Work in Progress...

Oil on board

11 x 14

Here is another still life that I am in the middle of working on. I'll put up the finished piece when it's completed...hopefully soon, if I can find some more St. John's wort. The pitcher was a gift to my parents on their 50th Anniversary. If you look closely you can see me in the reflection.

"Fountain of Trevi"

Oil on linen

24 x 30

This is the the third in a series I have done of my mother in Italy. The man in this painting is Fabio, the son of her first cousin, Franco. We were at the Fountain of Trevi and my mother was laughing about Fabio having been squeezed in by an unusually large woman who at this moment was out of the picture and Fabio has just spotted me taking the picture.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting please contact me at ritamarandino1@mac.com

"The Tuscan Coast"

Oil on linen

24 x 36

sold

While visiting a cousin in Massa Cararra, Italy, I took a photo from the deck of his boat that I decided to paint. There are some of the most beautiful clusters of houses built into to the cliffs off the coast of Tuscany. The Tuscan coastline rivals the Italian Riviera and in fact, in my opinion, is even more beautiful than Portofino.

"Celadon Pitcher" - A Work in Progress

Oil on linen

13 x 14

I set up this still life specifically because I liked the color combination of the greenish turquoise (celadon) color against the orange. I am still working on this piece for a couple of reasons. I have a printed scarf on the right side of the pitcher but I am searching for the right piece of fabric to replace it. I also would like to work a little more on the apricots and that orange slice in front of the open orange and the book under the apricots.

Arizona Trip...finally

I took a trip to Arizona in mid March with my friends, Pat and Nancy, who flew in from California. I spent a wonderful few days with them and my new found friends, Michelle and Jeff and Michelle's mom, Irene. One night, Jeff cooked a delicious St. Patty's Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage and invited their son (who you can sort of see next to Pat), daughter in-law and grandchild. Below is a picture of Jeff towards the front, then Michelle on his left, followed by Nancy and then Pat.

Michelle and Jeff are long time friends of Pat and they were kind enough to ask us all to say with them in their beautiful home in Scottsdale.

The first day there we walked around Old Scottsdale and visited "Celebration of Art", an event that lasts for three months and showcases over 100 artists studios from January through March. Later that evening we had a delicious dinner at Old Town Tortilla Factory and then went on the Art Walk and visited many of Scottsdale's famous galleries. Bonner Gallery was having an opening for Lane Timothy who paints in a realistic style that is both contemporary and retro at the same time. His subjects are dressed in 50's clothing and are set in a 50's back drop but yet he achieves a modern feel.

The next day we headed out to Sedona. Sedona is spectacular. The rock formations truly take your breath away. I had been here over twenty years ago and it was just as memorable today as it was then.

Here are "the girls" next to our Pink Jeep. We took a jeep tour of the mountains up close and personal with our tour guide and driver, Ken. It amazed me to see how many brave (and possibly a little bit crazy) some people were to drive this trail on their own. It was at times very precarious and harrowing.
We spent the next couple of days back in Scottsdale doing some shopping and visiting then headed back to our respective homes on Sunday.

Thanks again to Michelle and Jeff for extending their hospitality to us. And a special thanks to Pat and Nancy for also making the trip so enjoyable.