Paris Street Scene

I painted with this for a class I taught today at Sierra College. I usually come up with the topic of the class months ahead of teaching it. Sometimes even before I have been on the trip to the location I propose to teach. When I was in Paris last Oct. I took several photos of street scenes. This painting illustrates one of the things I had the most fun doing with my friends in Paris. Stopping for a coffee at a cafe and sketching for as long as we felt like. I t doesn't get a lot better then that......

Second Vernazza

Okay, here is my second attempt at painting Vernazza. I think I like this second painting a bit better because the colors are brighter. This makes the 3rd painting I have done of the harbor in Vernazza. The first one I painted when I was actually sitting on a bench in the harbor looking at the scene. It was lots of fun to sit in the June sun and paint these colorful buildings. Believe it or not I started talking to another artist who was painting a few feet away from me and discovered she was not only from my town, but had taken a class from me! Small World.

Vernazza in Living Color

So, today I finished the colored version of the harbor at Vernazza. I used my new set of M. Graham watercolor paints. I think these paints help me to paint with brighter colors because they have honey in them and they mix up nice and juicey when you add water which allows you to lift off the paint easily. I may do another version of this painting to see if I should tweak the colors a bit. I will post the 2nd painting tomorrow and you can tell me which one you prefer.

Vernazza!

Just finished this black and white painting of the harbor in Vernazza, Italy. I am figuring out how to paint reflections in water, particuliarly rippling water, even more particuliarly Italian rippling water. What do you think? The gelato is particuliarly good as well as the seafood and wine in this town. There is a wonderful restaurant up the street without a harbor view run by two brothers who used to be pirates at EuroDisneyland. They are hilarious and good cooks too.