Dori DeCamillis

In November I enjoyed an artist residency at Hambidge Residency Center in North Georgia. Here are a few of the thousands of images I took, mostly for my new paintings. To read more about my adventure, check out my Without a Net blog. The above image is from the Hambidge grounds. They own 600 acres in the breathtaking North GA mountains.  My studio table I'd break the internet if I posted all the mushroom photos I took. Here is one. There were several site works of art in the woods. We visited a few of the other artist studios.  We had a little fall color left. It was chilly, which meant less sweat and fewer ticks. The many pools and ponds made for good reflection photos.

Spring in Birmingham has been over-the-top spectacular this year. Here are some blooms from our yard. Above: Lenten Rose Creeping Phlox Solomon Seal Azalea 

Our next stop after Lake Como was the Italian Alps, or Dolomites. Our luxurious tour bus drove us six hours to our new home, with a stop in Bolzano to see the Ice Man. Discovered recently in the Alps, Otzi the Ice Man is a very well-preserved 5,000 year old man. I'd seen a documentary about him with Annabelle, so I couldn't believe my luck in finding him on our itinerary. A modern museum in Bolzano exhibits his remains and his many artifacts which are surprisingly still intact. The place was crowded so I went quickly, but his tools and clothing were fascinating in their age and craftsmanship. A link to the museum site will give you more of a rundown than I can here.  On our drive we saw pretty much nothing but vineyards alongside the freeway with huge mountains behind them. Every few miles you'd see an abandoned castle or monastery on a nearby hilltop, reminding us of the rich history of the region. After seeing so many vineyards I believed the fact that Italy mak...

Here are some photos from my recent trip to Steamboat, my hometown. I had fun with family, did some stellar hiking, went to the rodeo, and ate a lot. Scott fished and fished and fished. 

Summer is a theme in some of the most recent finished paintings in my oil paintings classes.  Joyce White (above) took a not-so-perfect photograph and made magic happen. Marcia Amason will be having her own solo show at Red Dot opening in September. Becky Haines has been doing some lovely reflective still lives based on her own photographs. Glenda Weathers is experimenting with simplifying more complicated scenes. This was her first try and she really nailed it.

Recent regular morning walks at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens have given me less exercise than usual because of my very frequent photo stops. Our gardens are magnificent, free, and are so well-cared-for it seems like worker gnomes must be on duty at all times.

A few faces from our daylily beds this morning. My husband is promising to name one of his hybrids after me. Can you guess which? 

Marcia Amason Here is a small selection of paintings completed at Red Dot by my lovely students over the past several months.  Joyce White Lisa Martin Deeana Crider Beverley Phillips Charla Cardin Nadine Leplantenier Louise Parsons Eileen Cohn Casey Lancaster