Salty Air and Sea Grass,Hammonassett Beach, Madison, CT  
oil on canvas, 11 x 14" , available

Out with the Madison Art Society Plein Air Painters today was our second paint out of the season.
Since I volunteered to coordinate the paint outs each week I selected Hammonassett because I knew it would be a great place to get back into painting again from a long winter break. Just standing on the beach, filling my lungs with the salty air, the breeze constantly blowing and the sunshine on my face felt comforting and familiar. 

With everything going on in the world. This upside down time of Covid-19 I was hungry for a familiar feeling. I struggle at times going to store and seeing everyone in masks. Unable to see their face, their smile when making eye contact. I think folks are even afraid of making eye contact. They look away or down at the ground. I really hope this all changes. We as humans, need contact with others even if it's just a simple smile or hello. Let's go back to what we know and are familiar with.

Casting Among the Colorful Rocks, Meig's Point, Hammonasset, Madison, Ct 
11 x 14" on canvas panel, framed, available 

Beach Therapy, acrylic painting, on gallery-wrapped canvas, 30 x 30, available

Beach Therapy was inspired by two smaller versions of this painting I created in 2013. One version was 6 x 6 in. and the second version 12 x 12 in. . The candid shot of these two ladies was taken when my kids and I spent the day at Rocky Neck Beach, State Park in 2008. 

I was fascinated by the gestural moves of the woman on right with one hand holding the suntan lotion and the other hand aiding in the story she was sharing with her friend. I also loved the way the shadow of her body created such a dynamic shape and pattern on the back of her beach chair. 

I've had students ask me in the past, "do you ever get bored painting the same scene twice?"

My answer is no... well, not yet I should say.  I always find something new to explore or dig deeper into the piece to find something  unique and different. Sometimes it's the color or the brushwork, other times it's an adjustment to the composition. Always learning, always growing is my motto.

oil pastel sketch of a day at the Beach with the kids

One of our favorite beaches in Connecticut, Rocky Neck State Park, in Lyme, CT - 

Swept Away, oil painting, 9x 12", framed, available

Inspiration Painting Notes:


This painting is based off of a reference photo I took in August 2008 while my kids and I were at Rocky Neck State Park/Beach in East Lyme, CT. Although there are many beautiful beaches here in Connecticut, Rocky Neck is one of my favorites. I can remember the first time I took my kids there, they were young, probably 3, 5 and 7. Living in Glastonbury at the time, it was about an hour drive to the beach. We parked the car in the lot closest to the bath houses and followed the signs pointing to the beach. 


Underneath the railroad tracks we went. I can remember exactly how I felt. Skeptical is the first word that pops into my head right now. What in the world did I get us into? This feels so strange approaching a beach through a tunnel. And does a train really go by here? I was pushing the stroller with the youngest lathered up with sunscreen while  the older two carrying a blanket and small travel cooler. 


The tunnel wasn't very long and you could clearly see through to the other side but the cool  dark shade was just enough to give a dramatic entrance to beach scene. Once our eyes were adjusted to the intense brightness of the sand and shimmering water, all we could see was bounty of vivid colors! Umbrellas, towels, chairs, tents and yes lots of people!


The kids were so excited, they ran ahead picked out a spot for us to park our gear, kicked off their shoes and leaped to the water!
Such wonderful memories!


Day 3 of the 30 day Painting Challenge - to view more work by the 600+ artists participating in the challenge to instagram and use the #create30challenge

 8 x 10" oil on canvas panel, Framed in a beautiful mahogany frame with subtle highlights and smooth finish. Available in online shop here
This morning I just wanted to paint something. I wrote out a long to-do list of all things I wanted to get done this week/ month but as I looked over to my art table I saw the paints from yesterday’s painting on my palette and I thought ok -I can’t let these paints go to waste - they were tiny piles of reds, oranges, yellows, burnt umber from yesterday’s pepper painting. 
I dragged the table over to the kitchen - sliced an orange and poured the brand new bag of Chili Powder spice into a small glass jar. And  there was my small still life.
The wonderful part about this painting is that the spices aren’t  just from our local grocery store - they're from our dear sweet and lovely Ria! Ria is my son Ray’s girlfriend and she brought us back a gift from her last trip to India . She and her family were there celebrating her sister’s  wedding. The evening Ria brought  over  the gift Dean made homemade pizza and we enjoyed a wonderful conversation  while hearing all about the traditions and customs of an Indian wedding. First of all their clothes are beyond beautiful- and everything they do seems so colorful and lively -  it was so much fun to scroll through her photos and listen to her narrate the wedding story. 
I can’t wait for Dean to cook something delicious with our new spices ! thank you Ria !😘