Mimi's blog

  • over and over and over

    by Mimi Schlichter

    I'm not sure when I painted this one.  Maybe in high school. Yes, probably then, from a photograph. This is a spot I have painted over and over and over again since I was about 12 years old.

    It is a private beach in Megansett where my family vacationed in the early 1970's.

    It is a spot I returned to in 1994 for a personal retreat that put in motion events that would lead to ...

  • The March Project

    by Mimi Schlichter
    "It’s a funny thing, what people expect from an artist. They ask me “what is it you are trying to say with this piece?” And I never know quite how to answer. How do I explain to them that my painting topics ...

  • Painting Pants and Twinkly Toes

    by Mimi Schlichter
    There are so many romanticized ideas of what the life of an artist looks like.  Lovely airy Parisian lofts.  Endless uninterrupted time at the ease...

  • The one when the coyote walks in...

    by Mimi Schlichter
    I'm sitting on a private beach, painting.  Sitting cross legged in the sand, minding my own business.  When out of the corner of my eye, I see move...

  • 100 days and done!

    by Mimi Schlichter
    100 days. That was the first "54 Falmouth Beach Paintings in 54 Days." Plus "the other 46." Why I continued on to 100 after the first 54 were done....

  • Dissecting the mess

    by Mimi Schlichter
    How many of you remember "Highlights" magazines from when you were young, quite likely in the dentist's office?  There were always visual puzzles....

  • Dairy Queen diary...

    by Mimi Schlichter
    What is it about a Dairy Queen sundae that can make a 20 minute break in the middle of your afternoon feel like a mini vacation? Thank you to Falmouth Dairy Queen for the most delicious coffee ice cream with hot fudge little sundae! I took it over to the beach at Surf Drive to enjoy, having already done my painting for the day. But the color of the water, and the sky, and the waves...

  • For the JOY of it

    by Mimi Schlichter
    One of the joys of having a 'mobile studio' set up in the front seat of my car is the opportunity to paint impromptu. Though I did my 'official' 54 day painting project painting of the day earlier today, I ended up back at the beach at Chapoquoit Beach early evening, and was blown away (pun intended) by the beauty and intensity of the waves and surf as ...

  • Experiencing spring in our souls

    by Mimi Schlichter

    Spring.  Daffodils.  Green grass.  Tiny buds on the trees. Aaa..choo!!!

    As I walked Rosie this afternoon, I was struck by how much each and every spot of color catches my eye this time of year.  Mostly yellow right now where I live. We're deep in the daffodils and forsythia.  As we move further into the summer, there will be a multitude of colors, and much as we enjoy it, the volume of it has the potential to cause us to...

  • 7 days into the "54 Falmouth beach paintings in 54 days" project

    by Mimi Schlichter

    This project has been even more fun than I original envisioned! (if you don't know about the project please read the April 1 blog post linked here.)

    I've been exploring new beaches to paint, beyond my usual go-to's of Chapoquoit and Megansett.  With each one, I'm gaining new ideas for other larger paintings.

    Alla Prima.  That's the name for this type of painting.

    In Italian, the term "alla prima" means "at first attempt". In other words...

    Posted in alla prima

  • April 1 - what a difference a year makes!

    by Mimi Schlichter

    Do you remember, those of you familiar with Falmouth, it was a year ago today they closed off the beach parking lots to us as a social distancing measure? Personally, that meant I lost my place to sit and paint from the front seat of my car, something I had done in the prior months on a fairly regular basis. 

    The parking lots remained closed for 53 days.

    Today, one year later, I began a new series of 53 paintings that I intend to create to celebrate the next..

  • Unanticipated inspiration.

    by Mimi Schlichter

    A dreary, wet Thursday afternoon.  Yesterday I wandered into Highfield Hall to take in the photo exhibit "Togetherness: The Front Steps Project" mainly because I knew this photo of Rosie and me is in it. 

    If you're not familiar with the project, business owner and local photographer Lee Geishecker of Vagabond View photography, together with realtor and community business organizer Annie Hart Cool, produced a visual diary last year of people in Falmouth and the surrounding communities affected by the Covid19 quarantine time.  For Rosie and me, it was an opportunity to interact, at a safe distance, with a real person, midst quarantine. Brings tears to my eyes as I ...