Becca and Jared Are Married

This past Saturday our niece Rebecca and Jared were married on the beautiful grounds of Hartwood mansion near Pittsburgh, PA. Of course everything was out of this world gorgeous; the bride, the groom, the setting, the day. Well, it was beastly hot but that's just one more memory for the book.

I snapped more than a few photos and a good many will be put in the "to paint " pile which grows higher each day. Hope you see one or two of these sometime soon.

Shamless Self Promtion

Last week I dropped off Jersey Girl (bottom left on post card ) for the PWS annual show. This year the show is in Reading, PA at Goggleworks Center For The Arts Cohen Gallery with the reception being Sunday, August 9 from 3-5 PM.

I am so honored to be a part of this prestigious show and as this is the second year accepted, it permits me to include PWS after my signature.

Pinch me.

Visit Goggleworks.org for directions. Hours are

Mon-Sat 9-9,Sundays 11-7

Lunch Time for Becca

Well, this really took longer than I wanted. I think I escaped without overworking too many areas and there was certainly a few things learned on this one, too. A lot learned but I can truely say it was fun to do, so perhaps there will be other window paintings.

Iwould have liked more washes on the red but backed off. I'm happy with the reflections and how they trick the eyes when they see something and then it gets lost again in the painting.

There are sections better than others but that is for me to know and you to point them out to me. So ...let me have it folks. I welcome all comments and constructive criticism . Oh, I might mention too, that this is the first one I did without stretching and I haven't framed it yet. So, some of the "straight" edges might not look too straight. I will be able to flaten it but please offer any tips on framing without a mat.

Wow, where does the time go ? It's not like I haven't been on the computer. Just having too much fun reading others blogs and playing on Facebook with friends. Now it's back to work with all engines full.

This is a piece I started last week for my niece from a photo she took in London. Quite a surprise when she sent me the photo. I was expecting a London street or quaint European village. She said she just thought it was really funny to see this car in a store window.

It's a full sheet done with transparent watercolor. I'm having a grand time with all the reflections which are time consuming but I don't find too difficult but it does give me renewed respect for John Salminen.(Looking forward to his workshop with the BWS in 2011 !!) I plan (hope) to continue with what you see overall then go back to deepen the darks with out overworking. I also am not satisfied yet with the reds. I am never satisfied with reds. If any one out there knows what reds W. Homer used, please clue me in. It's been a constant search for years. I even went back to the exhibit at the National Gallery several times esp. to take notes while pouring over his paints and sketches. You know that warm, orange/red, geranium red ? Any way, hopefully the darker darks will make the reds jump. This is only the first wash to establish the lightest areas.

I haven't posted work in progess before ( too insecure ). If I'm away too long, you'll know I'm still at it. Becca, don't peek.

A plein air (re)treat

Many,many,many THANK YOUs to Susan and Bill Johnson for a wonderful two days at their mountain "getaway" home in western Maryland.

Susan and I were water color students a couple years, well a few, OK a really long time ago at Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA. Having since kept in contact with a group of plein air artists from Switzerland and France, she and Bill played hosts last week to these artists well as some members of the West Virginia Water Color Society.

Their beautifully unique home was constucted from materials saved from deconstructed buildings. It appears as the builder came upon a treasure he hauled it there and built a room around it. Thus the bell towers and leaded and stain glass windows, oak panels and even kitchen cabinets from a chem lab from a school. Equally charming is the setting. The house is perched along a hill a short walk across a covered bridge from a mountain stream and reservoir. This place is the dream of every artist or other person with even an ounce of imagination.

A picture really is worth a thousand words, esp. when one doesn't speak French ! It was interesting to see the different approaches each artist took to interpret the location. And after a day of painting...ah, the wine, the food, the wine...

Ooops ! Must have been one of my frequent senior moments ! How could I have forgotten that I had done an other floral ! I guess that because it wasn't done super realisticly, I didn't think of it. Still, don't look for me to take over the market on floral paintings .

Geeze, it's been forever since I posted anything but just as long that I've had anything worthy of showing or blabbing about, it seems. Above is the latest. I don't know if I have ever done a floral painting before. I think they have to be incredibly special to hold my interest so I leave it to those that do them well...like portraits.

This was from a photo I took down at the Strathmore when I went to pick up Jersey Girl . The photo is really neat. The Peony was white but like most things white , except for paint samples, there were a bazillion colors . The suttle colors of the center just glowed. Since I had been doing a series of failures anyway, I figured what the heck, do a flower. Not sure I'll be doing too many more.

I'm hoping to try out my brand new watercolor easel that I bought two years ago (!) when I travel back to western PA. I found a dear friend and painting buddy from college ( thank you Facebook ) with a mountain home in western MD. Seems there is a gathering of international painters desending on that part of the world next week and we thought we'd join in. It's been a very long time since I've done any plein air painting.

Might be all the rain we've had lately but the muses seem to be on vacation. Others have noticed the same thing... ( misery likes company ? ). Or perhaps after a bit of success one is punished for resting on laurels. The trip to the mountains may be what I need to get the juices flowing again. Or the mesquitos and ticks may be enough to chase me back into the studio with renewed determination.

Thank you to the increasing new friends that have found this blog and decided to hang around. It only encourages me...good or bad ?