Whenever time and weather allow, I often head to the seashore, the lakes region, or the mountains to find a quiet place to paint. The latest endeavor was at Sunapee Harbor to work some more on this painting of the boat-the MV Kearsarge-that is. This is usually a quiet place with kayaks and ducks paddling around.

My husband settles down to read while I paint. I put in a couple more hours on this after leaving it tucked away for a year. In the rack in the studio is a stack of 8x10's and 9x12's of en plein air starters. I never finish one on location-my style is too detailed for that-I finish it up in my studio at a later date. Instead, my goal when painting outdoors, is to pin down the composition, light and basic colors. Notice how the shadows disappeared as the morning clouded up.