March in Vermont is when you can begin to anticipate spring, although it is not guaranteed to arrive until May!. My Monday morning painting class is a group of ladies who are interested in subjects that are found in classical still life paintings - dishes, fruit, & flowers. Recently, we began painting a floral composition - partly to learn some techniques that work well for this kind of work, and partly because we are all looking forward to the coming of spring. My painting turned out surprisingly nice, considering that it was painted over the course of 4 weeks - I would work on it during our class for demonstration purposes and then put it aside until the next class. Also, it is rare for me to paint still life, particularly those that are somewhat formal in nature, like this one.

In any case, here is the finished work, aptly titled “Classroom Composition”. The work is 13 1/2″ H x 9 1/2W and currently hangs in my studio.

My painting “Prairie Oak” has gained acceptance into the New England Watercolor Society Juried Exhibition at the Cotuit Center for the Arts.

The exhibit runs from April 12 to May 14, 2008. The Center is located at 4404 Route 28, Cotuit Massachusetts (link Google Map). Exhibition hours are 10am to 4pm, Monday through Friday and 10am -2pm on Saturday. The public is invited to attend the opening reception on Saturday, April 12 from 4:30 to 7:00pm.

The New England Watercolor Society (NEWS) was founded in 1885 as the Boston Society of Watercolor Painters, and subsequently renamed the New England Watercolor Society in 1980. Its 27 charter members included some of the best known names in American Art such as Charles Curtis Allen, Frank W. Benson, George Hallowell, F. Childe Hassam, Louis Kronberg, Otis Philbrick, Maurice Prendergast and Charles Woodbury. Honorary members include John Singer Sargent, and more recently Andrew Wyeth.