Remembering My First Gallery Sale...

Sunflowers, 16x20" Acrylic on Canvas

SOLD

I so enjoy the week between Christmas and New Year's. I organize, plan, throw out, dream of the future and remember the past. This painting was the first Gallery Sale of my career. I came across the photo and decided to post it on my personal blog as a way of closing out the current year.

While living in the Lake Erie Snow Belt in Geauga County Ohio, I was basically "snowed in" from December through March. The year I started selling my artwork, I also had 4 young boys under the age of 8. My paintings from this period were mostly scenes of the French - Italian Riviera area. I was escaping to a warm and peaceful place.

There are still a few paintings left from that period and are available at the Vancura Gallery of Fine Art in Middlefield Ohio. The owner of the gallery, Donna Vancura has been such a wonderful encourager. See the gallery's website at www.vancuragallery.com.

www.marybethbrath.com

www.dailypaintersofpennsylvania.blogspot.com

IF I ONLY HAD MORE TIME...

Tritt's Butterfly Garden

Acrylic on Canvas, 11" x 14"

Currently Available at Gallerie 13

$190

We all have 24 hours in a day, 7 days a week, 12 months a year. What we do with that time will determine where we will be when next December rolls around.

Carpe Diem - MB

Create as a Family

Gifford Pinchot State Park 2009

Acrylic, 5" x 7", plein air

Currently Available through Jeffery van Boskirk

John putting finishing touches on his piece.

We all have a life outside of the gallery scene. My husband and I have 4 boys. I share my home studio with my children so we can be together. While I paint or frame, they can do homework, play with legos, brio sets and army men and even paint/draw at their easel. We go hiking, canoeing, fishing and exploring together as a family. All the while, Mom has her camera and art supplies close at hand.


This day, the group of plein air artists that I paint with went to Gifford Pinchot State Park in South Central Pennsylvania. It was summer and the children were out of school...so...all of the boys came with me. We set up our area away from the other artists so we would not disturb their "right brain mode". It was an amazing day. We all had such a wonderful time. I sat on the blanket with one of my sons and completed a small work on masonite. He completed his scene on heavy paper for acrylics. The other boys fished and played near the water.


If you have never heard of Betty Anglin Smith and you think you can't start to pursue your artistic dreams until the children are grown, I encourage you to look her up on google. She has been such an inspiration for me the last 4 years.

CARPE DIEM - MB

DAILY PAINTER OF PENNSYLVANIA

http://www.marybethbrath.com/

http://www.dailypaintersofpennsylvania.blogspot.com/

Gettysburg College by Mary Beth Brath

Gettysburg College

11" x 14" Acrylic on Canvas

During the annual Gettysburg Festival held in June of 2009, my friends and I were part of a plein air event. We painted on the grounds of the Gettysburg College. This painting was blocked in on site and finished in my studio. Available for purchase by contacting me at mbbrath@verizon.net.

We have been invited back to the festival for 2010. Big plans are in the making!!

www.marybethbrath.com

www.marybethbrath.blogspot.com

Visions Exhibit at Lebanon Campus of HACC

This month in Lebanon PA. there is a very unique exhibit at the Lebanon Campus of HACC. The title of the exhibit is "Visions". Anyone that is spiritually inspired while creating artwork was welcome to enter. This is the first year for the theme.

I entered 2 paintings.

The field of flowers is titled Gettysburg Wildflowers and shows how the Lord covers our earth with beauty and gives us so much more than just the basics. This field is actually on the civil war battlefield auto tour!!

The waterlilies painting is titled God and Family. The lotus flower represents the Lord and the cluster of lily pads with the flower is my husband, four children and myself.

Brafferton Inn - Gettysburg PA

This painting was started on location at Jackie Mickler's shop on York Street in Gettysburg PA and was finished in my studio. The scene is of the Braffferton Inn; a lovely B&B just off the square. The painting is currently on display in Jackie's shop and is available for purchase. The Pomeranian is a rendering of my own dog "Nelson".

Hunters Valley Winery Paint Out

This past Saturday, The Hunters Valley Winery in Liverpool PA. hosted a Plein Air Paint Out. Various Artists were invited to paint while the public enjoyed wine tasting, food and live music performed by Jonathan Frazier. The air was amazingly clear and we could see for several miles. My painting is not finished. I will make some adjustments in my studio.

HUNTERS VALLEY WINERY
3 Orchard Road
Liverpool, PA 17045
717 444 7211
www.huntersvalleywines.com

Good Morning and Welcome to my blog. I am a full time artist that creates original paintings in acrylics. I enjoy working both in the studio and plein air (outside on location). More detailed information on my work and my background can be found on my website at http://www.marybethbrath.com/ .

I love to laugh and I have many stories to share. However, I am very busy with my career and my family. As often as possible, I will post on the blog. Well...with that said...let's get started!!

On Saturday, September 12th, I competed in a plein air event at the York in Pennsylvania. What a fantastic place to paint! Everywhere you looked there was a scene just waiting to be captured. So many colors and structures. People galore. Since the competition had a time limit of 5 hours, I just couldn't paint fast enough. What?? You are saying 5 hours should be plenty of time?? That is what I thought. On an average day when I paint plein air, I have most of the piece finished in under 2 hours and "clean it up" in my studio. During the competition, onlookers were a constant, people were taking pictures and the York Dispatch filmed a video. The video can be viewed at http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid15385135001?bctid=39934239001 . I so loved talking to the happy people that the time just flew by and it was time for the judging...whether you were ready or not.

Since this was York Fair's first year to hold a Plein Air Competition, there were only 5 paintings completed. I titled my 11 x 14 painting "Come out to the Fair" and it won 3rd Place. FYI - this was also my first plein air competition.

Time to get back to my studio - MB