"Wind Mill Creek Farm Footbridge". An Original Watercolor Painting by Donna Berk Barlup

"Wind Mill Creek Farm Footbridge" Original Watercolor Painting by Donna Berk Barlup

 " Wind Mill Creek Farm Footbridge"

An Original Watercolor Painting by Donna Berk Barlup

                   Susquehanna Valley Plein Air Painters were invited to spend an      

                     afternoon in Port Royal at a beautiful farm with a 1790's stone 

                     farmhouse by Nancy and Eric Olsen.  The day was perfect!    

                   We sat outside, painted and enjoyed delicious food and wine      

                    and good company.  We even got to take home a bouquet of 

                                   zinnias from their flower garden.

                  This little footbridge covered a culvert beside the old farmhouse.  

                                                 It was charming.  

                 Many thanks to the Olsens for sharing their home with the artists. 

"Dancing Poppies" An Original Watercolor by Donna Berk Barlup

"Dancing Poppies"

An Original Watercolor by Donna Berk Barlup

23" x 30"

They were swaying in the wind.  And the way their stems curved and bent, it reminded me of a dance.  Their bright orange-red flowers seemed so large on those delicate stems.

"Luella at One" An Original Watercolor by Donna Berk Barlup

Luella At One

An Original Watercolor by Donna Berk Barlup

This is my darling granddaughter, Luella Grace, playing in her sandbox.  I had painted her brother, Easton, at the same age and needed a matched set.  

The painting is not for sale.  It is in the safe care of Nonna Donna, but you can order a commission of your loved ones, if you like.  Contact me through my website: DonnaBStudios.com

FISH MONGER- THAILAND

Original Watercolor by Donna Berk Barlup

12" x 16"

It seems like a long time since I have been able to put brush to paper but I am finally back at work.  I have been in the middle of moving and trying to set up a new house.  Now my studio is ready and I am back to painting.  I didn't realize how much I missed it.

This is a woman I photographed on my trip to Thailand last year.  She was selling her fish along with other merchants along the edge of the railroad tracks.  Six times a day the train comes through this narrow market and the merchants move their goods back a few feet and then return them to their original spot after the train has passed through.

"Mayapple Sunset" Original Oil Painting by Donna Berk Barlup

"Mayapple Sunset"

Original Oil Painting by Donna Berk Barlup

I know!  I paint exclusively in watercolors!  But I thought I would expand my horizons (literally and figuratively) and try oil paint.  So many of my friends paint amazingly in oils.  

You must realize that I haven't painted with oils for a few decades ago when I was in college. (I refuse to tell you how many!)  So this is an experiment of sorts.  I am still not sure how I feel about oils but I did have fun and now I have a new-found appreciation for those of you who paint with oils, especially the plein air painters.  They take forever to dry!!!

"Rikki" Original Watercolor by Donna Berk Barlup

I haven't been blogging for a long time.  I have been painting though.... and traveling.  I went on an amazing trip to Thailand and Hong Kong in November.  What incredible things I saw!  I can't wait to paint from the hundreds of pictures I took.  The colors and smells were unbelievable.  It is so interesting to see a culture that is completely different from ours.

Now that I am back to reality, it is time to buckle down and get serious about working in the studio and getting some new paintngs.

                                                                  Rikki

                                                             Original Watercolor

                                                               7" x 12"

One of the trips I went on this fall was to visit my dear friend, Rikki.  She and her husband, Stan, own the New York State Renaissance Faire as well as the Renaissance Faires in Chicago and California.  They came to meet me in Tuxedo Park, New York for a weekend in September.  Rikki also is a reenactor at the Faires and she wears some elaborate gowns.  I decided to paint this beautiful woman in her period costume.

Brath & Hughes Fine Art Gallery

I am relatively new to plein air painting but I am having such a good time.  I have met some wonderful artists as part of this group and I have enjoyed the lovely locations we have gone to.  I am looking forward to spending more time en plein air.

This painting was done on the street across from Brath &  Hughes Fine Art Gallery in Mechanicsburg, PA.  The painting is on display there as part of the Mechanicsburg Architectural Show and Wine Walk.  Stop by to see it.

Donna Berk Barlup 

DonnaBStudios.com

djbarlup@gmail.com

http://www.dailypaintersofpennsylvania.blogspot.com/

http://susquehannavalleypleinairpainters.blogspot.com/