"Strawberries"

Oil on panel on canvas

12" x 12"

Sold

This painting has made the rounds. It was in a show at Art Gotham in New York City and then went to my gallery on Cape Cod, Osterville Fine Art and Design. In between both of those things, I worked on the parts that needed development...and here is the final product.

It's been a while since I have posted. There was a lot going on this summer...a road trip to Savannah, Atlanta and Washington, DC. While in Washington we attended an ordination which was most beautiful and memorable. Then on to Norway, the fjords and the Arctic Circle...very exciting and beautiful. Then back to DC to attend a moving and emotional ceremony at Arlington Cemetery for a dear friend. And so, not much painting has been going on this summer. But lots of pictures have been taken and in the coming year I plan to paint lots of new things from these memories.

More to do...

12 x 12

Oil on Board

This work in progress still needs more detail and brightening up of the strawberries. I might even change the color of the base that the bowl and strawberries are sitting on. More later...when it is done...hopefully, today.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting please email me at ritamarandino1@mac.com

"Silver Pitcher"

Oil on Canvas

11 x 14

sold

I finally finished this painting. The colors are a little more vibrant in real life but I don't want to mess around with color correction on the slide because it is only on the blog page that it doesn't show up as strongly. My daughter thinks the white highlights are too bright. What do you think? Click on the word "Comments" below and you can let me know. Thanks.

"Portovenere"

24 x 36

Giclee on Canvas

$350

Portovenere is a beautiful Liguran coastal village in Italy. It is even more beautiful than Portofino which is considered to be the Italian Riviera. The castle-like structure on the top of the mountain was originally a temple to Venus but is now a little monastery church. Venere in Italian means Venus. Thus, the name of the town, Port of Venus. This is a giclée* reproduction of a painting this painting. It is a limited edition of 250 and would be number 2 in the series.

If you are interested in purchasing this giclee please email me at ritamarandino1@mac.com

*(A giclée is an exact reproduction on stretched canvas. It is an extrememly high resolution digital print that is created with a ink-jet printer using fade resistant archival inks.)

"Wine and Cheese"

24 x 36

Giclée* on Canvas

$350

I painted this still life with specific colors in mind. I wanted to create a yellow and blue environment with objects that that portrayed a little bit of luxury. This giclée* is a limited edition and would be number 2 in a series of 250.

*(A giclée is an extremely high resolution digital print that is created with an ink-jet printer using fade resistant archival inks. It is an exact reproduction and is stretched on canvas.)

If you would like to purchase this giclee please contact me at ritamarandino1@mac.com

"Late in the Evening"

24 x 36

Giclée* on Canvas

$350

This is another giclée.* It is also a limited edition and would be number 2 out of 250. The lighting in this painting is somewhat moody but the light color of the model's slip brings your eye into focus on the her face. I particularly liked the idea of the model being reflected in the mirror. I think it adds to the dreamy atmosphere.

If you would like to purchase this giclee please contact me at ritamarandino1@mac.com

*(A giclee is an extremely high resolution digital print that is creared with an ink-jet pringer using fade resistant archival inks and is printed on canvas. It is an exact replication of the original.)

"Tulips and Pears"

24 x 24

Giclée* on Canvas

$225

This is the companion piece to "Fruitation". It is also a giclée. *(See yesterday's "Fruitation" for an explanation of giclée.) In fact, I have the originals hanging on my living room wall and they really look beautiful. The giclée is an exact reproduction and I sign every one so you would have an original signature. This also is a limited edition and would be number 2 out of 250.

If you would like to purchase this giclee please contact me at ritamarandino1@mac.com

"Fruitation"

24 x 24

Giclée on Canvas

$225

I know it has been a while since I posted but I have been buried under paper work and also have been waiting to hear from my giclée printer about new pricing. The above painting is a reproduction called a giclée. A giclée is an extrememly high resolution digital print that is created with an ink-jet printer using fade-resistant archival inks. This giclée is a limited edition of 250 prints and would be number 2 in the series.

If you would like to purchase this giclee please contact me at ritamarandino1@mac.com

Work in Progress...

Oil on board

11 x 14

Here is another still life that I am in the middle of working on. I'll put up the finished piece when it's completed...hopefully soon, if I can find some more St. John's wort. The pitcher was a gift to my parents on their 50th Anniversary. If you look closely you can see me in the reflection.

"Fountain of Trevi"

Oil on linen

24 x 30

This is the the third in a series I have done of my mother in Italy. The man in this painting is Fabio, the son of her first cousin, Franco. We were at the Fountain of Trevi and my mother was laughing about Fabio having been squeezed in by an unusually large woman who at this moment was out of the picture and Fabio has just spotted me taking the picture.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting please contact me at ritamarandino1@mac.com

"The Tuscan Coast"

Oil on linen

24 x 36

sold

While visiting a cousin in Massa Cararra, Italy, I took a photo from the deck of his boat that I decided to paint. There are some of the most beautiful clusters of houses built into to the cliffs off the coast of Tuscany. The Tuscan coastline rivals the Italian Riviera and in fact, in my opinion, is even more beautiful than Portofino.

"Celadon Pitcher" - A Work in Progress

Oil on linen

13 x 14

I set up this still life specifically because I liked the color combination of the greenish turquoise (celadon) color against the orange. I am still working on this piece for a couple of reasons. I have a printed scarf on the right side of the pitcher but I am searching for the right piece of fabric to replace it. I also would like to work a little more on the apricots and that orange slice in front of the open orange and the book under the apricots.

Arizona Trip...finally

I took a trip to Arizona in mid March with my friends, Pat and Nancy, who flew in from California. I spent a wonderful few days with them and my new found friends, Michelle and Jeff and Michelle's mom, Irene. One night, Jeff cooked a delicious St. Patty's Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage and invited their son (who you can sort of see next to Pat), daughter in-law and grandchild. Below is a picture of Jeff towards the front, then Michelle on his left, followed by Nancy and then Pat.

Michelle and Jeff are long time friends of Pat and they were kind enough to ask us all to say with them in their beautiful home in Scottsdale.

The first day there we walked around Old Scottsdale and visited "Celebration of Art", an event that lasts for three months and showcases over 100 artists studios from January through March. Later that evening we had a delicious dinner at Old Town Tortilla Factory and then went on the Art Walk and visited many of Scottsdale's famous galleries. Bonner Gallery was having an opening for Lane Timothy who paints in a realistic style that is both contemporary and retro at the same time. His subjects are dressed in 50's clothing and are set in a 50's back drop but yet he achieves a modern feel.

The next day we headed out to Sedona. Sedona is spectacular. The rock formations truly take your breath away. I had been here over twenty years ago and it was just as memorable today as it was then.

Here are "the girls" next to our Pink Jeep. We took a jeep tour of the mountains up close and personal with our tour guide and driver, Ken. It amazed me to see how many brave (and possibly a little bit crazy) some people were to drive this trail on their own. It was at times very precarious and harrowing.
We spent the next couple of days back in Scottsdale doing some shopping and visiting then headed back to our respective homes on Sunday.

Thanks again to Michelle and Jeff for extending their hospitality to us. And a special thanks to Pat and Nancy for also making the trip so enjoyable.

"The Brooklyn Bridge"

15 x 17

Oil on linen on board

It was a sunny summer day and I was painting in a lovely little park on the Brooklyn side of the bridge looking over towards Manhattan. New York City has many beautiful bridges but I think the Brooklyn Bridge is the most beautiful of them all.

I'm Baaack...

I got back from Arizona a couple of Sundays ago and have held off posting this blog for a couple of reasons. One, I had lots of things to catch up on after having been away for almost a week. And two, I was waiting until I got permission from my friends to put photos on the internet. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I have not been able to communicate with all of them yet. Soooo, I will skip ahead to today and come back on a later date with details of my trip to Scottsdale and Sedona.

"Here Today..."

Tomorrow I am on my way to Arizona for a few days to visit Scottsdale and Sedona. I have never been to these two places before and I am excited to see the beautiful rock formations and colors of the desert. I will be taking lots of pictures that will hopefully inspire new paintings. Also, I will get to spend some time with my good friend, Pat. Ciao for now.

"Gravy Boat"

12 x 12

oil on cradled panel

When my Aunt Jean passed away, it was left to me (as she had no children) to clear out her house in Brooklyn. It was a beautiful brownstone that served as the family home of my father 's family for about 80 years. I found many things there that I remembered from my childhood visits. I couldn't keep everything but the things I did keep are reminders of the many happy times, especially holidays, spent there with my parents, grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins. This gravy boat was one of the pieces of memorabilia that I saved from that period.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, contact me at ritamarandino1@mac.com

"Afternoon in Jerusalem"

8" x 10"

oil on linen

nfs

This painting is of my daughter. She is in a side street in Jerusalem and I think you can actually feel the heat rise from the cobblestones. She was carrying a long sleeve jacket because she had just been to the ancient part of the city where you can't walk around with bare arms or legs. I may do a series of these with her in Israel. It is such a beautiful and historic place from the viewpoint of all three religions.

"Black Tie Not Required"

20 x 24

oil on linen

Eric is one of my favorite models to paint. He has such a nice personaltiy that you can see it through his soulful eyes.

"Eric with Hair"

20 x 24

oil on linen

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Eric was a favorite model to paint for a few reasons. He not only had an interesting and handsome face but he was a nice person as well...not to mention that his hair was a real show stopper!

"79th Street Basin"

12 x 16

oil on canvas

This was painted on a very hot, beautiful day at the 79th Street Boat Basin in New York City. Instead of painting the boats on the Hudson River I decided to escape the heat and paint in the park behind the boat basin.

"Lost In Thought"

20 x 24

oil on canvas

Sold

Okay, so what the heck was he thinking about?...You've got me. He was an interesting subject to paint because he had so much expression in his eyes. I also really loved his sweater. He just looked so comfortable in it.

"A Man and His Dog"

20 x 24

oil on linen

sold

While I was painting this model, a friend's cute little Jack Russell terrier jumped up onto the model stand and decided to camp out. I couldn't resist adding her to the composition. Thankfully, she fell asleep in that position long enough for me to capture her.

First Day Jitters

This is the very first posting of my blog sight so bear with me. I have been wanting to do this for a while but was a little nervous about jumping in. My intention for this site is to be posting a painting every day...or so...and I didn't know if I could do it. But the only way to find out is to try...so here I am.

I probably should say a little something about myself. As far back as I can remember I have been doing art in some form or another. I eventually went to art school to get a an undergrad and a master's degree in art education. I taught school for about ten years and then stayed at home to raise my daughter. During that time I worked from home as a freelance illustrator, creating designs for the party good's and giftware industry. During the last five years I have gone back to oil painting and am absolutely loving it. I have studied with some great teachers at the Art Student's League in New York like, Joe Peller, Sharon Sprung (she is the featured artist on the cover of April 2008's The Artist Magazine) and Frank Arcuri.

Anyway, at this point I would like to present the first of my painting a day paintings. I hope you like them. (I already goofed...see above this posting.)