Looking for something to paint.

I am often awakened, around 7 a.m., by the baying of my neighbor's dog, who lives across the street.

Happily I wanted to get an early start, anyway, and go out to find a spot to paint on what I knew was going to be to be a beautiful day in Philly.

I drove down into Fairmount Park, to the Japanese Tea House, which is always a challenging
subject any time of the year. But it was a bit more than I had time to take on this day.

In my meanderings I came upon the "Ohio House," which had been built by artisans from all
over the U.S .for the Centennial Celebration, in 1876.

It now contained a cafe, and since I'd only had a quick, small breakfast a
few hours earlier,how could I possibly resist. Yummy!

With General Meade leading the way, I headed down Montgomery Drive,
to the banks of the Schuylkill River, where I knew I'd have many choices of subject matter.

I finally found my spot to set up, keeping a good distance from this very territorial goose,
as a rower glided by in the early morning sunlight. A wonderful time of day to paint.

And here is what I painted, spending about 2 !/2 hours trying to capture the delicate, and fleeting, beauty of this flowering tree.  (Oil on a 5 X 7" panel. $110.00 unframed)