"Wendell" (oil on linen; 10" x 10") sold

sold

"Wendell" is for Richard, who commissioned the portrait as his wife's birthday present.  Wendell is an English bulldog; in the portrait, he is a puppy.  Richard wanted to have something of his wife's in the painting as he is "her" dog.  He came up with the idea of her running shoe and its photo; I came up with the design.  I think the portrait turned out rather well with a humorous narrative!

Reference photo for "Wendell"

Reference photo for the running shoe

"Lincoln Memorial Sunset" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

sold

I've noticed that some artists who are participating in Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 Challenge actually have a theme for the month.  They are very wise and I admire them.  I, for one, have no such luxury.  Some days I wake up in the middle of night wondering what I am going to painting the next day!  That's is why I decided to paint my favorite scene one more time.

We Washingtonians don't go out of way to pay respect to these famous memorials but for the out-of-town relatives.  More than 10 years ago, before the digital age, a cousin of mine from Korea came to visit and we took her to The Mall.  It was a beautiful spring day.  As the sun started setting, the marble structure began to glow against the golden sky.  Green leaves burned orange.  It was a magical moment.  So pardon me for repeating myself and please tell me that the new painting is better than the old one!

"Lincoln Memorial at Sunset" (oil, 11" x 14"; sold)

"Robin Bath" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

sold

I was taking a walk when I saw a scruffy-looking robin at a shallow brook the day after a heavy rain.  Charming!

"Zebra Love" (oil on linen; 30" x 20") sold

sold

This is an unusual piece for me, because I love color.  However, with zebras, who needs colors other than black and white"?  They are handsome by nature and don't need any adornments.

"Spring Woods" (oil on linen; 10" x 8") sold

sold

When trees start budding, they turn yellow green.  Leaves are not yet big, so they don't cast heavy shade. Walk in the early spring woods.  It's airy and bright.  I see a red bridge up a small stream.  Ah, what a wonderous place to be!  This is a real place--a Virgina native plant trail in the Green Spring Gardens Park in Alexandria, VA.  I haunt the park in early spring, which has always been my favorite time of the year.

"Spring Orchard" (oil on linen; 10" x 8") sold

sold

Pear and apple trees are blooming at an orchard.  In the distance, tall, budding trees look pinkish.  There is so much hope and anticipation in the air.  I love this time of the year!

"Autumn Central Park" (oil on linen; 8" x 12") sold

sold

Before

Reference photo

The other day, my teenage daughter opened a "wise" fortune cookie that said "a failure is an opportunity in disguise."  She asked me if it was deep enough for me.  Ha!  I don't put much stock in fortune cookies, unlike some people who go out to buy a lottery ticket on account of a particularly lucky fortune after a Chinese meal. 

Nevertheless, the incident got me thinking.  Hm.  I pulled out a "failed" painting to give it another shot.  It was sold on eBay last fall, but alas, the buyer failed to pay up.  So it wasn't my painting but the eBayer that failed.  All the same, I knew right away what to do. 

"Autumn Central Park" was based on a photo I took two years ago when my then college department took a bus-load of students on an educational tour to New York City.  It was mid-November, but we had an unbelievably mild, gorgeous weather!  We walked through Central Park, our destination being the Metropolitan Museum of Arts to see its world-famous Egyptian collection.

I am glad that I still had the painting in my possession so that I got another chance to work on it.  It had a good bone structure, so to speak, but my original execution somehow lacked conviction, especially in the foreground shadows.  The fortune cookie was right, don't you agree?  A failure, indeed, is an opportunity in disguise!

"Washington National Cathedral" (oil on linen; 16" x 12") sold

sold

Yesterday, seven friends and I--the biggest group so far--went to the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.  We could not have chosen a better weather.  It was about 80 degrees, but with low humidity and nice breeze, it felt heavenly.  The place was not crowded at all; except occasional picnickers, we had the place pretty much to ourselves.  We felt truly blessed--well, until we started painting.

The National Cathedral is a 20th-century structure built in the Gothic style.  In spirit and manner of construction, you can say that it is medieval.  It's situated on a 50-acre ground, which also boasts a beautiful garden, called Bishop's Garden.  Last year when I painted there, I was absolutely overwhelmed by the sight of the cathedral.  So, instead, I painted a stone gazebo in the Bishop's Garden.

"Bishop's Garden, National Cathedral" (oil, 8" x 10")
sold

The gazebo with eight sides was hard enough to draw.  When I was finished, I was so pleased with the painting that I emailed it to my plein-air-painting teacher, Sara Poly, to show off.  Yesterday, I bravely tackled the cathedral itself.  Oh, my goodness.  I kept saying this to myself.  As it turned out, I had more trouble painting the magnificent cedar of Lebanon on the left.  I chose this view on purpose, calculating that with so much of the cathedral hidden behind the cedar, it shouldn't be too bad to paint the main subject itself.  I don't think I will be painting the cedar of Lebanon any time soon.

The cathedral was treated suggestively; otherwise, I would be still drawing it out there.  By the time, the bones of drawing and colors were put down (as you can see in the second picture from the top), I had to quit painting.  The sun had moved and there was no point in continuing.  I finished the painting in the studio today.  

HAVE A GREAT INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND!  

"Rose Arbor" (oil on linen, 8" x 10")

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It was in the low 70's a few days ago, and I got excited about an early spring, especially after I spotted snow drops blooming in my garden.  I shouldn't have.  We are back to winter today and I am back to day-dreaming about a mild spring weather in which I can paint outside.

I have been to George Washington's River Farm in Alexandria, VA many times, and every time I was enchanted by this scene with a series of brick pergolas.  The day when I painted the piece last year was my lucky day with perfect light and roses in bloom.  The roses were pink, but I changed them to white.  Why not?  It seemed to work better that way.  By the way, "Rose Arbor" is one of my favorite plein air paintings.