A Kitchen Still Life

Eggs and Shells, oil painting by Melody Phaneuf
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A kitchen, in my view, requires the energy of yellow. With blue as its companion, yellow vibrates and expresses radiant joy, buoyed against its near complementary hue. Monet must have thought so too, continue reading~

Eggs and Shells, oil painting by Melody Phaneuf, private collection
Eggs and Shells, 11 x 14 Matted Print
Eggs and Shells, Boxed Note Cards

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Boston Artist, Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life, landscape, and portrait paintings. Her paintings are regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street; at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment; and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf ‘s paintings have been exhibited at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo, features Phaneuf’s original oil paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and beverage coasters, fine art prints, and handmade note cards.

Make Your Life a Work of Art~
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Valentine Reverie

Fragrant Delight by Melody Phaneuf~ Vibrant pink roses exude romance and lush beauty.
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A rose within my heart you are,
My dearest, sweetest, bravest star~

Somehow, in the doldrums of late winter, we manage to kindle a spark of romance. Cupid, the cherubic mischief-maker and sharp shooter, is certain to perk things up a bit. And having been awakened by his darts of passion, we seek to express it by delighting our senses. We behold the perfume and lush beauty of roses, the luxurious embrace of satin upon the skin. We savor chocolate on the palette and resonate the mood with poetry and music.

It is a tribute to our spirit that we find ways to stir from our slumber. Keeping our senses awakened is the essence of aesthetic experience and the reason to surround ourselves, and those we cherish with timeless beauty~

As time goes by from year to year,
One thing is surely true, my dear;
Though decades come and decades go,
Just seeing you sets me aglow.
Your loving heart turns life to play,
As we laugh from day to day.
So I write, and hang my sign,
"Always Be My Valentine."

Wishing you a beautiful Valentine’s Day~ May you be transported by Cupid’s arrow.

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Fragrant Delight, 36 x 34 Oil Painting by Melody Phaneuf is also available in Limited Edition Gicleé on canvas, tumbled marble beverage coasters, and handmade note cards.

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Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life, landscape, and portrait paintings. Her paintings are regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street; at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment; and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf ‘s paintings have been exhibited at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo, features Phaneuf’s original oil paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and beverage coasters, fine art prints, and handmade note cards.

Make Your Life a Work of Art~
Online shopping at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Download our free 2010 Calendar
Commission a painting by Melody Phaneuf
Be a facebook fan of MelodyTheArtist.com
Follow MelodyTheArtist on twitter
Musings on Cupid

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Seeing Light

From Con Spirito, Painting in Oil by Melody Phaneuf

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It was my mother who taught me to notice the light. As a child in my high chair, I would watch how she would stop and stare at a sun beam penetrating our kitchen window, her eyes narrowed and focused on something, to me, intangible. Since I couldn’t yet speak, I didn’t ask what she was looking at but I mimicked her in the hopes I could know what so mesmerized her.

Later I studied how light bathes forms and spills color, how it moves fluidly revealing textures in its wake. Light, to me, is the animating force in visual composition. It is the key to evoking emotional response.

I am often asked how to paint glass or copper or some other object. It is not the materials that I paint but the light that acts upon them. This subtle shift in observation provides a unifying force in painting, and simplifies a complex visual world.

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Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life, landscape, and portrait paintings. Her paintings are regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street; at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment; and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf's paintings have been exhibited at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo, features Phaneuf’s original oil paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and beverage coasters, fine art prints, and handmade notecards.


Make Your Life a Work of Art~
Online shopping at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Download our free 2010 Art Calendar
Commission a painting by Melody Phaneuf
Be a facebook fan of MelodyTheArtist.com
Follow MelodyTheArtist on twitter

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Christmas Enchantment

Season’s Greeting, Oil Painting by Melody Phaneuf,
available in Open Edition Print, and Handmade Notecards

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Once upon a time there was wonder at Christmas, the mysterious visit of a red-clad Saint who gifted good children with their heart’s desire. In those by-gone days, toys were made by hand and gifts were wrapped in shimmering papers and embellished with velvet ribbons. Thus it was in my childhood picture books~ all was enchantment.

I do recall being woken in the darkest of nights to a spectacle of colored lights steeped in evergreen fragrance, astonished at the abundance that had suddenly appeared. An empty glass of milk and cookie crumbs were the evidence that Saint Nicholas had found us. Christmas was the best time to be a child.

The painting, Season’s Greeting is an interpretation of Christmas magic. The low major key expresses a sense of wonder with its eye-opening smash of light. The carved horse is reminiscent of an era when toys were made from wood, with loving care. Season’s Greeting is meant to inspire the spirit of Christmas, untarnished, as if seen through the eyes of a child.

Wishing you a wonder-filled Christmas~

Season’s Greeting, 14 x 20 oil painting by Melody Phaneuf, in private collection, Gloucester, MA

Season’s Greeting is available in Open Edition Print, and Handmade Notecards

Make Your Life a Work of Art~
See our complete selection of affordable, artful Holiday Gifts
Online shopping at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

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Boston Artist, Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life, landscape, and portrait paintings. Phaneuf’s paintings are regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street; at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment; and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf has exhibited her paintings at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo showcases Phaneuf’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints, and handmade notecards.

Follow MelodyTheArtist on twitter
Be a facebook fan of MelodyTheArtist.com/shop
Visit Melody Phaneuf at Fenway Studios, Boston
Commission a painting by Melody Phaneuf

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The Art of Winter ~Winter's Passage II

Winter’s Passage II, 30 x 25 oil painting by Boston Artist, Melody Phaneuf

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Silver skies and minor keys~ I love the subtle light of winter days. Neutrality gives way to endless nuances of color within its edges. A blanket of fresh snow unifies the appearance of things and gives much charm to the environment.

Winter’s Passage II is a wintry view of Gloucester, MA from one of her many hills. Little houses seem to hunker down against the blustery weather. The chromatic activity of the sky is mirrored in the harbor below and provides a shimmering backdrop for the seaside village. Typically New England, Winter’s Passage II is an enchanting ensemble of earthly comfort and Nature’s temperament.

Winter’s Passage II, 30 x 25 oil painting by Boston Artist, Melody Phaneuf

Winter’s Passage II, is available as an Open Edition Print and as Handmade Note Cards

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Boston Artist, Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life, landscape, and portrait paintings. Phaneuf’s paintings are regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street; at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment; and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf has exhibited her paintings at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo showcases Phaneuf’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints, and handmade note cards.

Make Your Life a Work of Art~
See our complete selection of affordable, Artful Gifts
Online shopping at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Follow MelodyTheArtist on twitter
Be a facebook fan of MelodyTheArtist.com/shop
Visit Melody Phaneuf at Fenway Studios, Boston
Commission a painting by Melody Phaneuf

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Artistic Inspiration~ Harvest Suite

Harvest Suite, 30 x 25 oil painting by Boston Artist Melody Phaneuf
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Wood tones and earthenware evoke a sense of rustic comfort in Harvest Suite. The diminished intensity of color in the painting is quiet, holding our attention for its subtlety rather than its vibrancy. Soft, diffused lighting caresses the objects, nurturing a comforting ambiance.

The carved shelf reminded me of a favorite inn in Brittany, which inspired the theme. Once a hunting lodge, the inn’s mahogany dining room was chiseled with oak leaves and motifs that echo the enchanted forest nearby. I wanted to express my feelings and recollections awakened by the shelf’s pattern. Hand-hewn pottery in butterscotch and mauve, fruits of the earth and simplicity of design suggest a delicious earthy coziness. A tendril of ribbon contributes slow, meandering movement, interweaving the design.

Harvest Suite may not reveal its Breton roots to the viewer but the painting’s agreeable color, texture, and simplicity nourishes the visual appetite.

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Boston Artist, Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life, landscape, and portrait paintings. Phaneuf’s paintings are regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street; at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment; and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf has exhibited her paintings at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo showcases Phaneuf’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints, and handmade notecards. Online ordering at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Harvest Suite, 30 x 25 oil painting by Boston Artist Melody Phaneuf

Harvest Suite is available in fine art prints and handmade notecards.

See our complete selection of Autumn Décor and Hostess Gifts~
Online shopping at http://MelodyTheArtist.com/shop


Follow MelodyTheArtist on twitter
Be a facebook fan of MelodyTheArtist.com/shop
Visit Melody Phaneuf at Fenway Studios, Boston
Commission a painting by Melody Phaneuf

Colorful Vibrations

Yellow, 25 x 20 oil painting by Boston Artist Melody Phaneuf
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It is said that everything in the universe was created by vibration. Quivering movement is the force that animates life. The artist’s use of color in painting can cause visual vibration and create an activating force.

A solitary color is present in the oil painting Yellow, yet the variations in value and chroma stimulate one another to cause an infinite array of subordinate hues. Pale violet, reds, and green punctuate the background as our eyes attempt to stay focused on the deep gold of the local color. Echoes of the brilliant yellow flowers and fruit dance across the surface causing a delightful interplay between background and subject matter. Our eyes appreciate this pulsation; they translate it into the breathing rhythm of life.

We live in an ocean of vibration. Artists endeavor to perceive subtleties in the visual world and trace effects to their cause. For many artists, the calling is to make the invisible realm visible.

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Boston Artist, Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life, landscape, and portrait paintings. Phaneuf’s paintings are regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street; at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment; and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf has exhibited her paintings at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo showcases Phaneuf’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints, and handmade notecards. Online shopping at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Yellow, 25 x 20 oil painting by Boston Artist Melody Phaneuf

Yellow is available in fine art prints and hand made notecards.

Looking for affordable art?
See our complete selection of Hostess Gifts~
Online shopping at http://MelodyTheArtist.com/shop


Follow MelodyTheArtist on twitter
Be a facebook fan of MelodyTheArtist.com/shop
Visit Melody Phaneuf at Fenway Studios, Boston
Commission a painting by Melody Phaneuf

Hues of Autumn

Hues of Autumn, 18 x 25 oil painting by Boston Artist Melody Phaneuf
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As the days shorten and the temperature cools, we long for brightness and warmth. In the still life painting called Hues of Autumn, warm and active colors invite us to linger in a gyrating composition, expressive of the season's lively spirit.

Hues of Autumn cultivates positive emotions by its buoyant design. The verticality of the picture combined with high major key and wide chromatic range engage our attention, its contrasts seeding our exuberance. There is an animation in the earthen jug, a sense of impending movement. Textural patterning in the fabric begins an upward motion that is bolstered by the placement of oak leaves leading us to pomegranates and through the handles of the vessel. The impact of our visual experience rhymes with the variety provided by Nature's most stimulating season.

Hues of Autumn, 18 x 25 oil painting by Boston Artist Melody Phaneuf

Hues of Autumn, is available in fine art prints and handmade note cards.

Looking for affordable art?
See our complete selection of Hostess Gifts~
Online shopping at http://MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

~

Boston Artist, Melody Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life, landscape, and portrait paintings. Phaneuf’s paintings are regularly on view at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street; at Fenway Studios, Boston by appointment; and North Shore Art in Gloucester from May through October. Phaneuf has exhibited her paintings at The National Arts Club in New York City, Galerie Herouet in Paris, and with Art du Monde, in Japan.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo showcases Phaneuf’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints, and handmade note cards.

Online shopping at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Follow MelodyTheArtist on twitter
Be a facebook fan of MelodyTheArtist.com/shop
Visit Melody Phaneuf at Fenway Studios, Boston
Commission a painting by Melody Phaneuf

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The Art of Hand-Written Notes

We keep them for weeks or sometimes years. We display them on the refrigerator, come across them in drawers and bookcases. Like revisiting a favorite place, we open and read them again. Hand-written notes touch us because they are expressions of caring.

How my spirit soars as I reread a note from a former teacher and much-admired artist:

Dear Melody,

Just a note to say how very fine your 3 winter rooftops appear at the Guild~
You have taken your gift for design into the landscape & done so with a handsome, restrained color scheme.

They are First Rate!!!

Best Regards,
Bob

Taking the time to write a short, kind note when it isn’t expected stirs us, opening portals of connection. I celebrate Valentine’s Day by writing notes to honor friendships and the work of others. Whatever the sentiments of the correspondence may be, the unspoken message of a hand-written note is “you matter to me.”


Melody Phaneuf is a Boston Artist, working at Fenway Studios. Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life and landscape paintings and has achieved significant acclaim for portraiture. She has exhibited at Galerie Herouet in Paris, The National Arts Club in New York City, and with Art du Monde, a traveling exposition in Japan. Phaneuf’s paintings are regularly displayed at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo showcases the artist’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints and note cards. Online ordering at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Featured Above~ Rhythms And Red, handmade note cards, from the original oil painting by Melody Phaneuf

Related Links~

• Business Note Etiquette
• The Habit of Personal Notes
• The Tradition of Valentine Notes