Great day of filming at Morven Museum & Garden in Princeton, NJ.  This 18th century historic house and 5 acre garden is a fascinating place to explore; I encourage you to visit to experience it for yourself.

Huge thanks to my guests: 
Rhonda DiMascio​ - Executive Director
Jesse Gordon Simons - Curator & Registrar
Louise Senior - Horticulturalist

  I am happy to share our TRAC Media demographic information for Season 1 which shows that we have reached over 62 million viewers!  We only have 4 more episodes to film for Season 2, but we still need funding to finish filming, editing and for distribution.  Funders are individuals, companies or organizations that want to support our program and believe in our mission to share art, nature, travel, history and more.
   Funders who want to support our program have the opportunity to have 30 second spotlight commercials at the beginning and end of each program.  I'm sure that you've seen "This program is brought to you by..." at the beginning and end of Public TV shows.  These spotlights repeat on every episode into the future.  You can contact us if you'd like to donate a larger amount to have a spotlight commercial.
​  Please consider donating to help support our program.  Every dollar counts to help our program and Public TV.  

  I was out painting today and I had some thoughts about how composition and subject matter relate to each other.  I did this watercolor painting to help break a summer-long slump, which I wrote about on my personal blog: https://www.ericsantoli.com/blog/coming-out-of-a-slump-again
  I chose an admittedly uninteresting subject matter for this painting: a large pile of earth.  But I always think that subject matter in a painting is secondary.  My primary interest deals with composition, which is light, shadow, color and shape arrangement.  I love when artists play with composition and the abstract qualities of these elements.  It makes it fun to look at and to feel.  Thinking about this, I'm drawn to unconventional relationships when I look for a scene to paint.
  If you feel stuck with your painting, then you may want to test out these ideas for yourself.  You may find that the most interesting compositions come from mundane or more unusual subject matter.

  Thank you so much to the amazing team at the Thielke Arboretum for welcoming us today.  I have been to the arboretum a few times and to meet the team and paint there was really special.  It's a great place to experience the outdoors and I'm so glad that we were able to explore it more for Season 2.
Thank you:
Herb Arbeiter - Master Gardener and is a leader in stewardship and volunteer efforts.
Laura DeFlora - Master Gardener and leads the education programs. 
Dan Ackerman - President of the Board of Trustees.

  I hope everyone is having a nice July as summer progresses.  I'm currently in Oxford, MD, staying at Sandaway and the trip has been amazing so far.  This area has a lot of history and is really picturesque.  The Victorian homes here have flower-lined fences and are enchanting.
  Yesterday, I enjoyed painting a demo for a large group here.  It started raining so I wasn't able to finish, but I came back and finished once the sun returned.  I've met so many lovely people here and I'm very thankful for their support.
  Tomorrow, I'll be heading over to Easton to share a presentation all about my residency at Monet's house and gardens in Giverny, Fr.  And I'll be sharing extra information about the development and current filming of Eric En Plein Air.  If you can't make it to watch the presentation live at 10:30AM, you can also watch it live on YouTube.
  If you'd like to read more about my experience here at Plein Air Easton, check out my personal art site BLOG!

  Our final episode for Season 1 aired yesterday and I'm proud that our first season is now fully available through our PBS link.  Soon, I will gather information about the airtimes across the country and other demographic data (see below).  I will share that info once it's available.
​  Also exciting, I'll soon be teaching STUDIO CLASSES in Nyack, NY at a really nice studio space.  These classes will run for 8 weeks and I'm planning to start the second week of August.  I love being en plein air, but I also want to teach studio work and help students over a longer-term course.  Visit my website for more information: https://www.ericsantoli.com/studio-classes.html
  I'm also heading out for a trip this Friday to Plein Air Easton which I'm very excited about.  This is the largest plein air conference in the country and I'm honored to be invited.  I'll be giving some demos, doing some filming and giving a presentation about my 2023 residency in Giverny at Monet's house & gardens.  It looks like a beautiful area and I've never been so I can't wait to paint and meet everyone!

  Apologies for my late blog update!  I've been busy getting ready for a trip next week to Plein Air Easton and the summer is moving so fast!
  But, I hope everyone's been enjoying the episodes for Season 1 - The two latest episodes are about Pony Power Therapies in Mahwah, NJ and The Celery Farm Nature Preserve in Allendale, NJ.
  I like these episodes because they focus on the healing powers of nature while learning about animals.  I've always loved animals and I really enjoyed sketching the horses at Pony Power.
  The Celery Farm is a local spot for me and I really enjoyed painting there while learning about the history of the area from Mr. Jim Wright - Jim's also got a new book out now all about the Peregrine Falcon - more info is available here: https://celeryfarm.net/the-peregrine-falcon/

​  Our final episode for Season 1 airs next Tuesday and I can't believe it.  I have so many fond memories from these early filming days, trying to figure out how to make a TV program (haha).  It was a very educational experience for me and I felt like I was taking a college course about TV production!
​  But I'm a firm believer in the power of DIY learning.  I really believe that we can do anything is we put our mind and effort into it.  It doesn't always turn out how we want it, but our potential is greater than we think.  Don't doubt yourselves!
  My next update will be before I head out to Plein Air Easton next week, but I want to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July as our country celebrates 250 years!  Relax and enjoy yourselves this weekend - eat some good food and watch some fireworks!

​  After a little delay, I am very happy to now share episode #103 which is all about Flat Rock Brook in Englewood, NJ.
  This episode is very fun and educational as we learn about the history of Flat Rock Brook with Executive Director, Stephen Wiessner.  Then we meet Land Steward / Raptor Care Specialist, Rosetta Arrigo who introduces us to Ms. Jones the Red-Tailed Hawk and Tilly, the Eastern Screech Owl (Red Morph).  Finally we meet educator and photographer, James Falletti to learn about finding inspiration and capturing moments in nature.
  My painting demonstration is with oil paints and I share extra information about colors and the paint layering process.
  I hope you all enjoy this episode as Season 1 continues to air nationwide and on the PBS App!