Daily Painting

More is More

Sketches

Rooftops in Essaouria near sunset and, for your french lesson, a tree sparrow, "Il est donc plus petit que le Moineau domestique notamment au niveau de la tête. Il est également plus mince".

Oil Painting Workshop in Morocco

Elizabeth and I cooked up yet another Moroccan painting workshop.  In addition to offerning Moroccan Sketchbook April 7-13, 12013 we have an oil painting workshop, Plein Air Painting in Morocco in Marrakech and Essaouria from March 29-April5. This painting represents one of the many splendid rooftop views from the charming Riad in Marrakech that will serve as home base.  

8"x10", oil on panel.  It was a pleasant surprise to get this one done as it's been sitting half started for weeks.  I had given it up for lost until this morning.  I am quite pleased with it now.  A print of this painting is available here.

Chunky Berber Jewelry

Chunky Berber jewelry is one of the many Moroccan charms that drew me toward Marrakech. Now I have the luxury of spending time with my very own (again and again).  My wonderful traveling companions for Moroccan Sketchbook will remember my covetous glee when I returned from the souks with my Berber "necklace".  (Necklace in quotation marks because it weighs about 5 lbs.-in reply to my raised eyebrows when I hefted it the shop keeper offered "maybe more like home decor".)  Today I thrashed out a 36"x36" study of it, the watercolor coming afterwards.  One of these years I will go to the Atlas mountains to discover the origins of these beads for myself.

If you look closely you can see our copy of The Mysterious Caravan in which the Hardy Boys go to Marrakech on the table at right and, at the far left my cardboard spaceship and get-a-way vehicle for when painting gets rough.

Long Distance

Robber-baron heritage:  the shores of Jekyll Island, Georgia, home of the Jekyll Island Club and winter playground for fin de ciecle industrialists including my great great grandfather whose family resided there permanently.  Two maiden aunts (one of them my namesake, Margaret Stewart) left resentfully in the 1940s when the Geogia goverment claimed it as park land.  Re: maiden aunts:  when they died the attic was found to contain steamer trunks of empty liqour bottles.  One had to maintain decorum, afterall.  8"x10", oil on panel.

Treasure from the souks of Marrakech

8"x10", oil on cradled panel.  With splendid chunkey Berber necklace, fine dish and a bit of tin plate and glass back there.  

Sticker Book Birds

Yesterday I stole a moment with Captain Spectacular's sticker book of North American Birds to do these two 5"x7" paintings.

Moineau et Hibou at the McIntosh Wildlife Refuge

Thank you to the Audubon society of rhode island for another lovely day.  This time at the Bristol McIntosh Wildlife Refuge (always a good time).  During story time I snuck off to sketch for a few minutes.  Today's "animal interview" was with a barred owl. In french class this evening I learned that the word for owl is hibou and for sparrow-moineau .

Southern France in Rhode island

5"x7", oil on clayboard panel.  Its not designed for oil paint but its instant absorbancy is novel.  (I am, of course, thinking of France.)

Captain Spectacular is on vacation so this moment of painting feels particularly miraculous.  Twice last week we went to the ectotarium where they have a giant chess board among other delights.  

Plein Air Painting Workshop in France

As you may know Elizabeth and I have cooked up another painting workshop, this one in the south of France.  (No experience necessary.)

I did this little fantasy field of lavender painting on a 5"x7" claybord panel-I love these panels!  Smooth and quick drying.