Memorial...

Rockamelon   oil/canvas   8 x 16 x 1.5

Day is a time to visit grave sites and to remember those who are no longer with us.  It is also a time to remember those delicious picnic food flavors!  Happy burger-potato salad-baked beans-watermelon day!

It's a hot one

Melon Sill   watercolor   6.75 x 12

Here in northeastern Ohio it has been over 90 degrees for several days. Our old house of almost 150 years has no air conditioning. My '94 Toyota Previa van has 225,000 miles on it, but the air conditioning has been kaput for several years. The heat puts an edge on things to be sure, but I'm not sure that it all bad. I really do think that it shows up in my delight at painting certain things. This watermelon painting was begun as a monoprint, by painting on a piece of plexiglass, then transferring it to watercolor paper. The painting is continued by brush, albeit backwards as you view the set-up. It was painted in the air-conditioning at Cuyahoga Valley Art Center alongside my fellow painter Susan Mencini. Although I am not satisfied with the composition, its fresh and watery nature is successful in my opinion. I think that might be due to the extreme heat.