Hey there, Subscriber!

I hope you're enjoying these first few days of Fall!

I’m thrilled to share that the show with my Mom, Phyllis Steimel, It’s in the Genes: a Mother and Daughter Show, is now open. As my first big show, I was overwhelmed with emotion as I saw how beautifully our works were hung by the wonderful team at Waterworks Visual Arts Center. My sincerest appreciation goes out to them, and to all of you who were able to attend our reception.

The painting above is hanging in that show next to my Mom’s version of the same subject. Mom and I had snuck out to a local park for a much needed plein air painting escape. We settled on painting this magnificent Southern magnolia flower while basking in its heavenly scent. As I usually do, I started my painting by laying in the darks. Next, in painting the lighter colors, it was suddenly apparent that some of the first marks were in the wrong place. That is not unusual, for my drawing gets refined as the painting progresses. But then, when I found my corrected marks in the wrong place, my light bulb went on. That flower was still opening...right before our eyes!

A saying amongst painters is to not "chase the light", meaning settle on your light and shadow and stick with that; don't chase the light as the sun moves across the sky. While painting this flower, I felt as though I was chasing the bloom!

And about riding trains, if you’re in the Raleigh area, and looking for a fun way to spend the day, consider a train trip to Salisbury. Morning trains leave Raleigh at 6:30 and 10:00. Afternoon trains depart Salisbury for Raleigh at 3:56 and 7:41. Depending on how far in advance you book, tickets start at $22 per person, one way as of this writing. The Salisbury train depot is across the street from the Waterworks Visual Arts Center.

Other fun things to do within walking distance of the Salisbury train depot include:

Visiting Waterworks Visual Arts Center to see my show!
Checking out the wonderful artwork and chatting with artists at Railwalk Studios and Gallery.
Strolling downtown and visiting the charming shops.
Learning about Rowan County History dating back to the 1500s at the Rowan Museum inside the Courthouse.

And a few good places to eat include:

Hap's Grill for hotdogs and hamburgers
Sidewalk Deli for good sandwiches and salads
https://morganridgerailwalk.com for tasty food and handcrafted brews.

Happy Fall y'all!