Spring is in the air! Well, almost.

Last weekend we had 3 inches of snow here at the studio, then mid week temps rose all the way up into the 80s, and now this weekend it's raining and in the 40s. I'm more of a summertime type of gal, and I pine for the palms and beaches of my youth.

In my watercolor class this week, I gave my students hot pressed paper to work on as we painted florals. My students usually work on cold pressed paper, and in a previous class I had given them rough paper for this same subject. The lesson incorporates how paper absorbency and texture affects results, and my students love trying out the different papers and comparing them. This is one of my demos from class.

This is one of the paintings that I did in the Chadds Ford winter plein air earlier this month. I painted this on the coldest day and stayed my my car in the parking area of Kuerner Farm, overlooking the meadow behind the barn. The transmission lines that cross the farm and run through the middle of Chadds Ford are as iconic as Kuerner Farm itself, and instantly recognizable by anyone who is familiar with the area. This painting is watercolor on canvas -- because I didn't want to use oils inside my car. 

Power Lines, 8x10 watercolor on canvas board, $195.

Valentine's Day Surprise

I got a wonderful surprise on Valentine's Day when I found that I was the featured artist on American Watercolor Weekly! They did a lovely profile on me and published several of my latest paintings. Click on American Watercolor to read it, and click Here to Subscribe to receive a free online subscription to this marvelous publication.

My students in my winter semester classes studied the techniques to paint glass last month. Here's one of my quick demos from a recent class.

And here's another quick demo from one of my earlier classes.

I was amused to see another teacher try to copy my lessons, based on my photos that I posted to Facebook. I didn't post many photos of my demo in progress and I didn't explain my painting process in detail in my posts, so the knock-off lessons do not produce the same great results that my students get in my classes.

Be sure to choose the right teacher and don't waste your time and money on copycats. Click on my CALENDAR page to see my schedule of upcoming classes and workshops.

This month I'm exhibiting my plein air paintings at the Chadds Ford Historical Society. This winter event was limited to 20 artists, and the top plein air artists from around the country vied to get juried in. Be sure to stop in and see the paintings, through the end of this month.

Winter Plein Air in Chadds Ford

I've been painting away during the Winter Plein Air event hosted by the Chadds Ford Historical Society. The opening reception was last night, and tons of paintings quickly sold. There are still plenty of gorgeous paintings remaining on display and for sale at the Barn on Creek Road through the end of March. 

On the last day of the event, artists were allowed to paint from inside the Brandywine Museum of Art. Here I am, with with my painting buddies Randall Graham and Yvonne Mucci. 

Every time I go out to paint I run into someone I know! It was wonderful to meet up with N. Taylor Collins at the museum!

Jerry's Artarama of Wilminton, Delaware, provided all the plein air artists with a wonderful swag bag of awesome goodies!

It was so cold and windy on Friday that I stayed in my car to paint. 

My painting of the Brandywine River.

I taught a class on Thursday morning, so I got a late start on the plein air. My first painting was this oil of the Route 1 junction sign, right in front of the historical society.

This painting was the first to sell, and I forgot to get a good photo of it before it was gone.