HOME ALONE

Lawrence left me home alone today. I spent the afternoon in the backyard tied to the porch. Boy was it a long lonely day !! He went to the National Gallery of Art in Washington and had lunch with his friend Ross Merrill and saw the art exhibition In The Forest At Fontainbleau. He was really excited to see the above painting ,On The Road To Chailly ,which is one of Monet's most famous early paintings. The forest of Fontainbleau is south of Paris and is where the French artists began to do a lot of outdoor painting on site in the mid nineteenth century. Lawrence's favorite painting in the exhibit was a small painting by Monet titled Haystacks At Chailly At Sunrise which is pictured below.

It really captures the color of the early morning sky. I love it too. Now I'd like to go sniff out some trails in the forest at Fontainbleau.

TRIP TO LA AND VEGAS

Lawrence just finished telling me all about his trip to LA and Las Vegas with L4. He said he had a great time. While in LA he got to see Malibu, Hollywood and Laguna Beach and he loved Santa Monica where L4 lives. They went to four art museums and saw some great paintings. He was particularly excited to see some nice paintings by the California Impressionists. The above painting "Incoming Tide" is by Guy Rose who many consider the greatest of the California impressionists. He spent time in the American art colony in Giverny painting alongside Monet. Lawrence also saw paintings by Payne, Redmond, Wendt, and Braun among others. All of these artists interpreted the California light in vibrant high key colors. Now that the spring colors are just beginning to show here in Virginia ,Lawrence is hoping to get out soon to do some painting. I like to go along with him and bark encouragement while he diligently applies paint to the canvas.