Carmel Valley

We painted in the beautiful Carmel Valley at the produce market which grows all my favorite greens. What a delight to escape this heat to enjoy temperatures in the 70's.  The purple here is a little more vibrant than in my painting but I had a hard time adjusting it.  Everybody is Texas should go to California for August.  We could trade with the California residents.  Then the outdoor painters of California would see why we are so challenged by the heat of summer.

A Little Longer to Paint!

More from the workshop with Kim English.  I tried to capture Lisa above.  Thought it was quite nice.
The lower painting is my sister, Marylyn, the President of the group sponsoring the workshop.  They are called Associated Women in the Arts and have hung an exhibit at the Old Capitol in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
This is a very active group who keep their brushes wet painting and enjoying the company of the many other painters in that beautiful part of the world.  Their exhibit will open tomorrow April 18 and extend until May 28.  The opening reception is on Thursday, April 19, from 5-7 P.M.  'Views from the Castle' is the very apt name for the show, as each painting will be some composition from inside or outside the lovely Gothic structure on the Mississippi.
Quite a bit of Louisiana history took place in the Castle until it was relocated in the newer, more modern structure nearby.  It is a must for school kids on field trips.  Don't miss it if you are going that way.  You will love the building, the site, and the paintings from AWA.

Oh, and this is the vicious stinging caterpillar which I mentioned earlier.  It is a hearty girl who can overcome the pressures of plein air painting!  All around the entire length of the body and all the way around are rows of stinging barbs.  They came down on us from above.  (It becomes the Buck Moth,
 and, 'they say' it is loved by brim.)

LISA, VERY QUICK POSE!

I want to include 'Lisa' because there are some things to commend the painting.  For a very quickly painted piece, I liked the crossed ankles and hands.  Lisa posed before a Thalo Blue door while we struggled with the stinging caterpillars!  What a sight!  Beautiful site at the Louisiana Life Gardens, Windrush.

SouthWesterly

This sweet barn in Hays County has seen quite a bit of wind lately.  No rain!

Lake Redcloud

Sunlit edges of the young boater, pushing off for an afternoon of canoeing.  What a life.  Summertime in Colorado.

I'm at the Villa

We were having a huge rainstorm yesterday as I was posting this painting.  It was painted on a very hot day when we had a beautiful shady spot vantage.  Thank goodness for the rain.  Wonder if we could get a ditch from the Mississippi over here for our dry, parched land.

VAL D'ORCIA

This little painting depicts the beautiful Tuscan countryside where we painted late last spring.  My cup runneth over.