FoxVox

My Art Featured on EmptyEasel.com!

2009-12-19T14:53:23Z

Empty Easel, a great blog for art, artists, and art resources, is featuring winter and holiday themed art in December, and yesterday they featured my 'Winter Silhouette' watercolor! I'm honored to be included on Empty Easel, especially with all the other cool artwork shared there - Click here to see the featured art at Empty Easel! (Don't forget to browse through previous entries too.)

Happy Holidays everyone!

Stark Snowy Watercolor & Ink Art

2009-12-09T18:20:27Z

Although I created this watercolor and ink painting a few weeks ago, the weather said it was time to post it.... Last night/this morning we got almost a foot of snow, and now it's raining and melting away, so everything's sort of white, soggy, and mildly crunchy at the same time - LOL!

The original, titled "Stark", is 5"x7" on 140lb. hot press watercolor paper, made with loose watercolor technique and inked-in trees.

Click on the image to see a bigger version or to get a framed or unframed print, or a greeting card (makes a nice SMALL print too) of this chilly slice of winter.

Thanks for looking!

Tranquility Abstract Painting

2009-12-07T18:31:13Z

I created this painting mostly just to add a bit of color and variety to a stretch of wall, in the bathroom of all places, that needed some art, a focal point. I don't usually make art to color coordinate in a room, but with art there's always an exception to any 'rule' - LOL.

It's a 24"x 12" canvas that I had sitting around (had a little paint on it already from past activity, but could barely have been called a painting) and it fits perfectly in the space I wanted it for - love it when that happens! As you can see, I used mostly horizontal and vertical lines in abstract, but tried to give it an organic feel as well.

Click on the image to see a larger version or to get framed or unframed prints or greeting cards! As always, thanks for looking!

Drenched Abstract Watercolor Painting

2009-12-05T15:59:11Z

I had half-finished and wholly forgotten about this watercolor painting when I pulled it out a few weeks ago. There's something to be said for starting fresh but not always having to start with a blank canvas. So here's a little abstract watercolor titled "Drenched" - it's 9"x12" on 140 lb. watercolor paper - last sheet in an old watercolor block!

Click on the image to see a larger version or to buy a framed or unframed fine art print (or fine art greeting card!).

New Circle Celtic Tree of Life Design

2009-12-01T18:30:19Z

The first Celtic Tree of Life art I created was in rectangular format and completed in 2004. While I still really love that first design, I had been inspired for a while to create a new Tree of Life design in a circle/square format and finally finished it recently! It has a single curvy line of knotwork 'branches' above a knotwork trunk and root system, with a spiral at the heart of it all. The circular design is cornered with sun, moon and stars, lightning and clouds, and leafy ferns. I drew the original by hand, then scanned it in and finished the color digitally.

Pictured above is the original design (sorry about the obvious watermark!) and an example of what a print might look like framed - click on either image to see a larger image or to buy a print.

I've also made a version of this design available on t-shirts, tote bags, keepsake boxes, ornaments, and other neat stuff in my shop:

Click here to browse through all the Circle Celtic Tree of Life products now available in my shop - and if you decide to buy something for yourself or as a gift, make sure to click the 'coupon' link at the top of the shop to see if you can get a few dollars off your order! :)

Thanks for looking!

Cyber Monday Special - Free Shipping - Today Only!

2009-11-30T15:04:14Z

Today is Cyber Monday, the mythical (heh) first weekday after Black Friday and I'm happy to share that, today only, my Art of FoxVox shop is offering Free Shipping on any size order of our Celtic t-shirts, keepsake boxes - whatever!* Just add your selections to the cart as usual and enter the coupon code: FREE4VIP at checkout.

( * Note - coupon is for Free Economy or Standard shipping, excluding applicable sales tax. U.S. addresses only, no P.O. Boxes.)

Also, you can get free shipping on any of my Celtic or Fine Art Prints (at Imagekind) with coupon code CYBER09.

Click here to start shopping at Art of FoxVox.

(and now back to your regularly scheduled reading - LOL)

Winter Silhouette Watercolor

2009-11-16T15:29:21Z

I thought I'd try a little negative watercolor painting. I drew in the shapes and left the trees white and painted the cold, wintery background in blues and greens - the original is 14x10 on 140 lb hot press paper:

Click on the painting above to get framed or unframed prints, and cards, via Imagekind!

I've also made this painting available on things in my shop like ceramic ornaments, SIGG bottle, t-shirts, mugs, keepsake boxes, buttons, etc. - Just click on any of the sample images below to see all of the products:

Thanks for looking! :)

Rusted Since 1947

2009-11-13T22:46:09Z

A funny "Decorative Holiday Wrap Snowflake Placement Fail" - yes, that's the official name:

Reynold's Wrap - Rusted Since 1947! LOL.

Waiting for Wind Acrylic Painting

2009-11-07T17:47:45Z

This acrylic painting of a motionless pinwheel is done on a 14"x18" canvas board, and I tried a slightly different and somewhat moodier and more austere style than has been my usual.

Creating titles for works of art can be sort of annoying sometimes, and I can see why artists number works in a series instead of naming them individually, especially if they're abstract. But it can also be fun to create a title that adds to the painting itself - like instead of calling this "Pinwheel" I wanted to point out the obvious lack of motion as well as a hint of expectation of being about to spin... any minute now... *grin* So it became "Waiting for Wind".

Click on the image or click here to see a zoom or to buy prints/cards.

Autumn Fire Acrylic Painting

2009-11-05T17:51:18Z

I had found a blank canvas among my art supplies and decided to try my hand at capturing Autumn around here in acrylics instead of my more usual watercolors. I don't usually do much traditional 'realism' in my art, but it's good to try new things.

I made myself use a larger brush than I would have normally too, to prevent me from getting too caught up in details, which is easy to do with acrylics because you can just keep painting forver (dries so quickly - easy to layer.) And the actual painting is a little more vibrant than this digital version, I think.

Also, the scene isn't painted from any one specific photograph, but is mostly based on the view I had out the window of the tall trees and the stone wall running around the land across the street from us.

Thanks for looking! (Click on the image to see a zoom and to buy prints.)

Dream Tracks Painting

2009-11-03T13:46:06Z

I had a chance to pull out the acrylic paints the other day, including a canvas board that I had started painting a number of YEARS ago and just never finished. It's best described as a surreal mindscape sort of thing, or abstract. Or just weird - LOL:

Although you can't really tell from the online version, the original is done with a mix of metallic and flat acrylic paints, which adds an additional level of contrast to the work when you see it in person. Anyway, it was fun to paint and stretch my mind a little further, and I hope to do more acrylic work in the future, in addition to my other usual mediums. (And as usual, click on the image to see a larger version or to buy a print or card.)

Aquatic Abract Watercolor

2009-11-02T17:17:47Z

I think I had a subconscious intention of trying to capture, in watercolor, the feel of swimming pool water - think I might have gotten pretty close with this:

It's also possible that I just started drawing and painting and defined what it seemed to look like afterward. LOL. My memory is wonderfully hazy about it, and shall ever remain so. *grin*

Wooly Bear Caterpillar Photo

2009-10-31T17:10:35Z

I haven't seen a Wooly Bear Caterpillar in a LONG time, but since we've moved to the east coast they've thankfully re-entered my life. :) Now, I know that the sizes of the black-brown-black strips are supposed to foretell what kind of winter it's supposed to be, but what does it mean, meteorologically speaking, when they have an extra stripe on their butts? (And yes, I know it was the butt instead of the head because it was in motion. Of course, it could have been walking backwards to trick us - they're crafty like that.)

Ashokan Reservoir - More Photos

2009-10-26T13:24:26Z

Here's my second set of photos from our trip to the Ashokan Reservoir, both landscapes and macros. (Click on any photo to see enlargements.)

Hidden Boats

Ashokan Reservoir Bridge

Paint and Rust

Chipped Rock Layers

Metal Boats

Gift Wrap

Rock Whale

Catskill Mountains at Ashokan Reservoir Panorama

Ashokan Reservoir

2009-10-25T23:02:16Z

The Ashokan Reservoir is on the Eastern side of Catskill State Park (Catskill Mountains in Upstate New York) and is one of the main water suppliers to NYC. It's also about 8-10 minutes from our house, and provided an excellent opportunity for photos one recent afternoon!

This is the first set of photos - I'll post the second set in a day or two. I'm trying not to inundate any readers of this weblog with too many images all at once!

Awosting Falls and Autumn Colors

2009-10-24T16:57:51Z

This is my second set of photos from Lake Minnewaska State Park. Besides the gorgeous Catkill Mountain views and the Autumn colors, one of the most amazing attractions there is Awosting Falls. A number of small waterfalls lead up to the main waterfall, which plunges 60 feet down a white wall of horizontally ribbed strata and into a pool - just gorgeous!

(Click on any image to see a larger version or to purchase framed or unframed prints.)

Lake Minnewaska State Park

2009-10-23T16:19:45Z

This is my first set of photos from our recent trip to Lake Minnewaska State Park - we lucked out with a beautiful day! (Click each image to see a larger image or to purchase a framed or unframed print at my gallery at Imagekind.)

Lake Minnewaska & Autumn Tree By Lake

Lake Minnewaska

Two Black Water Snakes on Branches (Can you see them?)

Lake Minnewaska Reflection

Red Leaves, Blue Sky

White Cliffs at Lake Minnewaska

View of Catskill Mountains

Autumn Colors and Stumpy!.

First Snow!

2009-10-15T18:33:21Z

It's October 15th, and it's snowing - now THAT'S the New York State I know from my childhood - like wearing a winter coat over a Halloween costume as we go trick-or-treating - LOL.

There's actually more snow around the jackolantern on the porch now than in this shot (took it early because I wasn't sure how long the 'accumulation' would last today), and I've put up a really short, and boring snow video HERE and HERE for your enjoyment or horror, depending on your opinion on snow in October. *grin*

Apple Picking

2009-10-15T14:18:10Z

About a week ago, John, our friend Tom, and I went apple picking at the Stone Ridge Orchard nearby. The weather seemed just perfect, and the orchard was only muddy in a few spots, so it wasn't too hard to walk around. It was great smelling all the apples and fresh autum air!

Just a few photos (click on them to see larger versions or buy prints and whatnot):

A number of the trees were already picked clean, but there were still plenty left and at least a dozen different kinds were available. We filled one of the bags with what we guessed was about 30 pounds of apples. We've made apple pie, apple sauce, apple turnovers, and eaten a lot of them straight. We still have a bunch of them left - I see at least one more apple pie in my future soon!

Old Railroad Trestle Bridge

2009-10-12T22:04:01Z

Nearby, in Rosendale, New York, there's an old railroad trestle bridge that's very picturesque - lots of rusty girders and half-hidden in plant growth, etc. It's been partially repurposed into a pedestrian bridge too, which stretches over a local Hudson River tributary, so that's pretty cool. I haven't gone across the river to take photos from on top of the bridge yet, but I did get a few nice ones from underneath!

(Click on any of the images to see a larger version over at my gallery at Imagekind.)

I love how the plants are using it as a trellace, and the cut stone of the foundation is just fantastic. And who doesn't love rusty girders and rivets - doing the 'steampunk' thing before steampunk was 'in' - heh. Oh, and I love the way the girders in the background of the fifth photo sort of look like they're all over the place, in no particular or useful configuration (as well as the bright red leaves in the foreground, of course).

Vampire Jack-O-Lantern & Friends

2009-10-06T13:50:26Z

A few days ago, we brought home three choice pumpkins from a local farmer's stand to carve! Haven't done that in ages, but the inside goo and seeds are just as slimey as I remembered - hah! Here are the results of our knife-wielding activities - John's on the left, our friend Tom's in the middle, and my 'vampire jack-o-lantern' on the right, lit from within with tea lights:

Also, my jack-o-lantern seemed to be begging to be put on t-shirts, buttons, greeting cards and even a yard sign, and one learns never to argue with an orange vampire squash.

Click here or any of the images above to browse through all of the vampire jack-o-lantern goodies!

The Photography of Leaves

2009-09-29T16:14:50Z

I'm really appreciating the leaves around here in the Catskills. (It's quite a variety compared to the ubiquitousness of pointy Live Oak Tree leaves we had on the west coast.)

This first one I call Autumn twilight because of all the dark red 'late fall' colors, and the waning afternoon light:

In stark contrast, here's a photo of a large heart-shaped leaf glowing with light:

And thirdly, another red leaf photo, but singular, taken against a backdrop of greyed and weathered wood:

Click on any of these images to get a framed or unframed fine art print for your wall via Imagekind. You can also get any of these images on tiled keepsake boxes, tote bags, and other apparel and gifty-type items in my shop - click here to browse!

Celtic Harvest Moon Watercolor Painting

2009-09-23T16:04:06Z

This is just a fun little watercolor I painted with an autumn/leaf/celtic motif. I wanted the colors to be a sort of soft mid-tone without high contrast, and a lot of longer overlapping lines, with the moon as the underlying focal point. The original is 14"x10" on 140 lb. hot pressed watercolor paper.

Click either of the images above to purchase either a framed or unframed print, available in various sizes.

This watercolor has also been adapted for t-shirts, cards (makes a nice Thanksgiving or pleasant Halloween card), tote bags, and more - click on any of the images below to see the entire catalog!

Chipmunks!

2009-09-21T14:10:16Z

Apparently, there's no such thing as a northern reticulated chipmunk (a la Simpsons) - tv lied! *shock* But we do have regular ol' chipmunks here! I caught a couple of these little guys being photogenic one morning - one in profile and one with a huge nut stuffed in his mouth! I have the latter one as my desktop wallpaper because it makes me laugh every time I look at it. And, as you can see, I made the other one an LJ icon.

Click any of the images above to buy framed or unframed prints of these two photos - similarly framed photos, as shown above, would also look cute together on the same wall. (I know, I've been watching too many home design shows now that we have cable - LOL!)

These two furry little idgets are also available on gifty items like keepsake boxes, porcelain ornaments (it's not a Christmas tree without a chipmunk, right?), blank journals, etc. - click on either group below to see all the chipmunk stuff available!

Jungle River Abstract Watercolor

2009-09-16T14:08:57Z

I wanted to get back into the swing of painting again after all the weeks of packing and moving and unpacking, so I started with just a fun abstract. Here it is framed and matted:

Click the image above to get framed or unframed prints through my gallery at Imagekind.

It's also available on fun stuff in my gift shop - click on any of the images below to see all the products:

It's always fun to play with color!