"A Day at the Sea"

4" x 6"

Oil on Canvas

My VERY favorite vacation spot in the world is the Red Sea- specifically, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.  Every time I'm there, my time is split between enjoying the gorgeous water, and clicking away on my camera.
This is a view of the beach we would spend hours and hours at.

For Christmas, the group of artists that I paint with- the Foothill Artists League, and I get together for a holiday lunch.  We always have a  gift exchange, and this year we decided to exchange mini paintings.  I had so much fun painting on this tiny 4x6 canvas board.  I think I'm going to do a series of minis.

On another note, a very lovely and fab 'friend' of mine told me I needed to work on the look of my blog. I made some changes- Hopefully it looks a little hipper :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

"Autumn at the Blue Mosque"

"Autumn at the Blue Mosque"

14"x11"

$195- Framed

I love painting mosques.  I've said before, Islam is such a misunderstood religion.  There are so many 'Muslims' out there, committing such heinous and violent crimes in the name of Islam, it really saddens me.  When I paint a mosque, I feel I'm doing the little bit I can to show the beauty of Islam as opposed to the violence seen in the media.

The Blue Mosque, in Istanbul, Turkey is one of my very favorite subjects.  The architecture, the colors, and the landscaping around it just make the perfect paintings.  The vacations I had in Istanbul were some of my favorites.  It is an amazingly beautiful city- hills, the Bosphorus Strait, bridges and mosques.  The people are fun and lively, the culture is awesome.  

"Drinks at Joselitos"

"Drinks at Joselitos"- Montrose, CA

So, after all the excitement, energy and passion I had for painting- I, unfortunately, have not had much time to do it.  I went back to working for the family business- home textiles, importing and selling, and that consumes any of the time I had before for painting.

I still paint on Tuesdays with the Foothill Artists League- my favorite time of the week.  Our leader, Margot Lennartz, encouraged us to participate in the La Crescenta Paint Out, which is this weekend.  We had to paint a scene from the city- and I couldn't resist Montrose.  There is so much charm in that area.  I am a sucker for street scenes, I guess because I love to frequent them.  Painting them becomes a get away.

I have had so little time at home to paint- between helping the boys with homework, cooking, and just needing some down time.   I actually brought my paints to the office with me today and snuck in the back for a bit and finished my painting there.  It's funny, if it is important enough, you can find the time to paint- and I will have to keep reminding myself of that.