Becky's photoblog

Finished another painting!

I started a handful of paintings in 2010, then a few things came up in 2011 – a few painting commissions and several months of wedding planning kept me away from other projects. So now I’m putting the finishing touches on paintings that were about 80% finished two years ago.

I take a lot of pictures for a lot of reasons, and one of them is that some photos eventually turn in to paintings. In September 2009, my dear friend Maureen and I went out to lunch on Boylston Street — two photos from that day would eventually become paintings (one’s not done yet).

[Not a valid template]
Old South Church
Copley Square, Boston
oil on 12×20″ canvas
2010-2012

[Not a valid template] This is a painting of Old South Church — a gorgeous church in a city full of gorgeous churches. In September 2009, I snapped a photo (on the right) that contrasted the colorful early-Fall leaves in the church’s award-winning garden with the sun-lit stone work of the church. The following winter, when I decided to begin a painting of this scene, I realized that I needed more pictures because I wanted to include the church’s beautiful bell-tower. So I grabbed this photo, hopped on the T, found the exact spot that I had been standing and re-framed my shot to include the tower.

Then, I heard the most beautiful music coming from inside the church, and suddenly it dawned on me — it was December 24th!  I stepped in to the church, which is gorgeous on any day, and absolutely stunning when it’s decked out for Christmas (photo on the right). I sat down and enjoyed a magical, beautiful, peaceful organ rehearsal, then headed home to start a new painting.

The church’s founders chose an incredible location for their church. Old South Church was built in 1875, next to the Boston Public Library (built in 1848), and across Copley Square from Trinity Church (built 1872-1877). The finish line of the Boston Marathon, established in 1897, is steps away from Old South Church. In 1914, the Copley T station was built right next to Old South Church, and now thousands of commuters and tourists pass it each day. The John Hancock Tower, New England’s tallest building, was built across from Old South Church in 1976.

[Not a valid template]Links

• My photoblog: Link to my photoblog entry from 9/5/2009 (lunch and coffee w/ Mo, and Old South Church) and my photoblog entry from 12/24/2010 (Old South Church, interior and exterior, at Christmas)
• Architectural Landmarks of Boston’s Back Bay: One of my web projects is a series of pages with photos and information on several of my favorite landmarks in Back Bay — please visit this site, especially the pages on Old South Church, the Boston Public Library, Trinity Church and the Hancock Tower
• Please visit Old South Church’s website to learn more about their fascinating history and their wonderful programs
• Please visit beckydimattia.com to see more recent paintings

View Larger Map

I took an incredibly beautiful walk along the Charles River Esplanade, from Mass Ave to the Hatch Shell, for a free concert on the lawn — summer in New England, as God intended it. The esplanade is a park that runs along the southern bank of the Charles River, which means that it also runs along the northern edge of Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. The Back Bay is all landfill, and our forefathers saw fit to make a little island of landfill in the Charles River just so we could have an even more beautiful place to watch the sailboats, or take a refreshing after-work stroll to meet a friend. We joined a few thousand Bostonians at the Hatch Shell for a picnic and some great classical music, courtesy of Boston Landmarks Orchestra.

I had a groupon for a Cape Ann Whale Watch, and we used that as an excuse for an incredibly pleasant daytrip to the beautiful town of Gloucester, MA (click to see google map). One of the many things I love about living in Massachusetts is that there are gorgeous vacation spots right under our noses. Gloucester is right on the ocean, and the weather was picture-perfect.

First, we wandered around Rocky Neck, one of American’s oldest artist colonies. I went to art school, so I have some idea of what it’s like to be surrounded by artsy-types. This is much different. These are serious and talented artists running cozy galleries, and living the good life in quaint houses with incredible views.

Then, we crossed an item off of our list by visiting the Sargent House Museum. The house was built for Judith Sargent Murray (1751–1820), who was (among many other things), the great-grand-aunt of John Singer Sargent (one of the few artists that Brian and I can truly agree on). The house was lovely and the tour guide really knew her stuff, but we had to duck out before the tour was over because the whales were waiting.

We boarded the Hurricane II, and enjoyed the views, the wind and the salty air as we headed out to visit the whales. It was such a clear day that we could see Boston in the distance the whole time we were out there. Brian actually listened as the guide taught us about the different whales that we saw, so you’ll have to ask him. I just wanted to see something you don’t see every day — an animal so huge that it reminds you how small we are, in its natural habitat, an ocean so huge it reminds you of how little we know.

After the whale watch, we decided to take a little drive and ended up in Rockport, MA (click for google map), another great town with lots of galleries, cute shops and beautiful views. After some wandering, it was time to find some dinner. We had just stopped in to a small restaurant to try their chowder and their seating area was crammed with picnic benches and loud children. That’s exactly what I didn’t want for dinner, and I was getting frustrated with the tiny keyboard on my phone, searching among an overwhelming array of local options. So Brian said “let’s just try this place” and we walked in to the restaurant across the street.

I can’t say this enough: we are two incredibly lucky and fortunate people. The hostess at Brackett’s Oceanview Restaurant apologetically offered us the last available table at the restaurant – a tiny, out of the way, private room with a big window. The table was perfect, the room was perfect, the view was perfect, my drink was perfect, the fried seafood was perfect, the lobster ravioli was perfect and my husband is perfect.

Then we walked off dinner on Pier Avenue, just in time to catch a beautiful sunset over Sandy Bay.

I finally finished a painting that I’ve been working on for a while. It’s not my masterpiece, but I love it.  Life occasionally gets in the way of painting, and this one may have sat on the back-burner for quite a while. I started this painting two years ago, almost to the day.

You might not be surprised by this: I love going to museums. On the day after Christmas in 2007, Brian and I spent the afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and, again this might not surprise you, I took a lot of pictures.

It’s not just that I love art — I love galleries, and Gallery 810 at the Met is perfect — deep dusty rose walls, parquet floors, columns, arched doorways, and a huge skylight, not to mention the shiny gilded frames holding glimpses in to other worlds, including the world of the mysterious Madame X.

Gallery 810
Metropolitan Museum of Art
oil on 12×18″ canvas
2010-2012
beckydimattia.com

John Singer Sargent
Madame X (Portrait of Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau)
1884
Metropolitan Museum of Art

In 1884, John Singer Sargent exhibited his gorgeous portrait of Madame Gautreau at the Paris Salon, but it was not well-received. Critics argued that it was obscene, and Madame Gautreau was humiliated. Despite demands, Sargent refused to withdraw it from the salon, although he later repainted the sitter’s right shoulder-trap so that it was on her shoulder rather than loosely draped on her arm.

In 1916, Sargent sold the portrait, known as Madame X, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, commenting to the Met’s director “I suppose it is the best thing I have ever done.” In 2004, Deborah Davis wrote Strapless, a fabulous book about Sargent and Madame X. In 2007, when I got to see Madame X, she was hanging in Gallery 811, framed beautifully by the arched doorway of Gallery 810.

According to the Met’s website, she can now be found in Gallery 711. At some point, she was moved from the European paintings to the American paintings. Apparently, John Singer Sargent has been hard to classify since he was an American born Florence and he lived and worked in Paris and London before painting wealthy New Yorkers and Bostonians (such as Isabella Stewart Gardner) when he was my age.

click here for the Met’s page on Madame X 

My painting is based on a composite of these two photos:

And this is the Met’s photo of Gallery 810 from their page on the gallery:

Please visit beckydimattia.com to see my other recent paintings. 

Our cousins got us Sox tickets as a wedding gift!! It was still in the upper 80s well after dark, but it was Youkilis’ first time back at Fenway Park since being traded to the Chicago White Sox, so it was great to welcome him back. Once a Red Sox, always a Red Sox — the crowd still cheered for him even on the opposing team! And we won!!

More Fenway photos!

• We took a tour of Fenway Park in 2011
• We saw an amazing sunset at Fenway in 2011
• We had seats behind home plate in 2008

The USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel, and it’s parked right near our friend’s apartment in Charlestown. They set off a cannon every day at 8am and at sunset, so we went up on to the roof to watch the last moments of a bright pink sunset (with the Bunker Hill Monument on the left), then watch as boats of full of tourists arrived for the USS Constitution‘s daily ritual.

Some landmarks in this photo: Old North Church (the white steeple on the far left), the Hancock Tower (the bluish squarish building in the middle), The USS Constitution and the Zakim bridge on the far right

Went to the bank during my lunch break — there’s a really famous ballpark right across the street, maybe you’ve heard of it

When a friend needs a hand with an arts and crafts project, and she offers to feed me too, how can I say no? Mo and I made paper flowers out of colorful tissue paper for her engagement party — we made a very pretty mess!!

We were treated to an incredible display of lights from a Charlestown roofdeck on the Fourth of July … city lights reflected in the harbor, fireworks over the city and a phenomenal lightening storm! The North End’s fireworks were pretty great, but we got to see Boston’s famous fireworks spectacular right above Old Ironsides, the USS Constitution. Phenomenal view …

We brought a friend to the MFA this morning, and headed straight for our favorite gallery (partly because the bathrooms are right there, but that’s beside the point). We found out that our favorite gallery in the entire museum is being renovated! This photo is from a few years ago, and we’ll never see this again …

One of my favorite ways to spend a day off is visiting some of my favorite spots in Boston

The reflecting pool at the Christian Science Center Plaza — Not a bad spot to wander after dinner …

We got the summer started off right with a trip to Cape Cod before it got crowded or hot (actually, it was practically empty, and chilly). We found a deal online, so we spent Memorial Day Monday and the following day at the Chatham Bars Inn. When you think ‘inn’, you might think of a cute little hotel, but this place is more like a village. The main inn is surrounded by several little cottages, a spa, tennis courts, a swimming pool … and the Atlantic Ocean.

After wandering around on the Cape and discovering a lovely gallery, we spent the rest of afternoon reading. The air smelled amazing, the cool breeze felt wonderful (we were both wearing sweaters), I was re-reading one of my favorite biographies and working up a pretty big appetite for seafood. If you’re ever in Chatham, go eat at the Impudent Oyster. Seriously incredible meal.

I had an errand to run in the North End, then I took a long lovely stroll on the Boston Harborwalk — gorgeous little neighborhoods with incredible views of Boston Harbor! At the end of my walk, I treated myself to an oysters and an ahi tuna app on Joe’s patio at Columbus Park.

Old meets new in Boston’s South End (corner of W. Newton and Columbus)

After touring Ground Zero, we walked through Lower Manhattan, past Trinity Church and Wall Street, to an incredible  after-wedding brunch before hitting the road and heading back to Boston.

When my cousin mentioned that our hotel was right near ground zero, I didn’t realize that the hotel was actually AT ground zero. As we circled the jam-packed block trying to find the hotel’s garage, I took the first photo in this series from the car – we were right next to the enormous construction zone at ground zero.

Our room on the 31st floor of the hotel had an absolutely jaw-droppingly staggering view of ground zero and the new 9/11 Memorial, which we toured the following morning. The 9/11 Memorial consists of 30-foot waterfalls set in the foot prints of the north and south towers, with the names of 9/11 victims engraved in panels all the way around. The waterfalls created a great deal of white-noise, which allowed each visitor the chance for peaceful reflection in the middle of a massive construction site.

We spent the day wandering around New York City before my cousin’s wedding. After driving to Lower Manhattan, we then took the subway to the Frick Collection – one of my favorite museums, which I hadn’t seen in almost 10 years.

So incredibly peaceful

From the Longwood T stop on Huntington Ave, there’s an incredible view of Mission Church (The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help). It catches the light of the setting sun just as I’m getting out of the gym and heading home.

Went downtown to the courthouse to begin the lengthy process of changing my first, middle and last name

Spent a few hours playing with Jen’s kids before they headed back to CA. This is a very giggly little girl standing on my sternum while a dog licks my ear 🙂

On the day after our wedding, we spent a cozy quiet mini-honeymoon overnight at The Porches Inn in North Adams, MA. We ‘discovered’ this little gem when we took our first trip together in May 2008, and we went back every year since (except last year). We made ourselves right at home in the cozy living room of the inn and settled in with our drinks and a good book before heading off to a phenomenal dinner.

The following morning, we woke up to a perfect cold crisp New England winter morning, and raided the breakfast buffet. After a lazy morning, we drove back to Boston taking the long way through scenic Massachusetts roads, with a stop in Northampton for a late lunch.

Please click here for photos from our visit to the Porches Inn in

• May 2008
• April 2009 and
• July 2010

After leaving the hotel, we crossed Massachusetts – from East Boston to Williamstown (the furthest north-west corner of MA) – and arrived with enough time to begin our honeymoon with a brief visit one of our favorite museums: The Clark Art Institute.

While the galleries are closed for renovations, they’ve installed several pieces from the collection in a salon-like exhibit, where paintings were deliberately thrown together with paintings from very different times and places. One of the things I love about the Clark is the examples of images of women in their collection – instead of royal portraits, or portraits of women with their children, the paintings in their collection show women who have thoughts and skills (this maybe isn’t the best selection of my favorites, but you get the idea).

Please click here for my photoblog entries for our visit to the Clark Art Institute in

• May 2008 and 
• April 2009

Our wedding weekend began in the hotel’s restaurant – relatives arrived throughout the afternoon, and we kept adding on more tables until it looked like Thanksgiving! Every time I looked up, someone new had arrived!

That evening, we hosted a dinner at the hotel for our out-of-town guests, and then the ladies were invited up to my room for wine and chocolate before bed.

During dinner, Jen and I went upstairs to check out the ballroom so I could show her where she and the girls would stand for their reading during the ceremony. That took my breath away … This was the first time I saw the ballroom set up for our ceremony the following morning. Sneaking in there in jeans with one friend was MUCH different than walking in the room the following day in a white dress, with 120 of our nearest and dearest on their feet.

My old photoblog, 2007-2012

I started a photoblog on photoblog.com in late 2007, around the time I started dating this really great guy. For the next few years, I posted regularly and tried to capture life’s little adventures, most of which included my sweetie. We explored our city, made dinner, threw parties, went to weddings and brought our cameras along for the ride. Those adventures can be found at www.photoblog.com/bdaroff.

My new photoblog, 2012-present

When we got married in March 2012, I changed my name and decided it was time for a new website (www.beckydimattia.com) and a new photoblog (www.beckydimattia.com/photoblog) … and here we are! This photoblog was created in July 2012 using WordPress and the Pretty Parchment theme, which I modified extensively. I recreated all of my posts going back to our wedding weekend, and I plan to continue posting for many years to come.

Three days before our wedding, we visited the hotel to go over everything with our coordinator, then we had lunch at the restaurant looking out over Boston Harbor towards the city. Three days before our wedding, we saw just about the only snow in 2012, and we watched as a thick fog settled in quickly and completed obscured our view. Honestly, it was actually beautiful and magical.