Hello April - Goodbye March

March in Maine is a long month. March is like a spoiled child - sweet and all smiles one day and temper tantrums the next. That was our March this year. Cold, gray, gloomy days of snow, then rain. Ice, then mud. Then sunshine. Repeat.

It was a good time for spring cleaning both our house and my studio. And a good time to inventory my work for the coming season. I did find quite a few unfinished paintings that showed promise. And, of course, some that went in the trash.

And the first of the month means a new destination for Marla's "Virtual Hike". I look forward to each new adventure. It's interesting to explore the area and that leads up to researching information about my chosen sites. I find it fascinating and plan to chose two sites each month!

Our landscape is quite neutral colored right now - an assortment of browns and grays for the bare trees and fields, the birches, the road and the patches of old snow. Dark green for the evergreens. Raw sienna for any lingering leaves left on the trees and for the dry, wild grasses. Browns for mud and dirt. The sky a grayed blue but often there is a bit of pale orange in the sunlit clouds. The colors may sound a bit dull, but there is a feeling of peace and a nice warm harmony of colors with all these neutrals. It reminds me of an old tweed jacket, a bit shabby but still warm and comfortable.

Soon our landscape will change into a riot of bright colors. Green grass and all the spring flowers!

Thanks for visiting with me. Happy painting!

 Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  Celene Farris, Maine Artist

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Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

Surprised and honored.

I was wonderfully surprised and so very pleased to have my painting of apple blossoms chosen as the new banner for the Facebook Group - Still Life Artists/Painters on March 25, 2025.

I wish to sincerely thank the group administrator, Lin Anne Luciano Fiore. It is an honor I will always remember.

Apple Blossoms
Framed 9x12, oil on canvas panel. Available.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  Celene Farris, Maine Artist

My Facebook Page - Celene Farris, Maine Artist

Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

March's Virtual Hike - Australia 2

 March's Virtual Hike continues - Australia - Wreck Beach

I continued my travels along The Great Ocean Road to Wrecks Beach at Great Otway National Park. This coastal area is known as "The Shipwreck Coast" for a good reason. 

From the parking area, it is a steep, 350 step descent to wild Wreck Beach. There the rusted anchors and various metal debris of the Marie Gabrielle and numerous shipwrecks can still be seen at low tide, a haunting reminder of the lives claimed by this treacherous stretch of water. More remnants are submerged in the deeper waters. 

Park signs are posted along the beach warning visitors to - "Be aware of local and tidal conditions and be well prepared". Access to this beach is only at low tide.

Wreck Beach, Vic. Australia
11x14, oil on canvas panel

The exploration and local history is another reason why I enjoy the concept of this painting group. We certainly live in a fascinating world!

And remember that you can always join our virtual painting group. It is great fun, it's free and no strings attached. And you can interpret the scene as you wish. 

For more info and to join - just click on Marla's link The Virtual Hike Painting Group . It really is great fun!

This painting is available in my eBay Store. And, as always, you can purchase this painting, or any of my paintings, directly from me.

Thanks for visiting. Happy painting. Happy exploring.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  Celene Farris, Maine Artist

My Facebook Page - Celene Farris, Maine Artist

Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

March's Virtual Hike - Australia

March's Virtual Hike - Australia 1

This month's virtual hike takes us along The Great Ocean Road - from Port Fairy to Barwon Bluff, in southern, coastal Australia. This area is called "The Shipwreck Coast" for a good reason. I started my journey in Port Fairy and after searching around I found a side road that led to the sea. I came upon this scene and it was perfect - the bright orange against all that lush greenery.

Now I will travel farther along the coast and look for another fun scene to paint!

The Orange Kayak
Port Fairy, Vic. Australia
11x14, oil on canvas panel

This painting is available in my eBay Store. And, as always, you can always purchase my work directly from me.

And remember that you can always join our virtual painting group. It is great fun, free and no strings attached. And you can interpret the scene as you wish. 

For more info and to join - just click on Marla's link The Virtual Hike Painting Group .

It really is great fun!

Thanks for visiting. Happy painting.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  Celene Farris, Maine Artist

My Facebook Page - Celene Farris, Maine Artist

Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

February's Virtual Hike - Paris, France

February's Virtual Hike takes us to Paris, France.

What a beautiful city to explore! We truly live in a fascinating world. I could spend hours on the computer just roaming around. The buildings are amazing!

And then, of course, there is the history of the area ... more hours on the computer.

So, for starters, I looked up the Eiffel Tower. It was constructed in 1887-1889 of wrought-iron lattice, standing 1083 ft tall. Built for the 1889 World's Fair and to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution (1787-1799). 

One of my favorite books is Charles Dicken's "A Tale of Two Cities" about the French Revolution. More computer time.... 

This was an interesting scene that I really enjoyed - so I painted it twice.

Paris in the Morning 9x12, oil on canvas panel

Evening in Paris 9x12, oil on canvas panel

Sidebar - Do you remember the perfume - "Evening in Paris" that came in a pretty, cobalt blue glass bottle? It was my favorite when I was a teenager - many, many years ago. So I had to look that up too ... Soir de Paris (Evening in Paris) is the most known fragrance by Bourjois, which was created by Ernest Beaux in 1928. It was discontinued in 1969, then reorchestrated and relaunched in 1992. (It probably doesn't smell the same...)

These paintings are available in my eBay store. And as always, you can always purchase any of my work directly from me.

Thanks for visiting. And remember that you can always join our painting group. It is great fun, free and no strings attached. And you can interpret the scene as you wish. 

For more info and to join - just click on Marla's link The Virtual Hike Painting Group .

Happy painting,

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  eBay Store Celene Farris, Maine Artist

My Facebook Page -  Facebook Celene Farris, Maine Artist

Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

Tell your own story.

Waiting for Spring, 9x12, oil. SOLD

January's cold, snowy days are a perfect time to sit in my studio with a cup of hot tea and pull out my art books. No matter how many times I read them, I still find something interesting to think about. Today it was landscapes.

Landscape books often recommend beginning with the sky. The inference is that the sky's coloration and mood set the key for the whole painting. It is also suggested that we paint from the top down, working back to front. Supposedly when we reach the foreground, the painting should be complete. Maybe yes, maybe no.

To me and my way of painting, it make more sense to begin with the most important aspects of my painting - the focal point and the story I want to tell - and key my painting to that. I don't want to be hindered by trying to force my painting into a certain structure. I would rather just paint and see where the painting wants to go. 

Because my paintbrush often has a mind of its own, a sunny day in my reference photo might progress into a stormy day or even a night scene. Starting with the sky doesn't work for me.

So when you start a painting, decide what you want to show and the story you want to tell. Establish your focal point and then just paint. Put the photo aside and enjoy the process. Tell your own story - in your own way.

My thought for the day. Happy painting.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  eBay Store Celene Farris, Maine Artist

My Facebook Page -  Facebook Celene Farris, Maine Artist

Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com

January's Virtual Hike - Greece

January's Virtual Hike - Greece 

Somewhere in Greece
8x10, oil on canvas panel   SOLD

Our first destination in Marla's new virtual paint-out group - The Virtual Hike - was Greece, along the route from Athens to Marathon with side trips allowed. It was very interesting to explore this area. There was a lot to see but I had difficulty in finding something to paint, so I took a side trip to the coast. There I found an old abandoned chapel, all white and blue, shining in the sun. I don't know the name of the town, but it was south-east of Marathon. An enjoyable painting adventure.

How the group works - Every month Marla will choose a new destination and post it on her blog. Using Google Street Views we explore the area looking for a scene to paint - without leaving home - a virtual paint-out. 

When your painting is finished you email a photo of your finished painting and it's Google Map Link to Marla. She will post it on her blog as part of a monthly display. It will be a lot of work for her. Thank you so much, Marla.

It's a great concept - from exploration to finished painting. I hope you'll join us. It's free, fun and no strings attached.

If you'd like to join us, click below to meet Marla and read about the group and how to post your work to the site. 

https://marlalaubisch.blogspot.com/2024/12/greece.html

I hope you'll join us. It really is great fun.

Celene

My Website -  CeleneFarris.com

My eBay Store -  eBay Store Celene Farris, Maine Artist

My Facebook Page -  Facebook Celene Farris, Maine Artist

Email me at - mail@CeleneFarris.com