Joie de peindre en plein air!

Cuban Mariachi

12 x 9

oil on museum board

This was a painting I started in Cuba.

I seem to paint alot of musicians

because I'm attracted to the energy and the feeling of celebration.

They move like crazy and eventually leave.

I know, you'd like I'd catch on.

They left in about 15 minutes and I didn't even get a photo of them!

So I decided to carry on with the background.

After about 20 minutes they closed the curtain to the arcade!

Plein air, French for outdoors, has it's own special challenges.

That's why I named this post:

Joie de peindre en plein air!

My friend Brenda Boylan who went on the trip too Cuba too

painted this same scene from the other side of the arcade.

It's so interesting to me to see different artist's

interpretation of the same place.

Check out her version http://brendaboylan.com/here:

http://brendaboylan.com/

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Mistaken Identity

58 Cuban Caddy

24 x 30

oil on canvas

This painting started as 56 Chevy.

That's what I thought anyway.

Thanks to my neighbors for the correction:)

It turned into a 58 Cuban Caddy.

Who knew?

Obviously not me...

This is my first car painting from my visit to Cuba.

There will be more.

Lots of fun:)

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Cuba Painting with friends!

Smokin' Cuban

16 x 20 oil on museum board

available through McBride Gallery

Annapolis, Md,

Cuba Today Show Opening May 1st

If you read my last Newsletter ( different from the blog)

you'll know that I got lost on day one, by 10:30 a.m.

I was taking a photo of this beautiful Cuban woman and waiting

for change from a 10 cucs bill. 

(cucs are the Cuban currency equivalent to about one euro).

It took about four Cubans to come up with 7 cucs change

and by the time I turned around my group was gone!

They actually did miss me I'm happy to say!

I thought I saw them go in one direction but

wandered down the wrong street when it started to drizzle.

I kept wandering and it kept raining harder and harder.

Finally it was a full on monsoon and I was completely soaked,

so I started weighing my options.

I opted to try to find my bus instead of cab it back to the hotel

and ruin my day. So I blindly headed in what I thought was the

direction of the port and where the bus had dropped us off.

Fortunately I was right, the only problem being that there were about

100 buses.  I was getting blown down the street, empty bus after

empty bus (apparently they take a nap when on break).

Finally two bus drivers were visiting in a bus cab and

saw me coming, felt sorry for me because I was looking pretty pathetic,

and let me in and out of the rain. Whew!

I explained in my terrible Spanish that I was lost (obviously)

 and looking for bus #3918. 

All the Cuban's I met were so kind, he just started up his bus and 

drove me around the other 100 buses until we found mine.

Home sweet home!

I gave him a twenty cucs tip for saving my day and giving my

little side adventure a happy ending.

He declined at first but I insisted and his eyes were misty with delight!

The moral is- the photo was worth it!

I painted alot with my new friend Michele Byrne on the trip.

She wields a wicked palette knife. 

If you'd aren't familiar with her work you can check it out here.

Pic of Michele and I painting and she's alot happier with 

her painting than it looks like I am!

Like I told the group standing around watching us paint-

Ella es muys famosa en Estados Unidos!

Check out the link to her site above.

Thanks for following along and allowing me to share my art/life with you!

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