Family matters

Not much blogging (or painting) this week as my family mourns the loss of my beloved Aunt Sheila. A wonderful mother, wife, and aunt, she was also an amazing poet. For now I will leave you with a painting I did some time ago of her family farm near Warrenton, Virginia.

"Waiting" Oil on Canvas 20x24"

We will miss you Aunt Sheila!

Preliminary plans for workshop

Just a quick announcement that I have been in conversation with a workshop and tour organizer for a landscape painting workshop in  southern France in the late spring/early summer of 2008! It should be an incredible time to be there when the poppies are in full bloom. I will supply more information as the plans become solidifed but for now, please get in touch with me with your contact information if you are interested in this workshop and I will send you the details as soon as possible. Update: After much discussion we have agreed upon a projected spring/summer workshop in 2009 instead of '08. This will give us more time to do the proper planning and promotion. It will also enable me to fulfill the commitments I've made in relation to my new studio/gallery during its first year of business. I'll post all information and updates at this link and on the blog regarding the 2009 workshop as soon as they are available.

Art Sketch: Southern Welcome

Here is another watercolor/pen and ink sketch of yet another Key West conch house. One day I will paint something else when I'm in Key West! But for now I am stuck on these houses and I always feel that it is better to choose a subject that excites me:

"Southern Welcome" Watercolor/Pen & Ink on Paper Image size 6x8"

I am really enjoying these watercolor sketches. I have always sketched and have done little watercolor/pen and inks for a while. But I haven't shown much until recently because they were really for my own amusement, and, having been so immersed in oil painting these last 12 or so years, I never really considered myself a watercolorist.

At one of our recent openings at the gallery my husband said, "Why don't you show some of these? They're neat!" I have learned to listen to him (sometimes, and/or eventually), so I put some out (eventually). To my surprise they got a great response.

So in light of this I added a new section to my website for the sketches. I hope to expand these small, intimate pieces to include other mediums, but for now I am sharing the little watercolors. I will post them here on the blog as a first offering, and then add them to the website gallery page as time permits.

Art Sketch- Key West Hideaway

This is a little watercolor sketch of the conch houses that have become one of my favorite subjects when painting down in Key West. To me these little bungalows encapuslate that feeling of a tropical getaway. Many are relatively small simple structures but they are adorned with an abundance of tropical foliage that add shade and splashes of brilliant color. Unfortunately a fixer upper sells for around 1/2 a million dollars, so for now I just satisfy myself with painting them!

 

"Key West Hideaway" Watercolor/Pen & Ink on Paper Image size: 6x8"

Art Sketch- May in the Luberon

Today I present a watercolor/ pen and ink sketch I've done in preparation for a larger oil painting. This scene shows a small stone structure alongside a poppy-lined path leading to a Provincial farmhouse in the heart of Provence. The stone structure is one of many I saw while traveling through the Luberon valley. It looked to be a mini-borie. A borie is a stone hut commonly used in agricultural areas for storage or shelter. Some in this region date far back in history, but they have also been built in modern times. I don't know what use this mini-borie would possibly have held other than decoration, or even if it is technically considered a borie, but it did have the same kind of honeycomb or igloo structure:

"May in the Luberon" Watercolor and Pen & Ink on Paper Image size 6x8"