Maine was WONDERFUL! The lupines were in bloom, the weather was close to perfect, Primrose Cottage was as cute as ever, and the students who joined me for the painting retreats were an absolute joy to be with. Getting to spend two weeks there this year was the icing on the cake. I fell in […]
Category: Maine
France Sketchbook – Day 6 – Roussillon
It’s been a busy spring here at Summerhill, and I’ve been doing more planting and mulching than blogging and painting lately, but before I leave for Maine tomorrow, I want to share with you a few of the pages from my Provence sketchbook that I haven’t gotten around to posting here yet. When I last […]
Sketches from Maine – Part 4
Andrew Wyeth painted hundreds of paintings in Maine during his life, and the Olson House was one of his favorite subjects. It’s now part of the Farnsworth Museum. We visited on a beautiful summer day and had a chance to sketch for awhile after touring the house and watching a documentary about Wyeth. The house […]
Sketches from Maine – Part 3 (Step-by-Step Tutorial)
During my June workshop in Maine, I waited all week for the perfect day to drive to the top of Mt. Battie and spend some time sketching. My patience was rewarded when we awoke one morning to abundant sunshine and clear blue skies. The view from the top of Mt. Battie is spectacular – deep […]
Sketches from Maine – Part 2
Picture yourself sitting in an Adirondack chair somewhere along the coast of Maine, water gently lapping at the shore in front of you and seagulls soaring lazily overhead. The sun is sinking low in the sky and there’s a stillness in the air, as if the earth is holding its breath, waiting for darkness to […]
Sketches from Maine – Step-by-Step Iris Watercolor
Merryspring Nature Center is an idyllic little gem in the heart of mid-coast Maine. The day we visited, we had the place entirely to ourselves. There was so much to draw that I found myself wandering around for awhile just taking it all in, waiting for something to “speak” to me. Should I do a […]
Sketches from Maine, Part I
I’ve been finishing up some of the sketches I did while in Maine earlier this summer, and it’s been a lot of fun reliving that special time that I shared with my mother and five students. Three of them flew all the way from California to be there! All sketches were done in a 9″ […]
Maine Workshop (Part II)
(Read Part I here.) I spend a lot of time preparing for my workshops. Ask anyone who has taken one from me. I give my students hefty handouts loaded with information, and I try to tune in to their needs as artists and help them in any way I can while we’re together. I spend […]
Maine…the Way Life Should Be (Part I)
Welcome to Maine…the way life should be That’s the slogan on the welcome sign along the highway where you enter Maine on the coastal route, and I think it speaks to the feelings of most people vacationing in Maine. Wintertime may be challenging here, but summer is magical! I love coming in June. The weather […]
Last Sketch from Maine: The Sisterhood
When you spend a week with someone, you really get to know them. Luckily, all the women I went to Maine with were absolutely WONDERFUL! Each one of them added something special to the group, and it was really hard to say goodbye to all of them at the end of the week. Our time […]







