2 days...

 Today was cooking prep day for Linda and her helpers.  Cheese and meats are ready.  Toffee pretzels and Chex mix were made.  Linda woke with a red itchy eye and the girls were worried she had pink eye so we spent 2 hours at Urgent Care to find its only allergies!  Meanwhile,  I took our van to be looked at for a bit of work scheduled for next week, blew some leaves and washed off the front porch and sat with Linda at Urgent Care!  It is 6pm and planning on a quiet evening.

Two more originals waiting for Friday at 2PM!

4 Days to Go...

We had a "to do" list today and everything got done! The studio is set up with some older painting. Panels, covers and lights. We moved the check out desk from the studio into the area off the kitchen. I oiled the butcher block counters, polished the kitchen table. Ran to Home Goods for a pitcher for Sangria and to the farm for a few more pumpkins.

Here is a sneak peak...

Douro Valley Finished!

Here is the FINISHED painting! What a challenge it was and I loved it.



Backing up to where I left off...
You can see I am working my way to the top, row after row.

Moving up



Almost at the top...

After this I go back over the whole painting and soften it, add shadows from the overhead clouds.  Scroll back to the top and look at the finished painting one more time.  I am pretty proud of this one.

I worked till 10:30 last night and was back at it today.
Filling in the back row and adding trees to the foreground.

Concentrating on the foreground, going darker.



I am working a row at a time... stone terrace and green vines.

I had a client drive up from Solomons MD and had a nice visit.  Meanwhile Linda made ham & bean soup so friends are coming for soup and grilled cheese.  I am going to keep painting rows...

Last painting before Open House

For my last painting Linda said she needed to fill in with a landscape. I decided on the Douro Valley in Portugal. It was absolutely beautiful, it looked like a patchwork quilt. Terraces holding grape vines and olive trees. It is a UNESCO site and impressive.
This is our travel group at a pull over stop, look at that view behind us.  The photo does not do it justice.

So this is what I wanted to paint.  It is 11x15"  but packed with angles and texture.  I need to show vast distance.   I took a whole day and evening just on this drawing.  All by hand, using a photo on my cell phone for reference.

I woke this morning anxious to get started.  A slow build of  under washes, drying often.

Adding rows of vines and trees, terrace and small hills.   I want to get the flow, all the directions of the patches of fields, showing movement.   I went between excitement and frustration all day.  You are seeing about 8 hours of work today.  

I am expecting to work into the night...

9 Days till Open House...

9 Days to go! There is still 3 small piles of mats to cut and shrink wrap but framing is FINISHED! Linda finished the shopping today (except the fresh stuff). Labels are all printed and cut.
Meanwhile I finished and framed 2 paintings I had been steadily working on.

I have one more I started last night.  A landscape from the Douro Valley.  It is complicated and I want to take my time.

Creating a masterpiece!

I always start with a good drawing.  By hand! This is my first connection with the painting.   We had a 12x22 frame,  tall but narrow so selecting a painting that fits comfortably in that size takes some thinking.  This was perfect.
This gate is from Portugal, I took hundreds of photos and use them in my studio.  But I remember standing in front of this 16 century gate from an old convent turned boutique where we were privileged to spend the night. Convento do Seixo in Fundao Portugal.  


I do not have a set way to start a painting, each one is different.  With this,  I started with the pattern of cobblestones which are everywhere in Portugal. Notice the dip, like the cobblestones settled over time. Then painting up the walls.


Building slowly with washes to build the texture.  I want my viewer to feel the stones.



Ivy... just softens it a bit, against all the stone.



Add that beautiful soft blue on the gates.


I keep working, going deeper and darker.  Creating the feeling of an overcast foggy morning.
 And finally it is finished!  

I am painting, Linda is filling a few orders for pick up and started sending email reminders for Open House.  10 days...

Still Painting

Another painting for Open House. Check out the work on the wood! I had a blast painting this one.


Spent a little time cleaning the leaves out of the gutter at the cottage and using my muscles to help Linda trim some butterfly bushes with the loppers.  The rest of my day was spent on a landscape painting.

I have a wonderful client in NJ who every years says...I have NO more room.  And every year he gets another one.  Notice the new one in the bottom left corner.  He truly has the salon style perfected.  So no one can tell me they don't have room for more!

Open House Update...

Open House Update:  15 days to go...
The girls are still cutting mats and framing. Supplies are still coming in. Linda has the menu together.  Not easy, she has to think of things to serve cold, it needs to set out for 3 hours at a time (then get pitched and refreshed) and for an unknown number of people.  I am so glad its not my job or it would be cheese and crackers!  Today we went to Costco for the staples. This took over 2 hours, and a 2 page list of items, I simply follow behind and push the cart!  We picked up the wine and along with the usual hot wassail I think she is planning on Apple Pie Sangria.  I will say she seems overly excited about this!   After going to 3 stores hunting for the perfect napkins and none meeting up to some hidden idea that I could not fathom, Amazon came through.    We moved the sales check out from the back room of the studio to the small room off the kitchen.  Linda wanted something different.   I saw "hose off  the front porch" on the to-do list but I pointed out that every time the leaf guys go through there is a cloud of dirt and dust...I am not sure she heard me!  I am still painting and am very happy with how that is going, it is flowing off my brush.

For your wish list,  Featuring...

More new paintings…

I need to catch up..
Thursday was date night, starting with dinner at Hidden Still for great ribs and then a fantastic show at Hershey Theater.   We saw Ain’t Too Proud.  The story of the Temptations.  The voices were amazing. LOVED IT.



My paint brush has been flying. 

Featuring two of Linda's favorites.

Both 14x18. Not available till 11/21