We had a wonderful time in the desert in Sedona, Arizona. Sedona is such an inspiring place for an artist. The desert landscape feels exotic and unique to this particular artist from Back East, with its dramatic, austere beauty so different from the lush green hills of western Pennsylvania that I’m used to.
We had lunch with an old schoolmate of Tom’s who lives and works there. When they asked if I might paint Sedona someday, my immediate response was “Absolutely yes!” I think I could paint Sedona forever and never run out of inspiration.
Though our time in Arizona has been relaxing, it’s time to return home to work and family. We left Sunday night on a red-eye and won’t actually get home until Monday afternoon. No direct flights this year! On the bright side, I have plenty of time to work on the second portrait of my twin granddaughters.
While most people on vacation sit by the pool or read a good book to chill out, that’s not me! I, of course, would rather be sketching… especially sketching my grandchildren. It’s something I really don’t get a chance to do at home because I’m so busy with other projects and daily routine.
Autumn’s was the first portrait I finished. I wanted to sketch Autumn first because she is having some medical tests last week, and I felt like it was a constructive way of keeping her in my thoughts while we waited. In fact, I spent some time each day of our vacation doing just that.
For Abigail’s portrait, I’m basing it on a photo that was taken of her the very first time she stood on her own, using the couch as a prop. She was so happy and proud of herself! Stay tuned to see how it turns out.
Though I had fun and recharged my batteries in Arizona, I’m excited about returning home. Next week will be action packed, getting ready for Picklesburgh – named America’s #1 Specialty Food Festival for 2019! – one week from today.
I’ll be there manning my booth from Friday through Sunday (July 26th – 28th), with all kinds of new art gifts that will debut at the Festival. Then when that’s over, I’ll be settling into the studio to start my 2019 Santa paintings, the final year of the Jolly Old Elf series. Maybe painting winter scenes will help me forget about the heat?