Good Morning?

12"x 12"
acrylic on masonite

Saturday, March 9th, marked the opening day for the Farmers' Market. After a long, dark, cold, winter, most of us were thrilled to get outside. This is the ONLY time of year that I feel like singing a Barry Manilow song: "We made it through the rain....." and the over all mood seemed to be of relief to have survived the winter, and excitement and anticipation for summer! I was struck by the posture of this little one who seems confused about all the fuss and would be happy to be back home in bed!

Madison Ave., New York City

8" x 10"
acrylic on masonite

A photo of cabs at the corner of 39th and Madison Ave. was the subject for Karin Jurick's Different Strokes From Different Folks challenge. I had a great time with this!
I have been learning a lot about seeing color by taking the original photo and increasing the saturation and individual hues in photo shop. Also looking at the photo without color helps to see the values.
Click image for larger view.

Inspiration From You - Amy and Chloe- April 2009

Amy and Chloe
5"x 7"
acrylic on masonite

This painting of Amy and her daughter Chloe sitting on a terrace in Rome, writing in their travel journals, seemed to be an appropriate subject to paint over Mother's Day weekend. As Amy says about this moment :
"It was morning on the terrace of our small rented room within view of the Pantheon. The room was one flight of stairs up from the street, so we could look down at the activity below, watching Rome wake up in the morning and then wind down at night. Funny, how in a city with so much to see and do, that I felt I could actually spend a lot of time right there on that terrace and be perfectly happy."

Eric's On The Pier

Fortunately for me, (and the rest of my family! ) my mother lives in the city of Avalon on beautiful Catalina Island, a short hour boat ride from Long Beach, Newport Beach, or Dana Point.

Eric's On The Pier
5"x 7"
acrylic on masonite

This small study is of "Eric's" restaurant at the base of the Green Pier. It is basically a long counter with stools and tables on the pier for seating, fabulous food, and even better people watching! The white line designates the "drinking" area. I know one guy has "crossed the line", but I think that if his beer is inside the line, he'll be okay!
Click image for larger view.