finis

This picture is done for the most part................I will have to stare at it on the wall for a bir until I eliminate every little thing that annoys me or strikes the wrong note. I am beginning something new and doing the final touches on the larger picture that I have posted several times.............and waiting with excitement for a new winter storm that is approaching our south coast. How funny that I now look forward with excitement to these weather events rather than dreading the inevitable. I am grateful on a daily basis for my state pension but more grateful that I have reclaimed the life that I was meant to live.

It worked!!

Yipee.........I guess it was blogspot or something way beyond my comprehension.

Try again...............

Well, it's still not allowing me to upload anything................grrrr. Does anyone have any suggestions? I only get the message that there was an "internal error during upload." Maybe it is actually blogspot rather than my increasingly slow and pain in the butt computer.

miserable weather day

My God, it was ugly outside today - I never even took off my ugg slippers and have now turned the heat up after shivering all day. The freezing rain turned to a cold rain early but it seems like it is about to turn back to something frozen soon. I have really learned to appreciate the weather on most days so I was surprised by my feelings about today. It is really great to have the option of staying in and painting all day. I'm not done yet but the minimal light was beginning to disappear and I realized I would have to get that picture taken. This painting is 11X14" and from a photo I took the other day when there was some light. I just couldn't get enough of the tree shadows on the snow. Well.................I cannot seem to upload the photo so I will have to logout and try again.

more work and a better photo

I am really enjoying this picture............I worked on it for much of today but most of that work was adjustments in value and temperature and then adding layers in the complicated areas of brush. I began another snow picture as well (maybe a photo tomorrow?). At least this photo is better since I had the foresight to take the picture before it got dark.

New Year

I have been working inside recently on a large picture but yesterday was so breathtakingly beautiful that I had to get outside to work. I went exploring and found the Westport Town Farm which still had an ample amount of snow. I have really, really wanted to do some snow pictures but the simple fact is that we don't get all that much snow on the coast..........at least not for the past several years. I could drive inland 50 miles but I spent so many years driving to work in wretched conditions because we were termed "essential personnel" that I have been totally enjoying not having to have to do that. What I thought was a hatred of winter was actually a hatred of having to drive 75 miles to work in the midst of a blizzard and then having to do the same thing to get home! So, I will put my large picture back up for this afternoon's work but will be back out there as soon as I can.

Almost back to normal....................

I have been squeezing painting in with cooking, shopping, celebrating Christmas with my family and the like. I have been out to this site to do several small color studies and have made a lot of progress with expanding the smaller studies and bringing them into the studio. Am pretty much "getting there" with this one and have several things in the gestation period. The refrigerator is nearly cleared of leftovers and I have no desire to eat turkey for a very long time! I met my daughter and her friend Tiffany for brunch yesterday and was so desperate to eat something light that I went to Whole Foods and bought red kale and mustard greens............I plan on having them tonight with tofu. Sorry that this photo is so awful but it is super hard to get everything right with artificial light.