No. 774 Paint-In Still Life

Paint-In Still Life

Oil on Canvas Panel

7" x 5"

I always find it a little funny that PAWA paint-ins are better attended than most paint outs. I'm not sure why that is but I do know it's a great opportunity to catch up with painting friends and I always enjoy going.

No. 773 Tulips in Red Pitcher

Red Pitcher

Oil on Canvas Board

7" x 5"

This is one of my favorite recent paintings. It's for sale at the Rexville Grange Art Show near the tulip fields in Mt. Vernon. The subject matter seemed appropriate. The show starts Friday. If you are headed up that way, I highly recommend a visit. There's some great stuff there and I'm already afraid any profit I might make will probably be spent at the show...

I drove by the tulip fields yesterday after setting up the show. Lots of daffodils in bloom but not much in the way of tulips yet. Here is a link to check out what is currently in bloom:
http://www.tulips.com/bloommap

No. 772 Blue Coffee Pot with Tulips

Blue Coffee with Tulips

Oil on Canvas Panel

7" x 5"

We've had a very, very soggy and chilly winter so thank goodness for greenhouse tulips!

Returning to our trip to France, after getting your ticket you'll probably want to reserve a place to stay. Sandy, the trip coordinator recommended a couple of nice inns to stay at. I chose to give Airbnb a try. There were a couple of things that appealed to me about Airbnb. First, you can find a pretty good deal. The cost of the studio I'm staying in is less than half the inn Sandy recommended.

Second, I liked the opportunity to take a peak at how the French live. It was really interesting perusing the unique homes and rooms available in the area .

Lastly, my hosts are very accommodating. Once I reserved my room I was contacted the next day by the host, Veronique, and asked if there was anything I needed help with. I soon discovered that her mom is a watercolor artist and is willing to recommend places for me to go paint!

Downtown Vence

My little studio is in there somewhere!

No. 771 French Lemon and Creme Layer Cake with Primroses

French Lemon and Creme Layer Cake with Primroses

Oil on Gessobord

5" x 7"

Okay, this is the last of the "pastry and flowers" series, a nice light cake that would go perfectly with a hot cup of tea.

Perhaps you've noticed, perhaps you haven't but tulips are starting to pop up in the stores!

 

No. 770 Petit Fours with Tea

Petit Fours with Tea

Oil on Gessobord

5" x 7"

Click to Bid

Love this teacup I found in an antique barn on Whidbey Island.

So if you are going to travel "virtually" with me to France you will have to get your virtual plane ticket! Since as long as I can remember I've been getting my plane tickets online. The site I usually visit is Kayak.com. Something to remember though...

When you see a great price on a ticket double check how long the flight is and how many layovers there are. I don't know about you but I would spend the extra $73 dollars not to have to hassle with an extra layover and a flight that is up to a whopping 11 hours longer. Also, if you live in the Seattle area consider flying out of Vancouver, Canada. Due to the exchange rate you can get a deal on flights. I saved almost four hundred dollars leaving from Vancouver over a similar flight from Seattle.

No. 769 Four Petit Fours

Four Petit Fours

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

I unexpectedly came across these in a local grocery store bakery. Oh my goodness, they were adorable. Even Meg gave them a thumbs up. My favorite one was mocha flavored. What looks like a coffee bean perched on top was actually coffee flavored chocolate in the shape of a coffee bean! Fabulous detail!

On a separate note, a few weeks ago I got what my mom would call a "wild hair" and signed up for a women's art retreat in Vence, France. I think it's all this French pastry I've been painting.  The trip is in May and I thought I would "virtually" take you with me. To start here is the flyer. If "virtually" isn't good enough, I'm pretty sure there is still room.

No. 768 Landscape demo - Tetons

Landscape demo - Tetons

Oil on Canvas

5" x7"

Taking a little break from the pastries. I had several requests in class last fall to learn more about landscape painting. So that's been our focus since the beginning of the year. I used a photo I took in the Tetons and did a demonstration of  Mitch Albala's underpainting technique. Hmmmm, there is no way for you to see that. I should have taken pictures of each step. Next time!