Sandpiper Gallery, Wellfleet, Mass.

I am now represented by the Sandpiper gallery in Wellfleet, Mass. Where I dropped off six of my paintings from the dinghy series.

Thank you to all who have requested to purchase my art work and sent me emails to say nice things about my paintings, It's always encouraging to hear. For those who emailed me interested in the dinghy paintings, please contact Mary Houk at the Sandpiper gallery for purchase: (see her contact info in this post above). She currently has six of the seven dinghy's that I painted: "Perkins cove dinghy #2, #3 and #4, Quiet time, Superstar and Watching the tide". (Click here for review

Dinghy Paintings

They are all 8x6" oil on wood panel paintings in gold frames and retail for around $400 each.

For any other artwork or commissions, please contact me at my regular email address: tmbonita@comcast.net.

Artist gone to Cape Cod...

I'm laptopping from a coffee shop on Cape Cod and before you think I'm a jet setter you should know I'm here on business...*snicker. I'm dropping off some dinghy paintings to a gallery in Wellfleet and meeting with some gallery owners to discuss the possibility of representation.

I'll be back on Friday eve.

All my best to you.
Todd

Watching the tide

Finished "Watching the tide" painting. (6X8") Oil on wood panel

Watching the tide (monochromatic underpainting)

Here is another work in progress from my series of dinghy paintings.

Superstar (finish)

Finished! Although, the more I look at it the more I want to noodle it.

Superstar...(I may change the name of this one) 6x8" Oil on wood panel.

Otter Shack, Thompson Lake, Maine (Plein air)

This is Guerrilla painting at it's best: waste deep in Thompson Lake, slapping oils on a small plein air study with three Herrons perched twenty feet above me pooping every ten minutes. The Herron poop made quite a splash from it's twenty foot freefall and landed only a few feet away from me each time. (I couldn't help but wonder if they were critiquing) It stirred my concentration but warmly reminded me that I was waste deep in nature.

I have been coming to my brother-in-laws cottage on Thompson lake for seven years now and have always photographed this little shack when I'm here. About two years ago I watched a family of otters playing and fishing around it all afternoon, it's a great shack with pleanty of character. I knew I would come back and paint it someday.

Today was that day. I took the kayak and paint box to this remote area and set up in the water. I wasn't happy about painting into the sun but this was the best I could do if I wanted to paint the shack, the water was too deep on all other sides. Sometimes it's not about the perfect compositon and lighting, sometimes it's about just enjoying the process and experience. This was definitely one of those days.

Check out the red dragonfly that landed on my paintbrush in the color finish.

Thompson Lake, Maine (Plein air)

I reccomend turning 38 to everyone, so far it's been perfect. This weekends weather was a crowning achievment in mother natures long career, well done indeed and thank you for the bewitching and beautiful wailing of the Loons, very nice touch.

I parked my carcass on the shore of Thompson Lake, just steps from the cottage and did a study of what was before me. I ommitted one of the boats for a better composition and took several dips in the lake to improve my already ideal afternoon.

Artist gone to Maine for the weekend.

Heading up North to Thompson Lake, just outside of Portland, Maine for the weekend. Bringing the paintbox and will be back on Sunday night with some post.

I hope you all have a nice weekend, weather in the North east looks perfect.

All my best,

Todd

Self Portrait at 38

Today I turned 38 years old and I started my morning with a self portrait drawing. I have been doing self portraits on my birthday for about ten years now, I keep most of them in the same old sketchbook. It's always fun for me to look at past sketches and see how my drawing and face have progressed over the years. I've noticed that my drawing is getting better and my face is getting uglier.

p.s. Happy birthday to Tony Bennett and Tom Brady of the Patriots, I know you both read my blog.

Superstar! (...in progress)

I lowered the horizon line a bit, the negative space at the top was looking a little quirky. It's on it's way, I should finish this one next session.

Superstar (Monochromatic Underpainting)

Quiet Time

Finished this oil painting of a small boat in Chatham, Mass.

"Quiet time" (6x8) Oil on wood panel

Back to Dinghy duty....(Work in progress)

Hello all,

I'm back in my studio in the basement, slapping some oils on a small Dinghy painting. I swear there is more to me than Dinghy's but I'm really enjoying painting them right now...I swear!

I subscribe to Robert Genns twice weekly letter for artist and he has mentioned many times the benefits of exploring a single theme over the course of several paintings. I now understand the benefits of what he is talking about. I think each Dinghy has progressed in my sketches and paintings.

My freshman year in art school we had a drawing class where we drew crumpled up brown paper bags for the entire semester. My understanding is finally sinking in right now.

Onward to my dinghy....

Punxsutawney Phil (Sketch)

I just got an assignment from "Highlights for Children" Magazine, You know the one, the same one from the dentist office. Any-hoot, this is the sketch for a single page illustration of "Punxsutawney Phil" as he climbs the ladder to poke his nose out on Groundhogs day. This is for the February 2007 issue. The white spaces are left blank for titles and a pictoral rhyme sequence that will be dropped in later.

This is a pencil sketch that I scanned and added darks and lights to in Photoshop. This sketch was submitted today for aproval. I have a long deadline on it, so the finish will pop up sometime in late August.

Children's poem "Home" (second illustration)

Here is the other spread for the "Home" poem that will be part of a book collection of children's poems. This is also a digital illustration.

Childrens book poem illustration (finish)

I finally finished this first illustration called "Home" that will be in a book collection of children's poems. I'm almost done with the page 2 spread and will post the finish when I do. This is a scanned sketch, painted in a traditional manner using Photoshop and a pressure sensative digital drawing tablet.

Pittsfield, Vermont cottage

The stories this shack could tell and the things she has seen. My friend Patrick has been renting this small cottage in the town of Pittfield, Vermont for the past twenty years. Twenty-or-so of our closest friends make the annual pilgrimage, coming from places as far as Minnesota, Seattle and California.

I'm looking forward to adding color to this small monochromatic oil painting of the cottage. I may even do a larger studio painting of it, we'll see.

Artist gone to Vermont...

Hi all,

When I was in art college and really bussy, I used to trot past my college friends in the hall and like a crazy person I would say, "Can't talk bussy". They thought I was nuts and I must say they were on-the-money. This week is kind of like that. I'm going to my twentieth High School class reunion on Saturday then I'm off to Vermont for the twentieth anniversary of my friends renting a place in Vermont every summer. I'll be back on Tuesday. I'm bringing my paintbox to Vermont so I should have something to post when I get back.

Today, I am posting my children's poem illustration at about 90% finished. The publisher had some sizing changes on there end and have extended the deadline a week to accomodate the problem

Have a great weekend, all my best to you.

Todd Bonita

Penny Farthing drawing

This is a doodle that I got carried away with and spent way too much time on last night. When I worked as a staff illustrator for Foreside I did a bunch of drawings of Holiday figures on these turn-of-the-century Penny Farthing cycles. For some reason, I seem to doodle a lot of Penny Farthings ever since. I think the nostalgia and the sleek lines of the design appeal to me.

Childrens Book poem illustration (..in progress)

I have a Friday deadline for this illustration but have not heard from the art director regarding any changes on the sketch yet. I'm laying in some local color and minor detail..just enough so I can get a jump on the finish without wasting too much time in the event of a major change request by the Art Director.

Check back to see the finish...

Newington, NH (Plein air)

Back to the great outdoors..it was a beautiful day today on the New Hampshire seacoast and I was very happy to take my paint box for a neigborhood cruise. I found a great spot a few miles down the road in the town of Newington. This little house was built in 1699..I love New England.

I set up in a cool spot in the shade of a giant Pine tree. (Tip to Plein air artist: Set up in the shade on bright sunny days, otherwise your colors appear bleached out and lighter when mixing and when you take your painting indoors later the colors will be much darker than you thought). I was able to pull my car next to the tree, unrolled the window and blared the Sox game. It was a perfect painting session.

After a little more than two hours of painting, my wife called and asked me to come home and help put away groceries...I'll have to finish this one in the studio later.

ps. I started painting around 2pm when the Sox game started. At the time of this post it's 8:20pm and the Sox are still playing. It's tied 5-5 in the nineteenth inning.

Quiet Time (Monochromatic underpainting)

I'm back on Dinghy duty. I have to complete four more Dinghy paintings by the end of the month for the gallery in Wellfleet. Here is the monochrome underpainting of my quiet time sketch from a boat I drew in Chatham.

I have an illustration deadline next Friday so I'll paint this whenever I can steal some moments.

Angel of Coffee

If there is such an angel, I'm pretty sure this is what she would look like. Creamy (half&half) colored flowing-hair, Tall...as in a Starbucks tall, a long dress with coffee bean print, offering an enormous cup of steamy hot java. With a heavy (Dunkin Donuts)Boston accent she would ask if I wanted "Cream an sugar doll?"

Todays post is another bedside drawing.

I got some good news from an art gallery in Cape Cod. One of the Galleries I checked out in Wellfleet a few weeks ago wants to show seven of my dinghy paintings. I need to whip out a few more to meet her request but I'm very excited about it. Got a lot on the "life" plate, as you may have noticed fewer posts this past month.

Hopefully the Angel of Coffee will bless me with her nectar and enable me to carry on as usual.

All my best,
Todd

Bedside doodles

I keep a sketchbook on my nightstand and sometimes I doodle before I doze off. Last night I drew some mindless charicature doodles. Just having some fun.

Fishermans shack (still in progress...)

I worked a little more on my Monhegan Island painting, I slapped some paint on the fishermans shack. I'm thinking this composition needs something, perhaps some flying gulls in the distance to give it some tension, maybe a suggestion of some boats in the backround harbor. Maybe the fisherman is working on his traps?!...we'll see how this develops.

Afternoon Break (Cape Cod sketchbook)

These boats were at rest in a Chatham cove, hanging loose before they go back to work. The backround is completely made up to add additional depth, balance the composition and help complete the visual story.

Perkins Cove Dinghy #4

I finally finished painting this Dinghy...and I spelled "Dinghy" correctly too! Quite an afternoon.

I think I'm going to try and loosen up more with the next painting, maybe use a larger brush. Dinghy #4 is an oil on wood panel, (8x6").

Chatham Lobster boat (Cape Cod sketchbook)

This is another drawing from the cape Cod sketchbook of a small Lobster boat in a Chatham cove. it's probably not really a Lobster boat but a small pleasure boat designed to look like a sleek Lobster boat. Can there be such a thing? Anyhoot! I liked the lines of this boat and the reflection of it in the water. I wonder if this composition would work better with a few smaller boats in it's vacinity.

Quiet Time (Cape Cod Sketchbook)

Here is another drwaing from my Cape Cod sketchbook. The original drawing is more crudely sketched, I traced it and tightened it here. My original intent was to capture the silent, reflective feeling the boat gave me when I came upon it. I had to sketch quickly because the boat was constantly and slowly drifting. The original sketch did not capture that but provided enough information to take it to this level. I have a few more sketches that I plan on tweeking as well. It's tricky going through them and trying to figure out which ones will make interesting paintings. More to come...

Children's poem "Home" (Sketch #2)

This is the second and last sketch for the illustrated poem "Home" that I'm working on for a book publisher.

The original is 11x17" drawn in graphite, scanned and played with in Photoshop.

I have to wait for client aproval before I color these so I will likely finish some of the oil paintings I've started in the down time.

Catcha later...

Todd

Children's poem "Home" (Sketch)

I've been bussy with a new assignment from a book publisher to illustrate two spreads for a poem called "Home", which will be in a book collection of illustrated poems.

This is a graphite drawing, scanned and manipulated in photoshop. I have to wait for client aproval before I finish with color.

Superstar! (Cape Cod sketchbook)

Chatham Dinghy (Cape Cod sketchbook)

Here is another image from my Cape cod sketchbook...wait...could that be another dinghy...he's Mad I tell you. I think these lone dinghy's are an editorial about the artist state of being. Might they be a reflection of the lonely persuit of an artist trying to make it on his own. A small boat in a big sea of yachts, scooners and sails?

Nope. I just like these dinghy's.

another Dinghy painting in progress

Stole a few moments to slap down some paint on this dinghy painting, hopefully I'll finish it next session.

Wait for me! (Cape Cod sketchbook)

This Provincetown saltbox building was painted orange and looked like a finished canvas against the blue sky. It has a seagull weathervane on top. As I was looking at it, squinting, thinking maybe this could be a cool painting, a small flock of gulls flew by in the distance. For a moment it looked like the weathervane was trying to catch up to the pack..."Wait for me man"!

I did this sketch and added a few gulls in the backround, I think it may work in a small series of saltbox/weathervane paintings. We'll see, I got a lot on the plate right now.

Quahogging Chatham (Cape Cod sketchbook)

Here is another sketch from my Cape Cod Sketchbook that I may do a painting of. I may refine this drawing before I paint it or maybe I'll leave it the way it is, don't know yet. I kind of like that guy in the foreground.

Sailing the North east wind (Cape Cod Sketchbook)

Here is one of the sketches from my Cape Cod sketchbook that I think I'll do a painting of. There were dozens of these weathered saltbox houses with nautical weathervanes that kept stopping my eye. I'm trying to discipline myself to try and capture imagery that stops me, rather than fixing on the more cliche vignettes.

Eastham, Cottage (Plein air)

The sun finally came out on our last two days on the Cape, I felt like a bird out of it's cage. I did a quick plein air study of the cottage we are staying at in Eastham.

Stage Harbor Light, Chatham, Mass. (en plein air)

The rain stopped long enough to hike the Chatham shore to a spot accross the inlet from Stage Harbor Light. This is no longer a working light house, it is now occupied by a private residence. Life must be good when your living in your very own lighthouse.

Tip for Plein air painting on the beach: Clam shells make excellent pallets for mixing color. If you look close, you can see one with blue paint in my paint box. Easy clean up too.

P.S. I'm extending my visit here on the Cape for the weekend, I'll be back on Sunday, June 11.

Cape Cod Dunes, Truro, Mass (en plein air)

It's been raining and overcasty every day since I've been here, I really can't remember rain this bad in New England in my lifetime. This has put a damper on my plein air painting but I used the time to visit art galleries and introduce myself to a lot of gallery owners. There is so much talent on the cape, very inspiring. I've been taking a lot of pictures to do some studio paintings later, They will likely be foggy and moody imagery as a result of the conditions.

I did manage to do a quick study on the dunes in Truro. the rain was off and on, clouds were spotty and the sun would peek and hide every few minutes. the constantly changing light, mosquitos and gnatts made for a challenging painting study. It's a beatiful place here, even with the rain, I can understand why so many artist make there way here to paint.

Artist gone paintin' on Cape Cod

I'm going on a five day painting trip To Cape Cod, I'll be back on Wednesday, the 7th. Looking forward to doing some Plein air studies, introducing myself to Gallery owners and painting in the cottage in the evenings. I'll be totally emersed and I'm elated. Some of my oldest and best friends live down there, so I'll be drinking good Scotch, eating Lobster and laughing too.

I may post while I'm away, feel free to check back, otherwise I'll put some stuff up from the trip when I return.

All my best,

Todd

Portrait (Illustration Friday Submission)

Todays

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY

topic is "Portrait". This is a small acrylic study I did on a piece of old barn wood that I cut to shape. The image is from a childhood photo of my late uncle Paul.

Children's Magazine Illustration (color finish)

Viola! I colored my second sketch for the Children's magazine assignment. I will now jump back into some oil painting.