Collector's Pics

Christmas updates from my collectors:

It ALWAYS makes my day when I receive Collectors Pics of my paintings in their new home.
This year a couple of people sent in these pics of the paintings under their Christmas trees. I see it as a great honour being included and getting a glimpse where my paintings find their home.
I was so busy tending to commissioned paintings that I didn't have a lot of time to post on my blog in December, so I hope to thread in in the next few weeks what has happened last month in my 'studio' (actually my easel is pitched in my living room by the warm fire, haha).

If you have been following my blog, you have seen above painting before. You can read the story behind this painting in the blog post by clicking here.
And the painting below was purchased by a sweet husband who wanted to surprise his darling wife. I had painted the Winnebago Cabover Painting as part of my 'camper a day' project this past September. He called me up mid December and I got the painting on its way right in time for Christmas. I am smiling as I see how lovingly it is placed! You collectors of mine are theee best, thank you! I appreciate each one of you so very much! You keep me painting and pushing my limits to become better at what I love to do! Thank you!!!

Cold Snap

Have I mentioned it was cold here in the Maritimes the last couple of weeks? Below are some photos from the St. Andrews wharf I took just a few days ago. The sea smoke on the water is a sure fire indication that it is a verrrryyy cold day. 

My painting day today

We are expecting a 'snow bomb' to explode here in the Maritimes tomorrow. Markus and the people of St. Andrews have been busy getting their houses ready. I hope people will stay home and stay away from the roads. Here this was the view from the wharf this afternoon. Isn't it beautiful? I started a painting, but couldn't quite finish due to frozen cold fingers. Will post about that in the next few days sometime. Hope to finish some last touches, maybe tomorrow. 
Thanks for taking time to visit, and stay in touch again tomorrow.

Annual Gift Sale Starts Today!

Wow, has October flown by so fast! And as we on the East Coast still enjoy phenomenal late-fall weather with warm temperatures, I have been busy designing gift items for the vintage camper  and art lover. My annual gift sale and Christmas sale is starting today and I hope you get a chance to stop by my online shop.

Greeting Cards:

My greeting cards have been very popular in the past and people like picking them up throughout the year. As a thank you for your continued support, I am offering special bulk rebates for greeting cards on top of my sale prices. So if you are looking for some quality stationary for your glamping friends or bundle a few together as a hostess gift or stocking stuffer, these would fit the bill (and not break the bank). Quantities of 10 or more receive 10% discount, 20 or more receive 20% discount!

New this year, holiday greeting cards!
After seeing how much people loved the gingerbread house themed little Shasta camper, I have decided to offer my favorite holiday themed glampers as seasonal cards. They have writing on them, too. (The snowy pink Aljo is on backorder, but should arrive soon. Will list once it arrives).

calendars:

of course, the calendars have arrived, too. I am offering a glamping calendar featuring your 12 favourites, the winners of the October voting held on my blog. You can check it out here.           
And for my non-glamping friends, there is a calendar, too. 'Creative Journey Caledar' features 12 watercolours created this year, from florals to land and seascapes and the gingerbread camper for December, it features a bit of everything what I've been working on these past months.
Fun Christmas gift tags are here, too... check them out- perfect little stocking stuffer. 12 for $5.
Looking for a one of a kind gift? Still have a couple of slots open for your special glamper commission painting. And of course:  free shipping for $60 or more.
Anyhow, I better get back to packaging a bit more and hope you get a chance to stop by my annual gift sale!

1965 Aristocrat Lo-Liner

1965 Aristocrat Lo-Linerorig. watercolor 8x10in (matted to fit 11x14in frame)
purchase info here

Today's camper is this red 1965 Aristocrat Lo-Liner. It's proud owner writes the following:

'This is "The Hen House" - my very first vintage trailer. I named her
after finding some cute curtain fabric & a vintage red leather
suitcase! My very first vintage trailer!'

Isn't it the best how many people start a renovation (camper or other) with a some inspiration piece? Here it was a cute curtain fabric and a vintage leather suitcase. My own kitchen reno and so many others behind me I know exactly how she feels. It takes just one inspiration piece to get a vision. I guess that the red leather suitcase was the model for the red color outside.

Side note about submitting photos:

Today I had to work some imaginary angles as the photo was cropped. I usually don't choose cropped photos as it just adds that extra level of stress to guess it right, but I am a sucker for red, so I let it slip. It was stressful, haha! The owner offered different photos but it was too late to contact her as my month is coming to an end very soon.

I believe more people have tried to send  photos in, but my 'super basic uploader' doesn't have a landing page stating if things went through. Many people were wondering (however the uploader shows if things don't go through). Most problems I saw was too large files. My computer screen is not showing the whole photo if files arrive at full size, often 5mb!

I had this a couple years ago and it drove me crazy to re-size almost every other photo. So I decided that photos have to be sent the right size for me to work from. Many people read and understood and I'm very thankful for the time I could spend painting rather than editing pics;-) Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Tomorrow, more camper before we call it done for this time and I want to thank each and every one again for sending in your pics! I had fun and hope you did have, too!

1963 Arrow Duplex Cabover

1963 Arrow Duplex Caboverorig. watercolor, 8x10in (matted to fit 11.14in frame)more info and purchase, click here

Welcome to today's 1963 Arrow Duplex Cabover. The step-up tiny camping home for the person who needs a bit more space (or has more kids, haha).

This one here is a 1963, almost 55 years old! I'd love to look this good when I'm 55, just sayin'!

Here is what its proud owner shared with me: "This is my camper Flo. We have a lot of fun because I just 'go with the Flo.'" Some comments make my day, and this was one of those! Thank you very much for sending in your darling Flo for us all to smile with you!

I am posting this, yawning. So tired today. This weekend I was out and about painting at Kings Landing Historic Settlement at their annual plein air fundraiser. The other artists attending are fun to be around with and really, as creating art is kind of a solitary endeavor, it feels special to paint alongside likeminded. We stayed at the bunkhouse where they host the summer camp kids. You can guess how well I slept, haha! 

I will share some of the paintings created with you once the month and my camper project is over. If you are interested in looking at the exhibit and enjoy a wonderful fall excursion, you can head to Kings Landing until October 9th, 2017 before they close for the season.

Green 1954 Aljoa Sportsman

Green 1954 Aljoa Sportsman

orig. watercolor, 8x10in (matted to fit 11x14in frame)
purchase info here

What a pleasure it was to paint today's campie. This Green1954 Aljoa Sportsman looks so inviting and move-in ready!  I have known it's proud owner for quite some time on Facebook and when I have worked my way up to her submission, I was smitten! I had NO idea her little campie would be such a cute treasure.

This time in my camper-a-day event I have taken the approach of first come-first served. If, for whatever reason I couldn't paint a camper set-up, I have contacted the owner directly and asked for different photos. Also, this time around, I am not opening all the photos immediately. I wait til it is their turn to be painted and so it is a surprise for me what I'll end up painting each day! I loooooove it! Thanks everyone!!!

Today, I like the dark green and honey colored wood this green1954 Aljoa Sportsman features. Nowadays, light color themes prevail and many vintage campers are being painted over to suit a more contemporary style. But this one here has kept it's vintage look. Love it!

Funny, here I'm talking about keeping the original look- I, the one that painted white her own camper's whole interior, haha. But to my defense, it didn't sport any wonderful birch ply.

At the moment I'm dreaming of an Airstream as a backyard studio.... but again, it would have to be shell-only, gutted! It almost breaks my heart to see any 1950's or 60's beauty stripped of it's original interior. So, I will have to wait for one that is already gutted by someone else. This way I don't feel bad having done any damage.

Anyhow, enough of my dreams, I wish you a wonderful day and hope to see you here again, same time, same station, new camper;-) Happy Trails!

1963 Shasta 16SCS 'Tin Can Annie'

1963 Shasta 16SCS 'Tin Can Annie'orig. watercolor, 8x10in (matted to fit 11x14in frame)purchase info here

Look what we have here today! 1963 Shasta 16SCS 'Tin Can Annie' is our country camper! I get to practice more of the wonderful Southern landscape. The purples, the brittle vegetation, the country feel of a simple life make me want to dream of these faraway places. My bucket list is growing this month!

As you might know, I am member of the 'Sisters on the Fly', camping ladies, and maybe I just have to hitch my own little Shasta and go on a road trip!

Well, the fam wouldn't be thrilled I am sure, but dreaming is always a possibility...

Here the weather grows colder by the day, the nights start to feel nippy lately, too. Fall is knocking on the door. As I write these lines, I have the balcony door open and hear the drying leaves of the nearby maple trees rustle in the ocean breeze. The first trees are starting their splendid display already. A bit early I think, it was a dry summer, but then, I think I say this every year that it is too early for fall.

Right now I'm battling a nasty cough, hope it will get better soon. My kids think I'm barking like a dog, haha. Oh well, fall must be in the air and surely this is the sign.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope we will see each other here soon again with another campie!

Simone

1953 King Camper 'Queenie'

1953 King Camper 'Queenie'

orig. watercolor 8x10in, matted to fit 11x14in frame, 
more info and purchase: click here

Today's cute camper is a 1953 King Camper named Queenie. It doesn't have any paint color, but left its natural aluminum siding. I painted a King Camper last year and it reflected the desert setting, so it was great to see today's camper which looks so sweet all decked out in bunting and cowboy boots and vintage finds.

I don't have a lot of info on the camper manufacturer, except it was built in the 50's in Los Angeles, CA. The great guys at TinCan Tourists have a great wiki archive, where I find great info on all kinds of different trailers while I am painting. If you are renovating one or looking to get one, check out their website! There are not many around, so if you  know someone with one, or happen to own one, wohoo- lucky, lucky!!

Here I want to share with you what it's proud owner sent to me. 'She is called "Queenie". And I often say: "I wonder if she thinks about me as much as I think about her."

Today will mark the back-to-school for us again. The kids are so excited to see their friends again, pack their lunches and start a new year of adventures and discoveries. I am excited for them and with them. I look forward to some more me-time for uninterrupted painting and maybe even a lunch date with my hubby. Life is good at the Ritter household...

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you will continue the journey with me as I will paint another vintage camper tomorrow! Have a wonderful day!