Well here it is nearly the end of July and the smells of fresh cut hay are in the air. Breathe deeply and you will sense the deep golds of summer and the dry warm air as the farmers harvest their crops. I marvel at the way they pack them in these round cylindrical shapes lit by the sun.

This morning I was awakened at 6:30 a.m. by another, yes you guessed it, glorious sunrise.  The brilliance of morning fills my room with color and I cannot resist the urge to share it.  Although it may seem a bit repetitious, nature never repeats the same performance twice!

I am working on a new still life, the complexities of the draperies on which it rests are a study in itself! The color wash is finally done and I have started painting. I will add a photo of that in my next post. I have to go back to my first lesson, patience. Ted did a little bit on it today as a demo and I learned so much from watching him and was so excited to have his masterful touch on my study!

Finally a photo of me for those of you who requested it. I went to Doue la Fontaine for the show of roses in the troglodyte caves and this was shot there.

Each day I am thankful for this time to study, live and learn. One day last week the model didn't show up, so we did a little plein-air painting, another first for me. We did a poster study and then a "sketch" in oil. One must work fast because the light changes quickly. I learned that cloudy or overcast days are good for painting outside and one must work the same time every day to achieve consistency.