Art Blog - Mary Ann Kitchell

Among the many wonderful people I've met as an artist are the couple who live in Morgandy's house. They had a house portrait painted for their daughter and the wife later commissioned this colored pencil of Morgandy as a Christmas surprise for her husband. The surprise was a huge success! This is one aspect of painting I thoroughly enjoy: making people happy with my art… Continue reading… 0 comments

The only photograph the customer had was a snow scene without the decorations. With his instructions we were able to create a house fully decorated for Christmas. The completed watercolor made a memorable surprise gift for the customer's wife… Continue reading… 0 comments

ArtId has been one of the best experiences of my artistic life. I've learned a lot about building and maintaining a website and connected with some wonderful people. Until recently my website has served as a reference for clients and potential clients. Last month, buyers searching for "house portraits in New Jersey" found my ArtId site and placed an order for the house shown. I appreciate their enthusiastic response to the finished painting and look forward to working with them again. Marketing was never my favorite thing: I'd much rather create than pursue the sales portion of an artist's life. I enjoy writing so I'll continue to post blogs as it's been an easy and productive way to keep my name in the public view… Continue reading… 0 comments

Not the typical house portrait, but a challenging change of pace. This watercolor was painted in a larger than usual size as a retirement gift for one of the Banco Popular officers. It was eventually matted and framed by the clients for a beautiful presentation to the retiree. I don't usually mat or frame, preferring to leave what I feel is a very personal choice to the customer. I am always grateful when offered the opportunity to see my work framed. It is amazing how many choices of framing are out there ... many of them combinations I would not have thought of myself ..… Continue reading… 0 comments

The best part of creating this dog portrait was the hair on the paws ... long and fluffy. The curly belly hair was a challenge. I eliminated all background shown in the customer's photograph but kept Molly's beloved pink toy. This portrait was rendered in colored pencil… Continue reading… 0 comments

My main goal when painting a house portrait is to have the viewer feel they can walk right up to the front door and go inside ... that familiar feeling when you pull into the driveway and know that you're "home". When doing a painting for an anniversary gift I may be given photographs of the house as it is currently. The client then asks me to paint the house as it used to be. This can be accomplished easily based on details provided by the client from their childhood memories of living in the house. These notes may be accompanied by old photographs. If I have been successful in capturing a memory, this is the type of portrait that brings on "happy tears" from both the client and recipients… Continue reading… 0 comments

This painting was done for a family that was moving out of New Jersey. Their young child was very attached to the small red oak (shown at right in the painting) and was upset to leave the tree behind. The photo submitted did not show foliage but the client let me know this particular tree was important and it was a red oak ... no problem to add the tree's proper coloring. The same idea holds true when submitting photographs taken in the winter when there are no leaves on the trees or flowers in bloom. As long as I know if a tree is a pink cherry or if the homeowner plants red begonias in the summer, these items can be included. One of my biggest kicks is making a gray winter sky turn blue ...… Continue reading… 0 comments

This is the second dog I've painted in the last year with the name Marley. No connection to the movie of the same name, but curious nonetheless! Several decisions must be made when ordering a pet portrait: Should the painting be a head study, or the full body? Generally, the small sizes are more appropriate for a head study, the larger sizes for full body portraits. Keep in mind a full body image on a small size makes the head and face small as well. Do you want the background painted exactly as shown in the photograph? Most of the time it is better to simplify the background, thus putting the emphasis on the pet. You may include all or only the most significant parts of the background. Using only a colored wash places added emphasis on the pet… Continue reading… 1 comment

This portrait was commissioned by a realtor to be used for promotional brochures and newspaper advertising. This type of painting involves taking an architectural line drawing and creating a dimensional house portrait. Most of the time the construction has not yet started or is only half done. Many of the homes being buiilt in my area of New Jersey are sided with beige or gray. This house was a welcome change .... a distinctive and beautiful shade of green. Though it can be frustrating when the builder makes changes mid-stream, such as using brick instead of stone, this work has become one of my favorite things. I usually have a free hand with the landscaping. Something simple, yet effective, to show the house to its best advantage… Continue reading… 0 comments

This watercolor was painted from several old black and white photographs submitted via regular mail. The family commissioned this work as a remembrance for their parents who were about to move to a smaller living space. It could also be a wonderful 50th anniversary gift! There was a large tree in the yard blocking the view of the front door. The clients asked that this tree be removed. I actually moved the tree to the right a little as I felt its size and age confirmed the era of the home. After I did this, I had to ask for help with the door detail! The client was able to find an old photograph of the inside of the door and I just reversed the detail to make it an exterior view. The clients and their parents were very pleased with the finished portrait… Continue reading… 1 comment