Roses Roses

Yesterday I was surprised with a big boquet of roses from my son and his family and a nice
note as well.  Lovely and sweet and heartwarming....I am blessed with such a wonderful family!!

Later that afternoon I picked up the boys for Mitch's game.  It was a beautiful day to sit in bleachers and watch them play and chatting with Kris in between.  When Ethan was ready to go we came back to the lake and played disc dunk to practice for disc golf later this summer.  Such fun and E deemed it a "great game"...sure to be played a lot this summer.

Wishing a Happy Mother's Day to all of my friends who are mothers, grandmothers, and very special women.  You make the world a much better place for being a part of it!!!

Gathering the gear....

Those who know me won't be surprised that I have an open suitcase sitting here.  As I unpack from the latest trip and rummage in closets, I pull out things I know I'll need for Ireland. 

 Found the correct plug adapter but now  I need a triple plug to give me more places to charge.  Plugs are always an issue in rooms and with two of us and our many electronics, I need to be prepared.

My  shopping list is growing, inflatable hangar, 2 gal zip lock bags, and a new easel.  I packed my backpack, minus the stool, tripod, and paper and found it was REALLY heavy.  And I still needed another bag for the other things.  Way too much to lug around the Burren!!  So out goes the pochade box and tripod. Because I am using watercolor and hard pastels, I don't really need it, though it works nicely most of the time.   A light easel will work  instead and the stool becomes a table with the addition of gator board top. (I pack my paper between two gator boards and use a tracing paper tablet to store pastel paintings for travel home)      I will still need to lug a chair out there that the art center will loan out.  A bit of a pack horse feeling sets in the second week!!

Most of the art supplies will travel in my suitcase so the easel needs to fit inside.  I doubt if there is an elevator so don't want to lug anything larger than the 25" suitcase up stairs!!  At least they are probably not spiral this time.  A few pencils, pens, and a small sketchbook with 140# paper will go in my carry on bag just in case .....

Clothes will be whatever can fit in and around the art supplies...mostly black as it doesn't show dirt or wc paint and goes with everything..right!!   

George thinks I am nuts to work so far ahead but this planning usually pays off and makes for an easy life away when I have what is needed 90% of the time.

Friday Painting

Rough  phone photo of pastel done last Friday at the Sanibel Lighthouse.  A beautiful day to paint!!

 The tower looks crooked but it isn't in my painting..just in the photo!!

 

Testing the system......

  Painting "Nightlights"  mixed media

Just testing to see if this remote email works…..

 

 

Practice & Packing

   Bowditch Beach

                                                                                   wc & pastel

 

 

As hard as I try I can't fit all the supplies I need into my rolling backpack.  They are the minimal needed to paint for two weeks in Ireland this June.  Only about 6 weeks and we fly away to the emerald isle!!  It looks like I will need to be creative in finding a way to carry the tripod, tri-stool, and wc block & papers with me each day.  Luckily I can sew up a special bag that will have the closures and compartments needed to travel and keep things safe.

 

 

I plan to use a technique similar to the painting above for most of the work.  There have been stories told of the mist washing away watercolor and oils never drying, so we must expect a few challenges to our working.  A pen and ink will be the back up material for all of us artists I think.

 

 

Over lunch last week we talked about what to pack and how to pack it but mostly about how excited we all are to be able to travel again with FMBAA artists.  Thanks to Neil we will enjoy Ireland, then Sedona then back to Limoux.  We are living a blessed life I think!!

 

In the next weeks I will be painting as much as I can to get the brush hand limbered up and ready.  soon this blog will be filled with Travel Tales once again!!

 



Catching Up.......

My travel has been from one home to another these past months.  North to South and then to a new home.  A lot of work involved but I ended up with a lovely studio space overlooking the palms. 

This summer will  include a trip to Ireland with the FMBAA group.  The Burren Art Center is the main focus and then to paint in the surrounding countryside.  I hope to post as before as we visit the many beautiful locations.     We have been planning and preparing our gear for this trip for the past few months.  FMBAA is lucky to have Neil to make the painting trip arrangements for us.  Next year will include Sonoma and Limoux and who knows where after that.  My plan is to join them in Limoux.

As amazing as it seems, we will be celebrating our 50th reunion in August and look forward to seeing old friends from school.  Many of them started kindergarten with us!!

Then on to Europe for a visit to Paris, Prague, down the Danube and ending in Budapest.  The river cruise is a first for us and we are excited to try this version of our favorite way to travel.  I am pleased to return to France for the third time and practice my French again.  Really, they are very tolerant of my language skills.  Mrs. Brown, my French teacher, would be happy that it stayed in my memory after all these years.  I should really practice more!!

In between this travel I'll be doing more plein air painting and working to launch the 5th Paint the Beach plein air festival on Nov. 3-9.  And of course we look forward to time on the lake and with our children and grandchildren...the best part of summer!!

  Wiggens Pass....

Making a little Art

  Pastel painting at Harn's Marsh

  Pastel in progress at Times Square, FMB

 

 

I've been trying to get out and paint more while we work at selling the townhouse.  The process is draining with the ups and downs that occur.  Painting is much more fun and keeps my mind off the crazy real estate market.

 

Three mornings this week I worked, first making collage cards in the gallery, then at Times Square with the FMBAA paint out group and finally at Harn's Marsh in Lehigh with the Lee Plein Air group.  The marsh was very picturesque and nice to paint no facilities make us paint fast!!  These two pieces are not framed as they are still being critiqued as I pass the easels. I can see a few tweaks that are needed..that pot needs to go off the painting for one.