Hopeville Pond Reflections & packing for France!

8"x10" oil on linen mounted on panel

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A fine plein air morning two whole weeks ago! It's been a busy few weeks, so I've been painting, but not blogging! 

I'm currently working on a commission....while packing for the trip of a lifetime....and painting some small works in-between.

I'm heading out to France soon, to go paint with Dreama Tolle Perry - and really looking forward to this workshop! We'll be staying at Le Vieux Couvent, in Frayssinet.  I've been planning this since last summer, and now it's finally here! I do hope you'll follow along on the journey!

Incoming Front Over Ledge Light - sold!!

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

"Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots."

-Frank Howard Clark

Tuesday morning I went out in hopes of painting before the rains came. I was certainly lucky as I got just what I was after! Interesting cloud shapes and color filled the sky over the Wetlands Overlook at Waterford Beach. Looking out toward the Long Island Sound, I could see Ledge Light in the distance, where just the day before everything was enveloped in a very thick fog.


I had mentioned in a previous post about keeping your plein air gear light for travel. This is whether you're flying to a far destination, or just hiking in to your local park. It's all too easy to try stuffing 'just one more thing' into your bag/backpack. If you've got to carry that any distance, you'll be tired & regretting it before you even set up to paint. Over the years I've tried just about everything out there on the market until I finally came upon this combination. An 8x10 Open Box M easel/palette screws right onto a simple camera tripod (not a heavy one either, just a very basic one (got it for under $20 years ago). I have a little sack attached to the legs for laying rocks in for weight if it's a bit windy. If you're trying to paint in a gale, well, suffer the consequences...wind is just about the worst problem to deal with when painting outdoors. Keeping it simple is still the best idea. If you're determined to 'gut-it-out' in wind, you could detach the small box from the easel & hold it.

Other supplies that fit into this pack are an 8"x10" Raymar wet panel box, it holds 3 panels, but for most nearby outings I just take 2 panels. I bring 2 different palette knives, a couple bulldog clips to hold my trash bag onto the set-up, Kleenex, paper towels, a small container of wet-wipes/baby-wipes (yes they are GREAT for getting paint off your skin). In summer I bring a small bug-spray. I try to remember a water bottle, & a camera, but I've left home without them & it's been fine. For paints, I take a warm & cool of each primary, plus white. If you're working with a palette knife, you don't need any medium, solvents, and clean-up is so much simpler. The little rolling back-pack I found at Wal-Mart ($35 if I remember correctly), allowing you to roll it if you're in an area with sidewalks or hoist it up on your back if you have to hike into an area. This has been the most versatile set-up I've used over the years, and of course, may get tweaked over time as all things seem to. And of course, there's no "one WAY" to rig your set-up, what-ever works for YOU is the key thing! Hope it helps you if you're looking to lighten your load and get out to paint more often!

Clearing Sky Over Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland

5"x7" oil on archival panel

***During the month of March I'll be offering some subscriber specials (2009 prices and shipping is on me!) on some of my small paintings of Ireland that are still in need of a good home. Some of these were done on location....brought back in my wet panel carrier through customs! Others were painted here in my studio from my reference materials from my travels over there. All of them bring me wonderful reminders of a place that owns my heart and has captured my imagination.

One more piece that would make a great pairing with "Road To The Lighthouse At Old Head, Kinsale,Ireland" (that I posted the other day) is "Clearing Sky Over Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland". This one (a 5"x7" oil) was done after completing a larger commission of this place, I found the history behind this area rather fascinating as well as the big sky and vast last & water shapes make an 'almost abstraction'. The current pricing special on these small Ireland paintings are $100 (shipping included), and only good through St. Patrick's Day, March 17th. Contact me here for availability of this painting.

Would you like to attend an artist's retreat to Ireland like this? Please visit my the website of my friend Barbara Mastaglio who is offering another retreat this summer!

To make sure you don't miss any of my subscriber specials, please sign up for my Cheer Factor newsletter here!

Sunny Side Of The Sunflowers

8"x6" oil on Belgian linen mounted on museum quality panel

"Grab your coat, don't forget your hat
But, leave your worries on the doorstep
Life can be so sweet, just direct your feet
To the sunny side of the street."
- Jimmy McHugh


On my morning walks with my neighbors, we pass by this big display of sunflowers. Right about quarter of eight when we pass by, the side of the house is lit and the front is in shade. It's such a wonderful contrast, and it catches our breath every time....that is on days when we stop talking long enough to look! It is rather funny, there's 3, sometimes 4 of us, (and all gardeners & flower lovers) so when there's some new unusual bloom, conversation stops...oohs & ahhs abound. It's a great way to start the day, a walk with friends, to take in all the sights of the season.