Day 1 of 30

 1 of 30, French Vines, 8x10" Oil on Panel

Day 1 of 30
Yea! Finally back at my blog again. Nothing like the 30 in 30 Challenge to get me going again.  This month will be a mix of landscapes and pet portraits. A reprise of "Precious Pets & Places".

Being a full time artist is a blessing and a challenge. I am torn between settling in to paint and "waiting for my family to need me".  As a reformed stay at home mom with a 26 year old daughter, it's really time for me to get over that.  (Sigh.)  This week I am also dealing with the death of the air conditioner in my studio, with no hope of replacement until after Labor Day. I did manage to score a 25,000 BTU unit though, merely because it was lost on the top shelf at Lowes & I just happened to meet the associate who noticed it...

I am blessed to have a 1400 sq ft studio that I share with a really nice guy. Thankfully he agreed to share the cost of replacing the ac unit.  This is the third unit in 12 years.  This month I am celebrating 15 total years at Essex Studios. I committed to a studio on 9/11/01, after seeing the World Trade Center get hit by those planes.  Amazing how the time has flown.

Today's image was painted in a workshop with Bill Farnsworth. I met bill in France, where I took a workshop with him.  This image was taken just down the street from where we all stayed at Haut Baran.  I really recommend William & Rosalee Haas as hosts. It is a beautiful area to paint.

Working from photo reference

Final painting

I really enjoyed hosting Bill for a week here in Cincinnati. It was special to have an art playmate for that long. He was an excellent,, effortless guest & gifted us with 2 paintings.  That was totally unexpected and wonderful.

So here's to September and the 30/30 challenge!  Stay tuned.

I am grateful for the many blessings of my life as it is today. 

Start where you are

Love what you have

Do what you can