The Captain's Cottage, Key West

Simonton St, Key West, Florida
photo
© Maggie Ruley 2013

This house on Simonton Street is next to, and might be part of the Pilot's House guest house.  It was the inspiration for my painting The Captain's Cottage.

The Captain's Cottage
acrylic on canvas
5 x 7" framed
$165.00
©Maggie Ruley 2013



Free place to stay in Key West

The Historic Armory Building
600 White St. Key West, Florida
©Maggie Ruley 2011
private collection

 

The Studios of Key West has a residency program and hosts 4 visiting artists a month.  Artists are provided with a free place to live and work. They start taking applications in January and I think they close the process in March.   So start planning now if you would like to be part of this huge opportunity.

 

TSKW  click the link to find out more information about the program and other classes and workshops.

And in other news this Thursday, October 17, from 6 to 9pm, 2013,is the TSKW monthly open house.  A new show opens in the main gallery, the artists studios are open upstairs and in the residence studios.
There are poetry readings in the 610 White St studios. 

My studio will be open and I would love to see you.

Sloppy Joe's Bar day15, 30 day challenge

Sloppy Joe's Bar, 6 x 8" acrylic on paper
day 15, 30 day challenge

$30 ©2013 Maggie Ruley

 

 

Today I decided to use my acrylics like water colors.  I used the paints very thin and used the white of the paper as the white in the painting.  To see more of the challenge paintings click here.

And the winner Is LANA HOWARD

I have a video of the drawing, but YouTube and I aren't getting along right now.  The drawing was done by Christie Fifer, here is a link to her web site.

Lana, you have the option of one of these paintings below

 

 

The give away continues.  Here are the details

 

I am having a give-away!

Here is how it works.  Leave a comment on my post and you will be entered to win.  I am going to give away one painting a week for the duration of the 30 Day Challenge, (the month of September, 2013). If you comment daily on my posts then you can be entered up to 7 times to win.  The winner will have their choice of any unsold painting of the week. 

Those of you who subscribe by e-mail to this blog can either reply to the e-mail, or comment and you will be entered.

Please note this drawing is going to be casual.  I am not hiring any fancy auditing company to do the selection.  It is going to be a plain old pieces of paper in a bowl thing.

If you are the winner your painting will be shipped to you after it has dried, which can take one to two weeks with oils.

 

Back in the Day

This is just a quick story about the recent change in my header photo.  Why the Blue Heaven building you are wondering?  When I arrived in Key West in 1985 I was looking for a studio space, my cute little house was only about 600 sq ft so there was no work room.  This building was around the corner from my house and it had a small cadre of artists renting studios and living spaces.  See that little window on the ground floor above what looks like a bike rack.  That was my space, very small and dark, one window facing the street and one door.  The rent was $75 a month.  I can't really remember why, but over the years, the other artists went away and for years  I was the only tenant.  Then the building was rented to aspiring restaurant owners and the building became a lively happening place once again.  Long story short the restaurant owners bought the building, the neighborhood became trendy, the restaurant decided my space would be perfect for wine storage.  I was in that small and wonderful space from 1985 to 1996.  So I had a twinge of nostalgia when I was doing the painting.

All those memories.

2016 update:  I look at that wonky little watercolor and I'm almost embarrassed by it.  But then I think, it shows growth, how cool is that?

Hokey Pokey

 You put the tree trunk in

 You take the tree trunk out

 You put the tree trunk in

 And you shake it all about

You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around.  That's what it's all about. 

That about sums how I was feeling while I was doing these watercolor paintings of the Green Parrot Bar.  My watercolor skills are minimul, so when I see something I want to change I have to start over.  This Green Parrot series had nine takes.  These are the only ones I can show you. 

The Green Parrot Bar is a favorite with Key West residents and visitors.  There is a lovely Royal Poinciana tree just out side the doors and it is just coming into bloom.  If you are ever thinking of coming to Key West.  When the Poincianas are in bloom May through mid July is always pretty.

Shore Leave

When I first came to Key West you would occasionaly see a sailor in his whites. I can't tell you the last time I saw them. I wonder if they even wear whites anymore? So this is a nostalgia kind of painting. For people familiar with Key West there is a dead giveaway as to which old town Key West street he is traveling.

"Shore Leave'
acrylic on canvas
20" x 16"
$475.00 unframed
giclee prints available

A Fun day of painting and art in the sculpture garden

Last Saturday the Studios of Key West had a plein air quick draw. Artists had from 9 am to 1 pm to paint in the old town section of Key West. Paintings were put on easels in the sculpture garden at 2pm for judging and a short reception. My friend Andy Thurber won 1st place for his painting of the Armory building.

My friend Pam Hobbs won a prize for her painting of the Armory.

I did not win a prize, but I had a great time and I'm happy with this painting of a Southard Street cottage I have wanted to paint for quite some time. I am never really comfortable painting architecture, but maybe now I will do more of it.

Southard Street in Bloom

24" x 20 " unframed $425.00 SOLD

Charm School

When I am talking with visitors to Key West in our gallery, if they say it is their first visit, or they ask what they should see, I always tell them to get off the main street and walk around in the residential neighborhoods. And I repeatedly use the word charming to describe the town's architecture and small lanes. For the commission piece I posted about last week, I spent the whole day walking around old town Key West seeking out that charm. This little house on Thompson Lane just fit the bill, but it wasn't the image I wanted for the commission piece. So this week I have painted it by itself, just for fun. I made a decision to bump up the charm to the next level in this painting. I used sweeter colors and more fluid brush strokes. I am very happy with the result and have decided to enroll myself in the "charm school" of painting for a while and wander down all the lovely little lanes it leads me.


This painting isn't for sale yet because I want to use it as a visual reminder of what I am trying to achieve in my next paintings. But I am considering having prints made.