Prodigy with her Violoncello

Last month, I suggested that perhaps I should try channeling American painter Frederic Edwin Church. Although thoughts of icebergs would be quite soothing during these sweltering summer days, I went entirely in the opposite direction by painting in some of the warmest pigments on my palette.

The Cadmium Red Orange, Cadmium Red, and Quinacridone Rose hues that dominate this painting perfectly convey the heightened emotion of the occasion. A splash of Cadmium Orange on the cello notches up the temperature, while shadows of dark bluegreen cool and anchor the composition.

My heart swells when I gaze at this young girl who appears supremely composed in her moment of triumph. In another life, I would long to be in her little red shoes!