Plumeria

A friend took some photos of flowers at a resort on Maui and sent me copies to paint. This is actually an 8" x 8" square inside a 12" x 12" canvas. On the original the leaves and flowers go off the edge into a two inch mat, creating the look of a framed watercolor.

San Francisco Weekend

Just returned from a wonderful visit to one of my favorite cities: San Francisco! Barely two hours away, we are lucky to be able to visit several times a year. We met up with our daughter, Tina and granddaughter Marina who was there for a "Pulse" dance convention.

We enjoyed a dinner at Bouelvard Restaurant. 1 Mission St. ( at Stuert). The chef is Nancy Oakes and the dishes were fantastic. If you are ever in the City by the Bay be sure to dine there

What I'm Working On Now!

My art group, Lincoln Hills Arts Association, is having a "challenge" in April. The theme has to be "transportation". I am doing a moody sky scene of the RAF over Britain during WWII. This is a tribute to British statesman and artist, Winston Churchill.

Another project is a scene of the Golden Gate Bridge from a photo taken from the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Now to get back to my easel......

Workshops

Currently I'm taking a 4 week workshop with Silvio Silvestri, a wonderful plein air painter.
Each session is 3 hours. Silvio sets up a still life and then does a demonstration. The class then can try to recreate their own painting. It is done 'alla prima', painting wet into wet.
The first week we painted pears, lemons and tangerines. Yesterday he brought a gorgeous bouquet of fresh flowers.

Nothing I have done has been good enough to display on my blog! However, every teaching workshop is a wonderful learning experience and much is taken away to use in other work. Check out Silvio's blog and see how good he is at Silvioscorner.blogspot.com/

Recently Completed

This 18 x 24 oil was a a wonderful piece to paint. I could be free with color and brush strokes. The original photograph was shot by Chris Reynolds of the L.A. Times some years ago. I am grateful to Chris for his permission to capture it in oil.

Plein Air Painting

This is the 8 x 10 done on location at Fleming Beach on Maui

Last September, while in Maui, I had the great opporunity to participate in a 3 day plein air workshop with Ronaldo Macedo. Ronaldo's work is shown in Lahaian Galleries among others.
The days started at 8 and ended after 5 pm. We painted in a beach park, at the harbor up in the mountains and on the beach. At each location Ronaldo did a demonstration and then we wer expected to complete a painting.

For a "studio" painter this was a challenging experience. Working with only 6 primary colors and learning to mix paint was a great learning experience

My first attempts at plein air were dismal; but on the last day I did one that I was pleased with and I believe Ronaldo was too. If you are every in Maui in September check out his website, maybe the timing will be right for you to paint on Maui. He also is at the Gallery on Friday nights

Yummy Letter Link

In my last post I mistakenly gave an e-mail address for the link to Yummy Letter. It should be http://www.yummyletter.com/ This link will allow you to read the latest edition and also the first three issues .

San Francisco Restaurant Scene

If you travel to San Francisco, a good source of places to eat is in a new newsletter. The Yummy Letter is posted weekly by Grace Ann Walden. She also leads walking food tours in various parts of the City. The newsletter is free! To subscribe go to newsletter@yummyletter.com

Topping for Pork Chops

Tired of the same old pork shops? Try this!

Onion Jam

Slice 2 large onions and add to 2 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan.

Add salt and pepper and 1/2 tsp each of thyme and rosemary.

Cook over medium heat 3 minutes.

Add 1 tsp. sugar and 1/4 cup of orange marmalade or apricot jam.

Mix well and add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

Cook on low heat for 2 hours.

Serve with pork chops .