Pretty in Pink - Wooster Street Square - Cherry Blossoms - 2014"

"Wooster St. Square - Cherry Blossoms- 2014", oil, 11 x 14", available

I just love Wooster Street Square in New Haven during the springtime. With over 72 Japanese cherry trees lining the streets of the square.... it's truly a majestic sight. 

Although my original plans were to paint with a small group of artist friends last week, (April 27th) during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, sadly I had to back out at the last minute due to a family matter. 


Fortunately the blossoms lasted until this weekend and I was able to spend a few hours Sunday afternoon with my friend Stephanie. By 4pm the clouds rolled in and started to drizzle so we quickly packed up and headed to my favorite spot just down Chapel Street, The Green Tea House for a delicious cup of hot tea. 


Even though the time was brief painting at the Square it wasn't dull.. I met an adorable dog name Ava and her owners. The most graceful 10 year old Husky dog owned by a musician who played with the popular rock groups Blondie and The Ramones. A cute little curly haired boy who took a break from playing football with his dad and brother so he could check out my painting. And two lovely ladies, Maria and her mom from East Haven.


Besides the friendly neighborhood, this is the "Little Italy" of New Haven - anchored with the iconic , St. Michael's Church,  the first Italian-American Church in Connecticut founded 122 years ago.,and just around the corner are  Libby's Italian Bakery, Sally's and Pepe's Pizza.. It's a treat to drive around the block with the window down just to smell the aroma of Italian cooking from all the family owned restaurants.

Below is the plein air painting I painted last year when I meet my friend Patty, another local painter. She painted St. Michaels and I painted Hughes Place. It's fun to make the comparison between last year's painting and this year's, seeing how my style has evolved and what stays consistent. 

I do like the way the trees in last year's painting show more of a canopy effect. It was a nice sunny day last year so I was able to capture the sunlight and shadows better. What I love about this year's painting is the addition of the iron fencing and cherry tree in the foreground. It helps to define the location. In addition to the colorful pink trees the attention to architectural detail throughout the Square is evident everywhere -- from the fencing that borders the park to the highly unique and ornately designed homes.

The third picture is a quick watercolor sketch I created last friday around noon. This one is drawn from around the corner on St. John's Street. I couldn't park anywhere around the Square because of the parking ban for street sweeping so I circled the block a few times and found this spot... thinking it was quiet and out of the way... just as I put the last brush stroke in my sketchbook down this tiny side street rolls 3 big city trucks with 2 noisy street sweepers in tow... oh the joys of painting on location... it's never dull moment.

Like always, thank you for viewing my work.
Linda. 

"Cherry Blossoms - 2014", 8 x 10" oil

"Hughes Place- Wooster St. Square" watercolor & ink, sketch, 5-2-14