Lea and I are spending the next few days getting ready to travel to Oregon and Northern California. We are considering a place to spend the summers. While we generally like Mérida, it is uncomfortably hot between April and September. We did spend a great deal of time making sure our house was smartly designed to accommodate heat and humidity—and for the most part it works well without air conditioning. But life is more than being in one’s home. It is unpleasant to walk and be in the city. So, we will leave Wednesday and spend about two weeks in Portland and Eugene, OR and Santa Rosa, CA exploring possibilities.
For the last few days, I have let Olive’s portrait rest—the paint needs to dry before I continue refining things. During this time, I started a sketch for a new painting. I want to try chiaroscuro. Not sure of the color-way yet but thinking a moody “moonlight”. The success of the painting, of course, will depend on how well I render the shadows, the variations within the dark and the variations within the light. This one will be a fun challenge.
I am taking a break from the blog for 2 weeks while we are in Oregon and California from July 27 until August 11, 2017. My next blog will be August 18 and will focus on what we discovered on our journey out west (weeks 31 and 32) and week 33.
Have a wonder-filled trip!