Studio Classes start Thursday & Sketches from Ireland (Fellowship of the Ring, of Kerry!)

While it's on my mind, I'm going to mention that my studio classes for "Sketchbook Journaling" are starting up this Thursday.  Here's the link to the scoop if you'd like to join us. It's close to full, but you might want to be on the waiting list- as I think there will be an opening in mid-October.  Also- you can click on the images to enlarge them! 

Now, back to Ireland- We started our first day with a quick demo and focusing especially on the thing that really 'cracks the nut' on success with watercolor - the pigment to water ratios!

The best way to quantify and explain that? Relate it to something we are very familiar with - FOOD! Tea (so weak that it can't get itself out of the pot!), coffee (a little more pigment), Milk (more pigment yet), cream (heavier still, you might not be able to see through it), and butter (almost straight out of the tube). Once you understand this, that's a big part of the learning curve.  Getting a bit of practice time in so everyone is familiar with their new supplies:

We have lots of opportunities to take in the local beauty. We had a carriage ride waiting for us in Knightstown, with Joe (of Valentia Ice Cream) and his horse Max. Can you imagine a guy that would be any more popular than that? (horses, home-made ice-cream, beautiful scenery, oh my).  

We rode past the pretty church on the way to Knightstown (many years ago, I painted a wedding commission of this place - good memories!).

Here's the view coming into the pier area of Knightstown, where you can ride the ferry over to the mainland.

Down the main street of Knightstown, this colorful coffee shop happens to be a great place for lunch...

I was really happy to see that there was still a lot of wildflowers in bloom, recent storms hadn't taken them out! There were montbresia and fuchsias filling the hedgerows, and wild blackberry brambles still putting out berries! 

This was along the road back to Valentia Ice Cream; to the left of us - cows in the pasture.  Below us, the Valentia Light house shines in the sunlight of a beautiful Valentia day!

We followed up our delightful ride with ice-cream! I got to chat with Joe's wife after she scooped up ice-cream for us. They are just closed for the season...but we are special guests that day.  They have expanded and added a whole new room, and patio-deck, as well as a play space for the kids! What a treat getting to visit with them again!

From here it's time to head back to Barbara's cottage for lunch! Yes, we worked up a nice appetite photographing the town, and all it's views. The ice cream was a bit of an appetizer!

The men are contemplating lunch, and the afternoon activities to come! After lunch, we cross the bridge to Portmagee and head south to Ballenskelligs Beach to visit the ruins, (and sit for a sketch if so desired!). 

Ever since Luke Skywalker made it out to Skellig Michael, everyone has been discovering what we've known all along....Skelligs Chocolate is FAB!!! 

Need we say anything more about that?! Now that we are fortified with a mug of hot chocolate, we proceed on our way, to Waterville, and Hogshead beach for a bit of beach-combing and views, and sunset!

The path to the beach is so lush!

and some can't resist getting their feet wet!

These stones are the colors that inspired my decorating choices in my home.

Looking back up the hill - another pretty view!

It's not difficult to imagine that fairies would live in such a lush and tender landscape!

The big view back up the hill!

The sun sets on our first day! 

We head off to dinner, and are already worlds away from the 'selves we left behind in the states'.   Is natural beauty important? Yes! Can it change our lives? Yes!  Does it continue to amaze and enthrall us? yes, yes, yes! Our humanity has us hard-wired to appreciate beauty in our daily lives!

Fall Sketchbook Classes at the CT Audubon Center and my Studio Classes

The Fall schedule for the CT Audubon Center classes is posted - and I'll have three sessions of Nature Journaling there in Pomfret this Fall. It's a beautiful place - and we'll be outdoors as long as the weather cooperates! (and if it doesn't we have a GREAT indoor space, too).  Similar to last summer, here's the dates:

Saturdays 9am-noon

September 24th

October 15th

November 12th

Call ahead to reserve your spot: 

860-928-4948

$10 for members, $20 for non-members
ALL the proceeds go to the CT Audubon center to help support programs! 

The sketchbook pages I'm sharing today were from last Friday, over at Bluff Point preserve in Groton. It was definitely the calm before the storm. Hurricane Hermine blew in over the weekend with fierce wind one day and rain the next, but nothing too horrible in our area. Whew!

I'm also holding classes for Sketchbook Journaling here in my studio in Mystic. Some will be indoors, and we'll venture outdoors in some of them as well! Classes here will be kept small  - with lots of individual attention! 

Here's the dates:

Thursdays 9:30am-noon

September 29th

October 6th

October 20th

November 3rd

November 10th

November 17th

Purchase the group of 6 classes for $150, or 

drop-in rate of $35 per individual class.  

I look forward to seeing you this fall!! 

Openings and Workshops and Serendipity Sunflowers!

 

8"x8" oil on archival panel

For more information, or to purchase, click here.  

"You may believe 

that inspiration is 

something that arrives in 

some mysterious way that's 

beyond your control, but it's

clearly best to 

rely exclusively on 

your decisions - 

to act in ways 

that will intensify

your awareness of Spirit."

-Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Serendipity...that little word has shown up in my life every now and then ever since I was in my 20s. I learned to be aware of it....and to look for 'serendipitous happenings'....things that fell into place, sometimes simply by circumstance. Or so it would seem. 

But circumstances also arise when the daily choices we make, eventually aline themselves for "just that right opportunity" and you are ready when it finally arises. As Dr. Dyer says above, "rely on your decisions, act in ways that will intensify your awareness of spirit".

Last week I taught a small workshop over in Essex, held at "Paintstix Studios". This is such a lovely, light filled space situated on a hill over-looking the main street. You can see straight down the street all the way to the Connecticut River! My first demo was "Serendipitous Sunflowers", honoring these 'circumstances' that have seemed to line up so fortuitously!

Other good news since I've blogged last, my solo show in Niantic, CT opened to a jam-packed opening reception, spilling out onto the side-walk of a lovely New England evening.  Several sales that evening, that show will hang through October 24th. There's still time for you to see this body of work - all of them landscape paintings of Barn Island, here on the shoreline of southeastern CT.  I'm so grateful for everyone that came out to see the opening and share in the celebration of this group of paintings being presented to the public, for the first time. I'm also grateful for the wonderful essays written about Barn Island (by The Day's journalist, Judy Benson);  that were published just prior to the show opening! The Day presented a gorgeous spread on the front of the 'Daybreak' section of our paper. Here's the online version, for the essays:  http://www.theday.com/article/20140909/ENT16/309099984/1044