New York Harbor

I still have this desire to be able to do boats and seascapes, though it is clearly not where my strengths lay. So what to do? Should I just keep trying? Or should I just pick a particular area, like still lifes, and concentrate on that? I love still lifes, but I feel like I'd get bored if I did nothing else. But if I could do the occasional landscape or seascape as well I'd be happy, or even the occasional bird or animal. I guess I want to do it all! LOL, *except* for portraits or figure studies. I truly don't have any interest in doing more of those.

Still lifes feel like my "comfort zone". Landscapes and seascapes are both a struggle. Water eludes me, as do trees. I guess I really should take the suggestions made to me and try to look at and copy some of the masters, to get a feel for how they did it.

But it's a hot muggy and quiet day here in NJ. I'll be busy this week - work of course, and then out every evening. Monday is the opening reception for the "Partners in Pastel" art show, Tuesday is art class, Wednesday is a birthday dinner for my niece, Thursday is choir rehearsal, and Friday a birthday dinner for my son!

So I took advantage of the afternoon lull and spent about 2 hours on this painting. I used as a reference a photo I took from the Staten Island ferry a few years ago.

Sad Susans

I had a wonderful class at Christina's house on Tuesday night. She has a great studio set-up which can accomodate up to about 9 students I would say. She had several still lifes set up and I chose to do this one. But even though she said it was fresh the poor black-eyed susans had gotten all droopy and dejected looking.

This is not one of my fave paintings but we can't hit a home run every time. It was fun just for the experience of being in Christina's studio and meeting several of her other students. They all seem to be so "tuned in" to the art community and art shows and art events - things I'm pretty much clueless about.

Point Pleasant

I love pics of the ocean, seashore, boats, etc. They just call to my spirit somehow, but it's not something I'm good at producing myself, Water, especially, just terrifies me and seems impossible. But I've been inspired lately by a few paintings posted by Joni from Wetcanvas, and wanted to give it a whirl. I'll never get anywhere with painting water if I never try to paint any, right?

So this is done from a ref. photo I took about a year ago when I was down in Point Pleasant, NJ. I spent a couple hours on it this afternoon. I'm still quite a novice at this sort of painting, but I did have fun doing it, and each time I work on water I hope I'll learn something.

Applegate Farm

I'm just a "paintin' fool" this weekend. I had such fun with my 'Montclair Farmer's Market' painting that I decided I had to do a second one. But not having to work Monday makes me feel more relaxed and less anxious about getting all my chores done.

I've always loved nighttime and twilight paintings and have yearned to try my hand at them. I did one earlier this summer up in Canada of our farmhouse in New Brunswick and had fun with that. But I've wanted to try more.

Last night a friend and I went to Applegate Farm, a local place that makes their own ice cream and is quite a local institution. We had a coupon for 'buy 1 cone, get 1 free" so went to get a cone, along with hundreds of other people, alas.

I had my camera with me, and took a photo of the place which appealed to me, so I decided I had to try to paint it!

This is my usual 12x16 Canson, smooth side, NuPastels, Rembrants and Unisons. I spent a *long* time on this by my standards - two hours non-stop, which is just about an eternity for me - about my limit I think, .