27th. I met Vern in 1959. Friends of mine I had met in Europe were visiting me in Boston and we ran into Vern at the fog Museum in Cambridge. They knew each other from the Art Institute in IL. Vern was looking for a place to live and there were rooms at the rooming house I was living in on Newbury St. Vern moved in and we became friends. It is through Vern that I met  and married Charlie. Charlie and I bought a house in Newburyport. and a couple of years latter Vern bought a house on Cherry St. in Newburyport.  Charlie and i visited him quite a lot. He was the kind of person you could drop in on and spend a couple of hours talking. I made many sketches of Vern's studio. In 1984 Charlie and I bought a house in Waldoboro ME and not long after that Vern bought a house in Richmond Maine.  Charlie and I didn't see Vern very much after we moved to Maine, but I thought of him often.  I visited Vern in the spring on my way back from  Amesbury where my son lives.  He will always be with me. Now he can hang out with Charlie and others in the field of non matter, or wherever spirits go.

This is a painting Vern gave to Charlie and me.

painting by Vern Broe

 

This is a painting I did of Vern's studio on Cherry street. The large print is by Winslow Homer, one of Vern's favorite painters. After Vern moved to Maine  the house he lived in on Cherry St. was torn down.

Vern Broe's Studio

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wildflowers

August 4, 2011

It is a partly sunny day, not to hot, and I spent the morning working outside. My fields are full of wildflowers. I haven't cut them in years so they are turning into woods, mostly alders.  Right now the pink malva is in bloom. It reseeds and I am always pulling it out of my flower garden, but I like it in the fields.  These are two for my favorite paintings with malva in the field.

WildFlowers 1     sold

 

Wildflowers Afternoon Light     sold

 

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island granite

July 28 2011

Island Granite is one of my favorite paintings. The summer after Charlie died my friend Gudie invited me to stay with her on an island off of Stonington. She was caretaker of  about 10 islands  that were part of a reserve .  She stayed in a cabin on the island Saddleback, 75 acres of trees with granite shoreline. My favorite subject to paint is rocks. My father built a house near Old Garden Beach in Rockport MA when I was three.  I guess my love of rocks began then. The memory of my little vacation on Saddleback will be with me forever. I had three  perfect days there.

Island Granite sold

Monday was a perfect day for a painting trip, the first one this summer. A friend and myself  went to Birch Park where I painted this watercolor.

 

Rocks at Birch Park wc 13x21

 

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audrey's farm

Below is the flower garden looking toward the shed.  My gardens are chaotic . Everything is so close together it gets to be a jungle.The lilies are in bloom now. They are one of my favorite flowers. There is a  small pond  where the cattails are. I never planted them. Somehow they got  to my pond from the swamp across the road from me. The second picture of the lilies is looking toward the barn which is attached to the house.
The ducks are happy to have a pool. I am getting more eggs from the chickens then I can eat. It is feast or famine.

Duck pen

Chicken coop by the vegetable garden 

Ducks in their pen

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Flower garden looking toward shed

Looking toward the barn

Duck about 5 weeks old

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2 great paintings

I believe that every artists experiences  what I call Gods gift. Once is a while I paint a painting and say to myself, "How did I make such a great painting. Some thing guided my hand. It is a miracle. "  Some times I have a spell when I am painting poorly  and then I paint a  great painting and it breaks the cycle. I can't predict when it will happen. I certainly am grateful. Some times I get into a cycle when most of the paintings are good. Those are joyful creative times. It seem like those paintings come without a struggle, I am in tune, harmony or whatever you want to call it. If anyone reading this  has these experiences tell me your story.

Our studios, Charlie's and mine, were in the barn. When it became difficult to heat  those areas  in the winter we moved into the house.  Charlie always had his hat on. I think it became a habit from the time we lived in Newburyport  when the house was always cold. I can't remember what compelled me to make such a large painting. I was inspired and confident.

Charlie in the Studio acrylic 36x48

I like "Listening" because I captured the concentration in  the face. This person was at the jazz jam in Waldoboro. The owner of the house bought many paintings and they are on the walls. Looking at the cat I thought of the expression, "The  cat jumped over the moon."   I put the Marc Chagall painting which is a little like a fairy tale next to the bar code painting, a little fun with the serious listening.

Listening 

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marsh scenes

July 18 2011

There is a lot to do outside but it is too hot to work in the sun. I went for one swim and I am going for another as soon as I post this log.

I am a member of Art Space Gallery in Rockland and I have to hang  about 10 new paintings in the August show. I just finished "Cottage on the River" The head of the Medomak River is in Waldoboro. There is some marsh along the river bank where I painted this scene. Rockland is a tourist town and an art Mecca , with about twenty galleries and a great little museum.  All the galleries close in the winter.  As the expression goes "You have to make hay when the sun shines ." So I exhibit  Maine landscapes in the Art Space shows.

cottage on the river acrylic 12x24

"Road across the Marsh" was painted for the wet painting action in Newburyport .Mocha stands in the road. The marsh grass turns red in the fall.

road-across-the-marsh   sold

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seaside roses

July 12, 2011

It was hot today, too hot to work outside. i am lucky to have salt water a shot distance from my house. I went swimming  in the cove twice today.  This painting is the ocean at  Pemaquid where the water is ruff and cold, no good for swimming but beautiful to look at. The wild roses bloom the last of June and part of July. This hardy bush is surviving on the rocky shore. 

Seaside Roses  acrylic 12x24  sold

This is one place where I swim.

Afternoon Tide oil 20x30  sold    http://www.bechler-arts.com/audrey/paintings/newwork_fr.html

 

house on Back Cove

July 8 2011

There is a house on my road that is very appealing to me. It is a classic  one and a half story New England house,  It has been rented by various people over the years and many times it is vacant.  The barn was in such bad shape that is was taken down last year. 

 When our dog Moca was alive, I walked him every night before I went to bed. It is especially beautiful when the the landscape is lit by moon light. I have only painted two night scenes, "December Moon" being one, and also one of my favorites. I like the shadow of the house caused by the moon light  and the light reflecting from the inside of the house on the snow outside. 

December Moon  sold

"House early Summer" is a small painting, one I plan to keep. By the road is a wet area of  grass, ferns and bushes. I love ferns and these ferns are bright green.    

house early summer acrylic 8x12.

 

"Laundry Day"  The only tenants that lived there and hung the laundry out to dry on a clothes line.  This is a beautiful fall day with the laundry  being blown  by the wind. 

Laundry Day wc 10x14

 

"Leaning  Barn, Winter" I love all the seasons. I wouldn't want to live in a place where there was no snow in the winter. There have been winters when we get  a lot of snow. There is no need to plow when there is only a few inches. There must have been a car that came in and out to make the tracks in the snow. The car by the barn looks like it needs to be shoveled out .

Leaning Barn Winter wc 14x21

:Vacant House"  This was painted at a time when no one lived in the house. The sky and landscape give the scene a lonely feeling.

Vacant House 16x20  Sold

"Windswept"  This is one of my favorite paintings. Once in a while there is a storm when the snow is dry and light . After the roads and driveways have been  plowed if the wind is still strong it blows the snow into drifts back into the roads.  When that happens I have to get out as soon as possible and take some pictures because the plows come back and plow the drifts  to clear the roads. In this scene there wasn't much snow. The wind blew the snow off the ground in some places and I liked the patterns of exposed earth and snow covered ground.

windswept  sold          http://www.bechler-arts.com/audrey/paintings/newwork_fr.html

 

celebrations

It is the 4th of July. The sun 's heat is burning off the fog and the air has a salty smell from the breeze off the water. Yesterday as I drove home from the jazz jam my car broke down and had to be towed to a garage not far from where i live, so I will not be able to leave  Back Cove  until I get my car back. The Slawsons, my neighbors who spend most of their time in Rockland will be coming over latter for a picnic. 

Doug came up from Amesbury for a couple of days  this past week and he built my duck cage. I have to  put on  wire and make some doors. I had't seen Doug since my 75th birthday party  that was held at the Annex  when the April jazz jam  took place. I dressed for the celebration as you see me in the photo. Doug is behind me. The band played some of Charlie's compositions. There was good food and wonderful people there to celebrate with me. Patience baked the cake and Louise  painted my portrait from photos her husband took of me at various Tidemark openings. I read some inspirational poems after blowing out the candles on the dark, rich, chocolate cake. Everyone there  made it a momentous celebration for me. 

The balloons from the party, in the 2nd photo, are hanging from my ceiling. On this day they are still inflated and that is amazing to me. The sculpture  is by Joyce Zarine.  We had a show together at the Newburyport Art Assoc. years ago and we traded. I . I look at that sculpture every day and love it. I feel honored to have one of her pieces. 

"Beyond Reason" is another painting of the 911 series. The town, flag and myself are reflected in the storefront glass. 

May you all be together with friends and family today. 

Audrey and Doug

 

balloons

 

Beyond Reason

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Mira

Mira was born February 5, 2009 Her mother's name was star and all 8 puppies were named after stars.  She was 8 weeks old when I brought her home from the shelter. When I went to the cove with her she immediately went into the water. I had a swimming partner. I also found out Mira loved to fetch. She went after anything I threw and brought it back. She is smart and has more energy than any dog I have had. We go on walks every day, usually to the cove. She swims in the water in winter when the water temperature is  in the forties. 

I have a lot of dog stories. The last one of interest happened Monday June 27th. The sun was out and it was hot. After working in the garden Mira and i went to Pitcher Cove to swim. The tide was coming in but not enough water for me to get in for my swim so I planed to throw the ball to Mire for a while. When I got to the bank, a duck flew up and headed for the water. Mira took after it, the duck about 20 feet in front of Mira. I noticed the duck didn't fly out of the water so I came to the conclusion it was a young duck unable to fly. In a short time the duck with Mira  in pursuit, was on the other side of the cove, my guess about a half mile away. My eye sight for distance is not good. I could hear the duck quacking. I am standing  there wondering how I am going to get her back and I can't get to where she is. Then I heard a voice behind me and turned to see  my neighbor.  I asked him if he could see my dog on the far shore and he said he could see her running between two men clamming.  Apparently she found the men more interesting then the duck. He said that was his boat in the mud in front of me and one of the clammers  close to us was his son. They were about to quit digging as the water was rising over the flats. So I asked my neighbor if  he would please help me. The son got into the boat and was over to the other side of the cove in a few minutes and my neighbor who could see what was happening said they got Mira, who was still running back and forth in the water, into the boat. The son came back slowly,  Mira  has not been in a boat but she did not jump out and they arrived without mishap to our side. Mira ran up to me and wanted to play ball. After that experience she wasn't  even tired. I thanked the guys and they left. I threw the ball into the water and played with Mira for a while. After I had my swim we when home. I call what happened synchronicity. A situation occurred  that i would have had difficulty retrieving my dog and some one showed up that could help me. I have this happen to me a lot, I am aware of it, grateful and I thank all that were involved, seen and unseen. 

Mira 10 weeks old

 

MIra and Tippy

 

The cove I live near. Mira on the rock

 

In the water

 

A beautiful face

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"911 Friendship St." acrylic 23x32

June 29 2011

The 4th is almost here, flags fireworks and picnics so i have chosen this painting as one of my favorites. It has nothing to do with the 4th. but the flags reminded me of this painting. It was painted after the towers came down September 11th 2001 and many people  at that time put flags in their windows. This is a window in a downtown store front. An artist put up this display of a row of flags and a painting of the airplane about to hit the tower. Reflected in the glass are buildings of the town, the yellow building was at that time the library, originally the customs house. Strange as it may  be, the address  is 911 Friendship Street...    Audrey

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"Boat in the Fog" acrylic 12x16

June 29 2011

This day is foggy and wet. So far the spring weather has ben cool and wet, with a few sunny days in-between. This is an appropriate painting for the day.

Boat in the Fog

I like small boats and I have my favorites that I put into some of my cove scenes. This part of the cove I have painted many times here scene on a foggy day. 

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