Under a Cloudy Sky, 12x9"

Under a Cloudy Sky, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

The Rose Garden at Thornden Park is one of Syracuse' summer jewels. One of my plein air buddies and I decided that even under clouds the place was great to paint. Selecting what to paint was tough though, as everywhere I looked offered painting possibilities. After spending almost an hour deciding what scene to paint I settled for this one.  This happened over a month ago. The painting has been on the shelf ever since, and I now I'm wondering if perhaps the hint of a person or a couple walking in the background could be a good idea... or perhaps that would better be left for a studio painting...

Nearing Syracuse, 12x24"

Another typical scene south of Syracuse.

I have only twelve days before set up and I'm still painting...

Two of the paintings I had started earlier were not working and had to put them aside. In a way, this was good because it has given me the opportunity to select better scenes that will go much better next to another painting, and will also fit the space like a glove. Even though I had measured the display area very carefully, and had made fairly good estimates as to the size and number of paintings I could have, I had not considered this important point.

Time is precious these days and I have resorted to organizing myself with very detailed to do lists. That's what's keeping me sane!

60/60 event at the Everson Museum

I participated today in the 60/60 fundraiser event sponsored by the Everson Museum. Sixty artists produced or finished work in sixty minutes and donated it to the museum.

The public was invited to buy raffle tickets and to deposit them in a container by the artist whose work they wanted to win. Although the weather did not seem promising at the beginning, it turn out to be a wonderful balmy evening that attracted a crowd.

It was a good opportunity for the public to see the steps taken in producing artwork in different media, and for the artist to have the chance to do some networking.

I told people who were looking at my work at the very beginning, to stop by later as my piece was in the "ugly duckling" stage (orange and red underpainting). It was nice when I reached the point where people started to recognize the place.

Moose River at Thendara (9"x12") was won by a woman who has been wanting to buy a painting from me for some time. Nice to know that my baby is in good hands!

A Creek in Winter , 11"x14"

Winter is my least favorite season, not because of the cold but because of the limited greens in the landscape.
I'm from Costa Rica, where I spend one half of my life surrounded by varieties of greens all-year round. The other half has been here in Syracuse, and although I have learned to love the seasons and the changes they bring, I still resent winter for taking away the greens. It's no wonder then that I have painted only 3 winter scenes since I started with pastels eight years ago! However, because this past year marked my "half and half" life, I got to think that it's very likely that winter will continue being part of my future, and that it was time for me to fully embrace it. Thus, this painting, the third so far this season!