Footbridge on the Path to Ninian's Cave

I love doing commissions that capture a specific time and place for the individual I am painting for because I know they will look at it when it is finished and it will take them back into a special memory and place. I'm so glad to be able to do that for them. This particular travel photo was taken on a footpath on the way to St. Ninian's cave in Scotland.

Thankfully, the person I painted it for was very patient because it took a long time for me to know exactly how I was going to execute all this...GREEN. I wanted to achieve a balance because if I painted it all green it would lose character, but if I took out too much green it would lose it's Scottish-ness. I reached back to my childhood and remembered what it was like exploring various footpaths in the English countryside and how that was one of my earliest memories of adventure on untrodden paths. As a child the sudden appearance of a creek or little bridge was exciting and to this day, there is something that enchants me when I see water flowing over rocks.

"Path to St. Ninian's Cave"

11"x14" oil on canvas, private collection

Trois Plus Un (Small Study)

Every year about this time, I start to be a little sad that the summer fruits are on their way out and our selection will turn to the year round varieties...not that they are so bad in and of themselves...but I do miss the fresh berries, plums, nectarines and peaches. Summer fruit salads are like being given permission to have dessert with dinner. The endless combinations are more fun than the fall/winter versions, in my opinion.

At first I thought I might need to highlight the Three Plus One...Plum a little more, but I kind of like it as an "afterlook" so that's the way I left it.

"Trois Plus Un" (Small Study)

8"x10" oil on canvas, $55 + s/h (tax when applicable)