765 Cottage Charm

I remember hollyhocks from my childhood growing up in Detroit.  Tall stocks of hollyhocks lined the alley behind our house, and I remember being afraid of all the bees that swarmed the beautiful flowers.  Now I think of them mostly as an old fashioned cottage flower, as many Door County gardens feature them in their gardens.  I wish I had a sunny spot for them in my yard, but I can always visit my neighbor's hollyhock garden just down the street.

"765 Cottage Charm"
oil - 24x12 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/765-cottage-charm/440713
dianecampion.blogspot.com

703 The Giant Crack in the Earth

This is the last of my paintings from New Mexico.  We parked along the roadside with this view of the Rio Grande Gorge, but didn't have more than a couple of hours there, so I sketched, knowing I wanted to paint an abstraction of this magnificent scene.  I had a few colors of paint that were still "alive" on my palette, and slapped them on the board.  Since I've been home, I've obsessed about the green portion to the point of ridiculousness.  Abstraction does not come naturally to me, but I think I like it.  Only time and more practice will tell.

03 The Giant Crack in the Earth"
acrylic - 12x24 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/703-the-giant-crack-in-the-earth/418584

698 The Rio Grande River at Arroyo Hondo

The day we painted the Rio Grande was the most difficult of days, as it was hot and windy, and as any plein air painter knows, the scene changes quickly and often.  I positioned myself down close to the river and found the gentle sounds of the flowing water so relaxing.  There were a lot of ants and bugs and pollen (ah-CHOO!) and suddenly the wind took several of our easels, paintings, umbrellas crashing to the dirt, or in some cases, down the rocky hill.  The painting then had "texture" and the umbrella was demolished.  Despite all of the above, I enjoyed this day so much and this is my favorite of the eight paintings from New Mexico.

As I have repeatedly said, plein air painting is not for sissies.  And that's the truth.  
"698 The Rio Grande River at Arroyo Hondo"
acrylic - 20x16 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/698-the-rio-grande-river-at-arroyo-hondo/417124

696 View from The Couse-Sharp Historic Site

This is the second painting completed en plein air during my recent visit to Taos, New Mexico.  We were very fortunate to visit and tour The Couse-Sharp Historic Site during the 100th anniversary of the Taos Society of Artists.  Joseph Sharp and Eanger Irving Couse were two of the original founding members of this society, and were devoted to painting the Native American Indians.  Messrs. Couse and Sharp, along with the four other original members of this society, found Taos t o besuch an inspiring place to paint, as did I, with its mountains, forests, clear blue sky and beautiful sunsets.

The Art Ladies were grateful to be able to paint in such a beautiful and comfortable spot. The views of the mountains, trees and chemisas were breathtaking, and in my foreground, there were changing groundcover.  I was drawn to the strong vertical of the trees.  We had a little downpour but were able to lunch on the porch of the house until it cleared up.  All in all, it was a great day and I left with  many, many reference photos for future paintings.

"696 View from The Couse-Sharp Historic Site"
acrylic - 11x14 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/696-view-from-the-couse-sharp-historic-site/416697

693 Golden Nuggets

The golden tomatoes are from Springdale Farm and the red bowl is from the museum in Lebanon.  Basil is from my yard.

"693 Golden Nuggets"
acrylic - 6x8 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/693-golden-nuggets/413743

692 Softer Side of the Chama River

I am preparing for a plein air painting trip to New Mexico with my Art Lady friends, 
and am trying to learn to abstract the landscape.  We had a workshop on this subject which was very beneficial---we painted with our fingers, or palette knife--no brushes.  The photo reference for this painting was taken on one of our prior trips to New Mexico.  I have a lot to learn.

"692 Softer Side of the Chama River"
acrylic - 9x12 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/692-softer-side-of-the-chama-river/413570

691 You Look Lovely Today

The eggplants from Springdale Farm were so beautiful that I wish I had painted a different view of them so that more of the color showed.  One of them is gigantic and the other much smaller, so they looked like Mutt and Jeff, whoever they are.

The complementary palette is my favorite.

"691 You Look Lovely Today"
acrylic - 7x5 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/691-you-look-lovely-today/413340

687 Three's a Crowd

"687 Three's a Crowd"
acrylic - 6x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/687-threes-a-crowd/411796

684 The Party's Over

Company has returned home, and the sunflowers aren't sunny any more.  The petals are dropping everywhere.  They are such a happy flower until that happens.   Painted from still life in my studio.
The Van Briggle vase was purchased many years ago, is my all-time favorite, and painted many times
for daily paintings.

"684 The Party's Over"
acrylic - 6x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/684-the-partys-over/411172

682 Drama Queen

I really love this new vase with these Rudbeckia my husband bought for our patio.

"682 Drama Queen"
acrylic - 12x9 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/682-drama-queen/410433

673 Overjoyed

"673 Overjoyed"
acrylic - 6x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/673-overjoyed/405994

669 Falling In Love

I remember when the meaning of a yellow rose was "jealousy," but it seems as though the new meaning is of friendship and caring.  Specifically, a yellow rose with red-tipped petals means "friendship falling in love."  Who knows if all that is true.  My husband picked these out and they were beautiful.

This was painted for the Daily Paintworks Rose challenge.

"669 Falling In Love"
acrylic - 6x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/669-falling-in-love/404936

663 Perfect Harmony

When we visited beautiful Lebanon, we toured a winery called Ixsir in the mountains of Batroun.  It is located on a most breathtaking site, the building itself formerly a home for two families.  It has stone walls and a fascinating spiral staircase leading you down to the wine production area.  The entryway houses this lovely old pottery.  I read online that CNN labels this winery one of the greenest buildings in the world.  The wine was very good too, with no added sulphites, but unfortunately we could only bring one bottle home. 

"663 Perfect Harmony"
acrylic - 6x8 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/663-perfect-harmony/403546

660. Gift of Love

My husband is one of a kind.  He buys flowers for me each and every week, taking great care to select flowers for the bouquet.  He encloses a little note with something pertinent for the day/week.  I particularly loved this combination of coral roses and lavender roses, and liked how it looked in the red dining room.    Yep, he's a keeper!

"660.  Gift of Love"
acrylic - 8x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/660--gift-of-love/399342

659 Old Fashioned

More of Vicki's beautiful hollyhocks.  They are all beautiful!

"659 Old Fashioned"
acrylic - 8x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/659-old-fashioned/399197

656 Rebellious

"656 Rebellious"
acrylic - 6x8 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/656-rebellious/398501

655 Public Enemy Number Two

Oh, they look so cute scurrying to and fro, don't they?  HA!  Not when they are in your kitchen!  Yep, Alvin somehow made his way into our house, and scared the living daylights out of me.  Neighbor Larry came to the rescue, but admitted he was beginning to think I was imagining things, because he didn't actually see the little guy at first, who wasn't so little, by the way.  From my vantage point of standing on the kitchen chair, I saw the chubby guy squeeze his body through the pet gate grid.  It was like a cartoon.  If only I was composed enough to take a video.  Alvin enjoyed his meal of peanut butter and Italian bread stick and was let back outside later that evening. 

"655 Public Enemy Number Two"
acrylic - 6x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/655-public-enemy-number-two/398063

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

639 President's Dinner

The Garden Club's official year has come to a close, and on Tuesday night we had our President's Dinner at the beautiful Lynden Sculpture Garden.  I was in charge of centerpieces and favors for guests and I was delighted to find beautiful flowers at a local farmers' market.

618 A Perfect Day

Monday was a perfect day.  Oh, nothing of major significance happened, just an ordinary day.  But everything seemed perfect, mostly because the weather was glorious, the birds were busy and people seemed happy.  Wearing SHORTS and a SLEEVELESS top (that in itself is really earth shattering here in Milwaukee--today I had my winter coat on again.  And a sweater.  Sorry, I digress)  with my backpack slung over my shoulder, I headed out for a walk to one of my favorite spots, Big Bay Park and a beach on Lake Michigan.   On my way down the path, an artist was tucked away painting the beautiful view.  I felt ashamed that I wasn't painting outdoors.  The water was so blue and so was the sky.  Several others were there enjoying the day.  I collected rocks, and hauled them home in my backpack, a good workout.  I immediately sat down to paint when I got home, so I could keep the feeling inside of me fresh.  Yes, it was a perfect day.

"618 A Perfect Day"
acrylic - 11x14 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/618-a-perfect-day/386390