Ancient Egyptian Glass Vessel with Aubergine

Ancient Glass Egyptian Vessel with Aubergine from Old Hook Farm. I love the opalescent bloom on this glass that has amazingly lasted centuries. The eggplant may last 15 minutes on the dinner table. Heirloom #15, Egyptian Glass Vessel with Aubergine, 5 x 7", acrylic paint on panel, © Maud Guilfoyle

Fire island, only red wagons and bicycles allowed

My mother and I lived on Fire Island, off Long Island, NY, until I was 3. I knew not to go in the water over my ankles and had incredible freedom wandering up and down the beach by myself. My mother would keep track of me by hearing screams as people discovered the gift of sand crabs I would dig up and present. Fire Island is still a special place, although it has been built up quite a bit since then. The only wheels allowed on the island are red wagons and bicycles. No roads, just boardwalks connecting the sea to the bay and all the houses. People arrive by ferry from Long Island. 
Fire Island, watercolor, 9 x 12", Maud Guilfoyle

Art from the past is like a time capsule

River and Sky, watercolor, 4 x 6", Maud Guilfoyle
Going through a storage locker this morning was like opening a time capsule from my 20's and 30's. I found art, books, journals, clothes and beautiful crafts I collected when doing craft fairs across the country. It was bittersweet to encounter my younger self with impossible dreams and roads not yet taken. This watercolor was done when I accompanied my husband while he was doing archaeology in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. I remember sky, pink mountains and rivers running through the land.

Make art a practice and you will have a treasure that can't be lost or taken away

The thing is, I can't not make art. Even when it is iconvenient, lonely or boring. It is a constant part of how I navigate the world from the time I walk in the morning and look at the sky thinking how I would paint it in watercolor or on canvas, throughout the day. I might notice someone in the market and want to draw them, or, if dinner comes out (I haven't burnt it because I was painting in the next room) I might want to paint the food. If you make it a practice enough to reach a level of mastery there little that matches the thrill when you get something right.
Art Student, watercolor, Maud Guilfoyle.

Blue Feather with Nasturtiums painting

 Blue Jay Feather with Nasturtium Leaves, 5 x 7", acrylic on panel, Maud Guilfoyle

I plant nasturtium seeds because of the beautiful leaves as much as for the flowers.

Bee Balm, Bergamot from my friend's garden

Bee Balm, love the scent of Bergamot, citrusy and fresh. This is from my friend Shannon's garden. Bee Balm, 12 x 9", acrylic on canvas panel, © Maud Guilfoyle

Artists Are Collectors

Autumn Studio detail, watercolor, 30 x 22', © Maud Guilfoyle
Artists are collectors. Their collections might include tiffany glass, birds' nests, sea shells, fruit, books, pretty leaves and whatever catches their eye.

Just having fun with watercolors and moleskine journal

Tomatillo and Rose of Sharon, watercolor, 6 x 9", © Maud Guilfoyle
Love the delicate nuances of color in the petals of the Rose of Sharon Bud and translucent skin of a Tomatillo. The tomatillo was found in Whole Foods, the Rose of Sharon Bud appeared in my path during my morning walk. Some of my best reference material is in sketchbook studies such as this.

Hudson River, Piermont, New York at Sundown

Hudson River Sunset, watercolor, 9 x 6", © Maud Guilfoyle
The light at what Galen Rowell called 'magic hour'. The reflections of the sky and sunset in the water is beautiful.

The Artist's Eye

Night Window Still Life, 8 x 10", acrylic on panel © Maud Guilfoyle

The artist's eye ... you never know what will attract it. Three beautiful objects on this window sill and what caught my attention? the tangle of roots of the hyacinth bulb and the way they held the reflected light.

Hudson River, City of Dreams, plein air oil painting

Painting in Piermont, New York. If you walk down the pier you can see Manhattan in the distance around the Palisades that jut out into the river. Glad I painted this yesterday, today it is supposed to reach 100. With the high temperatures, paint starts to drag.

Draw with whatever you have on hand ...

In the chapter Drawing For Painting, Drawing In Life (August, 2015) I show my first rough sketch of the idea for "Whale Dream". I would like to say how organized I am with my sketchbooks, but truth be told, I have a variety of sketchbooks and journals with different sizes and papers scattered around my house in various bags and on different shelves. And, though I encourage my students to always carry a sketchbook with them, at times I find myself drawing on cafe napkins or in my agenda book.

to draw in life, like a breath

Definition of draw in: to take something such as air into your body. Drawing in Life is part of a collection of images and thoughts I have gathered as an artist and teacher. While drawing, I achieve an elusive state of mindfulness and connection unavailable to me by other means in a busy life. With desire, commitment and time, everyone can draw.
This is the over of my fifth ebook, to be released on kindle August 1, 2015.

Baby rabbit from the Garden

Clover Dreams, acrylic on canvas board, 8 x 10", © Maud Guilfoyle
A friend of mine, Iris Orsini, fosters orphan baby rabbits every summer, helping them become independent. This painting was inspired by her photo on Facebook. 

Organizing the Creative Mind

Organizing the creative mind ... journal with you always, you never know when you will be stuck waiting somewhere and you can take the opportunity to write or draw inspirations that pop into mind. I draw in my agenda book if that is what I have. Later I may color pages in with color pencil or watercolor.
Painting Projects, © Maud Guilfoyle

Paint Your Summer Garden With Watercolor Inks

Summer Garden, watercolor inks, 6 x 4", © Maud Guilfoyle

First I drew my garden with a dip crow quill pen, using different colored watercolor inks by Luma. Then I touched the different lines and cross hatches with a refillable brush pen filled with clear water.

Drawing pens - Subtleties of Line vs. Convenience

The roses my grandfather planted in our garden are in full bloom now. The figure in the center is a cherub statue holding a large shell. We fill the shell with water for small birds. Drawing done with watercolor inks and crow quill point pen. Almost forget how sensitive and varied line is with a dip pen. The convenience and portability of drawing pens available now is so seductive! I must admit I do not miss cleaning 6 x 0 extra fine points of technical drawing pens. The dip pens do not have that issue.

Draw With Children and Learn Together

If you are a beginner and you want to teach a child or a group of young students, simply draw and learn together. You will both benefit. Avoid making art a chore, or yet another enrichment to become more competitive in school. Find ways to align the activity of drawing with the child’s interests and show how drawing can enhance their life. 

Knight and Castle, markers, art, Nick Woodward, 1989,

 © Drawing In Life, July 15, 2015, author, Maud Guilfoyle