Windy Day at Lynch Park (Video)

It was stormy last night and very windy today, but this afternoon we took a walk at Lynch Park. It was lovely and the wind was making the ocean dance. I love to watch the ocean, so I took this video.

September Lynch Park (with Prisma filter)

Red Vines on the Fence (with Prisma filter)

During a walk around the block, I saw these bright red vines on my neighbor's fence, so I took a picture.  Later, I cropped the original image and added a Prisma filter.

Flowers for a Sweet Year (Digital Drawing)

This drawing is the last frame of a video that I was trying to create today, for Yom Kippur. I was using the Procreate app on my iPad, which captures a stroke-by-stroke video as you draw.  Things were going well and I was about three-quarters through my drawing when I realized that the video function suddently wasn't working.   But I decided to finish the drawing anyway.  (I think this might be a glitch due to an update, and I am in contact with Procreate help.) Meanwhile, here's the drawing. Flowers for a Sweet Year, with sunflowers for long life, roses for love, cone flowers for health, and forget-me-nots.  (And that apple tree and the bees through the window.) Sending this out to wish everyone a sweet year ahead.

Douro River from Dom Luis Bridge (Watercolor) as of September 26, 2020

This is the painting I have been working on. This watercolor is inspired by a photo that I took in July of 2019 during a walk over the Dom Luis Bridge with Mauro, on my last day in Porto.  (My photo reference posted here August 24 -- not July 24 which I had been mistakenly saying. I have been working on this for a long time, but not that long.)  Today I worked on the Porto shoreline just a bit, added some foliage, but mostly worked on the tile rooftops in the foreground.

Rowboat and Kayaks (with Prisma filter)

We had another lovely walk at Lynch Park today. I saw this rowboat near the kayaks and took a picture.  When I got home, I added a Prisma filter and cropped the original to get this composition.

Douro River from Dom Luis Bridge (Watercolor) as of September 24, 2020

Finally had a little time to work on this today. This scene was inspired by a picture that I took in July of 2019, during a visit to Portugal. Mauro took me for a walk over the Dom Luis Bridge in Porto. The bridge is so high that it is like an aerial view of the city. (My painting reference is posted here, July 24.)  Today I worked on the buildings on the distant hills, and on the rooftops in the foreground.

Douro River from Dom Luis Bridge (Closeup of Vila Nova de Gaia) Work-in-Progress

My current project is a watercolor inspired by a photo that I took during my last trip to Portugal, July 2019, on the day that we walked over the Dom Luis Bridge.  Here's another closeup of my work-in-progress, this time a view of Vila Nova de Gaia.

Douro River from Dom Luis Bridge (Closeup of Porto) Work-in-Progress

I didn't have a chance to paint today, but here is a closeup of my work-in-progress. This watercolor is inspired by a photo that I took in July of 2019, during a walk over the Dom Luis Bridge.  This closeup shows the Porto side of the river.

Douro River from Dom Luis Bridge (Watercolor) as of September 21, 2020

Today I finally had a chance to get back to this project. This painting is inspired by a photo that I took in July 2019 during a visit to Portugal. (Photo reference posted here July 25.) I walked over the Dom Luis Bridge with Mauro. The bridge connects  Porto with its "twin city" Vila Nova de Gaia. Today I worked on the foreground, the rooftops of Vila Nova de Gaia. 

Rows of Flowers at Lynch Park (with Prisma filter)

Here's another image from last week's walk at Lynch Park.  I took a picture from just above the formal rose garden.  I cropped the photo to get this quirky composition, and then added a Prisma filter.

Garden for a Sweet Year (Digital Drawing)

Yesterday's post was a Rosh Hashana video that I created on my iPad, with Procreate, which captures a stroke-by-stroke video as you draw. Today I am posting the drawing (the last frame of the video), cleaned up on my computer using Painter.  I am sending this out with greetings for a sweet year ahead.

Garden for a Sweet Year (video)

Short on time today, but I drew this  on my Ipad (with the Procreate app). Created in a hurry but with long-lasting love for all my friends and family. Sending this out to say Happy New Year to those who celebrate Rosh Hashana today, and for all my connections, no matter what calendar you follow, I wish you a sweet year ahead.

Hospital Point from Lynch Park (with Prisma filter)

Here's another image from yesterday's visit to Lynch Park.  We walked on the beach, and I took some pictures. This one shows Hospital Point in the distance.  Today I cropped the original and added a Prisma filter.

Rose Garden at Lynch Park (with Prisma filter)

We took a walk at Lynch Park today (here in Beverly, Massachusetts).  I took some pictures of the Rose Garden.  Later, I added a Prisma filter to one of the photos, and then cropped it to get this composition.

Hydrangea and Fence (with Prisma filter)

Yesterday's post was a photo that I took last week at Lynch Park, hydrangea near a weathered gray fence.  Today's post is the same image, but with a Prisma filter added.

Hydrangea and Fence

Last week, we took a walk at Lynch Park. That's where I saw this pink hydrangeas near a fence. I liked the way the flowers looked against the weathered wooden rails, so I took this picture.  I also created a version with a Prisma filter, which I hope to post here tomorrow.

Douro River from Dom Luis Bridge (Watercolor) as of September 13, 2020

I had a chance to work on this project today. This watercolor is based on a photo that I took last July during my visit to Portugal. Mauro surprised me with a walk over the Dom Luis Bridge.  (Photo reference is posted here July 25.) Today I added some details: the row of buildings along the shore on the Porto side of the river (on the right) and on the left, the rooftops of Vila Nova de Gaia, where the port houses are.  I added tiny flags and shadows of tiny boats, trying hard to keep the perspective. To be continued. . . .

Douro River from Dom Luis Bridge (Watercolor) as of September 12, 2020

The last time I worked on this painting was September 1, so it has been a while.  Although the past few weeks have been too hectic to paint, I haven't forgotten about this project.  This watercolor is based on a photo that I took in Portugal last summer, during a walk over the Dom Luis Bridge.  (My photo reference is posted here July 25.)  Today I worked on adding some "landmarks" to make sure that I don't loose the perspective or the curve of the river as I fill in the scene.

World Trade Center from Empire State Building (with Prisma filter)

The original version of this image is a photo during a visit to New York City in 1988. I was taking a tour of the Empire State Building and I took a photo of the New York skyline. Although I have visited New York City many times (especially while I was living in New Jersey), I don't really have that many pictures of the Twin Towers. I have posted various versions of this one on September 11th. Gertrude Stein said that "there is no such thing as repetition, only insistence." And remembering this is the point. So today I returned to this photo, added a Prisma filter, and cropped it to give it an off-center composition. This image is a soft and sweet memory of an earlier time, before those towers fell.

Rose Hips (with Prisma filter)

This year, a wild rose bush volunteered to decorate our chain-link fence.  A few days ago, while I was standing by the fence and thinking about something else, I realized that I was face-to-face with these lovely rose hips that my volunteer rose bush had made, so I took a picture. Later, I added the Prisma filter, and tonight I cropped the image to get this composition. 

Looking at the Ocean from Lynch Park

We went for a walk at Lynch Park today.  I realized that I haven’t been there since at least March possibly longer. This is a beautiful park here in Beverly, Massachusetts, and it is bordered by ocean on three sides. It felt great to be there!

Red Bench in September (with Prisma filter)

I have been taking some pictures of the back yard, not for the sake of art, but to figure out amount of sunlight. But I liked the composition of this one, so I added a Prisma filter.

In the Back Yard (with Prisma filter)

I have been taking photos to find the sunniest parts of the yard, for gardening purposes. No art in mind.  But looking back through these photos, I have found a few nice compositions.  I did some retouching on this one, and added a Prisma filter. 

Back Yard Path (with Prisma filter)

For the past two days, I have been taking pictures in the back yard to track sunlight (for gardening purposes). No artistic merit to most of the photos. But I liked the composition of this one, so I cropped it a bit and added a Prisma filter.

Reposting: August Flowers

I am reposting this drawing because this little bouquet is currently part of Porter Mill's virtual exhibit, "Dog Days of Summer," so called because proceeds not only support local artists, but also help support the Northeast Animal Shelter, a no-kill shelter in the area.  If you want to see the whole show, here is the link that allows you to flip through a slide show of the entire exhibit:

https://studiosportermill.wixsite.com/website/dog-days-of-summer

Reposting: Estes Park Memory (Acrylic Watermedia)

I am reposting this painting tonight because it is part of Galatea's re-opening group show, "Light from Above: Reemerging from Isolation." Artists were asked to submit something created during the pandemic, along with a statement about it.  This is what I said: "During Spring 2020 'lock down,' I rarely went out, not even to my studio, but continued painting at home for my solo show at Galatea, then scheduled for May (now postponed until November, due to Covid-19 and gallery flood).  My show, “Colorado Memories,” is to be of mountain landscapes, inspired by photos from childhood and family trips in my home state of Colorado.  Looking back at Spring 2020, I realize how much my painting relieved the isolation of lockdown, providing not only imaginary travel, but time travel." Tonight I attended the opening via Zoom and was able to see all the paintings at a distance. It's a great show, and now available online through artsy. Follow this link: "https://www.artsy.net/show/galatea-fine-art-light-from-above-emerging-out-of-isolation" 

Pink Hydrangeas in September (with Prisma filter)

Yesterday's post was my photo of hydrangeas turning pink as September begins. Here is the same image, this time with a Prisma filter added.

Pink Hydrangeas of September

As fall approaches, the white hydrangeas of summer turn pink.  I saw these during a walk around the block and took some pictures.  I tried this shot with a Prisma filter and plan to post that here tomorrow.

Douro River seen from Dom Luis Bridge (Watercolor) as of September 1, 2020

This painting is based on a photo that I took during a walk over Porto's Dom Luis Bridge during a visit to Portugal last summer.  (My reference photo is posted here July 24.) I didn't have a lot of time today, but I started working on the river.