Sunflower Painting

I was painting recently in North Branford in the middle of a beautiful acre of sunflowers when a wonderful photographer asked if he could take my picture. I said yes, then thought to ask him to email me a copy. Here it is. The photographer is Dennis Beaulieu. I love the photo, thanks, Dennis! Here are the two paintings that I did there, each on different days.

 They are both oil on canvas over panel, 9"x12".
The sunflowers were simply gorgeous this year, and the fields stopped traffic for quite a long time.
Sunflowers are fun to paint. The rich oranges and yellows really stand out against the cool green leaves and blue sky.

Bench Painting Holds a Special Meaning

I was out in Wallingford one day painting a scene at the corner of Center Street and Main Street of Moran’s The Dressing Room and other shops along the street, when a young mother came by and admired my work. She asked for a card, which I provided, and she went on her way. I give out cards a lot and I enjoy talking with passers by. I forgot about it until a few weeks later when she called me up and reminded me of our acquaintance. She had thought about my art, visited my Website, and liked it. With Christmas coming up, she thought that a unique gift that she could give to her husband would be a painting- but not just any painting. The subject was a special one. She told me the story of how her and her husband used to meet during her high school days at the Wallingford Country Club, which was a halfway point between both her and his houses. Later on, they went their separate ways, she married another man, had a family, subsequently divorced, and then reconnected with her high school sweetheart. This time the relationship stuck. She fondly recalled that he proposed to her at the bench where they used to meet all those years ago. This was what she wanted me to paint. It was a totally romantic gesture and it will make a unique and personal gift. The young lady met me at the Wallingford Golf Course and we scoped out the bench.

Meanwhile, the head groundskeeper came by to check us out. Alas, I was not allowed to set up on the course to paint, but I could come back and take photos of the bench and the surrounding area. I returned when the fall colors were bright and colorful, took several photos and sent them to the young lady. She wrote back, apologizing that the bench that she had pointed out was not the correct one, but rather another bench further down that we had first looked at. This information was revealed to her when her husband pointed out to their child the exact bench where he proposed to his wife while driving by the golf course. A close call, just in the nick of time!

I returned to the golf course and photographed the correct bench, got go ahead approval, and proceeded to paint a large, gallery-wrapped painting of the scene with some autumn color.

I recently delivered the finished painting and I believe that the young lady was very pleased with the results. I thought that it was a great idea for a very unique and personal gift for someone special.

Strawberry Hollow Farm

A few weeks ago, I set up across the street from Strawberry Hollow Farm and painted a study for this picture. Autumn was in full bloom, and the pumpkins and mums were lined up outside of the cute little shop. From the study, I painted a 10"x20" painting, which really captured the panoramic view and the autumn warmth. I sold the study and the larger painting to the owner of the  farm yesterday. I could tell that he really liked it. It was a lot of fun to paint, and a terrific subject. The farmer has a lovely piece of property with a nice pond. He says in the Spring, the flowers are beautiful around the pond. I asked permission to come back to paint the pond area, and he said that I can come back any time, so I'm looking forward to painting there this Spring.

Maine Coastline

This is a painting that I did on a trip to Maine last year from high above Camden Harbor. It was so scenic, but very difficult to do a painting from above and from a long distance. I started it there, but put it away until recently. I now have more information on how to adjust color and tone for distances, so the resulting painting is much better.

I went up to Maine with a couple of other friends to visit a friend who was staying at her husband's sister's house there while they were away. It was so pretty there. I especially loved Camden for its charm.

Oil on Canvas over panel, 9"x11", $300.

Farmer's Market

Here's my latest painting. I used a photo reference that I took last fall when all of the mums and pumpkins were on display. It was so colorful and it was a gorgeous day. This market has wonderful plants and produce for sale during the warm months of the year. The girl standing in the picture was actually there, browsing through the flowers. She really was a perfect focal point for the painting.
Oil on Canvas, 18" x 24", $449.
To purchase, go to my Website, www.pattymegliostudio.com