Once again I went to paint in Red Wing, MN.  It is always exciting to head down to that sweet little town because I know there are so many yummy options to paint...everywhere!...gardens, boats, lovely old houses, the countryside. 

The other cool thing is that I know we will start our morning at my new favorite place, the "Smokey Row Cafe", with the most awesome, healthy, and robust breakfasts imaginable, bottomless coffee, good conversation and scenic info swapping, but most importantly, the most delicious almond rolls on earth!  ooey gooey heaven!  Just can't get enough.  I get a fresh one each morning as a reward for my hard work! 

Any way, this year once again, it was hot and humid.   And a little rainy.  So I chose to paint the lovely Pratt Tabor Inn, which would be lovely nomatter what the light was choosing to do!  I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need to bring my husband there someday...

I did a couple more paintings too, but they are at the Depot Gallery, right along the river, where the other 34 participating artists will be showing their paintings too.  Should be a really nice show, with a lot of variety.  I had to come home to teach on Wed and Thursday so I 'm still anxious to see the show myself!  Hope you can stop by too.

Recently a student and I had this discussion as we were working on a painting of a field of flowers...
She said," I was thinking about the different styles in class, and I remember looking at the realistic one, and thinking it's very good, but something is missing. I love your work, right or wrong, I call it impressionism. And I realized the difference between your painting and the realistic one was the suggestion of movement. When I look at your painting I can almost feel the gentle breeze making the flowers bob, I don't get that in the realism. Am I onto something?? "

Yes, I think she is on to something.  So many artists struggle to loosen up their paintings and show their passion or "impression" of a moment in time...so I thought, why not start out loose to begin with...and bring it tighter and tighter as you progress, with the option of pushing it as far as you want....or  not! 
You can't loosen up an already tight painting.  And in fact I think that unless you are an expert drawer, which most of us are NOT, then any little mistake in the drawing sticks out very loudly and looks far more amateurish than a suggestion would.  So many more realistic paintings look "stuck"  and at times even painfully so, unless the artist really knows what he's doing.  

Still, I try really hard to respect the personal style of each artist, because even though I paint the way I do, meaning more impressionistic, it does not mean it is the only way. 

I do!  Every year I see them growing out of my kitchen window and I feel such joy... and hope... and sweetness.  Just a few tiny sprigs set up in a little glass jar, and I painted this alla prima, meaning all at once... which is a good thing because for as delicious as lilacs are, they sure don't last long!