Remembering Last Summer

Sailing in Terherne, oil on linen, 24" x 36"

The Amazing Reese and I had an adventure last summer -- to the Netherlands and France! (It was our first time in Europe.) We were completely charmed by the old world, welcomed with open arms by everyone, and found friends on every corner. We toured museums and churches, ate like locals, and walked everywhere. At the tail end of our trip, we stayed a few nights at our friend's sister's home in the Friesland province of the Netherlands, which is where this painting gets its inspiration. It's a wonderful place and I'm ever so grateful that we got to go there. 

This painting was a bit of a struggle to complete -- it was very complicated to do. The light is somehow subdued and brilliant at the same time that far north, and, well, different from what I'm used to painting here in Texas. It was on and off my easel for months as I tried this and that to get it just right. It's always a good day when the people for whom the place is significant actually like the painting, and I'm happy to report that that is the case here.