Memorial Day

10"x8" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival board, plein air

"Each moment is the fruit of forty thousand years."
- Thomas Wolfe

In honor and memory of our fellow military members; for those who did not return, for those far away from home today, and for those still at home with loved ones serving far away....our thoughts are with you today and always.

My hubby has been wanting to put up a flag on our house, as well as bunting for the 'flag day holidays'. So that's where we were yesterday, up in Rhode Island, seeking out a flag store! Of course, on the way home, we stopped by "Farmer's Daughter" nursery to bring home a few things. But that of course is another story for another day. The grill has been dragged out, cleaned up, cranked up, tried out, & is ready for today, too!

Contact me roxannesteed@gmail.com if you are interested in this painting!

Tuscan Melon, French Roses

“The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction.”

- Chanakya

16"x20" oil on canvas mounted on archival artboard

I heard they were calling for thunderstorms today, (which never materialized), so I decided I would clip some blossoms to paint rather than let the rain beat them up. So I went out & gathered some of the most fragrant roses & peonies. Really delightful and not overpowering like some blooms can be. And the melon.... this beautiful Tuscan melon I picked up at the grocery store yesterday is the most fragrant thing! It begged to be painted, along with the grapes! This is what summer is all about- warmth, frangrance, beauty....a total delight!

I may attempt another photography session in the daylight with this one...I think it could be better...for truer color.


While it's wet & unframed:

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Red Sails In The Harbor - sold

8"x6" oil on linen on archival board (Raymar)

"The ocean has always been a salve to my soul...the best thing for a cut or abrasion was to go swimming in salt water. Later down the road of life, I made the discovery that salt water was also good for the mental abrasions one inevitably acquires on land."
- Jimmy Buffett

Ahh, so true! After a long miserable winter....while waiting for the garden to emerge in spring...there's nothing like the first days when it's warm enough to 'bring out the boats'. That's the best part of living on the shoreline here in New England. I spent part of a recent weekend here in Mystic & Stonington just watching boats, hanging out by the water. After spending most of my adult life near the shore, I don't think I could ever move inland again. And of all the boats I spotted, I was really intrigued by this one in Stonington harbor with the red sails, backlit by the late afternoon sun...heading back into the harbor.

Spring Morning, Marlborough, CT plein air

8"x10" oil on Belgian linen mounted on board

"I think you might dispense with half your doctors if you would only consult Dr. Sun more."
~Henry Ward Beecher

I spent a delightful day over in Marlborough, CT today. I was at an invitational plein-air event hosted by Artisan Framing & Gallery. There will be an opening for this show of plein air works on June 26th & 27th! More information to follow! I love being out in the open air, painting with friends! I hope your day was a delight, too!

Side Garden, Late May, 4pm Light - plein air in the artist's garden

10"x8" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival board

"Anything under the sun is beautiful if you have the vision - it is the seeing of the thing that makes it so."
- Charles Hawthorne


I timed my day around the light on the side garden today. Wait for it, wait for it....NOW! Gear is set up & ready to go, the light changes so fast in the late afternoon. Luckily, I've watched this spot...staked it out....to find that "time of light" that appealed to me the most. I wanted an interesting light pattern on the stones, as well as the fencing & arbor. I also knew if I waited too long in the season I'd miss the purple stalks on the ajuga that I've edged some of the stone path with. Just as I was quite into get things blocked in....my neighbor's kitty came over to sit on the warm stones....staring off into the plantings. He sat still just long enough for me to decide to include him! It's a charmed space, and another bit of delight around every corner!

*****Saturday, I'll be up in Marlborough, CT at a Plein-air Invitational Event sponsored by Artisan Framing & Gallery, 45 North Main Street. I'll have some of my plein-air work there in the gallery, and the ones painted this weekend will be presented at the opening in June! More info to come! But if you live in CT, take a drive over & have a visit. I'd love to see you!

While it's wet & unframed:

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Price: $150 USD plus $10 USD s/h
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Foxglove Flowery Front Porch Welcome

8"x8" oil on cradled hardwood panel

"The purpose of painting is to lift the veil of mystery into consciousness."
- Henry Hensche

What a sweet life when there are flowers in it. When they are left on the porch by your husband, it's even sweeter! Lucky for me, I married a guy who loves to garden...in a big way. Maybe it's because he was away at sea for most of our lives. But whatever the reason, I love it, and frankly, he knows it gives me a lot to paint!

Contact me to purchase this painting - roxannesteed@gmail.com

A Little Corner of Garden Paradise-Plein air in the artist's garden

6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"Gardens are a form of autobiography."
- Sydney Eddison


I've been waiting for this point in my life...to have a house to stay in as long as we want to, not facing another change of station (home being where the military sent you for the last 26 years), to see a garden come to maturity. I've thought what a wonderful idea Monet had, to paint his gardens in various seasons, over & over. To ever see the subtle changes in sunlight and shadow from day to day, watch the plantings grow over a season, and mature over the years. I've already enjoyed seeing the comparisons in changes from the paintings of last spring and summer, when this garden actually was conceived to what is coming back this year!

In this little corner, currently my favorite, a dwarf rhododendron is in full bloom, geraniums on the porch are in bright contrast. This section of picket fence surrounding this space is always an interesting back-drop for reflecting color.... whether it is back-lit or in full sun.

I have some roses and peonies ready to pop, and there's other areas that are coming along nicely...so I'll eventually be painting those this summer as well! No wonder gardening is one of the worlds biggest past-times and pleasures - we can make our own little piece of 'heaven on earth'!

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Price: $100 USD plus $10 USD s/h
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Spring Veranda - plein air

10"x8" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival board

"Friends are the pillars on your porch. Sometimes they hold you up, sometimes they lean on you, and sometimes it's just enough to know that they are standing by."
- anonymous

Today's painting is called "Spring Veranda" - plein air at my friend's house in Norfolk, VA this past week. It's a 10"x8" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival board. It was so fun getting together with my painting buddies Barbara Mastaglio and Norma Wilson. We met up for lunch, talked about art, life and "stuff". Sound familiar?! I've missed them, and had a lot to catch up on! After lunch on Wednesday, I went back to Barbara's to paint at her home, just off of Colley Ave. What a delightful garden - as summer progresses, I just know she'll have so many great memories on that veranda. Of course I had to share this view with you!

While it's wet & unframed:

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Cape Henry Lighthouses, Ft. Story, VA- plein air at the beach!

8"x10" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival board

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine.”
- Dwight L. Moody

I just got back home last night after a wonderful week delivering paintings to my gallery in Norfolk, VA. The entire trip was delightful, and high-lighted by getting together with friends for some painting, eating, talking....(repeat several times). I had the chance to meet up with fellow painters Barbara Mastaglio and Scott London early Wednesday morning to head over to Fort Story to the lighthouses. I used to live close by before we moved to CT, so this was a real treat for me! It was a bit blowy in the morning, I really had to hold on to my easel with one hand, paint with the other. But what a treat to be back in the warm sunshine...at last, warmed to the bones! It was a gorgeous day and exactly what I needed!

While it's wet & unframed:

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Price: $150 USD plus $10 USD s/h
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Lilies, Mums and Daisies

8"x6" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival board

"Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity."
~John Ruskin

These were a gift from a young friend (6 years old) at church, with a wish for a happy mother's day! Indeed, it was a fine day!

While it's wet...

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Price: $150 USD plus $10 USD s/h
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May The Road Rise Up To Meet You - SOLD!

6"x8" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival board

"May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand."
- Irish Blessing

Celebration Bouquet! Happy Mother's Day!

28"x22" oil on stretched canvas


"Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey!"
- Barbara Hoffman

Happy Mother's Day!!!Today's painting is called "Celebration" and is 28"x22" oil on stretched canvas, beautifully framed in an antique gold leaf finish with red undertones. This is one of ten new paintings I've just delivered to Total Design Source in Old Saybrook, CT. If you live anywhere between New York City and Boston, MA; this is a nice day trip for you; we're right in the middle! Come visit this wonderful shop at 180 Main Street. Make a full day of it and take in a show at the Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center.

Kerry Cow on Rolling Pastures

6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite archival artboard

"As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists."
~Joan Gussow

This cow was watching us as we ambled down the road past the pastures, heading towards the bog & onward to the cliffs...on one of my last visits to Valentia Island, Ireland.

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Spring Light, Plein Air In The Artist's Garden

8"x6" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival board (Raymar)

"To fill the hour and leave no crevice....that is happiness."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today was one of those wonderful spring days - the sun was out, comfortable temperature, just truly beautiful! I find those days so motivating to get much done!

I have ten new paintings delivered just this morning to Total Design Source in Old Saybrook, CT (180 Main Street; 860-388-3596). If you haven't been there yet, please have a visit!

I got back home rather early, and even though it's still pretty early in the growing season, the garden is starting to look really inviting with little blue forget-me-nots, johnny-jump-ups and pansies blooming all over the place. The pink and lavender creeping phlox has doubled this year & is a big mound of color! Part of this area is in deep shade, part hit by the sun, it's great fun to catch that contrast in paint! What a delightful morning I had painting outside in the midst of this!

Once I finished, I still wanted to be outside & help my husband with some garden work. So I spent the afternoon hauling mulch. I'm pretty exhausted, but what a nice way to spend the day! I'm seeing that as the season rolls on, I'll have some wonderful things to paint in each part of the growing season!

Contact me to purchase this painting: roxannesteed@gmail.com