Next week I'll be taking a workshop with Kim English near the Hudson River Valley by the Catskills in New York.   Focus will be on painting human figures in an outdoor setting.   I'm really excited about going and learning with Kim.   We decided to fly rather than drive from central Florida.   This presents the issue of how to handle my supplies which include my oil paints, brushes, canvases, easel and folding chair and accessories.  I packed them into 3 boxes and shipped them by UPS to the location we'll be staying, with return labels for shipment back home.  Because you can't ship flammables unless you are specially licensed to do so, I ordered the Gamsol odorless mineral spirits from ASW and had them ship it to the location.  It would be easier to pack all this in a car and drive, but now we'd rather not spend that much time on the road unless it's specifically for sightseeing.  While I am painting, my husband will have a chance to drive around and see the area in addition to doing his work on our laptop.   And then we'll have a couple of days at the end just to relax and enjoy the sights together.  

My husband and I recently returned from a 3 week cruise around some of Norway's Fjords and the British Isles Coasts.  Norway's coastline is awesome with its majestic mountains and lovely small towns along the fjords.  Completely different and also beautiful were views around the British Isles.  I plan to develop some paintings from the many photos taken.
On one of Orkney's Islands (Scotland) is a UNESCO designated World Heritage site - the Standing Stones of Stenness - a fascinating 5,000 year old circles of stones put up by ancient cultures.  Highlights of our trip included visits to several museums, beginning with the Statens Museum for Kunst (on exhibit was an active restoration project of a large old damaged painting) in Copenhagan to the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery in London (have many old Master Paintings).   I really appreciated the Waterford Crystals after touring their factory.  Every piece is individually sculpted, and we saw many exquisite pieces.  Did you know that the big annual New Year Eve's Crystal Ball that drops at midnight in New York City is by Waterford Crystal Factory?   The Factory has a full size replica of it.  

Hooray! After only a few hours, with the help of the great staff at FineArtStudioOnline.com (and a little help from my hubby), my fantastic new site is up and running. Hope you can send me some feedback.