What is going on with the weather of late? A gal from Western Europe, used to lots of wet and chilly days, I was able to get through the grueling hot Summer thanks to the promise of relief later in the year. But it seems that there is no end in sight! It is mid October, I am sitting here with doors and windows wide open, crickets chirping outside in the balming moonless evening. It makes me think of all the writers of the 19th and 20th Century not just on the muggy East Coast, but also in Europe. How were they able hold up during those long Summer days in humid Greece, Mallorca without air conditioning? Or not just writers, how about composers, painters? Matisse was probably mostly working near an open window, to catch the ocean breeze and after the sun had set to make way for some cool air, he would throw his brushes in the can with turpentine, close shop and meet with fellow artists…

Let me give you a tip. The best of all worlds: The Grand Canyon in Winter. What a beautiful, breathtaking view, and nice, nippy hiking weather. After a couple of hours along the most mysterious nature site in the world, a cup of hot tea never tastes so good.

While visiting Holland, Christine was asked to paint the portraits of three siblings, young adults attending university. They all cleared their agendas and posed together at their grandmother’s house.

Using an old-fashioned clothes-drying rack as a makeshift easel, Christine got to work. It was definitely a very fun couple of days and produced three elongated portraits that can be hung alongside each other in triptych format.