Seine Reflections, 8 x 10, oil on panel

Last year I finally got to Paris. While there I felt too overwhelmed to paint. I was recently asked to donate a painting to the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and The Alliance Française de Pittsburgh 5th Annual Bastille Day Celebration auction. So it was a good excuse to go through my photos and make this little sketch. And also reflect upon the trip, thus the title.

Porta Potties, 8 x 10, oil on panel

The Three Rivers Arts Festival is a big deal here in Pittsburgh. It is usually a rainy couple of weeks but not this year. Yesterday I gave a workshop to a few artists, one of which needed to be close to the porta potty. I thought, OK why not make that the subject of my demo? It was an excellent example of complementary colors, simple shapes, light and color families. A smart ass passerby told me it was a crappy painting. I have to admit it brought a smile to both of us.