Malassadas!

nfdp -
Strove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, the night before Lent - what ever you want to call it, it meant one thing in my Grandmothers house - 

A sinfully delicious treat made by women of Azorean descent for generations.  My Grandmother and Great Grandmother would fry batches of them, filling the house up with the most amazing smell and trays of sugared fried dough.

 This was my first year carrying on the tradition and I think I did my Grandma proud.
I used her go-to recipe from this book and her favorite big bowl.

 You can still get this book HERE  - and you should it is a great collection of recipes and a little history too

QUICK-  get the last one!

Around Here

nfdp

Happy March!  I don't know about you but I need a little green.  It is still winter outside, gray and dreary so I went on hunt for green around the house and studio.

Simple Wood Frame DIY

tools and 1"x 2" pine

Measure twice and cut

This is a SIMPLE frame so no mitre! yay!

Add eye screws and wire to the back. 1/3 of the way down

  This painting was a collaboration with my sons so I added stain per their request. What is it with men and wood stain?

Simple wood frame gives our painting presence and it was easy peasy.

Bella Bulldog

10x10" oil on panel.
Painting commission this week - beautiful Bella the bulldog.  I love painting dogs.  I've painted them for myself and many many commissions over the years and it never gets old.  Dog's Rule. 
You can see some HERE, HERE and a bunch HERE.

Warmth - beach painting

5x7 oil on panel.
Let's all just close our eyes and pretend we are soaking up the sun with sand in our toes.
Ahh the warmth.  Polar vortex redux you can't bother us now....

Downton Abbey and Newport

nfdp
Did you watch Downton Abbey last night?  The American relatives arrived. Which got me thinking how those mansions in Newport are right in my own backyard.  It has been a while since I've toured any or walked the Cliff Walk.
 This Spring I will do both, maybe even do some plein air painting from the grounds. 
Can't you just picture Lady Mary strolling around?   She really should visit.

Winter Beach

This is how I ship a small painting.... most of the time

nfdp When a little painting sells, this is how I send it off to it's new home...

 The first thing to do is make a cardboard sandwich - this is to protect the painting and also to keep anything from touching the actual paint - I try not to ship wet or nearly dry paintings but I don't want anything touching the paint anyway.  I want my collectors to feel like they are getting a special little gift so I put a pretty ribbon around each package - add a thank-you sticker, some promo cards and thank you notes, the packing slip and put it in a priority mail box - stuff newspaper around the sides to keep it from moving and add a little 'lovely" to the address because ALL of my collectors are lovely!  It is not fancy but it works. 

Sunshine Shoulders - beach painting,Debbie Miller

8x10 oil on panel

This painting is still kicking around the studio - it's always been one of my favorites.  That warm sunshine on the shoulders feeling...sure would like some of that right now.

Seems like a yearly thing - I made  similar posts  HERE , HERE and HERE.  

Winter Branches

12x12 oil on panel

 After one of our resent snow storms I was outside taking in all the winter magic, photographing the snow on the branches.  They reminded me of the above paintings from February 1997- the very first oil paintings I had done in a very very long time.
  Being a mom of 3 boys, there wasn't a lot of time for oil painting. It was a busy time.  Folding laundry in my basement and looking up through the window at the branches...I had been thinking about painting for a while.  The branches and the play of light got me and since my boys were at school,  I dug out my old oil paints from college,found some wood boards and did these 3 paintings.
 It has been no looking back and unfolded laundry ever since! 

Take a peek! February Art Journal pages