I won't be painting for awhile because my studio is in my beach house and dear friends from Dublin are staying there for about two weeks.  They're Irish, and wanted to experience an American Thanksgiving. (I hope I get an invite over sometime to experience an Irish St. Patrick' Day!)   I'm happy to see them and their new baby, so the painting will just have to wait.

I thought it might be a good idea to 'stay on track' these next two weeks by doing research on a few administrative things that I have been meaning to take care of: business cards, websites, canvases, mediums and frames.  We'll see how many of those topics I hit...pretty ambitious, eh?

I'm starting, and this morning ran across this article, and for all painting buddies, it makes a lot of sense to me.

It's a little advice on how to make your painting dream (whatever it may be) into a reality.  It struck me because I'm not exactly sure what my painting dream is right now.  I do know that, without a plan, not much will happen beyond random events.  So, I'll be thinking about that these next two weeks, between cooking lots of food and relaxing with the family. :  )

Here's the link:

http://fineartviews.com/republish.asp?bid=36917

Happy painting, cooking, eating and whatever else comes your way these next two weeks.

Grand View

"Grand View", 16x20, oil on canvas

Started this painting this morning by blocking in the sky background. 

 Then I moved onto the clouds.  Bright colors on top, muted grays down toward the horizon.

Next I added the river water.   Lastly, I added the land mass (see finished painting above). For the land mass, I put in the darks first, and then the lights.  Saturated colors in the foreground and muted, grays in the background.  I'll put it away for a few days and then put on final touches.

Feelin' the Spirit

Friday I started this painting of Trinity Episcopal Church, located high on the hilltop on Highland Street in Marshfield.  I think I was "feelin' the spirit" because First Fridays of every month, the ladies of Trinity gather for a pot luck supper, and we were meeting that night.  I love the community of Trinity.  It makes my spirit sing.  I guess I was hoping some of that spirit would move my paint brush! I finished the painting this morning.

"Feelin' the Spirit", 12x16, oil on canvas

Lessons Learned

I worked on this painting today but am not happy with it.  The top right corner is not right at all, but I  need to put it away to figure out how to fix it.  Lesson learned: All areas that gave me trouble in the block in/value study, gave me the equal amount of trouble with paint on the brush.  Ergo, if I can't create a decent value study, I can't paint it....Seems simple enough.  I'll try to remember that.