Roses Before The Rain

12"x16" oil on linen mounted on archival panel

"There  will be a rain dance Friday night, weather permitting."  -George Carlin

For more information about this painting, please click here.

This little 'courtyard' area is like an inviting little room beside by front door.  It's such a wonderful piece of paradise to sit there, any time of day. 

Yesterday (Wednesday)  I painted outside in my garden hoping to finish before the sky opened up in the rain that was predicted.  Well, no rain ever came, just gray skies, a bit of a mist at one point, but no rain.  The skies may seem subdued on a gray day, but colors of your flowers and shrubs seem a bit richer as the sun isn't "washing them out".  The roses climbing up the porch post have outdone themselves this year. Standing there painting was incredible-  as their fragrance surrounded me!

 Today (Thursday), the sun was out brilliantly- and all those huge white peony blossoms to the left of the bench have plopped over in the heat! The blooms still look fresh, they're just too heavy to hold their heads up!

Hmm, I think tomorrow I'll be painting some cut blossoms in a huge vase!!

Autumn Morning at J. Alden Weir Farm

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

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Monday was the most delightful day of painting. The Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society planned to meet up at the J. Alden Weir Farm over in Branchville, CT - which is a part of the National Park Service!

"In June of 1882, painter J. Alden Weir boarded a train from New York bound for his modest farm among the hills of Branchville, CT. Once here, Weir and his family transformed their summer retreat into a creative refuge for friends and fellow artists. After Weir, artists Mahonri Young and Sperry Andrews lived and worked here, continuing the legacy of artistic expression that still inspires today."(from the website)

One of best parts of the day (besides getting to paint there) was the tour that the park ranger offered to us as special guests of the park. The home and studio are closed to the public as they are currently under renovation.....but we were allowed to go in and see!. What a treat. She also shared much of the history of Weir and his family and friends. Definitely worth a visit, and I'm looking forward to going back!

Following the tour, we returned from Weir's studio back to the Burlingham House (which was where his youngest daughter eventually lived), I spotted the light coming through the golden trees and knew this would be my first painting here on this location.

What I'm finding truly wonderful as I study more about Weir, is that we today, can go back and stand in some of these same places where he stood to paint. The rocks are still there, the trees are much larger, and many of the pastures have grown in, but so much is exactly the same. What a wonderful welcoming feeling for a painter!

For more information about this painting, or my visit to the Weir Farm, contact me here.

Geraniums and Cedars, Harkness Park

5"x7" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."- Henry Adams

Every little nook & cranny at Harkness Park, here in Connecticut has something interesting in it's many gardens, so it remains a pleasure for me to spend time there and paint, and hike, and photograph, and meander, and picnic...you get the idea. It's a wonderful place.

I began this painting as a little exercise to try out some new (old) paints. I was going through artist Tim Bell's website, and finding out what materials he uses. He keeps a very simple palette, which I tend to do, too. But he even specified his brand of paint, Maimeri Classico, and the colors he uses: Flake White, Cad. Yellow Deep, Cad. Red Deep, and French Ultramarine Blue. His point was to find the closest to the true primaries on the color wheel. I realized that I had several tubes of Maimeri Classico and Puro from when I used to be a part of an artists' co-op in Virginia Beach. A vendor had brought us many samples of his paint. I had tried it, & while I liked it, I was familiar with my old Winsor Newton colors. But today I decided to pull out my old colors (which were not these listed, but true primaries none-the less. My first dip into the blue and I realize it's pthalo blue, so intense, and I haven't touched a tube of that in years. But since this was a 'sampler' to try out my new (old) colors of Maimeri, I decided to just go with it. My focus lately has been a real effort to exaggerate the warms and cools within the painting...and even with these basic colors, you could truly get a lot of mileage out of these. I ordered some small tubes of Tim's preferred colors, to give that a trial run as well. So we'll see where this bit of experimentation leads to.

I'm also trying something new on the business end of things. I have joined up with Daily Paintworks, in order to sell my smaller works at auction. (Yes, those 6"x6" and 5"x7" sizes. The starting bid will be at 2009 prices - $100 for these sizes, unframed. You have a golden opportunity for finding your favorite little painting at a very affordable price. Click here to place your bid!

Last of the Lilacs

5"x7" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"Be in awe of all that is alive. Be in natural wonder. It is the pace of peace."- Gunilla Norris

While it poured rain outside this morning, I decided to work inside from a photo & memories of the lilacs that grew at my previous home. The old shrubs were packed with blooms the last summer I lived there, and made for some great painting & photography...and some great memories of fragrance and beauty - yes - even those memories leave great visual impressions!

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Morning Sun, Red Barns, Tarrywile

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

"A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they're not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they're not so bad."
- Arnold H. Glasgow

This morning it was so windy to be out painting, I think it was the remains of Wednesday's tornado in Springfield, MA. As soon as I had set my easel up and put out some more fresh paint,....whack! There went my easel, just picked up by the wind and slammed down, even though I had it weighted down. So I just had to paint with one hand holding on, to make sure it didn't blow over again! The red barns are now used as the education building here on the property at Tarrywile. If you live in the Danbury area of CT, this is a wonderful park. Mark your calendar for Saturday, the reception, show and sale for the Plein Air Festival goes from 2pm-6pm. I hope to see you there!

Rolling Hills of Tarrywile - Plein Air Festival 2011

“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand, Rejoice, for your soul is alive.”


Eleanora Duse

8"x10" oil on linen mounted on archival board

This week I have the good fortune to spend some time exploring on the other side of Connecticut. There is a wonderful place right in the middle of Danbury called Tarrywile Park. It consists of a magnificent Victorian mansion built in 1896 and over 700 acres of pristine open space. Artists will be painting through out the park from May 31st through June 4th. On Saturday there is a plein air exhibit and sale in the mansion from 2pm - 6pm. For more information about the park & events, click here!

Looks like it's going to be a super week out there! My first spot to paint was this one behind the red barns, looking out across some of the rolling fields there. It's truly wonderful to have access to this kind of open space. Lots of hiking trails, it's a great place to get yourself "one with nature".