2022 Still Life #14

mini original watercolor     $225

I am so excited to be painting from Stratford Hall...

I had a hard day today, I had to put my beloved cat Max down due to some issues. Doing the right thing is always so hard. He was a pound rescue at age 4 and my buddy for 11 years.  



On a happier note, a friend visited bearing gifts.  A huge thank you to Lynn.

She is unbelievably talented.  She is always making me treats.  She makes the BEST shortbread!  This was fantastic lemon pound cake that did not last the night!  The pillow is all hand made, her stitching is beautiful, and its filled with lavender, my favorite scent and the little egg is dyed with onion skins and scratched.  All that talent and super nice!

2022 Window #5

SOLD!   $145. (unframed) 4x6” mini original watercolor
Available to the 1st person to email
(framing $35 - shipping available at cost)
If unsold by 4/28 the price goes to $225

This window is from Stratford Hall, birthplace of Robert E Lee.

We had a great few days away with our friends the Hildebrands. Our latest travels started Thursday with a stop at Stratford Hall in Stratford, VA. I will be painting from this beautiful building for a while. Lots of paintings to come! Friday was spent at Yorktown Revolution Museum in Yorktown, VA Yes, we were just there this past November but we needed more time. An evening stop in Historic Williamsburg and tried to find my new space location for the show. Saturday was outside the box, we went to see the Presidents Heads...it is hard to get tickets because it is not open often, off beat but worth the time. I do not know how Linda finds these things!

Selfies do not always turn out,  I am saying something mid snap but Linda looks great in this one!  But you get the idea of the heads size.

Sunday was our show in Williamsburg, it was 90 and Linda was melting, it was HOT!  Monday was our drive home with a lunch stop at Nonna Angela's in Crofton, MD.  Fabulous meal!  We even ordered an extra meal for dinner at home.  Back home to a lawn that needed mowed, return a trailer, laundry, Linda was at her desk all day.  The usual!

I sold this painting over the weekend and was sent a photo of its new home.  Looks perfect there.

Also a huge THANK YOU to Jennifer, she came to the show bearing gifts!  Her own homemade jams.  I am always saying how blessed I am with wonderful clients.

2022 Window #4

 
 mini original watercolor   $225

One of the beautiful windows in  Bryn Athyn Church.  Beautiful even with plain clear glass with the sunlight flooding in.


Commission Update...FINISHED!  I stayed up late last night and finished it.

2022 Still Life #13

 
mini original watercolor    $225

Beautiful hand carved doors from Glencairn Museum.  A little different but I had a lot of fun painting them.

My commission is so close to being finished.  I need some landscape work, hoping to wrap it up tonight.  I may be putting in a late night!

Finally got my Williamsburg space assignment... come find me!!
Art on the Square
 Merchants Square Historic Williamsburg, VA
 Sunday, April 24 from 10 to 5  FREE!

SPACE #22 
N Boundry St near Richmond Rd (5th from the end)
where there are double rows

2022 Landscape #11

 
SOLD!   FRAMED in 10x7" black wood (not available in walnut) 
mini original watercolor.    $175.  Available to the 1st person to email
 4/19 the price goes to $225.

The last of the landscapes in the long narrow size frames, you know, the ones Linda ordered in the wrong size!!  This is from the Shaker Village in KY.

Busy here at the Smith house.  Wednesday we took a road trip with our friends the Hildebrands.  We started with breakfast at Morgantown Coffee House  in Elverson, PA.
Then on to Bryn Athyn, PA for tours of: Cairnwood House , then Bryn Athyn Church  If you never get to Europe this is a good example of stain glass.  Interesting theology and doctrine.  Last was the  Glencairn Museum.  These are all on the same grounds and the three tours took all day, 11 to 5.  Well worth a trip.  We finished off our day at Linda's favorite restaurant, Limoncello in Chester Springs, PA.  Great day and I managed a few ideas to paint.

Thursday I got out my show equipment.  Its that time.  We are heading out on Thursday, taking our friends the Hildebrands with us for a bit of sightseeing before the show.

SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2022 AT 10 AM – 5 PM

57th Annual Art on the Square

Merchants Square- Williamsburg, VA
I still do not have my space assignment...
Friday and through the weekend I was glued to my desk working on my commission.

2022 Still Life #12

 

SOLD!  $145. (unframed) 4x6” mini original watercolor

Available to the 1st person to email
(framing $35 - shipping available at cost)
If unsold by 4/14 the price goes to $225

Linda actually said "I like it" to this one!  This has an interesting feel.  A little different subject.  A perfect bathroom painting!  I think this is from the mansion at Sonnenberg Gardens in NY.

I can confirm Linda has been working in the gardens, I carried out 22 brown bags for tomorrows pick up.  Do not pity her, it is her stress relief!   I had to drop off our car for some garage work and rode my bike home 17 glorious miles this morning.  It had to be done!    We had a busy day, our cabinet man stopped in for some measurements.  Linda's brother stopped in with a paint bill and to look how the remodel is looking.  The furnace guy stopped in for final instructions from our carpenter, who was also here.  Lots of people in and out.  Wednesday is our play day.  Heading on a road trip which I will share later.

2022 Window #3

 

mini original watercolor   $225.

I found this window in Glen Rock PA last year while on a bike ride.

Question for the day:  You turned 69 in January...what does retirement look like?
I will never retire from painting, it is who I am.  We have been discussing what our plans are looking like.  Being off during Covid gave us a better understanding of what we need. You may have already noticed my show schedule is lighter.  I am doing two shows a month.  That is really cutting back for us.  AND we plan to use the RV while showing and taking a day or two extra to have some fun or rest time before and after the shows.  I am hoping to get more bike time in and get the tandem out as often as possible!   In about 2-4 years we will downsize the studio and move it to the front two rooms of our main house.  Returning the studio back into an apartment rental which it originally was.  I am not looking forward to that however the time will come.  During Covid I cut back the edition of prints I have been printing.  I will continue to do that.  The goal is to sell out the editions I currently have in stock.  More original paintings and less prints.  I will spend more time on commissions and on You Tube videos.  Of course this is all predicated on good health as I hit my 70's...and I have NO idea how that happened to fast. So it is the selling and showing that will change but not the painting!

2022 Window #2

 

mini original watercolor  $225.

I simply wanted to try something just because,... just because I felt like it.  I wanted to play with light.  I know the subject matter is a bit odd.  This is our down to the studs kitchen,  but it is the light that moved me.

Last April I started the question for the day and I enjoyed thinking and answering.  Go back to April 2022 and read them if you just joined my blog.  It seems I run out of things to blog about each April...I am going back to some questions.

Question for the day: How did you get through 2 years of Covid?  To be honest the first year felt like vacation, giving us a glimpse of what retirement would look like.   All my shows cancelled for the year (2020)  It gave us time to rest, read catch our breath. Did some things around the house, we got to enjoy the back yard.  Linda read and started puzzles.   I painted whatever I felt like with no thoughts to selling. I still painted every day but with a different mindset.  With no new inspiration through travel I had to reach back to my older photos.   We already had a strong presence on my website, blog, Facebook so we just remarketed.  Linda was thinking outside the box, In the beginning I blogged about how to display your mini paintings, ran online art shows, featured a digital travel theme, did a limited Spring print,  I was blessed with commissions,  did some videos and was generally blessed with online sales.  We did a handful of shows in 2021.  I added regular backyard shows which went well.  So for us we did not miss a beat.  I know many of my artist friends struggled so I feel very blessed.   We have loyal dedicated clients and friends who supported me through the two years.  But we are both ready to get out there again...

2022 Landscape #10

 
SOLD!   $145. (unframed) 6x4” mini original watercolor

Available to the 1st person to email
(framing $35 - shipping available at cost)
If unsold by 4/7 the price goes to $225

Lancaster County Farm...

Hey Williamsburg VA    I will be heading your way the end of April...save the date.  I do not have my space assignment but will post as soon as I know.  They changed spaces since tables are on Duke of Gloucester.  Tell your friend to come see me!

SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2022 AT 10 AM – 5 PM

57th Annual Art on the Square

Merchants Square- Williamsburg, VA

2022 Landscape #9

 
mini original watercolor  $225

This barn is from East Durham, NY.

The weekend flew by and I am not sure where all the time went.  Linda got some garden time.  My commission was picked up and I have my instructions for the next one.  I started drawing it but was having trouble getting the three quarter view correct so I quit for a while.