Dear Friends and Family, We are back in France, but here’s another painting from the summer in New England. After a week on Cape Cod with Caryn, Sam and I set out on our annual Appalacian Trail walk. Little by little, we intend to cover the entire AT. One of the daily rituals on the trail is filling water bottles (and purifying the water). Here is Sam at Race Brook Falls, an access … Read more
Dear Friends and Family, A Go-Bag or Bug-Out Bag originally refered to a backpack containing enough supplies to survive for up to 72 hours. In the event of a disaster, you would have everything you need already packed and ready to go, or at least near at hand. A more friendly use of the term go-bag includes a kit of materials and supplies for a particular job or event, like a student’s bag, a … Read more
Dear Friends and Family, Above is an unfinished piece entitled FAIRMOUNT THEATER II, which I started in March. I present it here as an uncropped photo of the painting, so you can be sure it is unfinished. The first version of this theater was featured in my September 30, 2013 post. Click here to see it. With the recent school vacations and Holidays, life has been a bit hectic. We managed a … Read more
Dear Friends and Family, I love diners. Anytime, day or night, you can get a hamburger, a cup of coffee for the road, or a full breakfast. This is Twin Pines Diner in East Haven, Connectucut. This diner holds a special place in my heart, and not just because of its great food. One night long ago, after a late night trip back to Connecticut from France, my daughter Bella fell asleep here, … Read more
Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. Victor Hugo Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/winter.html#br2wPZf2IGuSBgwX.99 Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. Victor Hugo Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/winter.html#br2wPZf2IGuSBgwX.99 Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. ~Victor Hugo Dear Friends, You all know that I love to paint en plein air. But when the weather is cold and I haven’t painted outdoors for … Read more
Happy New Year, 2014! Wow, January is almost over. This blog celebrates its one year anniversary this month. In January 2013 I published my first post, International Plein Air Painters. I’ve gotten quite a few comments over the last twelve months. One of them was, “What’s the deal with Felice?” You probably know me as “Phil,” then saw my name in print or on my business card and were not quite sure which to … Read more
A round painting, or “tondo”, always attracts my interest. Whe I see a round painting in a gallery or a museum I go up and check it out first. I’m surprised there are not more of them out there. Actually the term “tondo” is from the Renaissance, and refers to larger round paintings or sculptures. My painting technically would not qualify since its diameter is only about 16 inches, or about 41 centimeters. … Read more
During our stay in the US this summer, I spent a lot of time hanging around Bikram Yoga New Haven, on Elm Street. I must have passed this Perkins Rubber Stamp Company sign at least 20 times. The business is still listed at 43 Elm Street and you can still buy rubber stamps from them. I’m not the only one who loves this sign. Here are a couple of photos of it on … Read more
This is the first of three oil sketches done in Orange, Connecticut. Even though we are in the middle of the summer, this Japanese Maple seems to be foreseeing the future, with its yellow/orange leaves and cool shade. Here are two more sketches. Trying to capture the heat of a summer morning. Intense, but not yet overpowering… “Orchard House” was painted last summer… These three paintings … Read more
The first painter I ever met was in New Haven, Connecticut. Actually, I didn’t meet him. I should say the first painter I ever saw was when as a child I was riding in the backseat of my father’s car. We were driving under the overpass to route 91 on Humphrey Street. There under the overpass was a man with a portable easel set up and painting on canvas. I knew what that was … Read more