Art by Mary Rochelle Burnham

Summertime, water soluble color pencil, 2.5 x 3.5" SOLD 'Home' is the theme this week for the Daily Paintworks Challenge.  I t is dedicated for artists to help raise money for those who were affected by the recent disasters in Japan.   I am honored to be able to offer this painting for this challenge and to help the people of Japan. This little piece is on the lake that I spent my summers and eventually became my parent's full time home. It holds many of my cherished memories. I will donate all proceeds to Japanese "Aid for Bed" - Directly Helping by Providing Shelter for the Displaced.

Chinese Tea Strainer on Silk Chiffon , Oil on Panel, 7 x 5" SOLD    The strainer cup sits on a little hand, held in place by the thumb and fingers. Its part of a beautiful tea set that I received as a gift from China, brought to me by my brother who travels there often. Tea was also part of the gift, vacuum packed and enough to enjoy for years to come. The fabric of the chiffon is very diaphanous with subtle variations in color and pattern. The inspiration for this piece is from the The Color of White Challenge.

Anne, Pastel, 16 x 12" SOLD This is a portrait, commissioned by Anne's grandmother, a lovely lady who lives many miles away from her beloved granddaughter. All she had were a couple of snapshots and small school photos. I told her I would do my best. Here is the primary reference that I used: My requirements given to me for the commission were to use pastel, make the face three quarters and the hair long. I used a sheet of steel gray Canson Mi-Teintes pastel paper. I used the dimpled side of the paper to give the piece some interesting texture. This girl's personality looked so vivacious that I used strong bright colors in the hope to capture it. Grandmother loved it and will be shipping it after framing!

All A Twitter , Oil on Canvas, 20 x 16" SOLD My husband and I were out at a park last summer and I was taking photos. I have a pretty good zoom lens on the camera, so I was able to snap photos of people doing 'their thing' undetected. I took some snap shots of this young lady and worked out some ideas. I love the light, shadow and the many angles of this composition. It seems rather abstract to me. It is reminiscent of a pinwheel that spirals down to the phone in this girl's hand. I just imagined that she was probably texting her 'honey bunny', her heart was going 'pitter patter', and she was 'all a twitter'! All said, it was just another quiet summer day in the park.

President Lincoln, Oil, 12 x 9" SOLD Here is my painted version.  Value study of President Abraham Lincoln. A president of true values.

Honest Abe , print on heavy paper, 10x8" available This week's Daily Paintworks Challenge is to:  D. THE "LET'S IGNORE RAYMOND" CHALLENGE, or if you prefer, OTHER: You do have the option of ignoring me; produce a portrait of Mr. Lincoln in any 2D manner you wish. Don't worry about hurting my feelings, it'll be nothing a good brownie won't cure. (Psst! I am very partial to woodcuts.) I elected to get acquainted with the President's face through drawing a few sketches. I purposely chose to do a caricature in order to really get a feel for those features that best personify the man. I am happy with the results. I eagerly look forward to doing another  Lincoln Challenge  this week: A. THE BLACK AND WHITE CHALLENGE:  Paint the portrait in black and white; try to maintain neutral grays with a limited palette of these three pigments: Ultramarine Blue / Burnt Umber / Titanium White.

Red Apple , Oil on RayMar Panel, 6 x 6" available I'd like to introduce you to my new blog, where I will be posting new work (and some old) for sale. Please visit often, leave your comments and let me know how I'm doing! Besides having an avenue to sell my work, I hope that you will comment on both the quality of the work and my progress. As I have learned and been inspired by countless artists, I hope you will find something to glean here, too!