Chewy

Chewy

Oil on canvas, 12x12

101 Dogs Project painting

A friend and collector who lives in Arizona went all-in on the 101 Dogs project, having me make paintings of all three of her dogs. They all are attractive, energetic-looking dogs, with their own clear personalities and their own clear looks. Chewy here has amazing blue eyes that remind me of my sweet Jojo's startling blue eyes. 

I had a ball painting all three dogs - and I'm happy that the project is proceeding. There is plenty of room for more people, dogs and paintings, and I'm hoping that some of you will sign up, now that the holidays are over. To find out more about the project, click here.

*** 

 

Here's one of my paintings in place in a couple's living room. 

Doesn't it look great? I could hardly believe that I'd painted it. 

***

Dog of the Day 

I met this brindle beauty at a show in Omaha this past summer. 

I'm going back to Omaha again this coming summer.

 I was invited back, no need for jurying! That's exciting. 

***

A Final Thought

"The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web." 

- Pablo Picasso

Hammy - and 101 Dogs!

Hammy

Oil on canvas, 12x12

Available at Center Framing and Art

56 La Salle Road, West Hartford Center, CT

I hit a deer the other night, on my way home from Virginia Beach. It was dusk, and I always look out for deer, especially at dusk and dawn, but this one came out of nowhere, virtually jumping into my van on Route 13. 

She died instantly, and I feel so terrible for having taken this beautiful life, no matter how inadvertently. I was uninjured, thanks to my very heavy, very large van. The front of the van is smashed in, the bumper dragging, one of the lights not working. But I was able to drive home.

The incident has drained me in my soul. Makes me feel like some part of me died, along with that deer. I am sincerely grateful that it was not worse.

***

THE 101 DOGS project is up and running, and I hope you'll sponsor me and get a painting of your dog! I'm offering it first to people I know, and so if you've told me you might like a dog painting, you've probably received an email from me already.

It's a really fun project, benefitting dog-related charities, and allowing me to stay home a little more this summer, and make dog paintings!

Prices for original oil paintings start at $375. You can be a part of the project for less, receiving items printed with dog paintings. I can still finish a few paintings and get them to you in time for the holidays. Otherwise, if you want to give a sponsorship as a holiday present, I will send you a nice gift certificate.

You can check out the entire project by clicking here to reach the 101 Dogs Project page on the Jacobson Arts website

Find out about how it works by clicking here

Find out about the dog-related recipients I've chosen by clicking here

Questions? Drop me an email at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com

***
Dog of the Day

Saw these guys in Columbus this summer. Great blue eye on that one on the left! 

***

A Final Thought

"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, 

but their inward significance." 

- Aristotle

Rooney - and 101 Dogs Is Live

Rooney

Oil on canvas, 16x16

commission

The 101 Dogs project, which is now up and running, puts my love of art and dogs - especially rescue dogs - together, and it is bringing joy back into my life. 

I rededicated it to Jojo and Zoe, and I have to say that working on the web page, Facebook page, flier, press releases, button, totebag, notecards, stamps and other items are helping me get through my sadness.

In the project, I'll make portraits of the first 101 dogs who share the lives of people who sign up at $375 or more. The people will get the portraits, a book or poster of all the dog paintings in the project - with their dog on the cover, or in the center of the poster - and a variety of other items. People sponsoring me for less than $375 won't get original art, but will receive a variety of thank-you gifts bearing art from the project. And anyone who sponsors me at any level will have my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation. 

Please click here take a look at the 101 Dogs page on the Jacobson Arts website - and please consider sponsoring me. If you've been thinking about having me make a painting of your dog, this would be a perfect time to do it! (Here's the link, if you'd rather copy and paste: http://www.jacobson-arts.com/#!101-dogs/ci93). 

***

I HAVE LOTS of exciting new paintings, and I'll be bringing a lot of them to the Paradise City Arts show this weekend. 

The show takes place in the Three-County Fairgrounds in Northampton, MA, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It's a terrific show, with plenty of lovely art, beautiful, fine craft, good food and music, too. There's a fee to enter, but you can get a discount coupon at the Paradise City Arts website. Click here! 

I'll be in the Morgan Barn. Please come and say hello, and see my new paintings. 

***

HURRICANE JOAQUIN has left the area, and the flooding has nearly stopped. The photo above was from Saturday. Sunday's high tide was even higher. I took a video of a guy who just had to drive down flooded Atlantic Avenue... and then had to stop to make way for some ducks. Here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYXQlbtOcRg

***

Dog of the Day

It's Maggie, who lives down the street and decided she needed to bark her head off at me. We used to call her the fake Jojo, because she looked just like Joey, but with brown eyes. 

***

A Final Thought

"The artist's world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives

 or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep."

- Paul Strand

Jake - and a Wild-Sounding Show

 Jake

Oil on canvas, 12x12

commission

I really love this one! Jake has such an expressive face, with big soft eyes and a direct glance that melts my heart a little bit. 

I paint a lot of black dogs - also white dogs - and they generally end up blue and purple, like Jake. It's a way to get the depth, and the shine, the curves and the light and the shadows - and still stay away from black, which deadens and kills a painting, at least in my opinion. 

***

THIS WEEKEND, it's Arts in the Park in Richmond, VA. I've heard this is a fun show, sprawling and busy, with hundreds of artists and jewelers and basketmakers and woodworkers, and pretty much anything and anyone else you can think of! I've never done it before, so we shall see. 

I'm in Booth No. 90, in what's referred to as "the dust bowl." Hmm. Hearing that I was in that space, one friend who knows my ways cautioned me not to bring any wet paintings. 

The show is Saturday and Sunday, 11-6 and 11-5 respectively. For more info, click here.

***

Dog of the Day

Actually, there are two dogs in the cart... one on the seat, and one on the floor. 

They're both wet, gray-faced and pretty darn happy-looking. 

***

A final thought

"Creativity takes courage."

- Henri Matisse

Andy - and I Love Pet Portraits

Andy

Oil on canvas, 12x12

Commission

I question myself about nearly everything about my painting, especially after a series of low-sale shows like the three I've had so far this year. One thing I never question is my pet portraits. I love doing them! And the people who commission me love them, too. It's pure joy. And if I could make our living doing nothing but painting pets, I'd do it! 

Pet portraits are sort of like the romance novels of the art world. People love them, but they're looked down upon by "serious" artists. When I first started doing shows, I thought I'd show primarily pets - but to my amazement, juries - the people who decide who's in and who's out of the shows - hate pet portraits. Don't consider them "real" art. 

Well, I do. I don't think of them as "pet portraits," really, but as paintings that are about beloved animals. Each is a challenge, each is an experiment, each is individual and filled with its own light and personality.

Someday, someone is going to hire me to do a 60x60 pet portrait. Someday, someone is going to ask me to paint a gerbil or a hamster. In the meantime, I'll happily paint dogs, cats and the occasional parrot. The 12x12 size is $350; I go up in size and price from there. I work from photographs, and am happy to include or exclude this color or that. Drop me an email if you want to know more. These paintings make the BEST presents! 

***

Dog of the Day

I met this poodle in West Hartford Center in March. He looks pretty calm here, 

but this photo was taken after several minutes of exuberant

 and amusing leaps of excitement. 

***

A final thought

"The real secret of happiness is simply this: to be willing to live and let live, and to know very clearly in one's own mind that the unpardonable sin is to be an unpleasant person." 

- Galen Starr Ross

December Longhorn - and Erica's Wonderful Pet Portraits

December Longhorn

Oil on black canvas, 16x20

Please click here to email me for price and availability

After a bout of indecision with a cowscape I made earlier in December , I decided to try another cowscape, and plan from the start to leave the canvas black. So here is December Longhorn, staring out of that darkness at you. I really like the expression on his face, and all the colors there, and on his hide, too. 

The black canvases continue to interest me. They change everything! What do you think? 

***

LAST YEAR, at a show in Chattanooga, I met a lovely couple who really responded to my paintings. They bought two of them, and when I delivered them to their house, I found that Erica was not only a painter, but also a palette knife painter. 

We clicked immediately, and over the year, I've watched her painting grow and develop. She does beautiful landscapes (I have one!) - and wonderful, fun pet portraits. She gave me permission to share them here. 

If any of you would like to find out more about Erica, or talk to her about a pet portrait, please click here to email me, and I'll get you in touch with her. 

***

Dog of the Day 

This is a lurcher (? who knew?) whom I met at a show this summer. Love her eyes! 

Sadie, a Good Year, and a Friday Event in Hartford

Sadie

Oil on canvas, 12x12

Commission

It's too late to have me make a pet portrait for you to give this holiday season - but it's never too late for a gift certificate for a pet portrait. I love finding, seeing and painting the soul of a beloved dog... or cat... or turtle... or hamster... Sadie came out really well, I think - playful but still serious, girly but still very tough. Painting portraits of pets is a thing of joy for me!

The 12x12 size is $350, and there's plenty of time for me to get a nice gift certificate to you!

***

IT'S THE END of the year, and a convenient time to step back, take stock and set goals.

2014 was great for me. I made paintings that I loved, and took strides to discover new directions, new ways of expressing my heart and soul. I had a fantastic plein-air painting trip, and got to see parts of this amazing country that I'd never seen before.

I participated in 20 indoor and outdoor art festivals. I met hundreds of interesting, enthusiastic art lovers. I made friends with artists and volunteers, buyers and lookers, children and spouses. I found a few serious collectors.

I began not only to get good ideas for creating products to sell, like books and calendars, in addition to my original paintings, but I also managed to make some of these happen.

After a daunting bout of reality at a show in Westport, CT, in the middle of the summer, I found myself infused with new passion and new zeal. I promised myself to make landscapes that were different from everyone else's, or to stop making them. I promised myself to learn to see and use and understand new colors. I promised myself to work harder to understand what it is to be a contemporary artist, and take whatever strides I could - even if my heart was in my throat - to grow in that direction.

At one point, I sent myself an email that just said: "Carrie paint the light." And so I have, and so I shall.

I worked hard this year, but I would not have worked as hard, or had the ideas I had, made the strides I made, or had the successes I've had without you. You folks who have followed me and supported me on my blog, who have bought my paintings, showed up at my shows, told your friends and family about me, written to me, pushed me, questioned me, and been truly and fully interested and invested in my success, you are an enormous part of all of this.

And so I say - WE had a great 2014! Thank you!

I'm sending you all great hopes and good wishes for a joyous holiday season - and a fabulous 2015.

***

IF YOU LIVE IN or near Hartford, CT, or you're going to be there on Friday, here's an event you might consider:

My brother, writer Rand Cooper, sent me this email:

On Friday, at the Mark Twain House, Marlon James, novelist and teacher, is going to be on hand to read from and discuss his new novel, "A Brief History of Seven Killings."

This book, Rand says, is rumored to be a front-runner for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction, and he has heard nothing but raves about it. The New York Times' chief book reviewer, Michiko Kakutani, is a notorious shredder who hates almost everything... and she calls the book "raw, dense, violent, scalding, darkly comic, exhilarating and exhausting — a testament to Mr. James’s vaulting ambition and prodigious talent." Rand says the full review can be found by clicking here. 

James will discuss the book and sign copies of it. The event is free, but you have to register to attend. Go to MarkTwainHouse.org, or call 860-280-3130. 

***

Dog of the Day

It's Muppet, Dave and Maura Ammenheuser's bichon. 

He is a great dog, and I got to visit him, and his humans, 

on my trip back from Texas. 

Want your pet to be Dog of the Day? 

Email a jpg to me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com

Welcome Abby! And an Occasion for the Arts

Abby 

Oil on canvas, 12x12

Want a painting of your pet? Send an email to me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com, 

and check out the pet page on Jacobson Arts! 

A couple months ago, after Sammy died, Peter started looking at dogs on the Internet. I was OK with his looking, and I knew I would be OK with it when he found a dog to adopt. And I knew he would. 

I wasn't looking for another dog. I was happy with the four we had, the pack as it stood. But we have time and space and energy for another dog, and as long as Peter was willing to be the one to train and take care of the new dog, it was fine. 

I have Jojo, dog of my heart. When I am home, she is my constant companion, at my side all the time, as happy to be with me as I am to be with her. She is the kind of dog you imagine having when you're a kid, the dog who is your friend and compadre. I am her human and she is my dog. 

Peter had that sort of relationship with Sam, and with Looie, both of whom died within the past year. He doesn't have that relationship with any of the others. Neither of us does. 

Woodreau, the bichon who was so abused, is no one's dog. He can be sweet, but he is so damaged that proximity is about the best he can do in terms of showing love. Smokey, the chow-sharpei, is his own dog. And little blind 15-year-old Zoe really doesn't want to snuggle, and can't do much running or hanging around. So I could really understand it, Peter's desire. 

When he found Abigail, I knew he'd lost his heart to her. And so, on Monday, he drove to near Asheville, NC, and got her. 

She is a Mountain Cur, a long-legged, sweet-tempered, great-looking dog, with soulful eyes.  There were a couple bumps the first hour or so, but within a day, Abby and Jojo were racing around the yard together, and they all were gathered at the fence, and at the window, to bark at everyone going by. Already, our old dogs (they range from 8 to 14) are acting younger. 

Here she is - isn't she beautiful? I have to admit, I have fallen a little in love with her myself. 

***

An Occasion for the Arts runs this weekend, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, in Merchant's Square, downtown Williamsburg. I will be in Booth A-8, on the Duke of Gloucester Street. I'm pretty excited, and hope to see you all there. 

***

Dog of the Day

It's Jojo! Dog of my heart. 

Duke - and Manayunk, Too

Duke

Oil on canvas, 12x12, commission

I had a fun time painting Duke, a calm Weimeraner,  who lives in South Carolina. The commission came to me after the show I did in Pendleton, and it was a Father's Day present for the buyer's husband. 

Their son liked it, too! I am particularly glad to see that I was painting for a Red Sox fan. We all need something special this season, all of us Sox fans... 

***

I AM HAPPILY back home for a few weeks, before heading to Rhode Island for the Wickford Art Festival, July 12 and 13. And it's great to be home, just great. 

I had a pretty good show in Manayunk, PA. Not a great one, but well worth doing. And it was fun! The area where the show took place is the main drag in Manayunk, and it was a lovely spot, filled with interesting shops, restaurants with outdoor terraces, and lots of people with great dogs. 

This bichon had a stroke when she was young - just about 3, her owner said. The owner got her some wheels, and she took to them right away. This was a happy, lively dog, much adored. 

***

I HAD SOME nice sales at the show in Manayunk. I had fun with the couple who bought the North Carolina storm painting, and a good conversation with the man who bought the painting of Las Cruces. I failed to take a photo of the very cool woman who bought one of my sunflower paintings, but you'll be hearing more about her in the future!

One of my paintings,  "Riders on the Storm," below, is now hanging in the home of the man who was William Penn's personal secretary! I love that!

The man who bought the piece was as nice as could be. He and his wife and four children "blew up our lives," he said, moving from the suburbs to downtown Philadelphia. They bought the house, which is right near Independence Hall and all the famous Philly stuff - and they began a major, major renovation. I'm just tickled that my contemporary cowboy painting is hanging in a home of such history.

 ***

Dog of the Day

This guy, who is about 11, clearly adores his human. But what he adores even more, she told me, is bananas. That's what's going on here - sheer and unadulterated banana lust. 

Fernando - and the Eastern Shore Artisans Trail

Fernando

Oil on canvas, 12x12

commission

If you're in Wachapreague on Saturday, April 5, please come to the Island House for a day of fun and fund-raising to help establish the Eastern Shore Artisan Trail.

The Island House will donate a portion of the day's receipts to the effort, and artists and artisans in town - myself included - are donating work for an auction and silent auction.

The silent auction runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; the live auction takes place at 8 p.m., after a social hour that starts at 7 p.m.

Artists and artisans from Wachapreague and beyond have donated work for the event, which is part of the effort to make the Eastern Shore part of the Artisan Trail Network.

The network is part of the Artisans Center of Virginia, which was incorporated in 2000, as a way to serve the state's artisan community by providing funding and economic opportunities to the states craftspeople and artisans. You can read more about the program here.

So while the Artisans Center doesn't really include artists (though I think it should), an Artisans Trail along the Eastern Shore is bound to benefit those of us who make art, as opposed to craft, just by drawing attention to the bounty of creativity and talent that's here on the Eastern Shore.

I am donating a pet portrait to the effort, so if you've been thinking that you might like a portrait of your pet, here's a way to get one, and help a good cause, as well! These paintings sell for $350; bidding will start, I believe, at $200, so you might even have a chance to get one below cost.

Here's a poster of the event:

***

I WON'T BE able to be at the Artisan Trail event, because I will be in historic Pendleton, South Carolina for the Spring Jubilee, my first show of the season here in the east. That show takes place April 5-6.

I'll be staying down in South Carolina for the week after the show, as the following weekend finds me in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the 4 Bridges Art Festival, April 11-13.

My show schedule to date is up on the blog now, with my booth numbers if I know them. I'm planning on fewer shows this summer than last, though at this point, the schedule looks pretty full.

***

Peter and I took a drive to Exmore and Willis Wharf on Saturday, just to get out - I realized that, apart from one trip to CVS, I haven't left the house since I got back from Arizona! I asked him to stop so I could to take a photo of the scene below, and when I got out of the car, these geese started honking and honking, creating a ruckus like I've never heard. And they are as silly-looking in life as in this photo.

***

Dog of the Day

It's Smokey, a little blurry, but happy and full of life as ever. 

Groton Reservoir - and Let's See Your Tree!

Groton Reservoir

Oil on canvas, 30x40

sold

One of the great things about living in Ledyard, CT, was being near the Groton Reservoir. I painted it often, and in all seasons. Some of my very favorite paintings from the years we lived in Ledyard are of the reservoir - and this is one of them. 

It is one of the first large paintings I did with a palette knife, and while it had some of the feeling I was hoping to communicate, it was lacking something - a little life, a little breadth, a little color? So I went back in and worked on it again, and this time, whatever was missing is there.

***

May We See Your Tree?  

In Saturday's entry, I posted a photo of our Christmas tree.  My friend Bonnie Brankey, a wonderful artist,  sent me this photo of her tree. Could we share our trees, or our Hanukkah bushes, or our holiday-decorated pink flamingos - or whatever you decorate? 

Please send a jpg to me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com, and I'll post them here on the blog on Christmas Day. 

***

Dogs of the Day

 Gotta love 'em! Want your pet to be dog of the day? Send a jpg to me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com

Thinking of Summer - and a Painting in Its New Home

Thinking of Summer

Oil on canvas, 10x10

As I am planning my trip to California to paint, give workshops and do shows, I have found myself thinking of summer, even though it's plenty cold here in Virginia. 

To me, summer is more than warmth. It's early dawns and late sunsets. It's the coolness of shady trees, the smell of freshly turned dirt, the brilliant colors of flowers. It's bare feet, and the sounds of people playing and doing things outdoors, and fireflies lighting the gentle nights. 

That's where my head was, in summer, when I made this little painting, a rare abstract, and one that I really like. 

***

AFTER SPENDING MOST of the day struggling to put together a not very complicated easel - and failing mightily - I just put it aside and started a cowscape. I really like it, especially on the black canvas. The cows are going to be standing in water, so chances are that this will not be a minimalist painting - but I might try some more cows on another black canvas, and leave it without much non-cow stuff. 

I think this painting has a little bit of the feeling of cave drawings, and I like that! 

***

 Late in the summer, a lovely woman from Delaware commissioned me to make the painting you see above. It's 24 by 72 - big! - and what you can't really see well is that there's a couple, a child and a dog walking along the beach.

Here's how it looks in their home. Nice!

 ***

Dog of the Day

In late October, a lovely old girl named Flossie was the dog of the day. 

She was aged and arthritic, but what a dear face. I am sure she was a sweet dog. But her aches and pains finally got the best of her, and her owners decided it was her time. 

No one will ever replace Flossie, but she's been followed into the family by Gonzo, 

pictured above. He's bound to bring love and joy and entertainment, 

and help Flossie's family put distance between themselves and their sadness. 

Max and Carrot - and Woody, Too

Max

Oil on canvas, 12x12

commission

So where does inspiration come from? I can't say that I know. But I do know I recognize it when it comes calling. 

And that's sort of the answer for me. 

Inspiration is not here with me 24 hours a day. The muses just aren't always singing. 

Luckily for me, I had a lifetime before this one that also brought me into contact with inspiration and the muses. And I learned, from my years of writing and editing, and writing headlines and captions, that the best way to greet the muses when they do show up, and entreat them to stay for a while, is to be prepared. 

When I was writing and editing a lot, I eventually began to think of those activities as muscles that needed to be exercised and strengthened every day. I wrote and wrote and wrote, and edited and edited and edited, and so, when inspiration showed up, I was tuned in enough to recognize it and lithe enough to capture it. 

The same goes with my painting. 

I paint and paint and paint. I paint every day. I try things, and try things again, and then try again. And when, for instance, Max goes from being a cardboardy face on a canvas to taking on the soul of the dog, I can recognize the moment of inspiration and grab hold and, if I am lucky, hear those muses singing. 

What about you? Do you think that inspiration deserves more respect, more of a princely welcome? How do you seek and find inspiration? 

Carrot

Oil on canvas, 12x12

commission

p.s., Carrot and Max live together, and their portraits are going to hang together. Fun! 

Want to give a pet portrait as a Christmas present? I'll send you a gift certificate to give to that special pet-loving someone. Email me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com

***

AS MOST OF YOU know, I think, I am embarking in mid-January on a painting trip to California, and I'm looking for sponsors. 

Sponsorships run from $50 to $750. For your hard-earned $$, you receive art that I paint on the way! You also receive goodies from the road, including a 2015 calendar of paintings to the trip; postcards from my travels; regular emails with paintings, stories and photos from the road; and a chance to win a big painting of your choice. 

Check out the details at at http://jacobson-arts.com/Jacobson_Arts/sponsor_me%21.html.

Sponsorships make great Christmas presents! If anyone wants me to suggest to a friend or significant other that you might like a sponsorship, please email me at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com, and I'll drop the hint. 

***

Dog of the Day

Here's Woodreau. He's a bichon we rescued; he was so messed up, it was a year before we could pet him. He did make friends with the dogs right away.

Want your pet to be the Dog of the Day? Send me a picture at carrieBjacobson@gmail.com

Two Thousand Inches of Happy - and a Sad Farewell

Two Thousand Inches of Happy

Oil on canvas, 48x48

please contact me for price and delivery options

One of the reasons that I love to paint is that I love the way it makes me feel. I love where it takes my head, where it takes my heart. 

When I am painting, it seems that the world goes away. Well, that's not really right. My surroundings recede. My worries recede. Whatever is dark and sad in my life recedes, and I am left with what is joyful and full of promise. I am left with color, and with light, and with faith.

I paint - and especially with something like this piece, this big, bright, heavily textured sunflower piece - I find a rhythm that helps transport me, helps bring me to that transcendent place, that place where sorrow is something just out of the frame, just off of the horizon. 

We euthanized our 15-year-old Pekingese on Monday. He had had trouble walking for a couple of years, and his back legs pretty much gave out a couple months ago. This weekend, one of his front legs seemed to be on the way out. It was arthritis, the vet said, and Looie would not get better. He would not come out of it. 

Loo had a good long life. He was the top dog for a long time, and one of his major roles was to stop all playing, whenever possible. We called him the fun police. Kaja, the German shepherd/chow in the photo with Loo, is also dead. Kaja spent many joyful afternoons in Maine running into Looie at full tilt, knocking him ass over teakettle. He would roll and tumble, and then get up, barking, and chase Kaja until she'd do it again. 

I understand when people say they can't think of having another dog, because of the pain at the end of their too-short lives. I understand. But I wouldn't change a moment of this awful pain for a moment less of life with Looie or Kaja or any of the others. 

And so I painted, and painted, painted beautiful, bright, rhythmic sunflowers. I let myself get lost in the colors and the light and the promise, and the healing. 

***

Rocketman

IT'S NOT A GREAT photo, I know, but it was an exciting evening, earlier this week, when a rocket blasted off at night from Wallops Island, a few miles up the Shore. It was pretty cool to see it, arcing orange and fiery against the night sky, out over the Atlantic. 

***

THIS IS WHAT the Eastern Shore looks like in November. It doesn't have the wall-to-wall brilliance of New England, but it is pretty and bright nonetheless. The white stuff in the photo above is cotton.