Thank you my dear blog followers! I was so excited to be the featured artist on Dan's weekly tip. I feel so bad because I have been so busy at my office and taking continuing education courses at the USC Dental School, I haven't had time to set up my pallete and start my still life #6. And next weekend we will be at our place in NOLA. Last time we were in New Orleans , we went for a day trip to the Lake Northshore, to Abita Springs and Convington. Our destination was to visit John Preble's mistery house - If you don't know him, he is one of the artists lic=ving in Abita Springs and he is known for his different versions of his Marsh Island Girl . His mistery house, is a museum of recycled stuff and collections of pocket combs, old cel phones, the largest paint by number paintings collection... His Dioramas are fantastic... my fav one was the trailler park with an tornado... we can't wait to go back. Of course the major treat was to meet John and see his studio... and while we were visiting him Alan Flattmann stopped by to bring a couple souvenirs he had brought from Spain for John. Allan is one of the best pastel painters in our country - which I'm a big fan, and that surprise visit and meeting him made this daytrip really magical. I can't wait to have a chance to get my brushes working. I'll keep y'all posted. Oh, the pic, is me sketching at Picasso Museum in Paris, jan 2007.

I have started a large painting from photo I took in Firenze, but it just didn't get me into the groove... It had been sitting on my table easel for months, and every time I attempted to go back to it, just didn't work... I haven't been out in plein air either for the longest time, maybe last time was last june/ 2010 in New Orleans... Well one day when browsing my facebook, an add caught my eye. It was a beautiful still life painting - just the way I love, and always wanted to learn how to do it... Looking back in my older posts, you can see a couple happy attempts in my opinion, the lemon painting, the one with the books and the glasses, and the early ones, cherry and peaches and the Chardin one... That painting on FB is by Daniel Edmondson, and offering an online/ dvd still life workshop. It was just what I needed to find and it actually it found me. A few days later I got the DVDs and weekly emails by Dan full of incredible info. It really is taking my painting to a different level. I have added new colors to my pallete that just give a burst of life for the subjects I have painted. So here are the first 5 still lifes from this workshop, oil on board, canvas panel and gator board - the sizes so far vary from 8x10 , 9x 12 and 11 x 14.

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The year 2010 started prom9sing for my art, however the dental business kept me very busy... not being able to keep up with my homework at the art center led me to drop my figure drawing class. Gayle Donahue is an excellent instructor, so when I'm back to my normal pace ,I'll be back to her classroom... I also didn't attend any of Frank Serranos plein air sessions either...I went painting out just twice this year... But I accomplished some pieces at my studio here in L.A., and I've been working on a larger one in our condo in New Orleans(the paris cityscape). The "paper and glass" still life got a new frame and cropped the composition. I finished the "Gondole" and " Mercado di Pesce - Venezia".

Painting and drawing for finals at the ART CENTER OF DESIGN - Marie Antoniette and her children - acrylic on canvas board and after Titian, Bachanal of the adrians - pencil, charcoal , conte crayon and soft pastel on Ingres paper.

Today's plein air,all by myself at Leo Carrillo beach, north of Malibu.

Plein air painting at the Hansen Dam View Park in Lake View Terrace, yesterday - Frank Serrano's class - oct 31st.

After a few minor changes in the composition , created a better balance and added some interest.