Ann Trainor Domingue art

Jun 23

New Exhibition in Portsmouth NH

Hello summer! This spring I’ve been working on a new series of Village paintings titled ‘Freedom to Be’. These are always popular with fans of my art as I have fun with rearranging reality as I weave familiar imagery together to form new views of life by the waterfront. Portsmouth and Provincetown Massachusetts were the first places I worked with to pull imagery together to form my own view of village life. I’ve created over 40 paintings each with different arrangements of details and overall design. I hope you’ll consider stopping by the Opening Reception on Friday July 11th to view my newest work at KennedyGalleryandCustomFraming located at 41 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 603-436-7007.

NEW! ‘Demo & Chat’ during the ‘Local Love’ Portsmouth business event at the gallery on Thursday, July 17th, 5-8pm. I’ll have my sketchbooks for you to peruse, demonstrate techniques I use in my work, and of course answer any questions you have about my life as an artist. It’s always my pleasure to speak with my fans–no matter if you’ve purchased my work or are considering a purchase. I’d love to meet you. Please bring a friend and enjoy talking art. Thank you, Ann Contact me at anntrainordomingue.com

Lesson learned: Keep painting.

Apr 5

Loving Springtime

It’s been a while since I’ve posted but all for good reasons. I’ve been focusing on painting a new group of works for my upcoming feature exhibition at the Portland Art Gallery in Maine. Spring is finally in the air here in New Hampshire after a very cold and snowy winter. I love working in the wintertime as it offers more quiet time than other seasons of the year. This gives me a chance to review recent work and make plans for new directions. Some artists wing it and throw caution to the wind. Others take some time to figure out how recent work can be a springboard for upcoming artworks. I’m in that category working in sketchbooks and playing with color and techniques until I feel a fresh approach appearing. Then it’s time to come out of hibernation and get to work.

Lesson learned: Have a sketchbook continually being filled with both good and bad ideas.

Oct 17

Art Opening for AnnTrainorDomingue

art exhibition announcement — Opening reception Friday, November 1st, 5-8pm. Exhibit of over 20 new works will be on display through November. I regularly have an extensive selection of original art, prints, and notecards at Kennedy Gallery year-round. *Stop in anytime.*

Oct 7

2 Comments

Right to Left Side Changes Everything

‘Close By’, acrylic on canvas, 36×36, available now at Portland Art Gallery, Portland, Maine.

While recovering from right shoulder surgery I decided to continue working on my art…with my left hand. An awkward thing to do after primarily using my dominant right hand my whole life but I considered it a challenge as I worked to ‘loosen up’ my artmaking. I’ve tended to use clean edges with obvious texture in my work, crisp edges arrived at by frequently using a palette knife to lay down sharp edges. Now with use of only left arm for 6 plus weeks, and limited use of right arm for the past two months, I pushed my way through the awkwardness of left handedness to find ways to still make art but with a new sense of freedom. The piece above, ‘Close By’ was created with various mark-making tools and techniques that I could accomplish with my left–stamping, scratching through semi-wet layers, not worrying about accuracy but simply the gist of shapes with refreshed color palette. All in all a good experiment and now that I am on the mend with more use of right arm, I’ll still be using my left to be sure I stay loose with my upcoming works.

Lesson learned: Right and left are equally valuable. Click image below to be taken to my website.

Jul 23

A New Way

Working in a different way than I have been accustomed to is not as easy as you might think. Well-tuned moves and ideas can be difficult to adjust or change completely. In my case not using a drawing tool to rough out an idea is a dramatic change as I explore working without a plan. Using intuition rather than a set plan, even a rough one, is a change my mind is working to find its way around. The 8×8 collage shown here is a practice of pulling paper images together, selecting from them shapes, values and line to piece together something that I have never pre-thought out. My brain is still making the adjustment as it is easy to fall back on tried and true. Loving the idea of working in a more abstract way despite the stutter steps. See my recent work now at Portland Art Gallery in Portland Maine or Kennedy Gallery and framing in Portsmouth NH.

In the last couple of months I have been recuperating from rotator cuff surgery (going well so far). It has made it impossible to paint in large format until the tendon is fully repaired. I am working in a smaller format to explore ways that I might not have done before my surgery. All good things to come.

Lesson learned: Interruptions can be blessings in disguise.

Mar 2

Another Good Day

A new studio has inspired me to create in a new way, a bit different from my recent work. My new space is much larger, with great lighting and plenty of space to breathe. Although I miss my small quaint studio space I have had since 2013, it will always be where I allowed myself to begin to make the art I’ve wanted to make. And now I’ll continue on that journey with more elbow room and excitement. NEW: I have an exhibition of new works coming up in April 2024! Opening reception is on Thursday, April 4th, 5-7pm. Please stop by and say hello, I’d love to meet you and speak with you about what you love about my work. Thank you, Ann

Lesson learned: Big light-filled dreams are possible.

Nov 13

4 Comments

2024 Art Calendar by Ann Trainor Domingue now available at Kennedy Gallery in Portsmouth, NH!

Now available at Kennedy Gallery at 41 Market Street in historic Portsmouth New Hampshire.

Here it is once again! This is my fourth calendar in a series that features my artwork and brief tidbits about the making of the piece or inspiration behind the artwork. It’s been a fun project where I review my previous year’s work and find images that are relevant to the month or are key pieces that moved my art along a path. Pages are printed on high quality matte stock in full color, 7.5″ x 7.5″ square image with my name and title of the artwork on each, wire bound. Individual page images make sweet gifts of a framed print for any occasion. Find yours now at Kennedy Gallery! Thank you for your continued support of my art journey.

Lesson learned: Start early.

Nov 10

2 Comments

Precious Time

Choosing wisely is a skill to be learned over and over again.

Artmaking Anew

I’ve recently been shifting my artmaking to incorporate a way of making my art in a less planned way. This includes allowing a painting to unfold as I add color, line, solids and texture. Which is contrary to how I have frequently begun my work where I draw at least a thumbnail sketch of a design and then work with color and other marks. There was a bit of freedom in starting this way, as well as feeling unsure with not knowing where it was heading. This felt more like a freefall than freedom. In the end I did like how it evolved and will continue to explore this approach in the future.

#anntrainordomingue New Hampshire artist; messy, uncommon, friendly, contemporary art

Lesson learned: Try new things even if it feels wrong.

Dec 13

By Your Side at Christmastime

**By Your Side, acrylic on canvas, 24 x24. Available at Portland Art Gallery, Middle Street, Portland, Maine.**

As I prepare for Christmas, I always feel so grateful for the special people I have come to know as friends and family. As a young person and as an adult, I had no idea that an individual person could enrich my life as much as they have. From helping me find my way in art, to showing me how to have fun with whipped cream fights in the kitchen, to demonstrating how to let things fall as they may and be ok with the unpredictable outcome. Each one of you has helped me in a small or large way making it possible for me to feel that you have been a gift of Christmas past, present and future. Hope you feel the love of being or giving a gift this Christmas.

Lesson learned: Share your gift.

2023 Calendar now on sale at Kennedy Gallery in Portsmouth NH. Click link for info.