Jurista Road

"Jurista Road"

12" x 9"

Pastel

While visiting their grandmother, we took the boys up to a neighboring farm to pick sweet corn. It was a sunny, clear, beautiful day. When we turned around to leave, this is the scene that greeted me...I have not been able to get that beautiful view out of my head since.

Avery

"Avery"

12" x 18"

Pastel

This is a moody view of Avery Mountain from my husband's aunt Calista's house in Tunkhannock, PA. I have always loved the view of that mountain, and her lovely garden helped frame it perfectly. I finished it a couple weeks ago, but just got around to photographing, matting and framing it.

After the Ice Storm

Current Works-In-Progress

I have a couple of pastels in progress right now. I always have more than one going at a time, because I usually need to put one away for awhile when I get stuck, but I still want to be painting. And sometimes, in the course of painting something completely different, I realize exactly what it is the other painting needs. Funny how that works!


I'm feeling like this pastel of my mother-in-law's old barn is nearing completion. It's almost there...

The pastel below is one that I almost threw away back in May. I just got stuck and couldn't get unstuck. It had no depth to it at all and I was frustrated. I recently decided I'd get really bold and play around with the color on it, since I was going to throw it out anyhow, and I'm now beginning to see some of the depth I was unable to achieve in May. I'm still not sure I can "save it," but I'm learning a lot from this painting as I'm playing around with it.

Seeing it photographed always gives me a new, more objective set of eyes, and I think I need to pull those shadows out even more than I have...and I thought I was being bold with that purple! Time to grow a pair and go even bolder!

Comments, suggestions, feedback...anyone?

My Etsy is Open!

My Etsy store is now up and running, and I was very excited to sell my first item already! You can get to my Etsy from the sidebar, or by typing http://www.followingmymuse.etsy.com/ into your browser. I've started out by offering photo greeting cards, but plan to expand into offering giclee prints of my artwork and larger photographs.

You can also view and order my photographs by following my link on the sidebar..."My Photography."

My first sale was a greeting card containing the following image:

This is an historic mill in the French countryside somewhere between Giverny and Versailles. My husband and I were lucky enough to have lunch here on a trip to France. It was as peaceful and serene as it looks in the photo! Unfortunately, I do not recall the name of the mill or its historical significance...if anyone reading this post has that information for me, I'd love to hear from you!

FOLLOW UP: My dear friend, Sarah, who (along with her husband) traveled with us in Paris, had some information to share about this mill. It is called "Le Moulin de Fourges," and is on the Epte River about 10 km outside of Giverny.

To quote Sarah, "The story of its construction may deliver the secret for this magic. It is told that the mill of Fourges was erected by the builders of the Hameau de la Reine (the Queen's Hamlet) near the Palace of Versailles, this replica of a village where Marie-Antoinette fancied herself a farmer, far from the Court constraints.

Today the place still diffuses serenity and harmony. It is well known by anglers, painters as well as gourmets coming from Paris or much further, like Hillary Clinton who dined here of a lobster salad and a loin of lamb."

Thank you, Sarah, for sharing this information with me, so I can share it with anyone else who loves this photo as much as I do!