This is a pastel that reflects how it has been around here for the past several weeks..nothing like a New England fall. The trees are now emptying but we were fortunate to have some wonderful sunny days. Evening light and morning light afford painters their most dramatic views with long shadows and some yellow in the light.

My camera isn't bad but doesn't relish close ups so forgive the slight fuzziness of the focus.

Since I trained as an illustrator, I enjoy painting all kinds of images; landscapes, still lifes as well as figures and portraits. I am drawn to the "incomplete" painting of figures or portraits rather than a "completed" painting. By that I mean that I by focusing on what interests me in the figure, in this case the face and hand, and not completing the whole figure, the character and her "story" is more evident. I will talk more about this idea of focus in upcoming blogs.

This past summer I spent a week on Swan's Island in Maine. There was little to do but bike, paint, eat a lot of lobster and enjoy the tremendous beauty of the ocean. This painting was inspired by the rocky terrain of its beaches and the warm colors of the morning sunrise. I found myself changing the hues subtly with each brush stroke and actually didn't know if it was working until I stood back and was surprised to see that my painting actually matched my vision!