Come join me at the Hermitage on October 5th from 2 - 4PM for a fun day of plein air painting!  I love the fall and the Hermitage is a beautiful setting to enjoy this time of year as the days get cooler and the colors change.  Our spring event was a huge success and sold out very quickly so sign up fast if you're interested in this fall event!
  I will be giving a demonstration and then will provide individual instruction for everyone.  See you there!
​
​https://www.eventcreate.com/e/plein-air-painting-at-the-h

  Anyone in northern NJ should check out this exhibition at the Montclair Art Museum which has some fantastic paintings from a private collection.  My family and I are going to check it out soon and I can't wait.
​  This exhibition is on view until February 16th, 2025

  Yesterday, I flew out to Grand Rapids, Michigan to appear on a special painting and flowers episode of J Schwanke's Life in Bloom!  I have enjoyed watching Life in Bloom on Create TV for years and it was an honor and absolute pleasure to be on a painting episode.
  We had great weather for filming and set up in their beautiful garden.  J and I talked about my background, residency in Giverny last summer and my life traveling and teaching.  I brought my watercolors and we had a great time painting a stunning bouquet together.  J totally surprised me with  a flower crown, which is a tradition for his guests!
  I want to say a HUGE thank you to J, Kelly, Nick, Grace and entire filming crew.  I loved the entire experience. 
​
​The episode will air in 2025 and will be episode #702.

  Today was another amazing day!  I finally got to visit Venice and it was just as beautiful as I imagined.  The light and atmosphere was really magical and there was a nice ocean breeze which helped to cool down a bit.  I tried my best to take some accurate photos, but photos (as always) can't do justice to this amazing place; that's why I really want to see these places in person and to experience them for myself.
  Our itinerary had two main sites to visit: Ca' Pesaro and the Doge's Palace.  Ca' Pesaro is an art museum which has a lot of interesting pieces and also a really cool collection of Japanese armor.  The main attraction, for me, was a painting by Joaquín Sorolla called Mending the Sail (1896).  Anyone who knows me.. knows that I love Sorolla.
  I first discovered Sorolla while I was working at Sotheby's auction house in 2013.  I was blown away by his paintings and he's been a major influence on me ever since.  I also visited the Museo Sorolla back in 2018 on a trip to Madrid.  Seeing this large Sorolla painting in Venice was pretty amazing and I took my time to really study it.  I took a lot of close-up photos to show the paint texture, but I also took a  video so that you can see the size of it (scroll down).
  Our other stop was the Doge's Palace and a group tour with Walks in Europe.  The tour also included St. Mark's Basilica which was equally as impressive.  The entire tour was excellent and our guide, Carolina, was extremely knowledgeable and did a great job.  If anyone is thinking about doing a tour in Venice (or across Europe) definitely check them out.

  Sorolla's work always impresses me and I was very inspired by looking at this one.  There are many things that you can only see in person, such as: accurate color, value, paint texture, canvas type, etc.  I hope these photos demonstrate a bit of Sorolla's paint handling and layering.