Michelle Amicucci Fine Art

Sentry Duty

2011-01-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

This is a recent painting, now on display at the Front Street Gallery in Poulsbo, WA. I am able to update my website with some consistency, so I do not post to this blog as frequently. Please see my website at www.MichelleAmicucci.com for more information!

December news

2010-12-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

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Bison and Lighthouse

2010-10-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of taking a workshop last month with Ned Mueller (www.NedMueller.com). A great instructor – he kept me on task to not be a slave to my photo reference, and had some great ideas on using value studies. These two paintings I did during the workshop, Ned fussed quite a bit with my value study, but things finally started sinking in when I did the Bison in color. I’m looking forward to doing another in a larger scale.

How do you create mood in a painting? I’m experimenting with wet-on-wet glazes in watercolor to better answer that question – and Point-No-Point lighthouse (in Hansville, WA) is a perfect subject. The first time I went there it was a beautiful, sunny day, but every other time I’ve been there it’s been foggy and mysterious. Perfect!

Gift ideas for any occasion….including the holidays! Below is a sampling of ideas (more art is on my website, including original paintings and high-quality archival prints). For questions or to place an order, please email me at MichelleAmicucci at comcast dot net (sorry for the cryptic email - I hate spammers!). Shipping and applicable taxes are not included in prices shown.

Holiday cards: “Red Farmhouse” is my holiday card this year, about 5” x 7” with a nice matte finish. “Joy” on the front and “Warm Thoughts and Best Wishes for a Wonderful Holiday and a very Happy New Year” on the inside. $2.00 each includes envelope.

2011 12-month calendar: $14.00

Prints: I now offer 8.5” x 11” prints of most of my artwork for the very affordable price of $25.00

Note Cards: Most of my artwork is available as a note card as well, $3.00 each or 5 for $14.00. Mix and match or get one image. www.MichelleAmicucci.com.

Quote of the month: "I prefer the errors of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom." Anatole France

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels!

Red Farmhose

2010-10-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

My most recent painting "Red Farmhouse" -- an experiment in minimal information. It's hard for me to stop without adding a bunch of detail!

2011 Calendar

2010-09-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

I've been busy getting the images together for my 2011 Calendar - it's a 12-month calendar with a new image each month for $14.00 plus shipping and tax (where applicable, of course!). Open size is 11" x 17". Please contact me at MichelleAmicucci(at)comcast(dot)net. Sorry for the spelling there, spammers (and scammers!) drive me crazy!

"Red Bell Pepper"

A recently completed commission - it's always fun to meet new friends!

Quote of the month:

Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar.

~ Bradley Millar

Splash and Splatter!

2010-08-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

The weather has been beautiful, not the scorching heat everyone else seems to be experiencing, but nice cool mornings and pleasant 60 - 70 (maybe 80) in the afternoon. Great for plein air painting, so I'm venturing out and really enjoying myself. This is the first time I've tried plein air with watercolor...the first day it was roasting (80 is roasting to me!), and the paints were drying practically before they hit the paper. The next day it was cool and humid, and the paper wouldn't dry at all! Friday was just right, not too hot, not too humid. The painting on the left is from the 'humid' day. Colorful and lively, I made the darks a little darker (once the paper dried in the studio!) but now I think I'll leave well enough alone...

And of course there are those paintings that have been sitting in my studio waiting for me to "fix" them...I finally decided to 'cut the crap' on this Rhino and wacked off the parts I didn't like. There, now the poor critter can get out of the drawer!

Of course there MUST be a pet portrait somewhere in the mix!

You just want to kiss those jowels on this Chocolate Newfie!

Happy Swiss Independence Day! Have a great August! Stop by next month to see what's on my easel.

Quote of the month: "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.

Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." --Benjamin Franklin

WHAT is THAT??

2010-06-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, if you've seen my art, you know I'm a bit obsessed with detail. Too much, sometimes, so I've been trying to loosen-up. Get more vibrancy in my artwork. I recently took a couple of workshops with different artists who have a looser style (Ron Stocke: http://www.stockeartstudios.com/ron.html and Carole Hillsbery: http://azwatercolor.org/ch/) that I like. I think something is finally sinking in -- in Carole's workshop, I created several pieces that were so much fun! Colorful, vibrant. When I showed my Mom this one ("Oregon Coast" watercolor 22.5" x 30") she said, WHAT is THAT? and, You aren't going to paint like this all the time, are you??? I have to laugh...wellllll, maybe a little!

This one on the right is "Horse and Carriage" (watercolor 15" x 22.5") -- I do love the colors. It took more than I'll admit to resist getting out my teeny-tiny brush to start noodling with the details...I'm learning (albeit slowly...) when to PUT THE BRUSH DOWN!

These paintings and more are for sale, and will be posted on my website sometime in the near(?) future. But, if you are interested, please contact me via my website @ http://www.michelleamicucci.com/.

Happy painting!

Trial and error...

2010-06-01T08:03:00.000-07:00

This piece was done with permission from a photograph by Lincoln Rogers (http://www.lincolnrogers.com/). It doesn't do his beautiful photograph justice...I generally don't work from a beautiful photograph because I like to try to make my painting more interesting than a photo, but this intrigued me quite a bit. Sadly, it's not what I had hoped, but I'll try again and see what happens. It's an interesting subject that deserves another look! This is done in colored pencil - maybe I'll try again in watercolor or oil...

I volunteer at the West Sound Wildlife Shelter (http://www.westsoundwildlife.org/), where they rehabilitate - and release back to the wild - injured/sick wildlife. It's a great experience and a I learn something new every time I'm there.

I did a little painting of one of the oppossums recently released as a gift to another volunteer. It's a nice little painting. I hope to do some painting of the other critters there one of these days as well!

That's it for now - June already? Where does time go. My quote for the month:

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. -- Bill Cosby

Boston Terrier Light & Dark

2010-05-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

I'm continually drawn by the 'hard line' between bright, hot light and shadow, especially as it plays on dark fur. This is another experiment for me -- I used ink and watercolor to capture my values, and used colored pencil for the final detail. And of course, my subject, as it often is, my little companion Cleo! She's a great model, doesn't complain, and has a very reasonable rate. She works for homemade treats! She does, however, chase anything that moves, so I have to quickly get a picture of her before she dashes off.

The weather is warming up and the garden is starting to beckon me. I think it's almost time to start plein air...now THAT is a frustrating experience for me! We'll see if I create anything decent to post...if nothing else I can post my embarassing forays outside with a paint brush! Happy May to all and thanks for stopping by!

My favorite quote for the month: "In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous." - Aristotle

Cats, cats cats!

2010-04-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a Bobcat I've been working on -- this one is in colored pencil, with Idia ink in the darkest spots. I fussed too much with the lower rock, but I think it's a nice study of light and dark. I'm going to try it again in oil but much larger (I think I'll try 24 x 32 or something). I'd like to get the highlighted parts to really glow in the hot sun...we'll see!

I'm getting into an 'experiment with color' phase, and I thought black would be a great way to play with different colors. This is Spritzer, my niece's cat that I'm working on, and he's a real card! This is done in colored pencil...not sure if I'm going to put a background on it or not, and I need to darken some of the darkets places -- we'll see how it turns out.

Happy painting! Don't forget to check-out my website too. http://www.michelleamicucci.com/

2010-03-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, here's a still life I did in Darell Anderson's class - it was a very enjoyable class. Think COLOR, not subject, and I can get interested in painting still life.

March Madness!

2010-02-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

Who knows what March holds, but I can tell you February was a blast! I took a class from Darrell Anderson (http://darrellanderson.blogspot.com/) and had such a good time -- he has completely changed my mind about still life painting! It's about the COLOR, not the SUBJECT!! Yippee! I have some images but cannot seem to get them uploaded...grr. Will try again in a day or two.

3/2/10 - well, I still get jibberish when I try to upload images. Hmmm.

2010-02-01T16:16:00.001-08:00

Already February! Wow, and it feels like Spring - the birds are singing and the buds are already popping out...obviously, we are not in the snow-belt!! I've been working on cloud studies, and this has been a great time of year for storm clouds.

And of course I cannot resist the pull of drawing dogs! This Vizsla was rescued by a friend a few years ago. He's a little pepper-pot! This breed is most certainly not for the sedentary!

I hope your February is full of beauty and peace (and not too much snow...at least not too much snow that you have to shovel).

Quote for the month: "Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." -- Winston Churchill

Tree studies

2009-12-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

My apologies for being out of touch, and thank you for all of your emails - I'm back in the studio now. Unfortunately, I will not have a calender for 2010, but I will have one next year!

I've been working on some studies...trees, clouds, etc. On the right is an old plum tree in the yard, covered with lichen, but produced a heavenly batch of plums this year!

I hope everyone has a peaceful holiday season.

You'll find me in the garden...

2009-06-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

My apologies for not updating my blog! I haven't fallen off of the face of the earth - I hope to be back in a re-furbished studio by Fall. In the meantime, I'll be working on my plein air techniques and if any of my works don't make me cringe, I will post them! Please check back in September/October. Happy summering!

Boston Terriers, Westies and Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T09:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! What a wild winter it's been - we usually don't get much snow here, but this year is the exception - it felt like being back in Montana...except we don't have a snow plow anymore!

I'm having fun with small panels and doing a variety of dogs in oil...well, except I always manage to get a Boston Terrier in there! I just can't get enough of them! And of course the Westies are pretty darn cute too...

I'm also starting a watercolor of a beautiful mountain scene in the Canadian Rockies - this is a detail view of the beginning...

Thank you to all of my great clients who suppored me in 2008 - taking the plunge from the corporate world to the art world has been nothing short of amazing!! See more paintings and available prints at my website: MichelleAmicucci.com.

I hope 2009 brings much joy to everyone. Live mindfully!

"New Year's Day is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions.
Next week you can begin paving hell with them, as usual." Mark Twain

2009 Calendars, Yorkie & Chocolate Lab

2008-12-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

The morning fog is slowly lifting from the trees, it's so beautiful - I need to capture this with watercolor...nature is always an inspiration!

A good friend had to say good-bye to her beloved Yorkie recently, and I did a portrait of her cute little mug in colored pencil and pastel -- it's nowhere close to having your companion with you, but it's a sweet reminder.

The Chocolate Lab on the left was done as a Christmas gift...what a nice surprise!

I'm happy to say that I sold out of my 2009 calendars - thank you to all of you who purchased one - the proceeds will be donated to a Pasados Animal Safe Haven. Looking for easy gifts? I always have a variety of note cards for sale if you are still looking for stocking stuffers - give set of 5, 10 or even just one! Everyone likes to get something in the mail that's not a bill!!

May the holidays bring peace - don't forget those less fortunate, both human and critter and make a pledge to volunteer over the holidays, or give blood at a local blood bank. Thank you for a great 2008! http://www.michelleamicucci.com/, amicucci06@msn.com. Michelle

2008-11-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

This is little Riley who used to greet everyone at the local mail center. Cute little guy - I just love his underbite!

November brings thoughts of the new year, and I thought I'd put together a calendar for 2009 - proceeds from the sale will go to a 501(c)3 registered charity. If you are interested, the order form is below, or contact me via my website at http://www.michelleamicucci.com/.

I hope everyone has a safe and stress-free Thanksgiving (is it possible to have a stress-free holiday??)! Best - Michelle

Weimaraner portrait

2008-10-02T05:26:00.000-07:00

Autumn in Colorado - very, very beautiful. We drove from Salt Lake City to Westcliffe and the aspens were fabulous - fiery yellow. Getting lots of reference photos.

This is my most recent commission - a Weimaraner named Tosca, her color changes with the light... more brown than gray, with a touch of red, a real beauty and so fun to paint!

I hope everyone is enjoying the fall colors! Don't forget to check-out my website at http://www.michelleamicucci.com/

Blue Heron in September

2008-09-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

Greetings! Wow, September already, I just can't believe how fast this year is going by especially since I left the corporate world in April...I didn't think I could get any busier, but alas, I am! Splashing around in the studio is great fun and a sure-fire way to figure out where my weaknesses are and water continues to be one of them...making ripples look like ripples and not just a line across the paper. I seem to be gravitating more toward watercolors than oil, but maybe that will change in the winter when I'm not so distracted by my garden! :-) I'm so excited I finally have some eggplant and a couple of figs too!

I love the grace of the Blue Heron -- they look gangly and long limbed, but they are amazingly graceful, and to watch them hunt is impressive. This is a watercolor with a different perspective - this heron had just gobbled a small fish and was presumably scanning the water for the next place to hunt.

This little Harbor Seal was sunning on an outcrop of rocks in Rich Passage. I was suprised to see it since I'm generally not lucky enough to see them out of the water - I see them more often poking their heads out of the water like little periscopes...

Thank you for your comments on the paintings! If you have ideas for future pieces, let me know, Ihave so many photographs that it's sometimes hard to pick what I want to work on next! Don't forget to check-out my website at www.michelleamicucci.com as it was recently updated. Have a great month and don't forget to stop by in October to see what's new! Michelle

2008-08-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

August already? Weather is warming up and the frenzied outdoor activities have taken hold of the summer - which means limited studio time but lots of reference photos!! I took a weeklong plein air workshop on beautiful Lummi Island - the weather mostly cooperated, although I should have packed a few more layers! Plein air is a whole new ballgame for me, no pokiness or too much detail...needless to say I have a long way to go but it was a lot of fun! This little one is "Baker Pond".

I continue to work on various birds and water-loving critters, this one is a watercolor of a Common Loon I saw off of

Bainbridge Island titled, "Solitary Swim". I get

pretty excited when I see Loons...what a treat

it was to watch this one for awhile - no luck on

hearing a call yet though. Maybe next time.

August is set to be even busier than July, but

hopefully some art will be squeezed into the

schedule somewhere!

Have a fabulous August and don't forget to

check-0ut my website at www.michelleamicucci.com. Michelle

2008-07-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July to my American readers! Summer has come and packed a wallop...this of course coming from someone whose ideal temperature is 60! The hot weather has me retreating indoors to pant under the ceiling fan, but has nonetheless proved productive (although, watercolors dry really, really fast in this weather!). The clear weather inspired me to paint Mt Rainier (which isn't generally visible until summer). This is a view near Rich Passage on Bainbridge Island, WA., titled "Rainier Alpenglow".

Since I seem to be torturing myself by painting water, I tackled painting some of my favorite ducks - the Harlequin. These are real beauties and are readily found around Bainbridge. This one is titled "Harlequin Sentry".

And of course you cannot think of water birds without thinking of the Kingfisher! I love watching these guys, talk about skillful fishing! I'll be updating my website soon to add some new pictures, so come back and visit! Thanks for stopping by and have a safe 4th! Don't forget to keep your pets indoors and away from the fireworks!!

2008-06-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ah, the liquid sunshine of the Pacific Northwest gets a lot of people down, but I love it! Plus, it keeps me out of the garden (mostly) and in the studio.

I continue to work on my rhino, but he's starting to look beleaguered so he's getting shelved for awhile along with the lion and giraffe....hopefully in a month or so I'll have a fresh perspective and will figure out how I'm going to go forward with these pieces.

The commission of 'butterflies and bamboo' has been finished, and now I'm going to start a series of bird paintings...something I've been wanting to do for some time, and continue dabbling in a few landscapes. Have a happy Summer Solstice!

Works-in-progress

2008-05-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting month, with not as much painting as I'd like, but a few successes (many, many 'opportunities to learn' too! Ouch!). The weather has been unseasonably cool and wet, which I actually really enjoy, but it's not conducive to plein air painting for me!!

I've really enjoyed working on a commission of "Chai" - what a handsome kitty this guy is, and those blue eyes!! WOW! He outta' be in pictures! Hopefully he'll be completed soon.

A few other things I've been working on...reflections in water. These are works-in-progress, and hopefully will see some "progress" soon!

Thank you for stopping by - check back in a month or so and hopefully I'll remember to have updated this page with more work - I'm dying to get back to a rhino I started awhile back. Keep painting!

Michelle Amicucci Fine Art current paintings

2008-03-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

This space is for current paintings/studies, please see my website (http://www.michelleamicucci.com/) for existing work and contact information.

A blogger I am not, but I'm giving it a whirl so I can add "on the easel" pictures for friends and family....and not pay for the webmaster to add them to the website! This is a way for me to show people what I'm working on...generally studies of one thing or another as I learn the techniques of oil painting. Most recently, a study of a Blue Spruce and of a Birch tree. Now I'm studying water and reflections...this will be interesting!!

Taking pictures of art work will be another learning experience.

Keep painting!