Today's workshop at The Hermitage in Ho Ho Kus, N.J. was a ton of fun and I got a lot of positive feedback! Thank you to everyone who participated and to Ms. Julie Zier for making this possible. It was wonderful to meet everyone and to share the joy of painting en plein air at this beautiful and historic location.
Many people asked if we'll be doing this again and I think we'll try to do it again in the fall. I will be in Florence from the end of June until mid-August but check out my EVENTS PAGE to stay connected with upcoming workshops. I also recently created a TESTIMONIALS PAGE with feedback from previous students from my classes and workshops. As a teacher, I am very passionated about sharing information and encouragement; I'm so proud of all of my students. Have a wonderful weekend and I'm so glad everyone enjoyed this workshop! Keep painting!
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My homage to Claude Monet and Giverny is all finished! I matched the color of the original bridge and painted it today. I really enjoy personal projects like this where I can build something and make myself smile. Now I can't wait to see my water lily blossom underneath!
Over the weekend, I got a water lily and put it in an old smelting cauldron. I had an idea to build a small scale wooden model of Monet's bridge to span the length of it. I think they make professional model reproductions of Monet's bridge, but I needed a specific length to fit the cauldron.
Yesterday, I found an old hanging basket made with spindle parts and other wooden materials; our neighbor was throwing it away and I thought it might work for my bridge model. I wish I had taken a picture of the basket before cutting it up, but c'est la vie. It took me a few hours to build the bridge today, but I still need to paint the rails emerald green. I've built a lot of model kits in the past so this wasn't too difficult for me. I'm pretty proud of the way it turned out and I feel like it matches the vision in my head. I'll share another update once it's all painted. Some new additions to our garden and some plants that reminds me of my time last summer in Monet's garden. The new additions are from Rohsler's Nursery in Allendale, N.J. Our first new addition is a water lily; the variety is called Madame Wilfron Gonnere. I'm using an old smelting cauldron that has been on the property for a very long time and it works perfectly. I had to plug a small hole, but it's watertight now. The next addition is a row of irises in a variety of colors, alternating blue, orange, deep purple and yellow; these are all complementary colors and I can't wait to see them bloom. Irises are my favorite flower and I'm excited to have them to paint at my convenience. We're doing our flowerpots in the front with annuals (petunias, marigolds, snapdragons, alyssum, zinnia, dianthus, etc.). I have found painting inspiration in these pots for many years. The pots are being shared with some tomatoes and cucumbers which my student generously gave to me (thank you Kelly!). The backyard now has some cosmos, foxgloves, lilies and I'm waiting for hollyhocks to arrive at the garden center. We also planted a new peony which has a beautiful coral color. I've always loved plants and my time last summer in Monet's garden really made me want to learn more. I learned a lot from the gardening team in Giverny and it's nice to have some plants that remind me of my time over there. My other motivation is to have my own garden to paint in. As a painter, nature is my inspiration so I can't wait to see these plants take root and blossom as the summer begins! Water Lilies Irises *Currently waiting for more colors to bloom. Azaleas, Strawberry Foxglove, Hanging Ivy Geranium, Lilies, Cosmos, Peony, Annuals, Etc. |
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