February's Virtual Paint Out - Majorca

Traveling in February, via our computers, to the sunny Spanish island of Majorca (also called Mallorca) off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea.

This is a painting of Torre del Verger, one of many ancient watchtowers on the island. This tower, sitting at the edge of a high cliff, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, dates back to 1579. Fires were built on a platform at the top of the tower to warn the population of invading pirates – fire by night, smoke by day.

Moonrise at Torre del Verger 9x12, oil

This photo shows the watchtower from a different perspective.
This is not a Google Street View, but I thought it was too good not to include. 

I’m enjoying the Virtual Paint Out but sometimes find it hard to paint a particular location. The old maxim, “paint from your own photographs” is so true.

When you paint from a photograph that you took, all your senses are involved. You remember the sounds, sights and smells around you, the feel of the sun or wind and your emotional response to the events of the day and the people around you.

Painting from someone else’s photographs, especially if you have never been there, is emotionally limiting. I have struggled with a few locations but the adventure continues. In March we travel to New South Wales in Australia.

To see all my VPO paintings from all our travels, please click here.

This painting is available in my Ebay Store.

Thanks for visiting,

Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com

www.VirtualPaintOut.com 

January's Virtual Paint Out - Scotland

It is great fun to travel to a new destination each month with The Virtual Paint Out Group and I enjoy doing a bit of research about each region and it's people. I was especially fascinated by Scotland and it's long tumultuous history. Both of the castles below date from the 13th century though fragments of vitrified stone found at these sites indicate probable occupation of these regions dating back to the 6th century.

Eilean Donan Castle, 6x8, oil. SOLD

Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness, 8x10, oil. SOLD

Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness, 6x8, oil. SOLD

Farm Scene, Scotland, 6x8, oil. SOLD

Urquhart Castle Overlooking Loch Ness, 6x8, oil.

Urquhart Castle was my favorite subject and I have one painting left that is a back view of the ruins. I think I might add a hint of "Nessie", the Loch Ness Monster in the water. She is surely out there watching over these old ruins.

This last painting is available in my Ebay Store.

To see all my paintings from our Virtual Paint-Out tours, please click here.

Thank you for visiting with me.
Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com

Jan 2016 30/30 Challenge Collage

My January 30/30 Challenge is over with 15 paintings completed. January was a busy month at our house, thankfully in a good way. Also I combined the Virtual Paint-Out Trip to Scotland with the 30/30 Challenge. The scenes that I chose to paint required more time and that is one of my excuses. I am pleased that most of these little paintings are sold. The remaining few are listed in my Ebay Store.

January 30/30 Challenge Paintings

Time is always a problem. A friend told me of one great time saver, especially for us country folks – shopping Walmart on-line. Shipping is free if you spend $50 or more. I’m sure there are other retailers with the same offer, but Walmart works for me. Since we are almost 40 miles from the nearest Walmart, a shopping excursion can use up the better part of a day, not to mention the hassle and long lines. Since I dread shopping, it is a joy to have someone else do it for me and the FedEx man deliver it to my door. Our nearest town is Belfast, about 10 miles away, with only one grocery store and limited general merchandise stores. Fortunately we have a great convenience store in our little town, just two miles away. We would be lost without Bruce.

We had a snowstorm yesterday that left us about ten inches of new snow. I’m sitting in my studio with my laptop watching the large pine trees in our back yard gently swaying and dropping clusters of snow. The backfields are shining in the bright sunshine and patches of snow show on the mountains beyond. Other than the birds at the feeder, there isn’t a sound to be heard anywhere. My husband has cleared the driveway and dooryard and is now working on his canoe in the shop. The woodstove is burning in the kitchen and Saturday night beans are baking in the oven. The eaves are beginning to drip in the warm sunshine. And next week, while I’m busy in my studio, the FedEx man will deliver my shopping to me. Life is good and I am truly thankful.

Thanks for visiting with me,

Celene

My Ebay Store

www.CeleneFarris.com