586 Back Roads Plymouth, Massachusetts

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/586-back-roads-plymouth-massachusetts/367071

585 Back Road, Plymouth, Massachusetts

I fell in love with this sweet little scene.  The beauty of acrylic paint is that you can change things very easily.  The little hut was originally white with a pink door and shutters, but it didn't translate well into a painting.  I has been transformed numerous times.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/585---back-road-plymouth-massachusetts/366552

584 Pier at Big Bay

Big Bay Park at Lake Michigan is one of my favorite spots to go any time of the year.  There are two paths down to the beach area, one with at least a million lannon stone steps, that completely immerses you in nature, and the other is a gentle winding slope.  The beach is fairly small but that's where I like to go to pick rocks and the occasional bit of sea glass.  I never come home with empty pockets.  The pier is a favorite place to sit on a calm summer day.  During the summer months, there are quite a few visitors there because it is easy to manage, but during the winter is when you see the dramatic ice that has formed on the lake and the pier.  Here are pictures I took this winter of the pier and the winding steps to the beach. The reference photo for the painting above was taken a week or two ago.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/584-pier-at-big-bay/366229

583 New Mama

We have a new family in our neighborhood and I am over the moon smitten by them.  I visit them many times each day and take photos with my 20x zoom lensed camera.  Mom and Dad have two or three kids.  They are Great Horned Owls and the babies have just recently become visible.  The babies are SO adorable---like little puffs of cotton with perfectly round eyes and little hooked beaks.  Did you know that what look like ears are not really ears at all?  (I hope I got that correct.)   We find feathers, squirrel tails and tufts of fur throughout the neighborhood, and everyone is hoping they keep the rabbit population at bay this summer. 

582 Lake Michigan at Beach Drive

When we first moved to the Milwaukee area, people talked about the "witch" on Beach Drive, which is located on a dead end drive on Lake Michigan.  The "witch of Fox Point," Mary Nohl created wonderful works of art, animals, people, dinosaurs, etc. out of cement.  She would haul buckets of water from the Lake, and people assumed she was strange, weird, witch-like.  Now that she has passed, there has been a movement to make her home a museum, but the neighborhood is resentful and doesn't want the traffic that goes with a museum on a dead end road near the lake. She has finally gained her notoriety and the respect she deserved as an artist.   I took a ride there the other day, where you drive so very close to the lake.  It was a beautiful day and brought back many memories of driving with my frightened children, who bought into the whole witch idea as children. 

581 Door County Sunset

I thought I'd take a little break from the grey winter skies and seas and paint from a reference photo taken last Fall in Door County, Wisconsin where the sunsets are spectacular.  There is a particular restaurant, Buster something or other, where tables are set outside for all to witness the breathtaking views. 

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/581-door-county-sunset/365578

580 Atlantic Ocean at Plymouth

My enthusiasm for learning to paint sky/seascapes was rejuvenated after re-watching Roos Schuring's videos from Holland, and after a very nice e-conversation with admired artist, Donna Shiver, who gave me good advice for painting this subject.  I figured I should capitalize on the moment and give the oil paints another try.

I am relatively happy with this painting attempt, except for the glare, and am baffled as to how to photograph a wet painting. 

579 So Happy Together

Still working on the greys so prevalent on a dreary winter day, as this was.  These two swans were so beautiful.  The photo reference was taken on the back roads of Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/579-so-happy-together/364971

578 Solitude

The back roads of Plymouth, Massachusetts brought so many beautiful scenes for me to photograph.  This particular one was a beautiful stream, still partly frozen, with beautiful greys and other shades of winter in the surrounding land.   There were two beautiful swans with such bright contrast to the grey.

When I initially painted this, my inclination was to pump up the color and make the water a little brighter than normal, which I did.  After looking at it for awhile, I went back and greyed the water to it's more realistic color.  I'm happier with this version, which is more realistic.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/578-solitude/364737

577 Plymouth Beach, MA

I am enjoying this learning process of repeatedly painting skies and sea with a very limited palette; especially challenging are the grey tones.  With warm weather flirting with us, I am hoping to paint at the Lake in the near future. 

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/577-plymouth-beach-ma/364417

576 Back Road, Plymouth, MA

Another scene from my recent trip to New England.  It is so beautiful there, even on a grey day.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/576-back-road-plymouth-ma/364088

575 Captiva Island Welcome

574 Plymouth Beach, Massachusetts

Every click of the camera brought me a different scene to be painted.  Oh, how I am enjoying this learning process!  I hope it shows in my work.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/574-plymouth-beach-massachusetts/363687

573 Plymouth Beach, MA

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/573-plymouth-beach-ma/363489

572 Plymouth Beach and Rocks

I love the beach and being near water.  I especially love rocks.  While I was wandering around Plymouth Beach, I was wishing I could bring a suitcase full of them home.  The colors were so beautiful!

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/572-plymouth-beach-and-rocks/353236

571 Back Road, Plymouth, Massachusetts

Last night, I was painting a different scene from another back road in Plymouth, Massachusetts which contained a little building, not really a house, more like a shed.  I felt good about the landscape but was so frustrated with the building.  I worked on it again today, and while it is better, it still isn't right.  I decided to leave it alone for awhile and start another painting of a scene with a small building.  This was one of those "Stop the car, I need to get out " moments when I had to take a photo. I am much happier with this painting than last night's painting.

Plymouth, Massachusetts is a really beautiful place.  And my BFF lives there.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/571-back-road-plymouth-massachusetts/352997

570 Eggplant in a Door County Bowl

I bought this hand made bowl in Door County last summer and I really love how the color of the eggplant compliments the free form stripe of the bowl.  I haven't been able to find much else to stage in this bowl that looks quite right for a painting.  I painted a similar set up once before, but wanted to try it again.
"570 Eggplant in a Door County Bowl"
acrylic - 5x7 in
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/570-eggplant-in-a-door-county-bowl/352776

"Charming Stone House in Gated Community"

Painting took a back seat to another project this weekend. 

Our community is a Bird City, and my Garden Club was instrumental in obtaining that designation.  Each spring our community celebrates Green Day with basically a Love-Your-Mother-Earth celebration, including a weed-out, recycling of hazardous materials, and including many other fun and educational activities.  This year we will partner with our Civic Foundation with a fundraising silent auction of hand decorated birdhouses.  I have been working on my birdhouse all week long, have snipped the tip off of my middle finger and cut another.  I should not be allowed near sharp objects, in this case, garden snips.  Here is a photo of my birdhouse, "Charming Stone House in Gated Community."  I really enjoyed making it. 

p.s.  my biggest dilemma was how to treat the perch---decided a paintbrush would be perfect!

569 Plymouth Beach, Massachusetts

Here is another scene from Plymouth Beach, Massachusetts.  I love the colors of the sea and using a palette knife.  Painting these seascapes is very liberating!

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/569-plymouth-beach-massachusetts/352078

568 Plymouth Beach, Massachusetts

On Sunday, my friend took me to Plymouth Beach where I was so happy to see the grey sky and roaring sea.  I took hundreds of photos, catching every wave and frequent changes in the sky.  I even chased a few sea gulls off the cliff walk.    I have been influenced by artist, Roos (Rose) Shuring, who paints en plein air in the Netherlands, and am motivated to learn to paint the sky and sea in a new way.  Although she has inspired me, I am not willing to paint outside in the winter weather because  I hate the cold.  I have been visiting the Lake (Michigan) frequently since I have been home,  and realize there is not much difference between our Great Lake and the ocean.  I have always loved being near water, (hmmm, wonder if that's the Aquarius speaking) but learning through observation is very exciting to me.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/568-plymouth-beach-massachusetts/351865