"US Capitol from Pennsylvania Ave Night Scene" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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The US Capitol with its glowing dome against the dark blue sky frames the Pennsylvania Ave with its street lights and busy traffic that cast blurry reflections on a rainy night.

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

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The Lincoln Memorial glows against the violet twilight sky, casting jewel-like reflections in the reflecting pond. I have painted this same view several times and don't seem to get tired of its ethereal beauty.

"Winter Central Park Nocturne" (oil on stretched canvas; 11" x 14") sold

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This is my favorite view of Manhattan: with the stone bridge of the Central Park in front. If it is a winter evening with snow on the ground, it is even more magical!

"Paris Notre Dame Nocturne" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 16") sold

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Paris at dusk is the most romantic place in the world, as the city turns into the city of light. Take a walk along the Seine River. The famed river looks like a moat guarding the equally famed Notre Dame in the Ile de la Cite. Ah, Paris!

"Dublin Liffey Bridge Night" (oil on stretched canvas; 11" x 14")

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I painted another version of the charming, cast-iron Liffey Bridge of Dublin, Ireland. Also known as the Ha'penny Bridge, it is an iconic image of Dublin. The new painting, I think, is even more impressionistic and moodier. Which one do you like better?

"Dublin Liffey Bridge Nocturne" (oil on linen, 9" x 12"; sold)

"US Capitol Nocturne" (oil on linen; 12" x 9") sold

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The US Capitol's dome turns golden against the dark night sky. The seat of the US Congress and the equestrian statue of Ulysses S. Grant and their blurry reflections in the Capitol Reflecting Pond make the image hauntingly beautiful.

"Lincoln Memorial Nocturne" (oil on linen; 6" x 8") sold

sold

I have painted the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC many times, usually against the deep blue night sky, because the marble Doric-temple of the memorial then glows like a gem.  I, however, never painted it as small as this--only 6" x 8"!

"Dublin Liffey Bridge Nocturne" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

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The charming, cast-iron Liffey Bridge is probably the world's most famous footbridge.  It is a pedestrian bridge, built in 1816 over the Liffey River in Dublin, Ireland.  Also known as the Ha'penny Bridge, it is an iconic image of Dublin.  At night, it is even more charming!

"Golden Gate Bridge Nocturne" (oil on linen; 9" x 12")

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From the Marin Headlands, one can see a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline.  It is even more spectacular at clear night.  Look at the reflections of the brightly lit bridge in the San Francisco Bay!

"Rockefeller Center Christmas" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

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It is Christmastime in New York City!  The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, towering above the ice rink below, all decked out in its finest holiday bling, is a world-wide symbol of the holidays in New York City.  Personally, I like the angels playing trumpets even more!

"Paris Notre Dame Nocturne" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

sold

Paris at dusk is the most romantic place in the world.  Take a walk along the Seine River.  The famed river looks like a moat guarding the equally famed Notre Dame in the Ile de la Cite. The cathedral is the birth place of the Gothic architecture, which I adore.  Unfortunately, the style is so ornate, almost phantasmagorical.  But, from the side, in dim light, and much of the enormous structure hidden, I can handle it!

"Alexander III Bridge at Dusk" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

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Paris at dusk in the most romantic place in the world, especially, by the Pont Alexandre III along the Seine River.  It is the most extravagant bridge in the city, with its exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs, and winged horses at either end.  I can see vaguely the Invalides in the distance.  Ah, Paris!

Collage of My September Paintings

Collage of My September 2014 Paintings

Last month, including reworked paintings, I finished 25 paintings!  As many of my readers may know, September was the month of Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 challenge.  I didn't participate in it, because I learned from experience that it was unnecessarily stressful.  I don't need the external stimulation, because I am an artoholic who cannot live without art!

By the way, I started a new series of "Cityscapes" with a new section on my Etsy store.  As a big city girl from Seoul, Korea, I love what big cities can offer--monuments, museums, parks, bridges, boulevards, bustling neighborhoods, etc.!  In the coming weeks, you will be seeing lots of paintings of my favorite cities--Paris, London, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Venice, etc.

"London South Bank" (oil on linen; 9" x 12")

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This breathtaking view of London South Bank with its ultra modern glass towers against the dark evening sky is worth the visit to the United Kingdom!  When I lived in London in 1990 for my doctoral dissertation research, it didn't look like this at all.  South London, south of the Thames River, was generally dowdy and, in some places, run down.  If you wanted excitement and elegant city life, you went to Chelsea or Kensington, and that's exactly what I did by moving from Southwark in South London to Chelsea on the other side of the river.

Through the massive redevelopment over the past three decades, London has become ultra modern and chic, without forsaking its old, world-famous grandeur.  It's a city that wears age and modernity with an equal panache.  I love London!

The glass "Shard" (which you can see in my painting) and the medieval Southwark Cathedral side by side!

"Big Ben Night" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

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Last year during the family vacation to the United Kingdom, I wanted to see the Parliament Buildings and Big Ben on the Thames River at night, although it was cold and we were tired. Boy, I was glad.  These iconic buildings truly glowed like jewels at night!

"Winter Moon" (oil on linen; 10" x 8")

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I decided to paint a snow painting despite the protests from a couple of my Facebook fans. They haven't quite recovered from the last winter.  Well, I have.  Besides, there is no denying the romanticism of a snowscape!

Not much drawing for this painting.  Straight to the transparent underpainting.

I got this far in less than 20 minutes.  The painting already looked finished.

Finishing the painting turned out a lot more difficult than starting it.  From here to the finished painting, it took two days, tweaking the sky, moon, grass, and snow.  It was the dots that saved the day!

"Lincoln Memorial Reflections" (oil on stretched canvas; 8" x 10") sold

sold

The Lincoln Memorial shimmers in the dusk.  Of all the great monuments in Washington, DC, I must say that the Lincoln Memorial is my favorite.  It is an elegant structure dedicated to a great president.

"Big Ben Nocturne" (oil on linen; 8" x 12") sold

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I thought that the nighttime view of the Big Ben and Parliament Buildings would make the perfect piece as the finale of my April Challenge series.  It was a fine thought; executing the idea into a decent painting was, well, another matter.  In the end, I managed to create a painting that would make Vincent van Gogh proud!  It must be the outstanding subject that inspired me to rise to the occasion.

What a trip it was!  I am grateful to my husband for insisting that we should take the trip.  Above all, I am grateful to our gracious hosts in Sidlesham, West Sussex, for putting us up for eight wonderful days.  There are many memories I will treasure forever.  I would also like to thank my readers for following my pictorial journey down the memory lane.

I am going to take a couple of days off to get ready for the next week's five-day workshop with Gregory Packard in Richmond, VA.  When I return on Friday, I will share the collage of the nine paintings I did for the "I Love England" series.  If you are on Facebook, please like my page, because this month I am going to give away a print of the collage to my Facebook fan!

I met my graduate school buddy, Steve, who happened to be teaching at Canterbury this semester.  We haven't seen each other for almost 20 years!  He gave us an excellent tour of the cathedral.  

At the Novium, a Roman museum in Chichester; my daughter as a Roman centurion.

We almost got blown away by a strong gale at the Lifeboat Station in Selsey, West Sussex; the sea behind my daughter is the English Channel.

Ev and Hans, our hosts, with my daughter

Yes, we did go to the British Museum while in London.  Seeing the Parthenon sculptures again was one of the highlights  of the trip.

Myself with my husband at the Parthenon Galleries.

"Tower Bridge Nocturne" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

sold

It has been over twenty years since I visited London.  It has changed much, especially in the Docklands--an area in east and southeast London.  It's not just its physical appearance that has become in some parts ultra modern.  We saw many Europeans working in the city.  Food has improved vastly as well!  The British have embraced the 21th century wholeheartedly and I am happy for them.

Of course, the iconic Tower Bridge didn't need any improvement.  I wanted to see the bridge at night.  On last Saturday of our English trip, we walked along the Victoria Embankment, crossed the new Millennium Bridge, which, if you are a Harry Potter fan, you would remember well, and went all the way to the Tower Bridge.  And we saw it in its full glory.  There was sort of a sunset with pale pink clouds against a gray sky.  The bridge glowed like a big jewel.

The egg-shaped, glass structure is the new London City Hall!

A fantastic view from the Millennium Bridge; from this vantage point, all the buildings on the South Bank of the Thames River seem brand new!

The  ultra-chic "Shard", which you can see in the above photo, is here juxtaposed with the medieval Southwark Cathedral.  I love London! 

We ate two breakfasts at this small cafe in South Kensington.  The young woman server on the far left was French; the woman in the center was from Spain.

We ate a nice lunch at the Cafe in the Crypt of the famous St. Martin in the Fields at Trafalgar Square.  Yes, it is a real crypt with burial plaques!

For the last dinner in the UK, at a pub at Covent Garden, I ate the traditional British meal of roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and vegetables.  It was delicious!

"Sunset over Marshland" (oil on linen; 14" x 11") sold

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I can paint sunrises and sunsets forever as long as the sun rises and sets.  I have painted sunrises and sunsets over the sea,  lake, beach, harbor, fields, hills, and even my neighborhood, but I like this new painting over marshland the best.

There is a fellow artist, William Van Doren, who has been painting sunrises and sunsets everyday for the past seven years.  Four years ago, he took on the challenge--a series of paintings of the sky over the Lincoln Memorial.  He was inspired by his experience on the extremely cold inauguration day of President Obama.  He told me that he did it for six months to get it right!  I was awed by his dedication.  Can you imagine yourself doing something like that?