I'm slowly going through my NYC photos.  Here is one I took while walking down 5th on my way to Chelsea after spending delicious time with the Motherwell collage exhibit at the Guggenheim and the painters at the National Academy.

His name is Jose.  I stopped to chat with him a while and asked if I could take his photo.  He enjoys his cigars and is an ardent observer of pigeon behavior, explaining to me how he is fascinated by their colonization.

I just returned from 48 hours in NYC.  Happy, exhausted, very sore, and deliciously satiated. It was a spontaneous trip to attend the cd release of my niece's boyfriend band in the Village.   I found $5 each way tickets through Megabus and wasn't working for Thursday & Friday.  Timing and price was perfect.

So I wanted to make the most of the trip and spent time researching art exhibits.  Normally when I hit the galleries in Chelsea, I try to choose between 5 and 10 must see shows.  This time, for varied and specific reasons, my list grew!  I thought the list would simply be a guide, but I actually managed to see all but one on the list.  In addition, I saw 2 extra shows that I hadn't researched and was thrilled to experience.

As well as being old school and loving handwritten lists, me being me, knowing I had limited time, put the list in order by address.  My nerdiness is showing.

A new very little painting.  This small piece is 4x6 in.  Oil on Arches oil paper.

Untitled, from the "Beach" series.

Autumn Lace

(photo taken thru my dirty studio window this afternoon)

A beautiful and warm November day. I enjoyed it by opening the windows in the studio and staring outdoors in between brush strokes.

Errands this morning.

Trader Joe's carrot ginger soup for lunch.

An afternoon of painting.

Great light in the studio.

Heaven.

(photo taken before today's painting frenzy)

A fun pre-Halloween weekend.  Yesterday it was the Iron Pour and this afternoon, friends and I took the Providence Ghost Walk tour.  The tour guide regaled us with not only ghost stories, but also delicious historical facts as we spend a delightful 2 hours in the late autumn sun.  We wandered Benefit St, shuffling through the leaves as we saw where Edgar Allen Poe resided, and the shunned house which was the subject of an H.P.Lovecraft story and many other fun tidbits.

Our guide…

Last night was the annual Halloween iron pour, a collaboration between the Steel Yard and the Iron Guild.  It's a great fundraiser for the Steel Yard.

Artists and Fire.  Always a good time.

Buffy and Jazz and Painting and Wine.

Perfect Afternoon.

I'm the kind of painter (as you may have noticed) who needs to have many different paintings going simultaneously.  Here is a canvas I pulled out after months of letting it rest.  

Today I took a tip from a friend who is a really wonderful painter, Kate Protage, and because I wanted a change from listening to music, put on Buffy the Vampire Slayer on my computer in the studio.  This painting, still in progress, is from a photo I took in September 2012 of a cd release concert at Dizzy's Jazz Club at Lincoln Center for the S.E.Charles Quartet.

Painting is 30" x 40", oil on canvas.

While walking to work yesterday, I noticed the guy walking in front of me had these two pins on his bag. They made me smile and so as we both stopped at a crosswalk waiting for the light to change, I asked him if I could photograph his buttons.

Yesterday after work I paid bills and then saw my bank balance.  I had two choices.  I could either drink and freak out…or drink and paint.  I opted for the latter.

Horseneck Beach on Sunday, Sept. 29.  Haven't had the opportunity to return but looking forward to doing so...soon.

My friend's 12 year old niece was super excited to be at the beach and it was great fun to experience it with her. These photos were taken two Sundays ago at Horseneck.  I won't be able to return for a few weeks but anticipation isn't a bad thing.

 

Photo taken of the fountain in the center of Providence during one of my walkabouts.  I love how walkable this city is. 

Yesterday we went to a farm north of Providence to enjoy autumn goodness:  pumpkins, corn maze, animals, apple cider and all that good stuff.  I love autumn.

Although I was planning on it, no beach this weekend.   Instead, in addition to some friend time yesterday enjoying a New England autumn,  it was a good weekend indoors.  Now that the days are getting darker, I finally took care of the lighting situation in the studio and replaced the overhead with daylight bulbs.  

On Saturday, another painter from my art crit group headed to Horseneck beach to paint on location.  I haven't painted outdoors since 1996.  That is, other than a day or two last fall in Provincetown.  But that doesn't really count because I was painting from the deck of where I was staying.

I love painting outdoors but had stopped because I tend to get freaked out and nervous when people watch or ask questions.  I freeze and it becomes difficult to paint.  I wish I could be at ease when I work outdoors.  I fully understand the curiosity and would love to encourage conversation and questions.  But it's tough for me to do while I'm painting.

Here are a couple shots of Horseneck beach.

Yesterday I was super-excited to paint. I hadn't felt that in months and instead have been pushing myself into the studio. Although I've had happy moments while painting, I haven't felt that exuberant drive since last February and was silently worrying about whether I really was a painter.

I know that the timing lined up with needing to get serious about finding work, and then moving to a new apartment.  I know that stress can affect my drive to paint.  But, I also do believe, as a Mentor once told me...it's been winter in my garden. Everything is cyclical.

Also, I think my time at the ocean on Sunday helped.   It's an important part of my self-care.

Yesterday after work, I walked home and didn't even stop to grab food but went right into the studio.   It felt SO good.

Photo from Sunday at the beach.

bI've been searching for a good beach so I can go for very long walks.  Last weekend I hit Narragansett and it was nice, but wasn't quite what I was looking for.   Over the summer, I've hit various beaches and realized that for playing in the water, Scarborough was my favorite.

One beach I'd yet to step on, although would hit the beach next to it, was Horseneck Beach.   Yesterday I finally checked it out.  It's exactly what I've been seeking for out of season beach going.  

It's a vast beach so I can easily do a 2 hour walk.   There are lots of waves so it feels like the wild New England ocean, not the bay.  It has dunes.   There are tidal marshes before the beach (which brought tears to my eyes when I saw them).  And it's only a 1/2 hour from home.   When I used to live on the NH coast, I used to drive to Ogunquit on Sunday afternoons to walk the massive beach.  And since I've returned to New England, I've really been missing that experience.   So I'm thrilled that I found the perfect beach. 

It's been like a Goldilocks experience.

I can't believe so much time has passed since my last entry.  Not only have I been busy, but quite consumed.   Job hunting is rough in this economy...and I've noticed it's been sapping my emotional strength.  So much so, that I have to force myself into the studio each week.

I began a new painting this weekend and here is a first capture.  Still in progress.  From "Beach" series.  acrylic on canvas.  22"x28"