I am involved in a marketing class for artists which I will talk about later.  I feel that a number of ideas are coming together for me, and that this class will be the experience that will pull it together.  The first part will be to create a cohesive body of work.  I had several ideas and then after a visit to Park Hill Orchard my project materialized in my head.
I will come back to edit this post for a week's time period and log my progress and my thoughts.
Here are some of the scenes that inspired me to spend the month of September here.

For today, Tuesday, it was so hot in the sun, and I am recovering from a terrible case of poison ivy in which my left eye was puffed up and swollen. I could barely see.  And then of course there is the itching.  So, to say I was uncomfortable would be unnecessary.
But still, the best shadows of the scene I had picked were visible right out in the noon day sun.  I painted quickly and deliberately.  I like the result of this first painting - Haystack 1  11x14 oil on board.  To be continued!

Part of the fun of getting ready for a show is rethinking the frames.  They change the feel of a painting, and based on what you are going for, you can enhance certain qualities,

Here are a few pictures of what's been going on in my studio!!

Sometimes rethinking how to frame a painting offers pleasant surprises! In visiting an exhibit space I noticed that all the works were framed in black.  The problem I perceived was that since the space is a hallway, looking down the hall, all one could see were the black frames.  That is when I decided to reframe previously shown work in white.  I was amazed at the way the new framing emphasized pleasant qualities in my paintings that had been overlooked.

I contemplate my paintings at odd moments.  By that I mean 3 or 4 in the morning - like now  - it's 5:03AM.  I can't access my blog so I will write myself an email and post it later over coffee. God bless my husband who gets up first and announces when the coffee is ready!

I painted some pears and a melon a few days ago.  Now that the main characters are done, I an fiddling with the background in a non-committal way.  Using an app on my iPhone called Draw Cast.

Here are some recent ideas:

It has been six weeks since I set out a palette of paint and picked up my knife. I miss it. The painting is in my mind these days. My husband is awaiting a new hip and if I am not teaching, not feeding Molly and Xena, not walking Molly and Xena, not doing laundry ( forget putting it away), not cooking ( ha ), not minimally cleaning, then I am by Jack's side. Painting puts me in a zone and I can't go there right now. It seems too selfish.

I did enjoy a wonderful walk in the meadows with Xena. She is very nervous in a car, so I drove a couple hundred yards, let her out for a walk, drove a bit more, let her out for a walk. It seemed to work. At the same time, I got my painting fix. I can't wait to get back there again with Xena and Molly and my paint!

Tomorrow - bright and early - I'll start another large painting and hope I can finish it before I leave for Martha's Vineyard! I have a show coming up in August at Provisions in Northampton, Ma and the space calls for larger works.

Here is a painting that I can't seem to finish. Maybe it's time to let go!

Well, it seems like I keep starting this blog by saying, "I haven't been adding anything to this blog for awhile".  And it's true, I haven't.  But now that I am back in Northampton and life is more regulated, I am looking forward to a more regular painting schedule. 

We added a new member to our family last week.  His name is Tylo and we call him Ty.  It is taking him awhile to get used to his new surroundings.  He is fearful going into new rooms or hallways.  He is part Pyrenees and Lab.  I describe him as a white lab on stilts with masca'ra!!

He is very sweet with people - adults and kids.  He is a bit independent - but as I read in my research, Great Pyrenees dogs have to often work in the mountains on their own guarding sheep, and so they make their own decisions too.
Considering all of that, he seems well trained, Come, Sit, Stay, Heel --- when he wants to.  But we are working on that, and he is responding nicely.  We have an appointment with a dog trainer next week to round things out.

Ok, they also have very sensitive hearing and eyesight - all the better to see and/or smell you.  Or predators which bring forth a warning bark - warning us of passing cars and other noises  and other dogs.  An there in lies the problem.  We are learning to wear a "gentle leader" so that we can better control him while on walks.  He is afraid of and therefore aggressive towards other  dogs.  That can ruin an otherwise very nice walk or run.
We are working on it.

He tried an overnight at my daughter's house... but it was unsuccessful.  He barked continuously so much so that he ended up on our door step at 11:30PM.  I still think he is getting over his experience as a rescue dog and that he was just shaken by being separated from my husband and me just as he was getting used to us.  That's ok, we have time.

Soon we will go out painting together and it will be fun!!!!