Description:
Late afternoon out for another fishing and painting excursion with my hubby. We headed toward Harkness Memorial Park in Waterford but not sure if the park was open to the public.

Plan B, took the Lyme exit, rounded the bend and headed down Ferry Lane to Ferry Landing State Park where the DEEP headquarters are.
It's a small park but right on the water. Plenty of fisherman lined the railing along the path and the park. Once I got use to the sound of the bridge alarm and didn't jump out of my chair each time it went off I fell into my art zone.

From the lapping water to the boaters enjoying the day made such a pleasing background sound as I worked away on this smaller canvas. The sun was heading toward the golden hour and the sky offered soft pastel colors of pinks, peaches and yellows.

I might have painted the American flag a little too small in the painting - it's a really huge flag if you see it in person. At one point I thought I hear thecaptain of the boat start the engine and I panicked. Should I paint faster? or shot a photo before it departs. Thank goodness the boat stayed parked and I could finish the painting after all.

Keep creating!

Much love,
Linda
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painting details:
size: 9 x 12"
support: stretched canvas
medium: oil
shown in a silver plein air frame, other framing options are available
shipping included

For purchase information go here

#boatpainting #ConnecticutRiver #Connecticutcoastalliving #americanflaginpainting #americanimpressionist #CTpleinair #NewEnglandcoast #mynewengland #IheartConnecticut #artforsale 

Painting with the Madison Art Society on Wednesday morning.

Such a beautiful day the temperature was perfect, the gardens were blooming and a nice group of painters showed up.

We love going to the Florence Griswold Museum not only for the beautiful scenery and the endless possibilities of painting subjects but the staff is so friendly and helpful. 
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And... they gave away small clipping of plants from their garden!! How kind and generous!

Already planning a trip to return -

keep creating!

much love
​Linda

Framed in a gold frame - other framing options are available -
I just love the way this piece looks in the frame! This painting would make a great gift for garden lovers!

For more info on purchasing this painting  click here. Shipping is free. 

My husband had the day off on Friday so we decided to head out to find a spot along the Connecticut River for a fishing/painting excursion. We decided on the Haddam area near the Goodspeed Opera House.  
I walked around the property a few times and settle on a spot that would capture both the bridge and the back of the building. I did a color study in my sketchbook using gouache paints and then back in my studio I completed this painting.

The area of Haddam brings back a host of memories from my 20's when I worked in the Marketing Department at American Cruise Lines. It was in the late 80's where we would order mailing lists, hire graphic designers to do mechanical boards and go on press checks. How things have changed.
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Framing is included - other framing options are available
For purchasing information link here

Update on the Madison Art Society Wednesday Paint Outs:  Each week we've been meeting up on Wednesday mornings to paint together. I volunteered to organize the paint outs this season. Due to the current situation of Covid -19 I chose places where the group is familiar with an where we have access to public bathrooms. (very important) 
I'm also on the hunt to find new locations for the group to paint for new inspiration. I think this a perfect location and I'm sure they'll enjoy it very much!

#pleinairpainting #Connecticutlandscape #CTartist #CTpleinair #GoodspeedOperaHouse #EHaddamCT #Connecticuttreasures #ConnecticutHistoricalsites #CTriver #oilpainting #artforsale #originalart #tomorrowstreasure #artcollector #mynewengland #CPAPS 

So often times when I get together with my artists friends we love to share tips and information that can help each other grow our art skills and art business. 

Today I'll share 3 tips to help stay on track.

Tip #1: The Big Daily 3 for productivity and focus. I've been reading (or actually listening to)  the book by Michael Hyatt. called Free to Focus.  

The idea is to focus and write down three of the most important tasks that need to get done today. Often times my to-do list seems so overwhelming and  even though I check off a bunch of things that day, at the end of the day I'm still  feeling like I really didn't accomplish much.

Why is that? 

Getting clarity on what needs to get done to complete a goal or a larger project requires time to stop and really reflect on the work at hand not just jump in and start doing.

I've been working on a Focus Planner that maps out my goals and projects for the year and the quarter, or next three months. From there I plan my month, week and then day.

I do love to plan but often times I'll set up this wonderful plan for the week, try to pile in way to many tasks on it and then when I get a day or two into in I then fall behind and end up giving up.

I love this idea of getting just 3 things done. Does it mean only three things for the day. No. It just means get the most important three done and you will feel like you've accomplished something.

Tip #2: Write it Down - All of it!
This tip comes from Alyson Stanfield from the Art Biz Coach. She calls it brain dump. Writing down everything you have to do onto a piece of paper or in a notebook releases it from your memory. Then from there you can organizing these things for what works with your goals and what you need to put on hold.

Tip #3: Color Code - 
For artists, it may sound elementary to pull out your colored pencils and color code your planner but it's actually the easiest way to quickly see at a glance what needs to get done. Here's the trick in the front of your planner design a color key - where each color represents a different task. For example: I color code all my art making time/painting as yellow, photographing my artwork as a yellow-green task and social media posting as a red-violet.  I do write in my task but on top of the task I will use the correct colored pencil to shade in the box. 

I hope these tip helps. Leave a comment below if you've hear or tried this system before, I would love to hear what works for you. 

I'm looking to explore this idea more and create a helpful tutorial around this concept to help artists get organized. 

keep creating -

​Linda

I'm happy, thrilled, honored.... and yes, to be honest with you a little nervous about accepting the position of President of the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society.

I've painted with CPAPS  since 2013 when I joined them for my first Paint out at Elizabeth Park in Hartford. I have always admired the integrity of the group and the caliber of many of the painters having national recognition is very impressive.

Each time I would meet up with them I would find a genuine group of sincere artists who were very friendly and welcoming of artists at any level.

I met several beginner artists that came for their very first time plein air painting to those who have been with the group for 25 years. And All were warmly welcomed! 

Jane Zisk is one of the original founding members 25 years ago. I've painted with Jane at a few different events and when I bumped into her at  Lyme Art Association receiving day we chatted more about the history of CPAPS.

Jane tells me that the group was formed when her and a small group of painters traveled to Weir Farm in Ridgefield, CT to paint one day. This was way before the Plein Air Movement was a popular thing. Jane was inspired by the story of Julian Alden Weir who owned Weir Farm. A place for Weir to create his stunning landscape and portrait work as well a place where he would invite his artist friends to the 153 acre property. 

In 1898 Weir and two of his fellow artists, Childe Hassam and Henry Twachtman formed a group of 10 American painters called The Ten to exhibit their work as a unified group. The group stayed together for two decades and had a reputation for putting on some of the best exhibitions in the country at that time. The group comprised of the following 10 famous  painters.

 Frank W. Benson, Joseph Rodefer DeCamp, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Childe Hassam, Willard Leroy Metcalf, Robert Reid, Edward Simmons, Edmund C. Tarbell, John Henry Twachtman, and J. Alden Weir.
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source: wikipedia.org 
​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_American_Painters#/media/File:Ten_American_Painters_(The_Ten).jpg

I am grateful to all the past presidents and those who volunteered their time to keep CPAPS running for the past 25 years. It takes a group effort to make the shows, events and paint outs happen. As well as the communication and website coordination. 

I'm excited about the future of CPAPS because of my love and passion for my home state of Connecticut and I hope several of my plein air artist friends feel the same way and want to see our group continue to grow and flourish.

I have a lot of ideas circulating around in my head and looking forward to sharing and implementing them with the CPAPS painters and to get the word out to bring more awareness to the beauty our state has to offer.

A call to my fellow plein air artists: Let me know if you'd like to be apart of keeping our CPAPS group going.

Keep creating, 

​Linda

The term "en plein air" was used during Claude Monet's time and the Impressionists who would take their easels outside and paint in nature, or out in the open "en plein air". With  the invention of encasing oil paints  in transportable tubes this made outdoor painting possible.

A few of the reasons painters enjoy plein air painting over studio painting is the ability to connect with nature directly rather than working from photographs. They enjoy the spontaneity and even the challenges that are presented while out in nature. Like, the change of weather conditions, the fleeting light, the shifting shadows, and even the movement of there subject if they're trying to capture a scene with people, cars, or other transportation add to 

Over the past 10 years, the plein air painting movement has become very popular not just in the US but around the world. There are many more groups that gather together both locally and nationally as well as competitions and an annual conference. If you are curious and want to know more about plein air painting. Here's a link to a very extensive website called Outdoor Painter.com

For artists who want to learn to paint outdoors this website has online lessons. https://paintoutside.com

For those of you who love watching the creative process, I encourage you to check out the plein air events or "Paint outs" that are scheduled near you. 

If you're in Connecticut there are several groups that go out to paint together in different counties. And there is the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society, CPAPS - that has been around for 25 years. 

Due to the current situation with COVID-19 happening no CPAPS paint outs are scheduled at this moment. Also the leadership is changing hands. Our past president has stepped down from the leadership position and I have accepted the presidency! 

So soon we will get things up and running with some new ideas and events are in the planning stages right now. 

Here's the website: https://www.cpaps.org

For any of my plein air painter friends: Please send me an email message to let me know if you are interested in helping out and are interested in being apart of the new and exciting things coming up for our group.  

Many of the CPAPS events are open to the public and will be listed on the website please check the site for more information.

Happy Painting!

Linda
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So how did I get connected with Weir Farm and have the honor of my artwork selected for the cover of the mailer distributed by Friends of the Weir Farm to their supporter list?

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I'll tell you a little story that started back in 2015. I had heard about Weir Farm for a few years since several of my artist friends would recommend the farm as a highly desirable place to paint en plein air (on location). I knew a little about the history of Weir Farm since Julian Alden Weir, the owner was a famous American Impressionist painter. 

It was late October and I read that the park grounds would close by the end of the month for the season. It was a cold day, I definitely could have used gloves and a warmer jacket. But the grounds were magnificent  and the autumn trees made the perfect backdrop. The narrow and curvy roads that led up to the 68 acre farm heightened the anticipation of finding this hidden prize. 

​I walked the grounds, snapped a bunch of photos then jotted down a few notes in my sketchbook. I found a spot on the hill just below the studio. That day I had only small canvas panels with me, 8 x 10 so I knew my limitations for the amount of information I could capture on the canvas. 

As tour guides would walk guests through and around the studio some would walk down to check out what I was painting. I always get caught off guard when someone asks to see what I'm painting when I'm just getting started.

I of course say, "Yes!..... but there's isn't much to see yet. I just started."

But once someone asks to see what you're painting, there's no turning back.  They have initiated the conversation, their curiosity is peaked and they take action.

Yes, I have to say it's a little awkward when they make their way to the front of the easel and see either a blank canvas or one that might have a really rough sketch. 

But it usually turns into an amusing moment where we both smile, I shrug my shoulders and say something like "what do you think? -hahah" or "come back in a few hours and you'll actually see a painting" 

I know of only a few artists who don't like to engage in conversation when painting, but for the most part, my artist friends, including myself enjoy the connection and conversation when out on location. It makes each experience unique and enjoyable. And you never know, you might just be talking to a future collector!

Once I completed the painting on location, which usually takes about 2 and half hours to 3 hours to complete, I headed home.

I looked the painting over the next day with "fresh eyes" to see if any minor adjustments need to be made or a second layer of paint needs to cover some bare spots. But I try not to rework the entire painting. I love the energy that is expressed in the brushwork from working on location and responding to the subject in front of me. 

I then take a photo, crop and edit, label and tag to put into my inventory system. Next, I'll upload the image to my website and sometimes I'll write a blog post about the painting. I'll then share on social media.

Fast forward 5 years later, the coordinators of the Friends of Weir Farm were looking for images of paintings of Weir Farm and discovered mine through a google search. Jim, contacted me, asked for permission to use the image for their mailer and that's how the  connection was made.

So the moral of the story to my artist friends: you never know who is looking for your artwork right now, especially if you paint local recognizable scenes. Having a way for your paintings to be discovered on google searches could lead to some exciting and amazing things! 

Below is what the mailer looks like. It's not a very large piece, approximately 4.5 x 6 inches and came in an envelope. A real US quarter was glued on to the silver emblem on the front.

The inside of the card reads: 
 Weir Farm NHS (National Historic Site) is the only national park dedicated to American painting and was home to America's most beloved Impressionist, Julian Alden Weir. The  reverse (tails) design of the quarter portray's an artist, wearing a painter's smock, working outside Weir's studio. It is inspired by Weir's paintings an the many images of this site by artists who have lived and visited here.  The design perfectly captures the feel of the cultural landscape of the state, and how Weir Farm NHS is connect to it through art, nature and creativity."

I feel honored that my painting was selected to be part of the celebration! 

To read more about Weir Farms National Historic Site go here.

The  Weir Farm - US quarter can be found here.

At the time this blog post is being written, we are still in the quarantine period for Covid-19. The Farm is not open to the public but I'm sure they're eager to open their doors again and invite visitors to enjoy the grounds. 

Hope you get a chance to visit this charming historical New England farm and if you're a painter - I hope you get to paint there someday! .... oh, and if you have painted there.... let me know in the comments below - I would love to hear about your experience.

Keep creating,

​Linda