Painterly

Hi everyone! What a rainy day today. Perfect for settling in and getting things done around here. Just printing up a storm and designing just as much! I got my new printer installed and settled last week. I'm calling it my BMW of printers...my toy. I've spent a fair amount of time playing around with it to see what it can do. And I'm overjoyed...it does so much more than my old printer... I can finally print thick sheets of paper (even cardboard) and not have any problems. It is a professional ink jet, so there's a lot more I can now offer my clients in terms of flat printing for small runs when letterpress is out of budget. I can even do flat printed customized notecards and envelopes on the paper stock I like (it never fit through my old printer) and the ink is lightfast and fade-proof. Who knew one day I'd be so obsessed with something like an ink jet printer.
On another note, I realized that there are so many things I look to that inspire me and I realize that I never share! I decided that it's time to start documenting the things that I enjoy looking at and that inspire me. Today I show you the website of New England artist M J Blanchette. Her paintings are such a joy to look at for me...I love her blocks of color and light. I love her focus on the colors of the sky and land. They remind me of Edward Hopper in terms of use of light and color.If I had good painting skills (they aren't terrible, but aren't the best either) I'd want to paint like this. She really captures the season and the time of day. I can practically smell the grass by the beach and feel the breeze through the car windows. Ms. Blanchette freezes a moment in time and manages to make it look like a memory...the subtle nuances you remember for a certain time. I encourage you to browse her website and look at her gorgeous work and see for yourself. I love how she put the general focus on the sky or on the land...not often symmetrical. I notice that is how I tend to take my landscape photographs... Now, to try and own one of her paintings for myself! (all photos from MJ Blanchette's website...paintings by MJ Blanchette)