​Painted en plein air on Friday Sept 10 and finished on Saturday September 11, 2021 - The Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society (CPAPS) join together with the International Plein Air Painters for a Worldwide Paint Out Weekend.

​Both days the weather was beautiful, a constant light breeze made the afternoon sun barely noticeable as the temperatures rose to about 82 degrees. On Friday, We had a larger group of about 12-15 artists from all over the state join us. On Saturday the group was smaller only 5 of us.

​I was inspired to paint this scene of the walkway at Meig's Point because of how the trees and surrounding foliage moved softly in the wind. A gentle swaying back and forth like a mother cradling her newborn in her arms, as she gently and rythmically shifts her weight from one foot to the other.

​ It was busy both days at the park, lots of folks walking the trails, climbing the rocks, taking photos, walking their dogs, relaxing in beach chairs and a few children knee-deep splashing in the water.

​Working on a gesso primed linen, my goal was to keep some of the surface peaking through especially along the path and sandy surfaces. 

​With fresh eyes on this piece this morning the idea of turning this piece into a diptych  or triptych is floating around in my mind. How cool it would be to extend the scene to left to include more of the water and rocks. Stay tune - this could be the beginnings of a larger set! 

Shown here in a natural wood frame but other framing options are available. Shop online here or contact me directly if you're interested in this piece. Linda@lindasmarinoart.com

Current Show: Beaches, Boats and Sunsets Art show at Chapter One Restaurant in Guilford, CT - 25 Whitfield Street across from the Guilford Green. Stop in, enjoy a meal and view the artwork. 

Save the Date: Shoreline Arts Trail - Open Studio is Happening - In- person! Saturday and Sunday November 13 and 14, 2021 - with over 30 local artists and artisans from Branford, Guilford and Madison opening their studios for showing and selling their artwork. I'll be at the Guilford Art Center this year - maps will be available soon - If you would me to mail you a map please send an email including your mailing address to: Linda@lindasmarinoart.com

Our second night out painting a nocturne at the Guilford Harbor.
I switched over from acrylics to oil to see if I like the medium better for a nocturne painting. There are some advantages like drying slower that acrylics but one big disadvantage I could find is that with the lamp light or over head street light a very hard glare happens when a layer of oil paint is on the canvas. I had to keep moving left to right to see if I could dodge the glare. But once I got use to it, I didn't even notice that it was there. 
Our second night was a little quieter than the first night. Although a few folks would drive by and yell out their car window "nice painting" - I was so slow to respond, I don't even think they heard me say "Thanks" as they drove off into the night.
One thing I do love about painting a nocturne is that the light source, usually a street lamp doesn't change like the way the sunlight changes throughout the day. 
I was thankful that Eileen had an extra clip on light for my easel but it still was a challenge to see the true colors that you were mixing. It wasn't until the next day in daylight I could truly assess whether the colors looked correct or were totally off!
Now that the winter is approaching and the days are getting shorter, I've been scoping out new places to paint a nocturne painting. I found the Branford Green with the tall white church and red doors a definite on my list of places to paint.

Special Offer: From now until November 29th Artists Sunday - Free shipping on all commissioned Pet Portraits! Contact me for more information or go to my Pet Portrait Page

A wonderful day at Weir Farm in Wilton CT with the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society. It was early autumn when just a few trees have started to turn. There were about 8 or 9 of us painting throughout the day. We were spread out on the 280 acre property. I would making my rounds to see how all the painters were doing. I enjoyed meeting several new artists.

 I was able to complete a quick block in for this painting and finished it up in my studio. I love this spot behind the main house where the Ranger's office is. There's a stone potting shed, sunken garden and a few smaller buildings in the back. I set up my easel in the shade of a large oak tree and right next to a stone wall. 
Painting at Weir Farm is so inspiring especially when one learns about the history of famous American painters who painted right there on the farm. Julian Alden Weir was the owner of the property and he would invite his friends to join him for an artist's retreat. I absolute love this idea because it's a secret dream I hope that one day Dean and I could own a small farm and hold Plein air painting artist retreats. 
Here's the link to read more about Weir Farm and the History. - 

what also makes visiting Weir Farm special this year is that the Farm has been selected as a National Park for the Arts and a US coin has been minted with a picture of Weir farm on the back! Thanks to the Friends of Weir Farms for selecting one of paintings to be on the cover of their mailers!

We will definitely be back to paint at Weir farm especially in the Winter and Spring seasons, I  can only imagine how beautiful and so different the place will look.

I'll be putting together a short video of our paint outs at Weir farm for CPAPS website. I'm just gathering the image and I have a few short interviews to include - I'll post it on our social media page for public viewing.

Thanks for being apart of my art journey - I hope it's inspired you to get creative and try something new!

Warmest regards,
Linda


P. S. Don't forget... Open Studio Visits are going on for the month of November and December 2020 - register for a visit - come and see the new artwork I've been creating all year and purchase a painting for yourself or as a gift. Art makes the best gift!