We're having a heat wave

When our plein air group met to paint at a lovely estate in Newport, steamy showers rained us out. I went back alone later in the week, on another exceptionally hot day. I stood with my back to a little gardener's cottage, looking at the water garden.

I had walked for a while around this large property, but without an umbrella, I couldn't see painting and baking in the sun. At least here, I had shade from the building.

This gorgeous building is a greenhouse, studio and rooftop deck that looks out over the ocean.

My surface was toned with acrylic cadmium orange,good for my mid range value, which struck me as perfect for the intense heat of the day. I worked with thin oil paint to lay down my composition, keeping shapes abstract.

We're in Maine now and the painting sits in the studio. I want to go in and make a few changes when I get home. 12x24.

Mystic Museum of Art

So thrilled that my painting Summer Table was accepted into the 62nd Regional Exhibition at The Mystic Museum of Art. This painting is 16x20 and was painted from direct observation, objects set up on my dining room table. Honored to be hung among such great company, in a beautiful setting, in downtown Mystic, CT. The exhibit will run through Sept 22, 2018, so there's still time to see it. 

$Highest bid for a good cause$

Here in Newport, RI we all look forward to Wet Paint at the The Newport Art Museum. It's a big fundraising event which culminates in a live auction and brings artists and the community together in the best possible way. This year was its' 25th anniversary and we remembered the wonderful man who started the whole thing off, Richard Grosvenor.
There was a heavy downpour Saturday morning as I drove over to the museum to check-in  and and get my panel stamped with the  official Wet Paint stamp. I was trying to figure out where I would paint, knowing that I wanted to be under some kind of cover.
Keep it simple- I said to myself.
I chose a spot on the museum grounds looking towards Bellevue Ave. The wide avenue where so many of the Newport Mansions are located. I had put a layer of cadmium red on the 12x24" panel, which would serve as my middle value, and help expedite my composition layout. 

Not the most inspiring day as of and on showers made their appearance.

The artist at work. And loving every moment of it.

Here's the finished painting. My dog Cooper was home alone, and I wanted to get back to him. Home by noon.

Thrilled to learn the next day that my painted was headed "under the tent" for the live auction. #9 out of only 20 chosen from over 500 works of art.

The auction was really exciting,led by Rupert Nesbitt and auctioneer Robbie Gordy from Christie's NYC, as my painting was the high bid of the day going for $3800. The arts are alive and well in Newport, RI.

                                 See ya next year, Wet Paint!

My friends know I love flowers

The first time my friend Susan came to dinner she brought me a bunch of sunflowers, which of course I later painted. Last week she came over, again for dinner, and again with flowers, with a token sunflower in remembrance of that first dinner. 
She's thoughtful like that, and that's a quality I hope for myself with my friends. Remembering what they like. How they take their coffee. What's been going on in their lives. I'm feeling very grateful  for the close connection I feel with the women and men in my life today.
The next day I took the flowers out back, where I found a spot of shade, and found myself obsessed with the Queen Anne's Lace. Considered nothing more than a weed by many, I marveled at its' structure and divine color. This is oil on panel, 11x14.

Plein Air Beavertail

I was happy to get a chance to paint some of the buildings at Beavertail lighthouse on the neighboring island of Jamestown. This is quintessential Rhode Island and has been my home for the last four decades. My kids grew up on Jamestown, with all the advantages of small town and island living- bike riding to school, no need to lock the doors, plenty of open space to explore, lasting memories and friendships. And so I gathered with friends, my plein air pals from around the state and we each interpreted that summer day in our own way. Feeling so grateful for my island home.