BABY Z 100 Paintings in 100 Days Challenge 'Inspirations from a Back Yard'25/100

'Baby Z"
Oil 5 x 7
Day 25

Day 25

I love to watch things grow; it is so life-affirming.
You take a simple seed, put it in some dirt, give
it a little water and then watch for that
bit of green to peek above the earth's surface.

The baby zucchinis started to pop out about
two weeks ago in my garden. I could't resist painting this one
with the blossom still attached. Had to do it quickly - it
is amazing at how fast they grow - was away for four days
for the Gettysburg Festival Artist Colony, and some
of my 'babies' had grown to the size of baseball bats!




If you would like to see to see more of my work,
please visit my website or my blog. If you are
interested in purchasing any of my paintings you see
here on this blog, please contact me.

DAY 02 GETTYSBURG FESTIVAL PLEIN AIR ARTIST COLONY

What a phenomenal day today! We got up early so
that we could head to the battlefield to paint
before the heat of the day became oppressive.
Little Round Top with its beautiful vistas (and
refreshing cool breeze) was where we decided
to set up our gear for the morning.


(Above) Ted and Mary Beth painting from the overlook.

Afterwards we grabbed a quick lunch at the
college cafeteria then headed back out to
the battlefield to get some more painting
time in. We were able to paint a view of the
Trostle farm until the thunderstorms moved in.


Cindy painting the Trostle Farm


Master Painter Lisa Egeli painting


On our way to the Carribean Cookout, we enjoyed
seeing Peter Krsko's sculptures in the trees.



After our delicious dinner, we stayed and listened
to some great music. I was just jealous of the
hat the lady in front of me was wearing!


A little evening get-together in the common
area of the apartments. We're showing Lisa the
DPP Blog and my blog and website.

DAY 01 GETTYSBURG FESTIVAL PLEIN AIR ARTIST COLONY

June 23, 2010 - Day One Artist Colony
Gettysburg Festival

After arriving on campus and getting settled
into our dormitory, we were taken on a tour
of the Gettysburg College by Rachel, a student
intern. In the picture below, Rachel is giving
us some information about the historical
buildings on campus, and also about the
large grassy field that is said to be haunted
(during the war the field was used to stack
the bodies of dead soldiers).



Our next stop was Schmucker Hall, which houses the
art facilities. In this picture, Master Scuptor
Ivan Schwartz was explaining how bronze and
aluminum sculptures are cast. Ivan is
teaching the sculpture element
of this colony.



We grabbed lunch at 'The Dive', and then
walked over to the Majestic to see Master Painter
Lisa Egeli's gorgeous paintings. Lisa is
teaching the Plein Air components of this colony.

Colony participant Mary Beth Brath beside Lisa's painting.

Colony participant Anthony Comes describes the
process by which he created his sculpture.

DAY 5 GETTYSBURG FESTIVAL PLEIN AIR EVENT

Today's painting took a group of us to the
Rose Farm, one of my favorite farms on the
Gettysburg Battlefield. There were some changes
to the property since we were there last year,
most noticable was that the shutters on the farmhouse
had been repainted from last year's lt. blue to a more
historically accurate green.



Sharon Benner



Deb Richardson

I was walking down behind the farmhouse when
I came across the pasture. There were some black angus
up under some trees (future paintings for sure!),
but the soft grasses and lighting convinced me
that this was where I wanted to set up to paint.
Of course I just pretended there were no snakes or ticks
in that long grass... :)



My painting in progress

Finished painting below.


'Rose Farm Pasture'
Oil 9 x 12

DAY 4 2010 GETTYSBURG FESTIVAL PLEIN AIR EVENT

Fourteen artists showed up for today's painting at
the Sach's Covered Bridge. This 100 foot bridge
spans the Marsh Creek and was built in 1854 by
David Spooner.

The bridge was used by both the North and the South
during the conflict, but the Confederate troops
eventually used it to retreat out of Gettysburg.
Sach's Bridge is rumored to be haunted...

I put the wrong address into my GPS, so I spent
some time travelling around Gettysburg to find
the bridge. Thanks to Mary Beth Brath, I was able to
eventually get there!

Here are pictures of some of the artists at work.








Here is my painting for the day.


'View from Sach's Bridge'
Oil 12 x 16

DAY 3 2010 GETTYSBURG FESTIVAL PLEIN AIR EVENT

Today the artists painted at Schmucker Hall, which
is located on Seminary Ridge and is part of the
Lutheran Theological Seminary campus.
This building served as a hospital
during the three-day battle, and the cupola provided Civil
War generals a vantage point to observe Confederate troops
moving toward Gettysburg from the West.

As I was walking around Schmucker Hall, I noticed this stately
old oak tree across the street. Wouldn't it be interesting to
hear the stories it could tell?

Here is my painting.


'The Older Generation'
Oil 9 x 12

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY 2010

Happy Father's Day out there to all of
those men who are fathers, or father figures
in someones life. I lost my own father when
I was only five years old, but when I met
and married my husband, I was blessed to have
his father became my own father as well.

To honor my husband and his love for his late
father, I decided to get a commemorative stone
dedicated in his father's name at the

U.S. Army Heritage Museum and
Education Center in Carlisle, PA.
Today, on Father's Day, we went over to see the
stone for the first time.

MILKWEED 100 Paintings in 100 Days Challenge 'Inspirations from a Back Yard'24/100

'Milkweed'
Oil 5 x 7
24/100

Day 24

Such a humble flower, yet it feeds the butterflies
with the nectar from these beautiful blooms, and then
in the fall develops unique pods that dry and
eventually split open so that the beautiful gossamer
seed wings inside can fly out into the world.

If you would like to see to see more of my work,
please visit my website or my blog. If you are
interested in purchasing any of my paintings you see
here on this blog, please contact me.

THE ROUND BARN Day 01 Painting Gettysburg Festival Plein Air Paint Out

'The Round Barn'

Oil on linen panel

9 x 12

Here is my painting from the first day of the

Gettysburg Festival Plein Air Paint Out.

The Round Barn is a rare and historical round

barn located in Biglerville, PA (just outside of

Gettysburg). Every vantage point of this

incredible barn is terrific, but when I walked

around to see where I would want to paint, this

is the view that really grabbed me.

I thought it really showed off some of the

unusual architecture that makes this barn

so unique.

If you would like to see to see more of my work,
please visit my website or my blog. If you are
interested in purchasing any of my paintings you see
here on this blog, please contact me.

Gettysburg Festival Plein Air Paint Out Begins!

Today the 2010 Gettysburg Festival started, and
the group of plein air painters congregated at the
historical Round Barn to begin painting. Looks like
some great paintings are in the works!


This is the view of the barn I was beginning to paint.
I really liked the peek-through under the overpass
from the Round Barn to the barn to its right. The
light was beautiful.


Below are some of the participants from today's
painting session.


Mary Beth Brath and Pat Keough


Amy Lindenberger


Anne Finucane

Sue Gray

Deb Richardson