Charlotte Country Day in April!

Avocado Bunch

8" x 8"

Crimson Gathering

20" x 20"

Bowl of Sunshine

8" x 8"

The Purple Within

8" x 8"

These are just a few of the new paintings that will be available at the Charlotte Country Day School Art Sale.  This will be my second year participating in the sale and I am painting as fast as I can to have a nice selection of new art to choose from.

The preview to the sale and meet the artist reception will be Wednesday evening April 15th, 5-7 pm.  The sale will run April 16 - 18th.  Shop early for the best selection.  Check back again for updates!

Well off to paint something new for the sale!

Thank you for stopping by!

Torrie

Director's Choice Exhibit Now Open and Morning with Thomas McNickle

 

Orchid Solo

20" x 20"

Avocado Bunch

8" x 8"

I am honored to once again be included in the Director’s Choice Exhibition at The Cain Center in Cornelius, NC.  Simone and her staff have curated a lovely collection of fine art. You must go see it! I will be at the reception February 26th.

The year is already flying by!  I am trying to focus on new art~. I have a couple of commissions to finish and then I will be moving to landscapes!  I plan on learning to paint plein air!

I have recently been to an artist talk at Melberg Gallery with Tom McNickle speaking.  This made my desire to move to landscapes even stronger.  Here are a few pictures from the Melberg Gallery.

Thomas McNickle 

Thomas McNickle

His work is beautiful!  It was a really fun morning and he gave me a lot of things to think about in regards to my work and how to manage the days when the painting just isn't coming together as it should.

You can listen to the Artist talk on You Tube HERE

Thank you again for stopping by,

Torrie

New Year-- New Paintings!

 

Tar Heel Martini

Blue Devil Martini

Commissioned Set

The last painting of 2025 is varnished and drying.  Time to get started on the new year!  

This year is going to be filled with new things!  New paintings, new fun art things to see and do.  The first was the Anne Neilson opening for Millie Gosch.  The paintings were lovely!  Next, the "RooDoodles" class at Anne Neilson with Michael Haun.  I am looking forward to learning something new and making new original artwork!  

Then there is the Melberg Gallery opening next with the works of Thomas McNickle.  His representational landscapes are full of vivid color!  I can't wait to see them close up.  That is where the inspiration for my new landscapes will come from.  I have painted mainly still life for years. It is time to mix it up.  

I am looking forward to new paintings, maybe some plein air.  Classes when they are available.  Shows if they fit into my schedule.

Hopefully, as the year moves along, you will see a painting you like....let me know if you do!

Thanks for stopping by.

Torrie

Paintings now available at The Good News Shop at Christ Church in Charlotte

 

More White on White

6" x 6"

$125

The Lazy Green Pear

6" x 6" 

$125

I'm in the Good News Shop!

I have two paintings in the Good News Shop at Christ Church on Providence Road in Charlotte.  These are two of my favorite paintings.  I have painted these compositions before and the second time they both turned out beautiful.  They are framed in plein air type frames and ready to hang.  They would make nice Christmas Gifts for your art loving friends and family.   If you are in the Charlotte area, stop by and look at all the paintings that are available in the newly remodeled church.  The Good News Shop receives a commission on the sales which goes toward their mission fund.

Up Next~ I have a dog commission that I am working on for Christmas.  Wish me luck, I don't do many dog paintings!

Thanks for stopping by,

Torrie

Up Next! Opposites Attract Show at the Cain Center

New Show at the Cain Center of the Arts, Cornelius, North Carolina

Filigree 

20" x 20"

Crack of Dawn

11" x 14"

I am always so excited and honored to participate in exhibitions at the Cain Center.  It is a beautiful place dedicated to the arts in Cornelius, NC.  Click the link for more information about the Cain.  

The Opposites show was a new adventure for me.  For someone who loves color, painting with just black and white was a challenge.  I also added an abstract -- which I almost never paint!  The show reception will be Thursday, September 26th, 6:30 to 8:30 pm.  Both these paintings will be available for purchase at the show.  

My next adventure will be an upcoming pop up market with my granddaughter at Polkville Baptist Church in Polkville, NC.  She will be selling her crocheted animals and I will be selling small paintings ~ more about that in the coming days. 

The weather is cooling down and I plan on taking the opportunity to get outside and paint!  I have never painted outside before, even though it has always been on my list of things to do. 

Well off to finish another large painting!

Thank you for stopping by~

Torrie

Mint Hill Arts Tiny Treasures Show

 

Italian Lemons

6" x 6"

Acrylic Paint on Canvas Framed

Red Cherries III

6" x 6"

Acrylic Paint on Canvas Framed

Well Played II

6"x 6" 

Acrylic Paint on Canvas Framed

Audrey's Lilies

6" x 6" 

Acrylic Paint on Canvas Framed

This was my first year participating in the Mint Hill Arts Tiny Treasures Show.  It was a great show with so many wonderful paintings.  The show will run through September 5th.  Paintings are available for purchase through the Mint Hill Arts Store here.

Hidden Treasures from the previous post has been varnished, framed and sent off to its new home in Virginia.

The summer has flown by and have so many fun things coming up soon.  New and different paintings are on the way!

Thanks for stopping by,

Torrie

It has been awhile!

Hidden Treasure

12" x 12" 

Acrylic Paint and Gold Leaf

~Sold~

Sorry I haven't posted anything lately.  We have been busy with family traveling and catching up, but now back to painting!

I don't usually paint abstract paintings, I prefer still life and landscapes.  I had an idea and decided to give it a try--on a small scale with a 12" x 12" canvas.  

I started with a very colorful, loosely painted background.  (I may have to do this again....but much larger!

The next step, I covered most of the canvas with a thick impasto layers of similar colors using a knife.  I wanted it to look like broken plaster.

I then added just a very narrow edge along the openings with gold leaf.

Are you still with me?  Next came more layers of the impasto plaster-type layers in lighter colors to give it depth.

I then added a white edge next to the gold leaf, for more definition.

I added more layers of the "plaster type layer". 

Lastly, a bit of touch of on the colored under layer (where I had wayward gold leaf.)

I then framed the painting in a gold floater frame. 

My little abstract adventure has sold and will soon be shipped to its new home.

I hope you have enjoyed the progress pictures of my abstract adventure!  It will be a while before I do another one. 

Up next is another baseball painting.  This one will be going to the "Smalls" show in Mint Hill.  I am currently working to finish two more small paintings for the show.

Thank you for stopping by and continuing to follow my painting adventures.

Torrie

 

The Monarch II

6" x 6" x 1.5"

Gallery Wrapped Canvas

The Blue Morpho Butterfly

6" x 6" x 1.5"

Gallery Wrapped Canvas

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

6" x 6" x 1.5"

Gallery Wrapped Canvas

The Peacock Eye Butterfly 

6" x 6" x 1.5"

Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Current Available Butterflies

This has been a very busy time, but I did get a new Monarch Butterfly painting competed and there are currently four available at torriesmiley.com

The Mint Museum Show continues in uptown Charlotte through the end of May.  I have a small abstract to complete and then will be doing a series of small still life.  

I am going to try and get started with the local plein air group, so be on the lookout for more landscapes.  I have not painted landscapes very often and its time to start doing more!

Thank you for stopping by!

Torrie

 

An Evening at the Mint!

 STANDING AMONG THE ASPENS

24" X 30"

Available to ship after the close of the exhibition.

Me at the Mint!

The Last Inning - On the Mint Website!

A once in a life time opportunity!  I now can say my artwork has hung in the Mint Museum Uptown Charlotte and my painting "The Last Inning" is currently on the Mint website!  It really doesn't get any better than this.  I want to thank the Guild of Charlottes for making this opportunity happen for over 150 hard working artists in and around the Charlotte community.  So many talented artists in one room!  Filled with family, friends, and collectors; it was a great evening.

The Mint was filled with artwork of all kinds, abstracts, representational, fiber, collage, jewelry, pottery, too many to mention.  It is a wonderful exhibit.  Try and make it to the 5th floor of the Mint and enjoy the celebration of art!  Wednesday at the Mint there is free admission and plenty of parking at 550 S. Tryon St,  Levine Center and Mint parking.  

I plan on going back to the Mint to see the show.  There were so many at the opening, it was hard to see all of the art.

Thanks for stopping by and continuing to follow my adventures!

Torrie 

NEXT UP-- THE MINT MUSEUM!

 

Standing Among the Aspens

24" x 30"

Coming in just a few days!  The opening reception for the "Guilding the Mint" Guild of Charlotte Artists show at the Mint Museum in Uptown Charlotte will be Wednesday, April 23rd, 6-9 pm.  Admission to the Mint is free on Wednesdays.

The painting is finished, just need to apply the varnish, let it dry and then frame in a gold floater frame.

This will be my last show until the fall......maybe.  I will be a juror for the next Guild show, so I will not be participating.  It is the "Small Works" show, which I always love doing, since painting small is my favorite! 

I will be completing several small paintings to upload to the online stores in the coming months. I have been busy with constant shows since January and it will be nice to spend with time with family this summer.

Check back again soon!  I will definitely be up to something!

Thanks for stopping by~

Torrie

Opening Day Charlotte County Day!

                         

This evening is the Opening Night Reception at Charlotte County Day Art Sale!  I will have 23 paintings available for purchase at the event.  Here are just 20 of the paintings that will be available.  The sale hours are the following times and days:

                                Wed, April 9th 5 - 7pm: Opening Night and Sale

                                Thurs, April 10th 10am - 7pm: Art Sale

                                Friday, April 11th 10am - 7pm: Art Sale

                                Saturday, April 12th 10am - 3pm: Art Sale

I spent the morning yesterday hanging the paintings at Charlotte Country Day and forgot to take a picture of all the paintings after they were hung.  I will try to get pictures when the sale opens today.

Thank you for continuing to follow the blog, next week I will be posting the information for the upcoming Mint Museum show in Uptown Charlotte.

Thanks for stopping by!  See you at Charlotte Country Day~

Torrie