When exploring the ‘Al Fresco’ subject for the third year, I wondered what would make this year different. I found myself especially drawn to the Mediterranean aesthetic after our trip to Greece last summer. The curved architecture, terraces plunging into the sea, and bright sun washing over dining tables were scenes I wanted to depict so the viewers might feel their warmth.

I loosened up my beginning strokes by using one large brush to fill in with one color for light and one for shadow. Then, I went back into each one with details. I learned that the patterned tablecloths popped most when paired with a more monochromatic background.

When thinking about Al Fresco, I wanted to embrace bold colors, simplifying shapes to let the colors play and really emphasize the table scape compositions. With the simplified background shapes, I really wanted the viewer's eyes to make up what they thing they see.

And as always, I wanted to add a sprinkle of weird to the pieces. Each scene features a quirky object or two....be it a fish or a jar of olives or a rogue shell that found a spot at the table.