Is it spring or is it summer?

It’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood. Could you be my neighbour?

This spring season seems confused — one moment in a day it feels like spring and then another moment it feels like summer, or one day feels like spring and another day it feels like it’s late in the summer.

It had been raining on and off during most of the previous week and I was itching to go outside to paint again. The previous day was mostly overcast, but I went outside to paint anyway. I quickly settled on a spot a few hundred feet from my studio to paint. It was warm and humid and, unless you monitor your weather station, there were no signs of an impending storm.

The Traffic Cone. Oil on panel, 6 by 8 inches. 

A couple of hours after I was safely back in my studio, the storm rolled into town and gave Kennett Square residences some spectacular eyecandies to share on their Instagrams. The temperature dropped from 80-something to 60-something degrees Fahrenheit in a few minutes. Wind, heavy rain and hail followed. We were spared the drama of the 80 mph winds, but some nearby towns were hit with strong winds. I hope this does not mean summer will be harsh. Here’s to hoping for a gentle summer!

Despite the rain storms, which by the way would not have deterred Vincent Van Gogh, I have been taking advantage of the partly to clear skies to paint outside (en plein air) as often as I could — I’d like to make at least one painting every other day.  I think by my standards, I have been relatively productive. Below are few of my new paintings which a couple of them made it in the group show, Everyday Moments.  The latest one from the previous day, a couple of hours before the storm rolled into town, is the Traffice Cone. When I was painting in Philadelphia, I sometimes like to incorporate a traffic cone into my urban scene. It’s a fun object and it has a day-glow orange-red to boot! There is also something about those blue recycling bins that seem to get my attention. Maybe it’s the blue. Common objects of the modern cityscape.