Come Out and Play

Come Out and Play 9"X12"  Oil Painting on Canvas Panel

My painting buddy, Brenda Semanick, came to my studio yesterday to paint a still life with me. The early part of the day was a real comedy of errors which would gave been hilarious if I had been watching it happen to someone else. Everything I tried to do, use, or set up kept falling apart. I wanted to set this still life up on a board mounted on my tripod with a sheet of glass on the surface so we would get some nice reflections. Well, the connector came out of the board and the whole thing collapsed. Naturally, the glass broke, so no table top reflections in this still life. Once I cleared another space to set it up and decided on lighting, I proceeded to trip over the tripod supporting the light and knocked that over. Yes it broke, not just the bulb either. The entire light fixture is enjoying a new life in the dumpster. Eventually we got everything worked out and settled down to paint. So much for conducting myself as a confident and competent hostess!

Cottage Garden

Cottage Garden Original 12"X12" Oil Painting

Here is another field study from my trip to Newport, Rhode Island. These folks love their gardens, you can find hydrangeas, altheas, lilies and black eyed susans everywhere. This lovely cottage was right down the street from where I stayed. My friend, Genii, and I generated a little neighborhood excitement when we set up to paint. The owner of the house very graciously showed us around her garden and then gave us a tour of her home. The afternoon sun was on the street side, though, so that's where we painted!

April's Orchids

Original 24" X 18" Oil Painting on Canvas

I know, I know...you've seen this one before. Well I spent a lot of time and effort reworking this painting and I wanted to share it with you.  I sanded down the face and flowers,  then painted over them with opaque paint so the old drawing wouldn't trip me up.  I scraped the face out a couple of times before I finally got the likeness I was after.  Its funny how some paintings seem to paint themselves and  others require a lot of labor. iI was happy I stuck with this one.

Margy's Lilies

Margy's Lilies 10" X 12" Original Oil Painting on Canvas Board

While I was in Rhode Island, I had an opportunity to hang out with the owner of one of the fabulous old mansions that Newport is so famous for. The house was amazing but I preferred the beautiful grounds. Dodging the sun and the poison ivy, I found a quiet shady spot to set up and paint these beautiful lilies. Thanks, Margy, for a delightful morning well spent.

Newport Rose Hips

Newport Rose Hips Original 8" X 8" Oil Painting on Gessoboard

The headlands of Aquidneck Island are covered with wild rose bushes, There aren't many blooms this time of year but the shrubs are laden with rose hips. They are very interesting persimmon shaped fruits with funny little green tails. The red ripe ones are actually tasty and loaded with Vitamin C. I only had an hour to paint one morning, so I decided to give them a shot. While I was cleaning up my brushes, two French speaking gentlemen came up to discuss my painting with me. I may not speak French very well, but it seems they liked the painting. One of the fun things about plien aire painting is how excited people are to come across a painter. I've made some wonderful new friends this way.