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Today's Featured Painting
 Sunlit Garden On my first visit to the continent, I found myself fascinated by the works of the Impressionist painters, which appear in such abundance in the great Parisian museums. I began to see that the masters had secrets, and I determined to discover them for myself. I went so far as to give myself the very French brush name, Robert Girrard, and to style myself during my travels in France as a member of the Impressionist school. Sunlit Garden was painted in the plein-air style preferred by the French masters, with a freedom of brushstroke and boldness of color that embraces the style of the French Impressionist masters. As I worked, I was observed by a weathered old peasant woman, dressed in black, who commented approvingly, “très jolie, très jolie” (very beautiful). I imagine Monet might have received similar tribute. Robert Girrard, not surprisingly, shares some of the preferences of Thomas Kinkade. We are both fond of massive old stone and steel gates, intricate iron fences, and the equally intricate shadows they cast. We both love the flowers of spring – in this case, roses and dogwood festooning the grounds. And we both think that a fully enclosed courtyard is an irresistible intimate space. I can only hope that you will join me in my Sunlit Garden.
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