Weak Winter Sun

It warmed up to 11F in the bright sunshine this late Fall day!

I can't exactly call it a heatwave, but the temperatures are better than they were last night.

My dog doesn't seem to mind a bit.

Ashes from the woodstove keep the drive from becoming an ice rink.

Santa actually came this year!

What a nice surprise to wake up to!

A neighbor friend of mine works in the woods. He never lets anything go the waste. This unwanted wood from a lot clearing will feed my fire, rather than the chipper. Sure beats burning my dining room chairs or a cord of books and old magazines!

I really appreciate him thinking about me.

December Morning Moon

My morning view when making my morning coffee!

A few minutes later there is sunrise.

Even better...

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Fall Leaves 20 Nature Design
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Maine Miniature Watercolor

Maine Nature Paintings

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House Portraits Video

Samples of House Portraits by Laura Tasheiko, Maine Artist

These are mostly watercolor paintings of homes commissioned by people from all over the US.

Contact me if you are interested in having one done.

Maine Wintah 1st Snow Has Arrived!

This is what I saw when I looked out my window this afternoon!

I don't know why the first snow of the season always comes as a surprise.

Taking trees down, cutting and splitting wood gets a little harder to do each year!

But I'm always glad I did it.

New England Winter Snow

Winter Fields

30"x24"x1" Oil on Canvas

Sold

Video Introduction

Enjoy, Laura

Maine Goose River Marsh in Fall

Goose River

48"x18"x1" Diptych

Sold

Contact me with any questions.

Maine Fall River #28

Autumn River

16"x20"x1"

Oil on gallery wrapped stretched canvas.

Sold.

My New Old Car!

Winter Stream

30"x24"x1" Oil on Canvas.

Mobile again.

Not great, but the best I could do. Now all I have to do is pay for it. And I fixed my woodsplitter! I now know everything I never wanted to know about Small Engine Repair. Let the snows begin.

Maine Autumn Bay Marsh

Autumn Bay Marsh

30"x24"x1" oil on canvas

Sold

One success: I fixed my woodsplitter. I now know everything I never wanted to know about carburetors and how to fix them! Just in time, too. It's getting a bit nippy in this neck of the woods.

One failure: Still no car :( or money to buy one.

Death of my car

Dream Scape #8

16"x20"x1" Oil on canvas.

Ok, so my car can't be fixed. At least not in any sensable way. It's only 18 years old! It was bound to happen even though it looks good, and the engine runs great. Apparently, the tons of salt and chemicals on these roads in the winter just eats cars! I have no way of replacing it, and we have no public transportation in my neck of the woods. Looks like I'll be holed up here for the duration. If anyone ever thought about buying one of my paintings, now would be a very good time to do that. Better yet, Christmas is coming - buy 3! Don't forget to check out my House Portraits or consider a special order commission piece.

Fall chores

Some of my winter wood. There's another pile of trees like the 50 footers in the background there, just out of view. Today I'm learning about carborators on a 5 h.p. Honda engine. I never wanted to learn about small engines or carborators. Still don't. I will say, however, that taking one apart and putting it back together takes all the mystery out of them! I'm determined to get my woodsplitter started. Soon!

And I did manage to spend some time in my studio today:

Landscape #14

Seascape really. In any case, it's 18"x24"x1" Oil on gallery wrapped stretched canvas.

Contact me with interest. And do comment if the spirit moves you.

Good News & Bad News

Fall River #25

18"x24"x1" Oil on gallery wrapped stretched canvas.

New Fall oil paintings! That's the good news. More good news is that a neighbor came over with his chainsaw and tractor and helped me get the trees down and out of the woods to my lawn where I can cut them stove length and split them. The bad news is not only will I be burning green wood this year, I can't get my woodsplitter started. Oh, and more bad news - I talked to my mechanic today and my car is not fixable within financial reason. So it looks like I might have to replace it. We have no public transportation in this neck of the woods, and my neighbors have been very kind calling to see if I need anything from town, but I'm gonna need a car.

Maine Dream Scape XII Abstract Painting

Acadia Cliffs
16"x20"x1" oil on gallery wrapped stretched canvas.
Available.

Stranded here since my neighbor got home from her business trip and picked up her car. The garage hasn't called, so they haven't even looked at my car yet. Somehow, during this what seems to be chronic financial crisis, I am managing to stay focused enough to continue to work. Hoping my supplies hold out!

Maine Abstract Landscape Painting

Landscape #11

Saturday Cove Beach

16"x20"x1"

Oil on gallery wrapped stretched canvas.

Still some decent folk left...

Yesterday, while doing errands in town, the brakes went on my 17 year old car. I managed to somehow drive it 3 miles with no brakes to the garage where it hopefully can be fixed. I had my dog in the car with me. That garage being a small operation that doesn't usually give rides to people, but with my torn up leg and because I had my dog with me, they were nice enough to give me and my dog a ride home 9 miles away from their location in town. So there are still some decent people in the world afterall.

This morning I woke up and found a car parked in my driveway by a neighbor who will be out of state at a business meeting for the next few days! Seems there are still some awesome people in the world, as well.

Some days are better than others!

Heating my house these past 25 years with wood, I am thoroughly familiar with the safe use of a chainsaw. But accidents do happen. I've been harvesting my own trees to heat my home and studio since my forced resignation from teaching 5 years ago for not belonging to the "right" party or going to the "right" church. While working in the woods yesterday, I had my first what could have been really serious accident with my chainsaw. Damn thing jumped out of the tree and into my thigh! Fun walking through the woods with blood running down the inside of my leg. Just shit lucky I have a little fat for protection, and I didn't cut my leg off. Would have been coyote bait for sure. Sometimes this being older, and poor is no fun at all.

Once up at the house I peeled off my pants and examined the damage. I knew I could probably use a few stitches, but with no insurance, and no money, and the nearest free clinic about 2 hours north of here near the university in Orono (like they need free services!), getting stitches was out of the question. Years ago I tried going to the ER at our local hospital for services, and it turned out to be an exercise in humiliation and frustration as they made me sit naked for hours behind a screen where I could watch the staff sit with their feet up, sipping drinks, eating a sandwich, chatting together and otherwise ignoring me. Hours later when someone came in, he didn't even look at me, just wrote out a prescription for antibiotics and left without a word. He treated me as if I had just crawled out from under a bridge somewhere.

Knowing that, and this being the age of "Compassionate Conservatism", I knew going to the hospital was a waste of time. In fact, me having no money, they might even have let me bleed to death, so I just scrubbed out the wound and bandaged it. Today the bleeding has stopped for the most part, and it doesn't hurt. I lost one of the few pairs of sweatpants that I have that fit, but I'm ok. I can walk ok, and still need to get some wood in so I don't freeze to death this coming winter. I'd hire someone or just buy it cut, split, and delivered, like I use to do before my "social rehabilitation intervention", but in my resultant acceptable conformation, that's not possible.

Not that anyone cares, of course, just outcome report.

New England Fall Colors

Two New Oil Paintings

by Laura Tasheiko, Maine Artist

With a chill in the air lately, the trees outside my studio are turning the colors of this new Fall Season. Here are two new paintings influenced by the beauty of Nature that surrounds me.

Enjoy.

Autumn Woods

18"x24"x1"

Fall River #24 Sold

18"x24"x1"

Contact me with interest.

Maine Acadia Mountain View Abstract Oil

Abstract Landscape #9

16"x20"x1" Oil on gallery wrapped stretched canvas.

Sold.

Contact me with Interest.

Maine Abstract Landscape Oil Painting

Landscape #1

18"x24"x1" Oil on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas.

Sold

Contact me with interest.

Maine Birch Woods Oil Painting

Birch Woods

18"x24"x1" Oil/Canvas

Sold

New Nature Painting

Fall Reflections Sold

24"x18"x1" Oil

Want something similar? Any size! Contact me with questions.

This is my newest painting fresh off the easel. Lately, I've been caught up in the digital wasteland on MySpace. Have to admit though, there are pockets of interest here and there if you can find them! Unfortunately, with a slow dialup connection, I can't view videos, etc because they take so long to download. I'm hoping we will someday have better connections service in my neck of the woods.

House Portraits from Your Photo

Great Gift Idea!

See Samples & Details Here

Maine Seascapes II Note Cards

$18.00

Maine Nature Paintings Note Cards

Nature Paintings I

Gift Set of 6 Quality Note Cards & Envelopes

from my original watercolor paintings.

$18.00

Maine Small Boats Rowboats Note Cards

$18.00/set of 6 assorted

from my original watercolor paintings!

Maine Fall Leaves Note Cards

$18.00/set of 6 assorted

from my original watercolor paintings

Contact Me with Interest or Questions.

Maine Fall Fern Original Oil Painting

Fall Fern

24"x12"x1" Oil

Available. Contact Me with Interest

Maine Summer Fern Oil Painting

Summer Fern

24"x12"x1"
Sold

Daisies in an Untended Garden

Wildflowers
24"x12"x1" Oil
Available. Contact Me with interest.

House Portraits Great Gifts for Christmas!

House Portraits! Taking Orders for Christmas Now!

Contact me with interest.

See Details

Maine Breaking Ground

New Crop

24"x18"x1" Oil

Available. Contact me for details

Maine Wild Blueberries Oil Painting

Beech Hill Blueberries in Spring

48"x18"x1" 2 Panels

Sold

Interested in something similar? Contact me with interest.

Panel 1

Panel 2

Crooked Stream in Monroe, Maine. Oil Painting

"Crooked Stream" oil on canvas.

48"x18"x1" (2 panels)

Available: $750.00 Contact Me with interest.

Panel 1

Panel 2

House Portrait from your photo

House Portrait

Watercolor 11"x15" (frames to 16"x20") Sample Only

$200.00

Great gift idea. Order yours today at this special price!

More Samples of my work:

You will love your House Portrait just as these customers do.

I will send instructions on where to send your photo(s). I prefer working from photos, but jpgs are usually ok, too. Please allow 3 weeks from time of photo arrival to delivery of your painting.

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More Examples Here