Wedding Present for Melissa Twining and Kevin Clark

Oudon Castle, France
by Jane McElvany Coonce

The 2nd wedding I went to in the past few weeks was the wedding of Melissa Twining and Kevin Clark.  Melissa was also in the Mother's Group that I was a member of, and needless to say, Melissa sat on the floor and played quietly while I chased Nicholas and Kevin all over the house trying to make them behave so I could get a sip of coffee.  Melissa's dad, Robert Twining, has been a friend of mine since he was born.  We grew up in the same neighborhood and played hours together in his backyard sandbox.  Now that I think about it, I was playing nicely in the sandbox while his mother was chasing him all over the yard trying to change his diapers!  There has to be a special place in heaven for mother's of boys!!!!!  Laura Twining, mother of the bride, was my roommate when we were single and teaching at Wakefield High School.  I introduced Laura to my childhood friend and the rest is history.

The painting is of Oudon Castle.  Both mothers of the bride and groom are French.  About a month before the wedding, the Twining family and the Clark family had a celebration of the wedding in Oudon, France.  This is the place where they had their wedding celebration.

I hope they also look at this painting from time to time and think of their special event in France.

Alysa and Anthony's Row House
by Jane McElvany Coonce

I mentioned that I went to 3 wedding for 3 weekends in a row.  The first wedding was Alysa Regen's and Anthony Cargiulo's wedding in Pennsylvania. I've known Alysa since she was in diapers.  I was in a mother's group where we would meet once a week at someone's house.  The woman that had girls sat around and sipped their coffee while their daughters played quietly on the floor.  The women that had boys (me) stood up and chased their kids trying to keep them from getting into something they shouldn't. I don't think I ever finished a cup of coffee at one of those mother's group meetings!

Eileen, Alysa's mother, had suggested she would like to commission me to do a painting for Alysa, but I said that I'd would just like to do it for a wedding present.   This is the street where Anthony and Alysa live in Washington, DC.  I think it's 12th and W N.W.  I've put a couple in the painting walking down the street to suggest Alysa and Anthony walking together in their new life as a married couple.

I hope Alysa and Anthony remember their first home together when they look at this pictures years from now.  They are a special couple with lots of adventures ahead.

Large Works Juried Show

Twilight Over Georgetown
by Jane McElvany Coonce

I am so thrilled!!!!!  My piece was accepted into the large works juried show at The Art League.  Competition was tough.  There were 80 entries and only 16 were selected!  To be honest, I'm shocked I was accepted.  So often, jurors go for the abstract , especially when it's a big piece.  This show will be hung in November.  Can't wait to see the show hung.

Taking a Group to Greece

I am organizing my next painting trip, and this year it is to Greece.  We have a fabulous travel agent whose specialty is archeological sites.  She will lead us through the ruins of Greece and take us to great places to paint.  We also welcome anyone who just wants to travel with a group.

The trip begins on May 2, 2015, and we will fly to Athens.  We will stay there two days in the heart of Athens and tour around the sites of the city as well as Sounio.  Then we will head out to the Island of Tinos.  It's a place that hasn't been discovered by tourists, but a place where the Greeks love. It's called the most romantic island of Greece.  We will be stationed there for 5 days in a boutique hotel right on the water.  Each morning we go out and paint.  For our travelers that aren't painters, they will tour around the town that we are visiting.

After we leave Tinos, we will head to Delphi.  We will be stationed there for 5 days and will visit the ruins of Delphi as well as close by seaside towns.  We will paint and tour our way through Greece.

After that, we will head back to Athens and return home.

Breakfast and dinner are included and we will catch a lunch in whatever town we happen to be in that day.

It's going to be a fantastic trip because our guide is one of the best in the whole country.  She was recommended to me by someone who travels extensively, and she told me of all the guides she's ever had in all the trips she's ever taken, she felt this one was the best!  So we are very excited to be apart of this tour.

If you'd like to travel and want to go with a group or if you want to take some painting classes along the way, this is the trip for you.  Space is limited, so please let me know if you are interested.

I'd be glad to send you a brochure if you would like to look over the whole itinerary.  Just let me know.

Opening Up a Can of Worms

Opening Up a Can of Worms
by Jane McElvany Coonce

Once again I entered the juried show at The Art League at the Torpedo Factory, and my painting was selected!  It's kind of a funky painting.  It's a plastic dinosaur getting ready to devour a can of gummy worms.  (Can you tell I've been on a diet for a while?)  There were over 500 entries and the juror only selected 90.  I feel quite honored.  You never know what a juror might like.  But it always makes you feel good when you get into the show.  If you get a chance, go down to The Art League this month and see the 90 works that were selected.

Key Bridge - Part IV

I have to apologize for not posting for a while.  My life has been crazy.  I've had 3 weddings, 3 weeks in a row, and quite a few commissions to do.  Life has been hectic.

  I want to show you the next step in the big Key Bridge painting.  I painted the light hitting the underneath part of the bridge.  I let that dry and then I painted the bridge itself.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of the other steps so you will only see the finished product.

I've entered the painting in a digital entry form for a show at The Art League.  I hope it gets in, but I never bet the bank on juried shows.  Every juror has his own agenda, taste, and ideas.  Nothing is a sure bet.

Twilight Over Georgetown
by Jane McElvany Coonce

I'll keep you posted if I make it.

Sorry I forgot to take photos of the other steps.  I was just madly painting this as well as 2 wedding presents and several other commissions.  I need a vacation!