Chelsea and the Lilacs

14"x11" oil on Belgian linen mounted on professional artboard (Raymar)

"You may find that traveling along your path is sometimes elusive and challenging, but your desire to find your hidden voice must outweigh your fear of failure and your disappointments."
- Dan McCaw

Oh this brings back such good memories for me! At our last house we lived in, there were several old lilac bushes that put out gobs of gorgeous blooms each year. I'd plan the whole bloom time to get in a couple good plein air paintings with fresh cut blossoms arranged...paint what I could while they were in bloom AND take photographs to paint later in the year (when flowers were lacking but my need for them is not!). This year has been an incredibly beautiful spring, summer and fall in New England. I feel so lucky as some years it can be dreary, too hot, too wet, too whatever. With all our good fortune are we due to "pay the piper" this winter? hmm, (always have a plan B)- mine is to hunker down & paint (and maybe visit my mom in FL when the winter seems to last a bit too long)!

I really have enjoyed the last couple 'figures in the landscape' type paintings done with palette knife. It enables me to express my true vision.