coexist - 12x12"

It was cool enough to go out plein air painting this morning.........gloomy, cloudy and about 79. It was great and I will be posting that one soon. I've been working on stuff in the studio with the AC full blast and then airing it out when I'm done for the day to dissipate the fumes (which seem to be intensified by the heat) and give me a headache after a full day. I have begun cleaning my brushes on the patio and will explore getting some sort of circulation in there.

studio renovation!!!!!

I am ecstatic!!!! My son was here last week and did a great job turning a 12x14' shed into an actual studio......the dingy back sides of the plywood siding framed with 2x4s are now finished walls. The ill fitting solid door is now a set of French doors and I have two windows. I have been using the building as a studio prior to this but it was pretty grungy and hard to work in if the weather was extreme. Eventually the exterior will be shingled and the floor will be done.......maybe something with the ceiling but I'm not sure yet. At any rate, I have not done much painting the past couple of weeks because I needed to organize, clean everything out and store it - then had to make decisions about what to move back in and move it. The seagulls (12" square) is the first thing I have worked on in the new space. Other paintings which need to be finished are on the walls...........it's so nice I didn't want to leave yesterday. 

feeding gulls & crabbing

It remains quite hot here but I did go out to paint this morning at the landing near my house.....I discovered that catching blue crabs is the perfect compliment to plein air painting. I got 7 crabs and was so excited I felt like I was eight again - they were all a bit small so I threw them back but it was still fun. I ended up wiping down the painting I did and came home to finish this. While I was there a man was netting for shrimp so I think I'll have to learn about that too. That wouldn't work so well with painting since it isn't as passive.........with the crabbing, all you do is drop the net over the edge of the dock and wait (something that would drive me crazy if I didn't have something active to do while waiting). I am hoping to get some big ones soon!

feeding the gulls - 14x11"

I'm back from NY............my Dad's house is now completely empty and we probably have a buyer. It felt much less emotional a year past and thinking of him tends to make me smile rather than cry but there are some days that he is the only person in the world that I wish to talk to. I tried to go out plein air today but it got hot so fast I came back and started this instead. The thermometer on my porch reads 102 (in the shade) but the weather channel website says it's only 98; I'm trusting the micro-climate of my porch. Tomorrow is supposed to be hotter and I doubt I will chance the beach since I am sure it will be jammed early so I will probably finish this. I must say I really like this climate even with the 3" flying cockroaches!

completed gulls - 12x24

I took this photo in the sun....yes, it is actually sunny for the second day in a row!

three gulls (step 1) - 12x24"

I am having a rough day today..........losing your father the week before Father's Day is painful since you cannot even turn the radio on without hearing incessant commercials for Home Depot & grilling. Work is the thing that is the best medicine right now. I began this painting early today and made pretty good progress.

500 posts! (and completed painting)

I just realized when I signed in that this is my 500th post on this blog. I have had mixed feelings about why I continue to post until I realized that I was doing it as a visual diary/website rather than as a marketing tool........so, I find it pretty invaluable at the moment. Anyway, I just thought I would mention it.

gull through the waves - 12" square

Obviously, just a start...............I rearranged my studio yesterday and took a long hike at the Middletown RI wildlife preserve. Sometimes you just have to move and absorb and put the brushes down for a day - it was incredibly refreshing. This painting is also a thank you to my camera - I could never, ever get this information without my camera. Not only do things change really fast but I couldn't have seen far enough away to get the gull's foot through the water (I didn't even try to get this information, it was an accident). So, I am just thrilled that I did.

seagull day - 12x9"

I went to Horseneck Beach early yesterday and saw an amazing sight - baby seagulls. Funny, since I was just finishing the "seagull stealing a bag" painting. I don't believe I have ever seen a baby seagull before. I am showing a photo of the flock of babies being guarded by two older seagulls because I thought the sight was incredibly neat.