Post 338: Virginia and DC Local Paintings by Donna Liguria

Collection of Local Paintings by Donna Liguria - VA, DC 

Painting my favorite local spots and where I have lived and visited has been a walk down memory lane at times. I've painted Monticello in Charlottesville; Virginia Beach, the Governor's Mansion in Richmond up to Gunston Hall in Lorton and Mount Vernon in Alexandria. From Rosemont in Berryville and Great Falls in McLean, and the ArtFactory and Train Station in Manassas, then on to see the sites in Washington DC, my paint brushes have captured some favorite places. Then living in Blue Ridge Shores in Louisa, Virginia brings forth its own memories of growing up there.

Local Art

Here is a look at most of my Virginia and Washington DC paintings. Some were sold and/or commissioned and prints are available, while some sold at various art shows or on my Etsy shop. There is usually a story behind each one.

"Blue Heron at Blue Ridge Shores" (SOLD)- 15x30 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Blue Ridge Shores, Louisa, Virginia. I did several versions of this painting, with version 3 being a Commission.

Blue Heron at Blue Ridge Shores 2

Local art includes the local teams too! I've done a few variations of this mini 3x4 Capitals Hockey paintings on stretched canvas with mini easel, including Ovi

"Cherry Blossoms, An Annual DC Event" (SOLD) - 12x16 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Washington DC. Commissioned painting. Prints are available on Etsy

"Great Falls National Park in McLean, Virginia" (SOLD) - 11x14 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; McLean, Virginia. Prints are available on Etsy

"Washington DC Cherry Blossom Explosion" (SOLD) - 11x14 Acrylic on Stretched Canvas; Washington DC

"White House Having a White Christmas" (SOLD) - 12x16 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Washington DC. This was a Commissioned painting but Prints are available on Etsy

"Main Beach at Blue Ridge Shores" (SOLD) - 16x20 Acrylic on Stretched Canvas. This painting is where I grew up in Louisa, Virginia. Prints are available on Etsy. See blog post  Blue Ridge Shores as it Once Was for some more 3x4 minis. See also the post, Growing Up Blue Ridge Shores

"A Day at Blue Ridge Shores" - 24x24 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Blue Ridge Shores, Louisa, Virginia. There was an old stairway coming down a steep hill on one side of the lake that was falling apart from age and I wanted to capture that rickety walk down to the pier with a blue heron flying by. 

"Marina at Belmont Bay, Occoquan, Virginia" - 16x20 Acrylic on Stretched Canvas. The painting and prints are available on Etsy

"Governor's Mansion, Richmond Historic VA Home Series" - 11x14 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Richmond, Virginia. The painting and prints are available on Etsy

"Gunston Hall Historic VA Home Series" - 11x14 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Lorton, Virginia. The painting and prints are available on Etsy

"Sunrise at Historic Manassas ArtFactory" - 11x14 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Manassas, Virginia. The painting and prints are available on Etsy

"Monticello Charlottesville Historic VA Home Series" - 11x14 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Charlottesville, Virginia. The wonderful home of Thomas Jefferson that sits above what I call the big little town of Charlottesville, Virginia. The painting and prints are available on Etsy

"Mount Vernon Historic VA Home Series" - 11x14 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Alexandria, Virginia. The home of our nation's first president, George Washington. The painting and prints are available on Etsy

A mini 3x4 painting of the gazebo in Occoquan, Virginia

A mini 3x4 painting of the museum in Occoquan, Virginia

"Rosemont Historic VA Home Series" (Not Available) - 11x14 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Berryville, Virginia. Make note of the tray on the wall with champagne glasses, a bucket of ice and a champagne bottle. Prints are available on Etsy

"Spring in Occoquan, Virginia" - 12x12 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas

"The Fish Aren't Biting at the Lake" - 16x20 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Blue Ridge Shores, Louisa, Virginia. Note the fish at the bottom left next to the pier...they are looking at the guy in the boat - perhaps giggling.

"Sunrise at Historic Manassas Train Station" - 16x20 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Manassas, Virginia. This painting won first place in the 2022 P-Art-Ners Paint! Manassas contest. The painting and prints are available on Etsy See also Paint! Manassas

"Washington Monument Amongst the Cherry Blossoms" - 12x24 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Washington DC

"Virginia Beach" - 11x14 Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

I just posted a collection of paintings based on Harkers Island, North Carolina including Shackleford Banks, the ponies, Cape Lookout Lighthouse and more. Be sure and check out that series too. See https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/2024/01/post-337-harkers-island-cape-lookout.html 

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Let me know if you like my paintings and if you need a handmade, original painting for yourself or as a gift for a friend or family member. If you want to commission me to do a painting for you, please contact me through this blog, on Facebook, My Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com, or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://donnaliguriaart.etsy.com to shop my available Artwork.

*Thank you for visiting and remember to Share, to Follow, and please Comment!

Post 337: Harkers Island, Cape Lookout, Shackleford Banks, Marshes and the Ponies of North Carolina

Paintings of Harkers Island, Cape Lookout, Shackleford Banks, Marshes and the Ponies of North Carolina

In 2023 and already in 2024, my canvases have recreated some views and inspiration of the coasts of North Carolina. Here is a collection of paintings with the 'inspired by' of the several visits to my friend's new home in Harkers Island, North Carolina.

Big Blue Skies, Blue Water, Sand and More

Snapping pictures all day, that is what I did and do while visiting my best friend. Pictures of ponies on Shackleford Banks and in Beaufort, North Carolina. Pictures of ghost trees and marshes, Cape Lookout and across the water. The wildlife, the birds flying, the fish jumping, the occasional dolphin...I love it all. The iPhone or my other camera a FULL of inspiration. Upon getting home, the pictures get turned into paintings. 

Here is some of my inspired by the North Carolina Coast artwork.

"Lighthouse and Shackleford NC Pony" - 9x12 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas. A lone Shackleford Banks pony looks across the water to Cape Lookout. Prints are available on Etsy

"Mom, I Don't Want to Take a Bath" - 9x12 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; Cape Lookout Lighthouse and Shackleford Ponies

"Harkers Island NC" - 16x20 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; the view from Beaufort, NC with Harkers Island across the water to the right. Notice the new bridge?

"Ponies of Shackleford Island" - 12x16 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; also known as Shackleford Banks

"Wading Shackleford Pony" (SOLD) - 9x12 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas. Prints are available

"Harkers Island Magic" - 16x20 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas 

"Sandpiper Beach Bums" (SOLD) - 4x12 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas

"Beaufort, NC Marsh" - 8x8 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas

"Bottoms Up" - 4x4 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; is a swan doing a dive, butt up.

"Cygnet Fluff Baby" - 4x4 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; is a baby swan. I call these 4x4 paintings "bookcase art" because they make great small paintings that can sit on a table or shelf.

"Sea the Turtle" - 4x12 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas

"The Marshes of Harkers Island, North Carolina" - 16x20 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas; with the ghost trees in the background. The view was toward the new bridge. The painting and Prints are available on Etsy

My Mini 3x4 stretched canvas in Acrylics mini paintings of the 7 (maybe) most popular NC Lighthouse Series - 

1. "Ocracoke Lighthouse

2. "Old Baldy Lighthouse" 

3. "Cape Lookout Lighthouse" (SOLD)

4. "Bodie Island Lighthouse" 

5. "Currituck Beach Lighthouse"

6. "Oak Island Lighthouse"

7. "Cape Hatteras Lighthouse"

"Last Light Lighthouse" - 24x24 Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Stretched Canvas is a side view of Cape Lookout with Shackleford Banks across the water and Harkers Island and a sunset off to the right.

I had some other "beach" mini paintings of beach inspiration and Harkers Island inspired. The annual Decoy Festival in early December brought on some mini duck decoy paintings.

24 Mini Paintings and Counting

Many of these are on Etsy and some do have prints available. I do have a lot of pictures to still review but I hope to get back to visit my friend - as soon as I can and the weather is warmer!

My Etsy https://donnaliguriaart.etsy.com

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Let me know if you like my paintings and if you need a handmade, original painting for yourself or as a gift for a friend or family member. If you want to commission me to do a painting for you, please contact me through this blog, on Facebook, My Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com, or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://donnaliguriaart.etsy.com to shop my available Artwork.

*Thank you for visiting and remember to Share, to Follow, and please Comment!

Post 336: Dixie for Christmas

Painting Name: Dixie

I painted Dixie in September/October 2023. As she is a Christmas present, this blog post on the painting can't be released until after Jesus' birthday for the (I hope) surprise it is supposed to be.

SKU: 09CU23ACG

Medium: Acrylic

Size: 12x12 Stretched Canvas

Edition Year: 2023

Framed?: No

Commissioned? Yes

What Brought About this Painting?

My aunt contacted me to do this painting as a gift for her granddaughter of her beloved "Dixie", who had unfortunately passed last year. 

Dixie in Progress

And the final picture is of my second cousin with her painting on Christmas day. I hope it brings a smile everyday of the memory of a loved family member.

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Let me know if you like my paintings and if you need a handmade, original painting for yourself or as a gift for a friend or family member. If you want to commission me to do a painting for you, please contact me through this blog, on Facebook, My Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com, or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://donnaliguriaart.etsy.com to shop my available Artwork.

*Thank you for visiting and remember to Share, to Follow, and please Comment!

Post 335: Christmas at the Core Sound Museum, Harkers Island, NC

Christmas at the Core Sound Museum, Harkers Island, NC 

Harkers Island, North Carolina is the home to the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center, which is within sight of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. Beginning on November 17, 2023 and running through December 31, 2023 is the 2023 Gallery of Trees.

What is the Gallery of Trees?

I recently visited a friend that had moved to Harkers Island earlier this year and so enjoy my time spent with dear friends that are extended family there. We rode around the island and viewed the wonderful Christmas lights decorating the homes as well as the light show outside of the museum. And we visited the museum again, to see the 2023 Gallery of Trees - honoring local businesses, organizations, and families.

https://www.coresound.com/

Museum - Harkers Island

1785 Island Road | PO Box 556

Harkers Island, NC 28531

(252) 728-1500

Here are the trees featured all around the museum. Each tree has a story and my friend and I enjoyed looking at each and every one of them. 

Teresa standing next to her neighbor's "arts" tree.

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Let me know if you like my paintings and if you need a handmade, original painting for yourself or as a gift for a friend or family member. If you want to commission me to do a painting for you, please contact me through this blog, on Facebook, My Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com, or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://donnaliguriaart.etsy.com to shop my available Artwork.

*Thank you for visiting and remember to Share, to Follow, and please Comment!