A Springtime Trip to New York City... Streetscenes and Sorolla

Last weekend I traveled to New York City to give my son, Bryan a big hug. He's been working there a few months and it was time for a visit. It was a rainy spring weekend filled with Color and Inspiration. Daffodils, Umbrellas, Yellow Cabs...

Reflections of Benches and People walking their dogs.... on a Saturday morning...

 







Later we took the subway to Spanish Harlem to the Hispanic Society of America to see Sorolla's Vision of Spain Paintings. I would highly recommend it!

As we stood in front of these magnificent paintings,  I tried to absorb just a small amount of the brilliance!

Thanks Bryan for the wonderful weekend!

Here is a link to the museum... it was an awesome experience! http://www.hispanicsociety.org/ I hope you take the time to see it the next time you are in the city!

Enjoy Spring! Inspiration is everywhere you look!

Cindy

Grandma Hattie's Tea Party Inspired

A few weeks ago I was excited to attend a Tea Party at the Historic Ichabod Town Homestead only a few miles from my studio on the grounds of the Valentown Museum in Victor, NY. Kathleen Houser was our hostess and we were treated like royalty!!! It was so much fun to dress up in antique hats and jewelry and be served a luncheon of homemade soup, scones, finger sandwiches and deliciously decadent desserts. The tea was the best I had ever experienced.  If you are looking for a unique experience in the Finger Lakes area, I would recommend it. Take a few of your friends and have some fun! I did!

Here's a detail... its really a step back in time with the embroidered tablecloths, antique teapots and cups and a chance to slow down for a few moments and enjoy. It was an inspiration for a new oil painting I just finished. I love living each day not really knowing what I will see that may be an inspiration for a painting.... There were many nooks and crannies for my creative mind to explore in this historic homestead. Stopping for an instant to see them was a gift!

Here's the website for information on times, reservations and details... 

GrandmaHattiesTeaParty.com

Brantingham Lake- Adirondack Autumn Reflections

To begin with, it is getting much colder very fast in the Northeast and I am writing this blog with a cup of chai tea in hand and my dog "Banks" curled up on my lap with his sweatshirt on, trying to stay warm.
I have been loving the autumn reflections on the lake this year, capturing them with loose oil brushstrokes.

Prussian Blue is a new addition to my palette... and has been giving me some bold colors and dramatic effects. I hope to describe in this new work, the stillness and serenity of the lake as well as the dynamic beauty of nature.   Enjoy the day. Stop to capture the beauty around you for a few moments if you can.

Canandaigua Lake En Plein Aire

Painting has always been a passion and able to heal me when I am feeling all kinds of emotions. One day after both of my children left for college and I was feeling a little lost, I wandered into the Pat Rini Rohrer Gallery in Canandaigua. Pat is one of the best artists in the Finger Lakes area and suggested I take a class in oils to start exploring this new phase of my life. Pat was an angel that showed up at just the right time. When the student is ready, the teacher appears!  These are a few of the paintings from this summer's plein aire class I took with Pat and the other amazing artists.... we are a group learning and growing with each other, creating art and enjoying the beauty of the Finger Lakes area where we live. 

Plein air is a term derived from the French phrase en plein aire, which literally means 'in the open air'. It's a familiar concept today, but in the late 1800s when the Impressionists ventured out of their studios into nature to investigate and capture the effects of sunlight and different times of days on a subject, it was quite revolutionary.