Day 16 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Fresh Produce", oil, 6 x 6, $85

Today is Day 16 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge that I signed on to be apart of with Leslie Saeta and over 260 other artists.

My theme is: Connecticut Treasures. 
 Over the past year I've taken so many shots of places, events, people and things all around Connecticut and I'm looking forward to sharing these inspirations with you.

Who's Fresher?
I'm not sure who's fresher my husband Dean, or the pineapple in his hand.... hmmm... Well, I finally caught up with the group on Day 16 and this place was one of the first on my list to paint and I'm not sure why it took so long. Probably because I have so much to say about this place that I couldn't possibly fit it all in one blog post. So I'll try my best to make it brief. 

First, the painting is of the inside of  Stew Leonard's in Newington, CT. The New York Times dubbed it "The Disneyland of Dairy Stores!". It's very hard to describe it if you've never been there and calling it a "grocery store " doesn't cut it. 

Yes they have fresh produce, dairy, meats, seafood, cheeses, a deli and hot/cold buffet bars like many grocery stores today, but Stew's does it differently, the floor design is like a maze that you weave your way through so you don't miss out on anything unlike traditional aisles. There are sample stops everywhere along the trail and see the white dots in the painting, those are spotlights, yes that's right, this store has mood lighting which makes everything look so colorful and delicious! Then there's the talking farm animals, the singing chicken and should I go on...

 What I like best about going to Stew Leonard's is that it brings back so many childhood memories and my grandma loved to talk about how she knew the brothers when it was first Clover Farms Dairy right around the corner from her house in Norwalk. They would deliver milk right to her doorstep! I can remember going to their first storefront in Norwalk and buying pistachio ice cream for 25 cents! (Oh, my kids are right, I am OLD!) Ok, that's all for now at Stew Leonard's... but don't be surprised if I sneak another painting in of this favorite place of mine!:)


Join in the Journey
 Hope you join me on this 30 day painting challenge... you can sign-up for these blog posts to be delivered right in your inbox... just look for the email sign-up box in the right column. Feel free to comment below and share either your  favorite places and/or things to do in CT or... Have you ever been to Stew Leonard's? Please share, I would love to hear your story.

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click here to purchase this painting

Links to:
Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge
Stew Leonard's  Website- about us page