a journey discovering and sharing the beauty in life

Summer is quickly drawing to a close as are my Summer projects. My last commission before our new addition (baby #2 - due any day now) arrives is ready to ship. Commissions are a fun part of my work because it is a nice opportunity to share the art making process and help bring someones vision to life. This piece was painted for a collector in Los Angeles.   Each painting starts with a sketch. This will be done from a photo, several photos or from life.       Once we have worked out composition and size in a sketch I'll do color studies. These tiny studies [...]

Now we have the opportunity to help a gifted young lady develop her own gifts in music and the dramatic arts [...]

Now at last I am earning the right to add precious little faces to the reportrie of what I 'know'. [...]

A Fleeting Glance is the name of my latest painting and about sums up life right now. It's hard to believe we've gone right through the Holidays and are in the latter half of January! Realizing how fast time is going makes me want to hold onto each of these precious moments.   That is one of the things I love about capturing pieces of life in paint - it really gives me a chance to reflect and absorb things and share them. With so much done today by the push of a button it's nice to slow down and take time over [...]

I forgot how much I love this time of year! It's gettting cooler - which in Florida means that the weather is actually FINALLY condusive to Plein Air painting!! Some mornings have actually felt crisp. Lovely.   This is also the time of year when business picks up in Florida. With the Holidays and snowbirds decending upon us things are getting busier. At Fifth Avenue Gallery we are preparing for our annual holiday boutique show that features many artisan gift items. This will be my first time being a part of this - I'm excited to see what it's like.   Here at home I've [...]

California Dreaming oil 9x12 First piece painted with Liev on my lap! Dear Friends,   According to dictionary.com staccato is “characterized by performance in which the notes are abruptly disconnected”. While staccato refers to a very intentional style of playing music, this term has come to describe how life has been for me over the last few months.   Little Liev Romanovich was born May 26 and has completely revolutionized things around here. Within several weeks of being born I had a commission to finish and a show to complete a painting so we very quickly began [...]