Painting, learning and playing in... Montisi, Italy!!

I'm signed up for a painting workshop with an amazing artist....Darrell Anderson.

The workshop is going to be August 30th through September 6 .... 

in Montisi, Italy!!

I'm excited.....to say the least.  I haven't been to Italy in 20 years and I have been daydreaming about going for months now.  So when this opportunity presented itself....well, it was a no brainer.

I've been following Darrell's beautiful paintings ever since I wanted to learn to paint plein air and landscapes.  He does a little bit of everything...but I love his outdoor paintings and how he sees color....and how he paints the color he sees....he paints it boldly... I love that.  

That's the road I'm on with my own paintings.

Would you like to go to Italy?  Paint in hilltop town in Tuscany, Italy?  

Goof around with other artists....have great food...drink cappuccinos ?

Of course you do!  Do something wonderful for yourself, feed your heart and live the life of your dreams....

THAT....is the reason you are here....

If not this....then find something else that makes your heart beat faster and makes you feel scared and giddy at the same time!!

We are only here a short time.....what are you waiting for? A sign?

This is it!!  Whatever it is you love....go for it!

Click here for information on the 

Painting Workshop in Italy

Madrona Tree

Madrona Tree

12" x 16" oil

Alright....we don't have these in Alaska!  

My first morning on my trip to Bainbridge.....I'm sitting on the deck having morning coffee, and down below in the yard is this wonderful tree!  The bark is peeling....it's old and leaning out over the bank 

~ trying to get to the beach.... like the rest of us!  

When the sunshine hit this tree... the areas with the bark peeled away, glowed a beautiful shade of orange and some reds.  I knew I was going to paint this beauty! 

I found inspiration to paint everywhere I looked.

I love that about traveling....everything is so new and exciting...I want to paint it all!

Thank you for looking!

Morning sun

14" x 8"  oil

Okay, this is painted on clear plexiglass.  My outdoor paintings have been fun to paint,

but when I bring them indoors....all the color seems to drain out of them.

An amazing plein air artist, Darrell Anderson, has been helping me out ( Thank you Darrell!!!)

  He said to "try putting a sheet of plexi-glass over the painting and paint it again...now with colors pushed bolder and use the style of whoever your painting "hero" is."

I loved doing this.  just like he had told me, the pressure of messing up is gone.......

 and I just played!

Very fun!  I'm going to try this with a bunch of my paintings!!

Darrell is an amazing artist, and he also teaches......

He lives in the Seattle area, and teaches often at the 

Winslow Art Center on Bainbridge Island!

Check out his work.....just beautiful! 

Sings with color!!

Tavern

"Tavern"

16" x 20"  oil

I think it would be fun to drive across America, looking for old signs, abandoned

gas stations, roadside attractions, diners.....and paint along the way.  

I love old signs...neon the most!  Every town has a few great Motel signs.

Along the California coast......Highway 1, there's so much along that road to paint,  it would be a fun start.  The colors....that 50's aqua color is everywhere.  Old motels, sun-bleached signs and flowers crawling up everything!  The history in small towns is fun too...buildings...cars...the occasional vintage city bus... too cool.  I always enjoy looking at city paintings done by artists that live in San Francisco.  

Trolley cars, hills and ocean....I'm on vacation just day dreaming about it.

The sign in this painting is in Langley, Washington....I think......or was it Coupeville, Washington....hmmmm.  A trip to the area for a painting workshop about 3 years ago, that's when I feel like my paintings really started to take a new direction.  That first workshop, what a big step outside my comfort zone that was.  Painting with other people around...painting faster than I normally paint......painting people.......all very uncomfortable.  But... I'm so glad I had faith in myself and the courage to try something new.  I'm so happy with the progress I've made over the past 3 years.....my daydream from the past has become my life now.  It's powerful to allow yourself to dream....to mentally visualize the future you wish for.  I believe what we think about and daydream about will come true some day.

Think of things you love.....imagine yourself in your perfect world...then start

 walking in that direction, it will happen. 

"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step"

 Martin Luther King Jr