Off the Beach

After spending a summer at the beach, 

right about now 

I start missing trees. 

Painting on the North River last week

was heavenly and I've become newly inspired. 

"The Way In"

20 x 16 

oil

NOTE:
As we reflect on our glorious changing seasons
 here in New England,
let's not forget what's going on in Texas.
They need our help and prayers.

Painting By the River

Yesterday I finally got organized enough

 to pack up my gear and get outside to paint. 

"North River Garden"

12 x 9 oil 

It took a while for me to settle down

 and I had a lot of "false starts".

I decided to go back to my comfort zone; 

started with my darkest darks and worked up from there.

I was in heaven and so was Cello. 

She spent the day happily guarding my private time! 

Mise en Place

My very creative friend, Jayne 

is a master gardener and professional chef.    

She recently hosted a luncheon at her home 

on the North River.    

Jayne's Mise en Place 

14 x 11 gouache

Mise en place (French pronunciation: ​[mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]) is a French culinary phrase 

which means  "putting in place" or "everything in its place." 

It refers to the set up required before cooking,

 and is often used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (e.g.relishes, sauces, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) 

that a cook will require for the menu items that are expected to be prepared during a shift.^[1]

I took a few images of her prep area 

then played with the Procreate App on my I Pad Pro.

There was inspiration everywhere.  

More paintings to come

 from this visual extravaganza! 

NOTE:

Aside from the noodles, salmon, and mozzarella,

every dish was prepared with ingredients from her garden. 

Even the potatoes and eggs! 

Beach Talk

"Beach Talk"

16 x 11 oil 

I'm just guessing,

 but I bet these two are talking politics. 

I painted this loosely and upside down 

over an old painting.

Not sure if the head going off the top 

is a problem or not. 

The Candy Store

There is a well known bar/restaurants in Newport, RI

called The Candy Store. 

It's our favorite stop whenever we get down there. 

Everything about it is fun;

even the seating. 

"The Candy Store"

8 x 8 oil study 

Summer Subjects

There is still a lot 

of summer left.  

The Waiting Room 

16 x 20 

oil 

And the subject matter just keeps 

showing up on the beach! 

(These guys looked like they were 

just waiting for some girls to walk by.)

Had fun playing with the colors of the big shapes. 

Commissions

A friend asked me to do a painting

from a photo she'd taken of the village 

where she stayed with friends on a recent trip to Italy.

11 x 14 oil 

This was image she gave me:

and asked if I could "highlight" the apartment they rented!? 

I was a bit daunted by the lack of light and value

so I played around with it in Procreate. 

bumping up the value of the apartment they rented just slightly.   

Commissions can be a struggle, 

especially if the client has a preconceived notion

 about how they want it to look. 

This is not how I usually paint,

 but it was actually quite fun. 

And she loves it!