Art Blog - Mary Ann Kitchell

Snow day! School's out! A day for the local children to gather and race down the hill with their sleds. This is one of a series of children's snow scenes created in watercolor and reproduced as prints for wall art. The sleds in this print are different from the wood sleds with red metal runners ("flexible flyers" ... ?)of my youth ..… 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

A clear, cold Winter's day ... and the snow is just right for making a snowman (or snow-woman!). Growing up in northern New Jersey in the late 40's and early 50's, there was usually plenty of snow to build a snowman and dress it up with whatever was around at the time. Walking around my neighborhood after it's snowed these days I hardly ever see a snowman… 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

Just as I can remove snow from a photograph to show green lawn, doing a snow scene of a client's home can be a welcome change. The challenge is to show portions of the roof or walkway while keeping it essentially a "snowscape". After all, if the home has a beautiful slate roof it is important that this beauty be included. This is the only sunset house portrait I can recall painting and I found the result very satisfying. This painting would make an ideal Christmas card… Continue reading… 0 comments

I've worked from many pet photographs in the past and the quality is sometimes not as good as with photographs submitted for house portraits. While houses do not move, animals do. The rule of submitting several photographs for best results would apply here. This pet portrait was painted from two photographs: the pose came from an image of a middle-aged Casey, and the coloring from Casey's most recent photo as an older dog. Yes, dogs really do get gray hair, just like people… Continue reading… 0 comments

A familiar sight over many cities and a source of fascination for young eyes: a machine that flies in the air!! A departure from my house portraits, this painting was created to add a little whimsy to my usual routine. I enjoyed doing this watercolor and the others in my children's wall art collection and plan more in the future; life can sometimes be MUCH too serious… 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

Up until this last week we've had a cooler than normal summer in New Jersey, with lots of rain, especially in June. The rain has produced larger than usual numbers of mosquitoes .... not fun! I've missed the hot sun but not the typical summer humidity. The scene in this print could be a chance meeting at the beach, or a brother and sister searching for seashells on the family vacation. I am pleased with how the warm summer colors in the original watercolor reproduced in the print. I am thinking of using a giclee print company for future prints… Continue reading… 1 comment

This watercolor boat painting was a Father's Day gift for Dad's office. People sometimes hesitate when requesting something out of the ordinary but as long as the photo is clear there should be no problem. I felt the boat's name was interesting and using this view to include the name made the painting a more personal one… Continue reading… 0 comments

This is a watercolor portrait of a cottage in Ireland, the result of a daughter's search for her mother's home. We also included a red bicycle as it was very much a part of her mom's life in Ireland. I love everything about this painting: the cottage, the sky, the water, the flowers ... everything! When asked to name my all-time favorite painting, it has to be this one… Continue reading… 0 comments

This house portrait was fun .... water instead of lawn! I loved the challenge of painting the water and creating a Jersey Shore scene rather than the usual New Jersey suburban setting. Sort of a vacation for this artist ..… Continue reading… 0 comments

I used this colored pencil portrait as a sample for one of the gift shops I work with. I tend to prefer colored pencil for most pet portraits as I'm able to capture more fur texture with this medium. I guess this preference goes way back to my earliest pencil drawings. I started with pencil studies and really enjoyed my pencil work. Clients kept asking for "color" so I gradually added watercolor to the drawings, doing the watercolor washes first, then adding pencil. My portraits are now either colored pencil or watercolor. A pet portrait in either medium would make a special gift for the avid animal lover… Continue reading… 0 comments

I've been painting house and pet portraits for many years; the flip side to my work has been watercolor illustrations for children. My most recent illustration work is a series of prints depicting common machines as wall art for boys' rooms. All the little boys I've ever known have gone crazy about fire engines, planes, and the big machines used in construction. The finishing touch on these prints is the mat. I've extended the design onto the mat for extra whimsy. Maybe it's the child left in me! In the future I'll be adding to this collection as well as working on prints for girls' rooms… 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

Winter's almost over here in New Jersey but I understand from a friend living in Vermont that they still have snow. I'm very happy to see my daffodils blooming and hoping we don't see snow for Easter! Though April snow is rare and doesn't last long ... enough with Winter!!! This painting of a Vermont lodge could come from a fantastic vacation photograph or a photo of a second home. Photographs taken of buildings while on vacation in any part of the country, or the world for that matter, make ideal paintings. Hung on the wall in a den or family room, it will become a reminder of good times… Continue reading… 0 comments

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

This watercolor was painted for a community service organization, and note cards were created as well. Many times a house portrait is just the thing to honor retiring staff members or someone who has a record of outstanding service. I have also been asked to create a house portrait as a group gift when one of the families in a neighborhood is moving away. It is an excellent remembrance of friends and memories made… Continue reading… 0 comments

This Roman Catholic church is more than 100 years old. Its construction is stone, with three marble altars. Though the original candle offerings have been electrified many years now, the original statuary and altars remain. The stained glass windows are huge, and absolutely spectacular with the sun shining through them. The church has been restored several times over the years. At one point a mural was painted on the ceiling over the main altar. The latest renovation two years ago modernized the interior to some degree and the mural was removed. I miss it. Some day I'd like to paint a series of images of all of the houses of worship in my area. I think the diversity of styles would make an interesting exhibit… Continue reading… 0 comments

It's been my good fortune to do a lot of work through real estate offices and gift shops. Some of my work is also ordered through regular mail or e-mails. This opens up the opportunity to paint a wide variety of house styles from all over the United States and abroad. My work is in 39 states and 14 foreign countries. I especially liked this house in Arizona, with its bright sun and plam trees ... totally different from anything in New Jersey! While I enjoy doing the usual house painting with green lawns, I also look forward to the challenge of painting something different… Continue reading… 0 comments

I live in central New Jersey. Although I love the beach, the ocean, and watching the antics of the resident seagulls, I don't often have the chance to travel to the Jersey Shore. It's a treat to be able to paint houses from this area of New Jersey. I love painting the warm sand colors and tall sea grasses. The challenge here is often the lack of background trees. I've learned to incorporate clouds in the sky ... and if I think the client will approve, I add a seagull or two for more interest… Continue reading… 1 comment

The Summit Diner was built in 1938. As far back as 1910 there was a horse-drawn lunch wagon on wheels on this site in downtown Summit, New Jersey. The Summit Diner is listed in a book titled "Jersey Diners" written by Peter Genovese. The author states his 1996 research found 570 diners in New Jersey. A persistent rumor has been that Ernest Hemingway ate at the Summit Diner. Patronized by police, public works people, and corporate suits alike, the Diner has been painted by many artists. I've done numerous studies in ink and watercolor, as well as a three-dimensional piece in wood. This painting is a watercolor. I found it a challenge because the only green was a straggly tree growing in the alley behind the restaurant… Continue reading… 0 comments

This little critter was done in watercolor and I used pencil to add more texture to his fur. I still supplement some of my wildlife or pet portrait watercolors with pencil strokes, but am now relying more on the detail I can create using size 0 liner watercolor brushes. My favorite brushes right now are Winsor & Newton Sceptre Gold, the sable/synthetic blends… Continue reading… 0 comments