Paintings from Mirbeau

Morning at Mirbeau , pastel on paper 12x9"

   Early in July I went painting with my friend Christy to Mirbeau, a spa in Skaneateles. I had asked for permission to paint beforehand and was not disappointed. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with profusion of color everywhere. There is a also a replica of Monet's green bridge and a pond.

  It was a very hot day so we had to paint from a shaded area. In my first painting what called my attention was the light on the hanging basket and the angle created by the roof on the wall.

By the time I was done with the first painting it was already midday. The light at this hour is so diffused, and has always fascinated me. The bushes in the middle ground where my main interest: teh leaves in sunshine were almost white.  I did some tweaking at home, mostly removing things that were not necessary, and while I did not like it at first, I do so now as it transports me to that very day.

Midday at Mirbeau, pastel on board, 10x8"

Slope in Moonlight, 5x7

Slope in Moonlight, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

This small pastel was done from an old photo reference and from recollection of colors during early evening. It was painted in November for the Plowshares show, and sadly, I have not painted in pastels since.

This winter has been too cold to paint comfortably in the studio- the electric heater I bought for that purpose did not help much this time. Also, for the first time in years, the cold really got to me and painting was the last thing in my mind. However, In February, after weeks of non relenting cold, a trip to visit family in Costa Rica, and lots of photo references from there, I decided it was time to paint. Since the kitchen is the warmest place in the house due to the wood burning stove being there, my only option was to paint there with oils. The ceiling fan that distributes heat to the rest of the house would have distributed pastel dust all over, so pastels in the kitchen were out of the question. Now I'm interested in seeing how two of the scenes I've painted in oils would turn out in pastel, where I feel I have more control. The last three days have been warm and I hope to be back in my studio soon!

I almost forgot to mention that the winter issue of  Life in the Finger Lakes Magazine has an interview with me done by Tina Manzer.  Here is the link if you want to read it (pg 72 and 70).