Women's Farm Market in Bethesda

A gorgeous morning to paint -- the array of mums and fall cabbage plants in front of the market entrance made a very colorful painting.  A good antidote to the black & white exercise on Monday.

Bethesda in Black & White

Back in a class with the group at Glen Echo, our assignment was to do a value study.  While I am resistant to assignments -- I paint to get away from people telling me what to do! -- I know that it's good for me.

I positioned myself at the intersection of the Capital Crescent Trail and the back of the parking lot.  My view, up the trail toward Bethesda, included the car dealership on the left and a row of crepe myrtles.  Employees at the car dealership kept sneaking through the fence to see what I and fellow painters were doing.

Mark Your Calendar

I've just signed on for an exhibit of my work at the Ratner Museum (ratnermuseum.com)... for June 2012.   The reception will be June 3, 2012 from 1 to 3:30 pm.

I don't want to hear any excuses if you can't come -- this is plenty of advance notice!

In showing my work to the curator, I think she liked this painting, done last year and sold.

Norman's Farm Market

This was actually the 2nd day painting at the Farm Market. Whether or not the painting is worth it, the ratatouille I made from the vegetables at the market was delicious.

Kids, day 2

Adjustments made, I thnk it's done.

Kids at the Playground, first morning

I went to Candy Cane City -- which I think used to have striped playground equipment -- with the goal of painting nearby Rock Creek.  Last week's flooding scuttled that plan, as there was mud everywhere and heavy equipment pushing it around.  The playground was empty when I arrived, and I liked the arrangement of swings and red arches.  As strollers, moms, kids, sitters, dads, came and went, I painted them in and scraped them out.  I settled on this group -- but I plan to go back tomorrow to work on this a bit more.

Rossdhu Gate, day 3

Painting in Maine, August 2008

I've just returned from a 10 days in Maine, where we rent my dream house on Mt. Desert Island.  The house is an 1880s victorian which has actually been the site of L.L. Bean catalog photo shoots and has been in some movies.  Here's a view of the house and a view of the entrance to Bass Harbor from the side lawn of the house.  I painted these small paintings on clayboard, which keeps the paint very loose.

short showing at Bethesda Library

We have a new installation coming in our display cases on Friday and our walls on Monday -- in the interim, my work is up -- July 31 - August 4.

Tips for the Day

1. This weekend at Glen Echo, July 18 - 20 from 12-5 pm each day, there's a show I've coordinated of landscape painters who have been studying under Walt Bartman.  Talented painters, low prices, it's a great deal.  I'll be in the gallery on Friday from 12 - 5.

2. Murphy's Oil Soap to clean brushes -- why didn't anyone tell me this before?  I put a big handful of brushes, tightly packed, into a jar with about 3/4 inch of Murphy's Oil Soap, left them overnight.  They are wonderfully paint-free today and the whole deal was cheap, easy, effective and much better than any brush cleaner I've tried before.   The deal's off it it means the brushes won't hold paint... but I figure a few swishes in mineral spirits before I paint next should have them in fine shape to pick up and lay down paint again.