648 Pepper

It's been awhile since I've painted a pet portrait.  Pepper is my friend's father's dog, and he is the only dog I've ever met that actually poses for the camera.  I took only three pictures of him, all decent, because he sat and looked right where I wanted him to.  Most of the time I have to chase the dog around hoping to get a nice shot. 

"648 Pepper"
acrylic - 6x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/648-pepper/395351

647 The End of the Day

"644 Late Afternoon at the Harbor" was a mini version of this scene, 6 x 6" painted earlier in the week.  Many people really liked it, but I'll tell you now that I absolutely hate that painting, and it nearly ended up in the trash.  After all the time I spend on it,  I decided that I should post it anyway because not every day's painting turns out the way I want.  There is always something to be learned from the experience, and from that experience, I learned that for this artist, those big scenes require a bigger format.  This is the same scene, but is 20 x 16" and I am much happier with it.

"647 The End of the Day"
acrylic - 20x16 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/647-the-end-of-the-day/394917

646 Strawberry Festival

It's strawberry picking time in Wisconsin, and the charming town of Cedarburg has its annual Strawberry Festival this weekend.  In addition, Cedarburg Art Center just finished its annual 10 day Plein Air Festival and the completed artwork was on display beginning today.  The weather was beautiful for the painters and the paintings were not "foggy" like last year.  The artists did a wonderful job and many of the paintings were sold early on. 

These are more strawberries my neighbors picked for me on their second strawberry picking trip.

"646 Strawberry Festival"
acrylic - 6x8 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/646-strawberry-festival/394757

645 Infinite Possibilities

In March my BFF and I visited our dear friend in Maine, and knowing that I was looking for seascape painting inspiration, Sharon took us to several beautiful spots, one of them formerly Fort Williams, now Fort Williams Park on Cape Elizabeth in South Portland.  It's such a beautiful place, but it was so cold.  I came across this spot, created by Maine Stone Scapes, and was amazed that there is no mortar whatsoever.  I love rocks, and here I was in rock heaven.

To me, this scene represents optimism and "Infinite Possibilities."   I happened to come across these words of wisdom, "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today"  James Dean. 

"645 Infinite Possibilities"
acrylic - 16x20 in
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/645-infinite-possibilities/394543

644 Late Afternoon at the Harbor

This was a lovely scene in the harbor at the sailing center, Milwaukee, Lake Michigan, Wisconsin, where I go to study the relationships among water/sky/boats.  I am still frustrated when painting these water scenes, specifically boat scenes.  I am concluding that painting in a small format presents more difficulty for me, as I have had success with larger formats.  Any way you look at it, I may be moving on to land soon!

"644 Late Afternoon at the Harbor"
acrylic - 6x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/644-late-afternoon-at-the-harbor/394324

643 Neighborly

We have THE best neighbors across the street.  They are so kind and loving, and I have become quite fond of their two children.  Every year, they go strawberry and sugar snap pea picking, and always bring some for us to enjoy.  There is nothing like a fresh picked strawberry!  The peas were eaten within 10 minutes and the painting was started right away.  I miss the days when we would go strawberry/apple/raspberry/peach picking with our kids and good friends.

"643 Neighborly"
acrylic - 6x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/643-neighborly/394077

642 Sweet William

Bouquets of Sweet William were plentiful at the Farmers' Market.  I have never grown them but suspect they must be early bloomers.  The sunflowers were from the Chicago Farmers' Market, but possibly were grown in Indiana.

Meanwhile in my garden, the big fat rabbits are eating my favorites---bachelor's buttons, liatris, and several others---even marigolds!  Aren't rabbits supposed to dislike marigolds?  I have put three different repellants down.  I wish the owls would come grocery shopping in my yard.

"642 Sweet William"
acrylic - 7x5 in
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/642-sweet-william/393915