Weekend in the Finger Lakes

Back from a great weekend in the Finger Lakes region of NY State. A perfect weekend weather wise. It was Parent's Weekend at Cornell for some of the fraternities and sororities. Here's a peek inside Psi Upsilon . A nice surprise in the basement were murals on the walls done by one the fraternity brothers (not sure of the date), a hallway off the main foyer and living room that boasts signed color lithographs by Frederic Remington (I advised to move out of the sunlight:), a dining room filled with 100 year old furniture and a squash court! The boys look a lot different than they did in 1883:) but all were gentlemen! Spring was just busting out all over. Weeping cherry from the Cayuga Lake winery tour at Knapp winery where we had lunch. It was also Wine and Herb Festival Weekend, so there were tasters everywhere. Wonderful (a little pricey) dinner at The Heights Cafe and Grill ( falls into the " art on a plate that taste divine" category) and brunch at my favorite The Carriage House. Perfect! Then it was off for my first experience at the infamous Flax Barn Sale. Well, as one woman said to me "..This is a study in women's psychology!" Great sale! Prices ranged from $5 to $15 !! Everyone said prices this year were way down:) Thank you Flax.

Brush and Inkwash: Lenten Rose...Spring Please

Icy, slushy, snowy day. Brush and inkwash tonal study of a Lenten Rose (Cornell Plantations, Ithaca, NY) from last spring... yes, I am still thinking spring....

Botanical Illustration: Mahogany Peony

Two stages of this watercolor of a peony from the gardens at Cornell Plantations, in Ithaca, NY.
I prefer the first stage, but actually the color of the petals was a deep rich mahogany
and the end stage achieved by layering colored pencil is probably closer to the real color of this cultivar.

anemones and nasturtiums

Experimenting with doing color reductions using the nasturtium study and a linocut made from a study of anemones in the gardens at Cornell Plantations. Two very different styles.