An Allee in Olargues*

Today was a perfect day for painting, but not outside because it's too hot! Connections published a picture during her trip to Europe which I liked a lot, so I decided to see if I could paint it.

I have already determined that I am not a landscape painter yet because I have too much to learn, so I've been concentrating on simple still lives--a bowl of lemons, a single flower, which seems to be about my speed. In fact, my last assignment was to buy a red pepper, paint it, cut it in half and paint the halves, then cut it in quarters and paint the quarters. We ate the pepper before I got to the quarters, but I was quite happy with what I did do.

C's photo was larger scale than a red pepper, but smaller than a landscape, and I really liked it, so I gave it a shot. The major challenge was perspective! Clearly it is a bit wonky, but I learned a lot. The second lesson was knowing when to stop! I think I went a little past that. Mixing colors, shading and relief were also challenges. Thank you, C for the inspiration! I like your photo better, but I've had fun, which is my goal.

My friend and teacher, Ann, asked me if I wanted to take a 'real' class, but she's a good teacher and I'm afraid if I commit to a class it won't be fun anymore, which is my goal.

*I took this from a wonderful photo published by Connections on May 23, 2014