""Medici Fountain at Luxembourg Garden" (oil on linen; 10" x 8") sold

 

sold

 

The Medici Fountain (la fontaine Médicis) is a monumental fountain in the Luxembourg Garden in the 6th arrondissement in Paris. It was built in about 1630 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV of France and regent of King Louis VIII of France. It was moved to its present location and extensively rebuilt in 1864-66.

I visited the famous fountain in late summer on an overcast day in 2019. In the painting I tried to capture the magical serenity of the place with the pointillist style. Do you think I succeeded?

"Washington Monument Twilight" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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The Washington Monument rises against the sunset sky, while it and the dark, surrounding trees cast the reflections of unforgettable beauty.

"Georgetown Key Bridge Afternoon" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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This is the view of Georgetown and the Key Bridge from the tiny Roosevelt Island in the Potomac River. The undersides of the bridge arches glow in the afternoon light. I used a modified pointillist method to simulate the shimmering light.

"Jefferson Memorial Twilight" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

sold

The Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin in Washington DC is a beautiful neoclassical building. At twilight, it is breathtaking. I used the pointillist technique for the painting, pretending that my dots are stardust!

"Washington Monument Sunset" (oil, 7" x 7") sold

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The painting depicts the Washington Monument, viewed from the Lincoln Monument Reflecting Pond, against a spectacular sunset sky. It was fun to paint a big picture in a small size.

"Washington Monument Cherry Blossom Season" (oil on linen; 11" x 14")

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The sun sets over the Washington Monument and cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. It is a breathtaking view. I used the pointillist technique for the cityscape, pretending that my dots are stardust. Aren't we all made of stardust after all?

"Alexander III Bridge at Dusk" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 16") sold

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Paris at dusk is the most romantic place in the world, especially, by the Pont Alexandre III along the Seine. 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.

Someone found my old painting of the same subject on the internet and asked me for a print. I said I could do better! I painted a larger, better version for the client, who proposed to his girlfriend on the famous bridge last year. They are now married and the painting is going to be the Christmas gift for the happily surprised wife. I love my job!

"Spring Garden" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 16")

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Take a walk with me in the enchanted garden of white roses, May snowballs, and azaleas. The air is thick with the perfume of flowers. Time has stopped. Let's linger.

"Mont St-Michel Dreams" (oil on stretched canvas; 18" x 24")

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The Mont St-Michel is one of Europe’s most unforgettable sights. The staggering location has long inspired awe and the imagination. Scamper, at low tide, across the treacherous mudflats in the Bay of Mont St-Michel in northwestern France. Head for a dramatic abbey reaching to heaven from a rock surrounded by a vast and muddy solitude.

The story of how the mount turned into a great place of Christian pilgrimage is colorful. Aubert, bishop of the nearby hilltop town of Avranches early in the 8th century, claimed that the Archangel Michael himself pressured him into having a church built atop the island just out to sea.

The dukes of Normandy, followed by French kings, supported the development of a major Benedictine abbey on the Mont St-Michel. Magnificent monastic buildings were added through medieval times. The abbey became a renowned centre of learning. Vast numbers of pilgrims visited, despite warring cross-Channel royals.

The sight of the distant silhouette of the Gothic island-abbey Mont St-Michel send tired sightseers spirits soaring today just as it did the spirits of weary pilgrims in centuries past.

"Kelp Forest Wonders" (oil on stretched canvas; 22" x 28")

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The kelp forest is a forest, but not a forest of trees. It is a "forest" of seaweed called giant kelp. Giant kelp grows in cool coastal waters where sunlight can reach a rocky sea floor. From several images, I imagined the wonders of kelp forest, filled with life, including a sea lion, which almost looks like a mermaid. The bubbly sunlight filters down to the rock bed; giant kelp sways with the flow of ocean water; and colorful fish swim in groups. I want to swim with them.

"Goosey Goosey Gander" (oil on stretched canvas; 20" x 16")

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Goosey goosey gander, Whither shall I wander? Upstairs and downstairs.... Well, this family of goose, gander, and goslings are swimming in a row in a pond. How many goslings do you see?

"Summer Marina" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 16") sold

sold

The original state

Lately I have been busy reworking old paintings, trusting that I have become better and can spot and improve troubled aspects of unsatisfactory paintings. "Summer Marina" is one such example.  I never liked the chalkiness of the background trees, although I was happy with the composition of the colorful boats and their sails all grouped together and sandwiched between the dark shapes of the trees and reflections.  So I tackled the background chalkiness and, at the same time, jazzed up the water and boats with dots.  How do you like the new and improved painting?

Summer Sale!

Collage of My 2016 Summer Sale

I hope you are enjoying a great summer. I just returned from the family road trip to the Midwest. I have a great news. Many of my paintings--both oils and watercolors--are on sale, 50% or more. Landscapes, cityscapes, florals, animals, and still lifes, you name it! Please click here to go to the sale section on my Etsy shop.

My prices are rising and many exciting things are happening in my studio. As my only child is starting college this fall, I will have more time to devote to, experiment, and deepen my art. It is a perfect time to start collecting my artwork; if you are already a collector, add a few more to your collection!

Thank you for your continuing support and I hope to hear from you!

"Kauai Sunrise" (oil on stretched canvas; 24" x 24" x 2 1/4")

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A few years ago, my family spent a blissful week in the tropical island of Kauai.  On the last day of our vacation, I got up early to greet the dawn.  As the blinding light almost obliterated the divides between the sky, sea, and beach, I felt melting in the warm, all-embracing light.  "Kauai Sunrise" is based on a sun-bleached photo I took that morning.  Isn't my painting much cooler?  What do you say?

The reference photo

Collage of My February Paintings

Collage of My February 2016 Paintings

Another month gone, another post for a monthly collage.  Portraits, still lifes, a big commission painting, and the rest are old paintings that I have reworked.  An odd bunch, I admit.  Yet, I go in the direction my heart points.  There will be more portraits, still lifes, pointillist landscapes and cityscapes in the future!

"Riverbend Bluebells" (oil on stretched canvas; 16" x 20")

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There is a place in Great Falls,VA, called Riverbend Park.  It is a pretty park where kids go for school outings to see American-Indian artifacts and practice archery.  When Virginia bluebells are in season in the spring, it turns into an enchanted forest by the river.  Imagine acres and acres of delicate blue flowers on long stems catching light or in deep shadows.  I tried to capture that sense of joy and wonder in my dotted painting.

"Jefferson Memorial Cherry Blossom Sunset" (oil on linen; 10" x 12") sold

sold

Jefferson Memorial, dedicated to an extraordinary man, is my favorite memorial in the city of memorials--Washington, DC.  I have painted it many times, often set at cherry blossom season, like this new one.  Below is the sketch done in chalk pastel pencil on toned scrapbooking paper that I drew while watching TV in the evening.  I liked it so much that I decided to do an oil version in pointillist style.

"Jefferson Memorial Sunset" (chalk pastel pencil on toned paper, 8" x 8")

"Lavender Harmony" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

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On a hot summer day, stand in the middle of shimmering purple lavender fields. You will feel heady in a perfumed air.  Speaking of summer, the entire East Coast is experiencing an unseasonably warm weather--in the 60's and 70's.  With the mild temperature and humidity, it feels like Kauai!  A white Christmas is out of the question; there is instead a flash flood warning.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

"Sunrise Quietude" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

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A couple of loons glide on a mirror-like lake on a sunrise. Peace and quietude reign.  After the last-minute grocery shopping on Christmas Eve, working on the piece was like meditation!

"Enchanted Harbor" (oil on stretched canvas; 18" x 18") sold

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As my husband is from Minnesota and has lots of relatives there, we often visit Minnesota.  We spent a pleasant day in Grand Marais on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota during one of our visits a few years ago.  It is a picturesque artist community with two harbors and lighthouses.  The reference photo for the painting was backlit and pretty much black and white.  But I loved the composition and wanted to make a painting out of it.

I transformed a bleached-out, afternoon scene into a romantic twilight moment.  I went wild with dots in the water, sky and everywhere.  I hope you like my pointillist style as much as I do!