Bees and things...

Working on some new summery paintings.  The nice weather and all the new blooms makes it easy to get inspired and capture  the early flowers.  (and bugs, bees, etc.)

Artisan Barn Sale

The barn fair was so much fun!  It was a beautiful day to drive out to the country and see what area artists and crafters had to offer.  I think I spent any profit on other artists' wares! Happily, one of my original paintings went to a good home.  It's always a good feeling. :)

Part of the profits from sales went to a local Parks and Recreation playground project.

 My displays were propped up on barn walls, tables, and any extra barn pieces we could find.

this fabulous former dairy barn is used for fundraisers, weddings and parties all summer and fall.  The generous owners have refurbished and decorated it for many community uses.  I felt lucky to be a part of this venue.

As I was walking around the neighborhood on a recent spring morning, a shower of crab apple blossoms fell around these bright tulips.  Of course, this could be snow.  It's been that kind of spring!

To top off a great trip, I got the great news that I won this year's poster contest for the Skaneateles Lavender Festival.  This is especially nice because the proceeds benefit the SPCA animal shelter.
The link below shows the artwork.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FcqdVH8&h=XAQHI8D1o

Vacation Journal

It's been a busy month!  The highlight was  our epic 2 week family vacation to visit two of our boys living in Europe this year.  I had been saving this little watercolor paper journal I made just for this trip. One side is little mini studies of scenes from Germany, Belgium and Amsterdam.  The other side I'd like to make one panoramic scene; haven't decided what that's going to be yet.  There are so many scenes to choose from it's hard to pick.  My big idea of painting outdoors every day didn't work out-it was 40 degrees and windy, plus we were really on the go every minute.  The photos work fine though and it's almost done.  It'll be a great memento of our time together.

Weisbaden

Working on a scene for my son in Germany. We're going to visit next month where he's teaching; this is a walkway next to his school building.

 this was looking too "stiff" so I decided to try again.  It was started with a pencil drawing.


 here I outlined with a brush and lightly tinted water, and used a lighter, patient touch with fresh color.

I'm liking the colors much better-just needs some more depth and details. But there are things about the first one I like more, like the figure and shadows. You just cannot paint the same way each time! I could paint this 3 more times and none would look alike. I would probably do this once more, driving myself crazy, but we're going to visit soon and I have more scenes to paint!

Phantom Happenings

Our high school had a fundraiser to offset costs of the drama production "Phantom of the Opera".  Ten local artists created a Phantom inspired art piece to be raffled off at the last run; tickets could be purchased at each performance.  It contributed to the buzz of the whole evening and energies were running high!  I was happy to be involved and be able to contribute to such an exciting event!

 You place your tickets in the bag that corresponds with the painting you'd like to win.  The organizer printed our bios for each painting and they were included in the program.

My watercolor version of the boat scene.  Mist and darkness and candles were my inspiration. So fun!