Heron Study II by Roxanne Steed

5"x7" oil on gessoed masonite hardboard

"Man's heart away from nature becomes hard." ~Standing Bear


Yet another study of the marshy area behind Waterford Beach....and some of those wonderful herons that hunt for dinner there!

This painting is available from my DailyPainters.com gallery or send me a message here.

Heron Study I by Roxanne Steed - sold!

5"x7" oil on gessoed masonite archival artboard

"In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia." ~Charles A. Lindbergh

Today I'm packing my art bags and equipment to head down to Norfolk, VA for the annual "Out & About Norfolk Plein Air Event". I'll be painting on Thursday and Friday, Saturday we will hang our wet paintings for the show & sale on Saturday evening at Waterside in downtown Norfolk. For more information, click the link above! I'd love to see you there!

Today, in between packing, I got out some of my sketches of egrets, I'm putting together in a much larger painting. But today is a color study of what's to come!

This can be purchased directly from my DailyPainters.com Gallery or by contacting me here.

North Cove, Old Saybrook by Roxanne Steed

16"x20" oil on linen mounted on archival panel

"Do not tell fish stories where people know you; but particularly don't tell them where they know the fish." -Mark Twain


Another beautiful day here in New England! I was able to go back to Old Saybrook and finish the piece I started on last week down on the North Cove. My friend's yard overlooks the cove and all the boats moored out there are so beautiful.

I had been wanting to work on larger pieces on location. I usually work on this size in the comfort of my studio. But I did want to see what I could bring to the effort by being on location. I got the canvas covered last week, with everything blocked in & indicated in placement (in particular the boats and the clouds, which continue to move all the time). Once I indicate the direction of light hitting the boats, that's the crucial point for me. (***And I strongly suggest to artists just starting out, to lay out a lot of paint!)

This week I came back for the finish, which actually doesn't take that long once the "bones" (or foundation) of the painting are carefully set.

This painting may be purchased directly from me, at my DailyPainters.com gallery store

Coastal Living, plein aire at Harkness Park by Roxanne Steed

8"x8" oil on gessoed masonite art panel

"Let there be spaces in your togetherness
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you."
- Kahlil Gibran

What a perfect day out by Long Island Sound, here in southeastern Connecticut. Nice and warm, no humidity today, just a bit of breeze, no stiff winds, just perfect.

I've been wanting to get out to do some 'tree portraits' of various kinds. There are several groupings out there at Harkness Park that are very old and huge, with interesting shapes massed together. This morning the sun was coming up behind this grouping of trees, so they were backlit. By the time I finished painting the sun was high enough to light bits of the tops of the trees. I also find it interesting while painting in familiar places, the variety of the quality of light...and looking for warm & cool light, and where these planes hit on each object lit by the sun.

For purchase information, contact me here.

Hazy Summer Morning at Harkness Park by Roxanne Steed

8"x10" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival panel


"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it." ~Russel Baker

This morning came all cloudy, remnants of the previous nights storm. The humidity was rising, and as the sun tried to burn through, you knew it had the potential to be sweltering! But I found a place in the shade, with a good view, and an ocean breeze, what could be better? A bit of protection from the sun and swelter, fog-horns off shore a constant reminder of the weather. The horizon melded with sky in the distant haze, looking like there was no beginning, no end. What a feeling for a summer day!

For more information about this painting, contact me here.

Red Right Returning by Roxanne Steed

15"x30" oil on deep gallery wrapped linen

Everybody's talking at me.
I don't hear a word they're saying,
Only the echoes of my mind.
People stopping staring,
I can't see their faces,
Only the shadows of their eyes.

I'm going where the sun keeps shining
Thru' the pouring rain,
Going where the weather suits my clothes,
Backing off of the North East wind,
Sailing on summer breeze
And skipping over the ocean like a stone.
- Harry Nilsson

As I was posting this painting, I just kept thinking about "sailin' on a summer breeze"...and honestly - if you're my age, you just can't say that phrase without singing it to Harry Nilsson's tune. With all the chilly rain we've had lately, this is one fine daydream, to recall the sunny days out on the water last summer! Watching the boats go by!

Apple Blossom Spring Morning by Roxanne Steed

"Break open a cherry tree and there are no flowers, but the spring breeze brings forth myriad blossoms."

-Ikkyu Sojun



8"x10" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival panel

Monday morning opened on a beautiful sunny day, and the apple blossoms are opening every where up here in our corner of Connecticut. This old tree is one of my favorites to see in bloom, I wait to go rush and see it in Spring, like an old friend, willing to commune for a while and be (just...be) in its presence. It's over at Haley Farm, a local state park close to us.

To purchase, contact me here, or visit my blog, here.