Night at the Pier

I'm much more likely to NOT want to stop painting, versus ready to do so.  This was my third painting created plein air (in the open air), live in Old Town Alexandria on Veterans Day 2014.  I'd seen this painting to be when scouting out spots. Then thought about trying to paint someplace else when a close by parking space was not to be found and ... considering that the view was great but my light to actually see what I was painting was poor. But, this pulled me, despite practicality, to paint it.

I am always painting my life. Scenes that are right in front of me ... full of the experiences of the day, or night ... in this case. Many of the small pieces this year are filled with my strongest memories, and most of those are hanging in someone else's homes.

At an art show recently, a fellow artist mentioned that he hadn't brought any of his small-scale pieces. I asked why. (My booth has been filled consistently with a mix and inevitably, people purchase large and small.) His answer is that his small pieces stink.  My evaluation of my small pieces falls at the opposite end of the spectrum.  I think of them as interesting gems and love intermingling them with larger pieces throughout my house, tent at art shows, and in my studio in Great Falls.

But, more importantly, I hope you like them!