A Snowy Day

Enjoying the gently falling snow through

the windows of my parents home in

Connecticut.

May the New Year bring peace,

contentment, health and happiness.

This and That

On Sunday I was happy to have finished the House Portrait
commission.

In the afternoon we took a walk on the beach
and watched in awe as a lone figure was gliding
across the ocean attached to a what looked
like a kite.

Rays of sunlight broke through the canopy of
clouds, lighting up the ocean in an intense band.


I am in Connecticut now, visiting
my parents and am dreaming of the
sea.

House Portrait

Today I worked on finishing a house portrait
commission with Ellie May guiding me and
keeping me focused! Her company and calm
presence inspires me to keep going!

A Quiet Day

Early this morning ( 3:15 am. to be exact) the power

went out, second time in several weeks.
This time it was due to high winds. Fortunately,
the outside temperature reached 40 degrees and the
sun was shining in the windows so the inside temperature
only dropped 58 degrees before the power returned
at 10:30 this morning. I was so happy to be able to cook!
Today was a quiet day spent with D and the kitties,
cooking, eating, watching the birds, preparing to draw
and taking an afternoon walk on the beach.
The lack of power really makes me appreciate the simple things.

A ladybug suddenly appeared on one of my
shells in my window this morning.

While walking on the beach this afternoon,
I came upon a sand dollar blending into the sand.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

... a great sense of humor, gentle, generous,
loving, caring, kind, helpful, wise, energetic, brave
~ my Dad ~

My Dad raised white mice when he was a
young boy. He had a bird cage into which he put
3 mice, a small, medium and large. He got the idea to
sell them, 2 cents for the small, 5 cents for the medium and
10 cents for the large mouse. There was a 3 family house
next door so he knocked on the first floor door of an elderly
woman named Mrs. Parent, who was the
mother of one of his friends.
She said, "Hello Benny, what do you have in the bird cage?"
He replied, "I'm selling the small ones for 2 cents,
the medium for 5 cents and the large for 10 cents. "
Then she said, "What are they?" My Dad replied, "They are
white mice." Then she slammed the door in his face!
That was the end of his sale, he didn't go anywhere else
and went home. In fact, that ended that career!


Am so thankful you met our wonderful sweet Mom!

Happy Birthday, Dad!
Love you both so much!

Snow in Maine

A Nor'easter swept through New England
while we were away visiting family on Sunday.
We returned home to Maine about 6 pm. tonight (Mon.)
and we couldn't get into our driveway for there was
a mountain of snow up to my waist.
D had a little shovel in the car and made a narrow
path so we could walk down the driveway to reach the
walkway that leads to the front steps. We trudged
through the knee-deep snowy path to discover the
front steps had vanished, buried under snow all the
way up to the door. Once inside, we were greeted by
Polly and Brody, two of our cats who were very concerned
and happy that we were home! Ellie May, my studio cat,
watched from a darkened window as the path to the studio
was shoveled next. Oh, it's good to be home and in a warm house!

Winter Solstice Snow

Winter Solstice, a blustery winter day with much snow.

More Snow

The snow began Friday afternoon, very fine
and steady. The very cold temperatures kept
it powdery.

It softly fell as we drove through Saco on our
way home.

and past Rapid Ray's ( famous for hot dogs)

Late Saturday afternoon, Dock Square,
Kennebunkport looked magical with
the warm glow of lighted shops and
the tree, yet so very cold.

Welcome to Winter!

Snow and Lights

Ellie May watches from the warmth of
her studio window as I make my
way over to the studio on this
cold morning.

Late in the afternoon, just before sunset,
there was enough light to capture the beauty
of the snow covered rocks in the ocean under
a canopy of clouds of blue.

The White Barn Inn had so many tiny white
lights glowing in the dark...some were shining
through a layer of snow covering the bushes.

After the Ice Storm

Though the storm ended on Friday, the icy
effects continued.

Having the power restored on Saturday afternoon,
December 13th, I discovered the moon was going
to rise around 5 pm. Bundled up, we drove over to
the ocean just in time to see it rise, so brilliant!

Sunday morning, bright and early,
we rushed over to the Nonantum Hotel,
to set up a display for the "Breakfast with
an Artist". Santa and Mrs. Claus were
there to warmly greet all of the children
who stopped by to see them. Some of
the folks there still had not had their
power returned...some were from Kennebunk
Beach, Old Orchard Beach and Saco and it
was nice for all of us to be in a warm hotel.

After leaving the Nonantum, we paused
where the river meets the sea, as a gull found
a perch. Saw loons in the river.

Cape Porpoise was still without power on
Sunday, even Goat Island Lighthouse seemed
to be without light!

Ice Storm with updated photos

Late Thursday night an ice storm hit Maine and other
New England states causing massive power outages.
It's Saturday afternoon and
our power just returned at 1:15 pm.
Last night the outdoor temperature dropped to 16 degrees
and the house temperature was 44 degrees this morning. Have
been wearing tons of layers to keep warm.
Am thankful to have the heat back and lights!
The full moon helped last night.
Here are some photos...

Woke up to this sight through the
upstairs window on Friday morning.

Ellie May was bundled up in jackets
and a scarf to keep warm as the temperature
dropped in the studio.

The sun actually came back in the
afternoon but the power didn't!
D found the old portable kerosene
heater that hadn't been used in many
years and managed to get it started
( it is fine for outdoor or very drafty
places). He actually heated up some
leftover potatoes on it!

Snow

Tuesday morning and a light snow is falling,
soft and quiet after a busy weekend.

The Christmas Prelude in Kennebunkport
took place over the weekend.

A light snow softly fell on Sunday.

Santa arrived by lobster boat.

Here's some photos from a balcony in Dock Square
on Sunday afternoon of December 7th.



Have you ever seen Santa's helpers
that are red lobsters?

Chaos in the Studio

This time of year I end up trying to do too many
things at the same time, resulting in chaos in my
studio. I can barely find a space to walk through.
I tend to think that I work better under pressure.
Someone shared this quote, " If it wasn't for the
last minute, nothing would get done." That sure
does seem to apply to me.
Well, I must focus on my work and will be back
a little later.
How do you handle this time of year and
I hope your life is not as hectic!

Christmas Prelude, Kennebunkport Maine

Upon returning home from a visit to my parents,
I've been concentrating on preparations for one of the many
Prelude Craft Fairs in our town coming up this weekend.
The Christmas Prelude is a very big event,
there's a tree lighting ceremony, shops are opened at
night, the whole town is decorated, there's a parade of hats,
Santa arrives on a Lobster Boat and more!
Mrs. Claus will be having breakfast at the Nonantum Resort
in Kennebunkport, on Sunday, December 7th, and I will be the
guest artist.


If you can't make it to Maine this
season, my Gift Gallery is always opened on my website,
just e-mail me ( shellsandroses@gmail.com)
if you have any requests or questions for
a special gift.

just click on the above image to go to the gift gallery,
thanks!
Happy Holidays and best wishes!

Back Home

Got back home Saturday night and the cats have been purring!
Settling in and will add more soon.

Memory Lane

While visiting my parents,
I'm also revisiting my old oil paintings,
done many years ago, a very different style.

Now I love working on small ink and watercolor
paintings of all subjects.

The view through the window of my

Grandparent's cottage at Old Orchard Beach when I was
a teenager.

Pine Point Maine...an oil painting of the
beach I loved when I spent summers at
my grandparents cottage while growing up.

...a still life from an oil painting class
while I was in college majoring in art.

Drama at the Beach

In the early afternoon, D and I thought we'd
just take a quick look at the beach.
The tide was high and the surf was pounding
against the sea wall then up and over it onto the
road. The sky had the shades of blue that
I so love. A very invigorating sight to behold!