Firefly Farm

Recently, one evening we were in our car at a friend's house, waiting for our daughter to come back from car-pooled youth group.  We saw our first fireflies for the season and then we saw two small glowing lights going up in the sky.  No, it wasn't a UFO, but two beautiful glowing lanterns that people release.  We watched as they ascended into the night sky and eventually they dimmed and burnt out.  A few minutes later we saw another set going up.  It was captivating to watch and we felt like we had front row seats to our own little light show.  I was inspired by the glowing lights to do this firefly painting and show their glowing lights ascend into a dark summer sky.

This painting is available at Dutchlandgalleries.com.

Fresh-Cut Flowers

Two weeks ago I was at a yard sale and noticed a band-saw for sale, but didn't act on it.  After my husband and I left, he asked me if I noticed the saw (he knows that I have been looking for one for a long time).  I nodded and he told me that there was a man also shopping that was interested in it and he thought he bought it. As we got into our car, my heart sank as I knew I had missed a good deal.  We sat in the car watching in our rear-view mirror to see if the man bought it.  He only took a small box to his car, got in and took off.  He ended up not buying the saw after all.  After he left, we jumped out and went back for it.  I think I got a pretty good deal for just 10 bucks.  Here is my first project using the saw.  A large 18-1/2" Red Poppy sign that I cut and painted.  I'd love to do some other painted signs this summer.  This sign is available at my etsy shop linked below.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/marycharlesfolkart?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Mascot Mill Barn

One day as I was searching the internet for barns, I came across a picture of a beautiful yellow barn.  I thought I would like to visit it someday and take some photos for a painting. A few weeks later, my daughter had a project for photography class to shoot a roll of film.  As we hopped in the car, I told her that we would explore some of the country roads nearby to look for some interesting subjects.  As we rounded a bend on an unfamiliar road, to my surprise, we found the yellow barn that I admired.  I had no clue that it was only a few miles away from us!

Art for LAMS Auction

This year I have been invited to submit a piece of artwork for the Lititz Area Mennonite School Auction to be held on June 6 & 7, 2014.  As I was considering what I would paint, I thought about doing a series of paintings featuring businesses in Lancaster County.  Since LAMS is in Lititz, I thought it appropriate to start there.  As I was traveling through Lititz this past week taking reference photos,  I discovered the perfect place to feature, Isabella's Ice Cream Parlor.   Last night I worked out my rough sketch.   I will share photos on the progress of the painting.

                        The finished painting: "Pedaling Around Lititz - Isabella's Ice Cream Parlor"

After One Painting Session

A Rough Sketch