The first contest was very well received. Thank you so much for all the nice comments.

The second contest is under way!

Here’s the print:

This was the scene as I looked up my road Monday morning coming back from doing the chores in the barn. The sun was rising and the snow is melting!

And here’s the deal: All you have to do is comment on this image and mention ” VTWT” in the text and you’ll automatically be entered in the drawing which will take place on Friday, March 5 at 5:00 p.m. (EST).

The print is 4.5″ X 6.5″ and is matted to be framed in an 8″ X 10″ frame.

Want to see more  paintings like this? Go to this link to see new work added daily!

AND THE WINNER IS….

Fran MacPherson! Congratulations!

This is your first chance to win a Canvasworks Peaceable Kingdom print. All you have to do is comment on this image and include “CPK” in your comment. You will automatically be entered in the drawing which will happen on Friday, February 26.
This week’s image is “Fox and Hen”
The print is 4″ X 6″ and the mat is 8″ X 10″

Please sign up over there on the right ( if you haven’t  already). The drawing will be done and I’ll contact you by email Friday night if you’re the lucky winner!

This image is one of several studies being done on the way to creating a large “Peaceable Kingdom” piece based on Edward Hicks’ works from the 19th century. You can follow my progress with this piece by reading daily posts and seeing everyday’s painting study at this link.

And the winner is…

Carol Brock from Francestown, NH, with the #4 comment.

Thank you for all your nice comments. Should we do another one next week?

Don’t forget to become a fan on Facebook to see daily posts with Peaceable Kingdom updates nd Floorcloth Tips too.

Back in April, 2006, Early American Life Magazine ran an article about floorcloths by Gregory LeFever. I just realized that the link to it is pretty hard to find on my website, so I’m reposting it here and I’ll make it easier to find too. The photos are great. I love that they found some old remnants to show. If anyone out there has any old pieces of floorcloth, I would love to have a photos. I am trying to compile as many old floorcloth patterns as possible. Please email them to me if you find any and if you have any info about their age, origin, use, etc. that would be a bonus too!

Here’s the link to the article: http://earlyamericanwritings.blogspot.com/2006/04/floorcloths.html

Like a tempting bunch of chocolates, we have a brand new boxed set of canvas color swatches. My favorites- Monterey White, Essex Green, Richmond Gold and Hale Navy are still in there, but we’ve added some really nice ones that we’ve been using on recent floorcloth projects: Woodstock Tan, Hadley Red and Antique Pewter, to name a few.

If you’ve been following my “Peaceable Kingdom” studies on Canvasworks’ Facebook page, you’ll notice that they are all staying within the same color family. That’s because I use the same 6 little jars of paint to complete all of these pieces. Keeping the palette limited, keeps the paintings related to each other.

You can see all 25 of these colors by clicking here. Remember, your monitor might not be calibrated perfectly, so the colors may not be accurate. Your best bet is to order the Swatch Kit. It has 25 3″ X 3″ painted canvas swatches with each color’s name imprinted on the back. The kit also includes two swatches -one of #8 canvas; the other of #4- which are painted and polyurethaned so you can see how the finished product will look and feel. the Swatch Kit is $25, which will be refunded when you purchase your first floorcloth. These are the 25 colors we use for the majority of our custom made floorcloths. Choose your colors and design and I’ll draw up a layout for you to see before you order. Click here to send me your info.

Also, Colored Blanks can be ordered in any of these 25 colors. The dropdown menus on the Paypal buttons now give you 26 color options (plain white is the 26th color)!

Sometimes things get so busy around here that we end up with a real hodge podge of designs and painting styles all  competing for table space at the same time. This is one of those times. As hard as it is to change gears on the fly and switch from painting one to another, it also means if I don’t particularly feel like painting one thing, I can always paint something totally different!

This Flowers and Fans floorcloth (8′ X 10′) uses  Currant Red and Baked Cumin as its base colors and black, rose, off white  and green as its accents. Almost everything except the center stamped area was handpainted. I definitely had to get into a rhythm to execute all of those flowers and leaves so they came out looking similar.

Then change gears to my February Self-Challenge (brought on by one of my followers- thanks Barbara!). I am attempting to complete a Canvasworks rendition of Edward Hicks’ Peaceable Kingdom as a floorcloth (or wall hanging). I have adored this piece since my college days, and when I saw the exhibit at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Museum in Williamsburg, VA back in the mid-90s, I vowed to someday give it a try. I am preparing by doing studies of individual animals on a daily basis. You can keep up with my progress by becoming a fan of  Canvasworks Floorcloths on Facebook. I am posting a study/painting every day and as I progress to laying out the floorcloth, I’ll be posting that too. Your words of encouragement on this tough project are invaluable as I struggle along! My goal is to have this piece completed for the upcoming Old House and Barn Show in Manchester, NH March 20 and 21. I am also offering prints of the studies. they are small (4.5″ X 6.5″) matted prints which fit perfectly into a 8″ X 10″ frame. They are $25 each. Please call the studio (802-263-5410) if you’d like to order. Here is yesterday’s “Daily Painting”:

So then from complex patterns to painterly animals, change gears again to a very simple, strong design for a design-award winning home in Kentucky. This home owner made use of my “Try It Before You Buy It” program, where she actually saw several variations of the floorcloth in the space where she intends to put it. I used Photoshop to slide the floorcloth right in there without moving a stick of furniture. I encourage all of my clients to make use of this complimentary service. It makes such a difference when you can see how it is going to look before you place your order. Here is the rendering of the floorcoth in the home:

And here it is on the worktable this morning; ready for poly:

I’m off this morning to have a dressage lesson. This afternoon I’m laying out a big (9′ 8″ X 12′) design for an architect, then I’ll be painting another critter for my Kingdom- maybe a pig today!

Ever since I started making floorcloths more than 15 years ago, the past has been bumping into the present for me. Since painting floorcloths is a traditional craft, many of the patterns, techniques and materials used to make them are taken right from the pages of history. Now Canvasworks is entering into a licensing agreement with one of the country’s best sources for everything old.

I visited Historic New England’s archives last Spring and, after poring over dozens of floorcloth remnants carefully stored in their collection, chose three designs to launch a new line. Every sale of any of these three designs benefits HNE and its commitment to preserve and share New England’s heritage.

The first design is called “Greek Key” and is based on a piece from the Field-Hodges House in North Andover, Massachusetts.It has a beautiful sponged center with Black borders and Dorset Gold Greek keys interlocking around the perimeter. The standard size is 30″ X 72″ (2.5 ft. by 6 ft.) and it is $375.

This piece will be on display at the Historic Home Show in King of Prussia, PA this weekend at Old House Interiors Magazine’s booth. It can also be ordered as a 3′ X 5′ ($375), 5′ X 7′ ($875) or a dining room rug which is 8′ X 10′ for $2000.

The other two designs are “Peppers and Petals” from the Daniel Bliss House in Rehoboth, Mass., and  “Stars and Flowers” from the Samuel MacClellan House .

“Peppers and Petals” shown as 2′ X 3′ is $180

“Stars and Flowers” shown as 6′ X 6′ is $1260

Call the studio (802)263-5410 or email us for more info on any of these designs or to order.

Don’t worry! There’s still lots of news, information and photos and videos for you to enjoy. The Canvasworks website just had a big upgrade done, and now you are able to pick and choose what you want to know about. I will continue to post on here approximately once a week. These posts will focus in on what projects are currently on the table, new discoveries I’ve made in the world of floorcloths, and interesting other things that show up in my day to day life as a Vermont Artist.

If you received an email which brought you to this post  and you would like to continue to receive these weekly updates, you don’t need to do a thing. You will remain subscribed and you will get a note in your email box once a week.

Now, here’s where some interesting things are being added but they won’t show up in your email box

(read on to find out how that works):

Daily Painting

My New Year’s Resolution was to paint a small painting every day. My followers are my keepers! So far, I have posted a photo of a new little painting every day in January. I have been helped along with lots of great comments and words of encouragement.

Daily Tips

In keeping with the idea of something I can give my readers every day, I am starting a Daily Tip feature. These will be helpful hints about painting, decorating with, and maintaining floorcloths.

Floorcloth Photo Sharing

Many of my patrons, students and blanks customers have sent me great photos of finished floorcloths in their homes. I will be sharing these as well. We can all gain inspiration from seeing floorcloths in a variety of styles and situations.

So, where will all of this be? It’s all on Canvasworks’ Facebook Page! Now, don’t cringe and say, “Oh no, not Facebook!” It’s a wonderful and easy way to give you access to all of these cool things with the added bonus that I won’t be emailing you until you (and I) are blue in the face. If you haven’t explored Facebook all you have to do is click on the link here and it will take you to the page and ask you to sign in. You will have to register, but it’s free and as harmless as you want it to be. If you become a Fan of Canvasworks, you can check in whenever you want and see what’s going on. See the Daily painting, make a comment, share it with a friend, post your own picture… the list goes on.

Now, here’s the link:
Canvasworks Floorcloths

I know this is scary stuff for some. If you REALLY are against signing up for Facebook, and you REALLY want to be apart of all these cool new things, please let me know and I will seriously consider putting some of this onto my site (but I’d rather not- it get’s very time-consuming and cumbersome). If many of you feel this way, I will accomodate your wishes.

Lastly, with the new upgrade you can now UNSUBSCRIBE yourself from this list. It’s over there on the right where it says “Please join our mailing list” Enter your email and it will ask you if you want to unsubscribe. That button was broken before, but we fixed it. I hope you won’t leave, but I understand if Canvasworks doesn’t fit into your scheme of things. I hope you will check back in the future.

Also, if you’re already using facebook, don’t forget to click the little facebook share button right under this text. That will send this post to your Facebook friends. Thanks!

Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse for sitting down and painting something really pretty. I’ve had several requests lately for floorcloth kits which include a pattern, so I decided to start small and offer this Placemat Kit, and since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner…

Phew! Yesterday’s class was fantastic! There were 19 participants from all over the U.S. We started at 9 a.m., when they watched the first of 4 videos where I talked about materials and showed them how to get started. They set off at their own pace and we all met back online at 11, when we shared email questions which I answered. The questions covered all kinds of relevant things from brands and types of paint to how to care for brushes. The next video went live at noon and we met back again for more questions and answers at 2. The last video showed the finishing steps to making the sunflower floorcloth. People watched and painted and asked questions, right from their own homes. A final wrap up happened at 5:00. As part of this initial Online Workshop, these registrants will be able to attend the next workshop on January 24th along with any who sign up from now until then. We all decided that the class should stay in touch through Facebook, and if they finish they will try to send some photos so we can all see how things turned out.

The next class will be held on Sunday, January 24th from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but the nice thing about this format is that you don’t have to work on it on that day. You can just watch the videos and participate in the Question and Answer sessions (there are 3 of them thoughout the day) if you like, or watch the videos and paint some other time. If you’d like to sign up for the next class (Class #2 Sunflower Floorcloth) go to this link. As soon as you sign up a materials list will be sent to you so you can be ready to paint on the 24th.

In the meantime, check out the class’ comments and other happenings at Canvasworks’ Facebook page. This is also where my Daily Paintings are posted. So far so good!

Canvasworks Floorcloths

I heard a thing on NPR the other day where people were asked to describe 2009 in one word. Most people said “ugh!”. I thought about it for a minute and I decided it was a tough year, but I don’t feel that negative about it. The word to describe ‘09 for me is  “learning” . I learned that yes, I could install a couple of huge floorcloths in a museum, while patrons hovered over me (Rosedown Plantation). I learned that I could take my floorcloth painting  class on the road and enjoy every minute of it (Rufus Porter Museum). I learned that with slow, steady, correct training, my injured horse could recover. I learned that with intense focus and attention to detail I could pass one of the toughest exams I have ever taken (USDF L Program). And I learned that my “Make Your Own Floorcloth” customers at Canvasworks are very eager to learn how to make floorcloths! SO now I’m learning how to present online classes, so that people don’t have to travel away from the comfort off their own homes to take a class. I also learned to appreciate that I have a business which allows me to connect with people all over the world, while I stay in my cozy farmhouse and design, paint and create at my own pace.

The learning will continue in 2010! I am doing little daily paintings to teach me to notice how I work; what areas need improving; and what designs appeal to me the most. i have moved these to my Facebook page (If you have a Facebook account, just login and search for “Canvasworks”).

Tomorrow, January 10, Canvasworks will host its first online class. There’s still time to sign up, if you’re interested. You can sign up anytime up until the 24th and take the class whenever you have a chance. On the 10th and the 24th I will conduct 3 question and answer email sessions during the day. You can watch the class and participate in the question and answer sessions on the 10th, then get the materials, paint your floorcloth and check back in when the class runs again on the 24th. If you had any problems or would like to show off your work, you can do that at no extra cost by attending the second, January 24th session. Here’s a little video telling you more about the class.