Repose

Repose   oil/canvas   8 x 24 x 1.5

is sometimes welcome.  Sometimes it is forced upon us.  The model in this work was languishing in the heat of summer.  But this week I felt great empathy for this pose....too much gardening...too much exercise...too much disregard for the limitations of my body.  BACK PAIN.  Forced repose.  Forced time away from the easel.  Luckily, my son is a physical therapist who has helped me out with suggested exercises and many many admonitions.  Can't wait to be vertical again.

I have always loved the loose expressiveness of this work.  Loose.  Yes.

Boston Couple

Boston Couple   watercolor/mixed on paper   13 x 18

Boston Couple was painted, in all seriousness, as a not-serious bit of play.  I needed a topic for class and pulled up some reference photos taken in Boston on the Common.  A brilliant May morning.  I was not inspired by the work and that is probably why I was able to experiment with the forms...nothing there was sacred to me.  No connection.  In fact, I was annoyed that this fellow was spending this glorious day on the phone.  (personal gripe)  My original plan was a not-so-solid description with the figures blending into the ground.  When that process became less than desirable, I changed the game plan.  The figure was then worked back and forth in a figure 8 pattern as a singular shape.  Details were muffled and then muffled again.  The background was subsequently painted in opaque gouache. I have to say that this work pleases me somewhat, despite the lack of personal connection.  Perhaps that is why I felt free enough to experiment.  The preciousness is gone.  That pleases me.

This....wait a minute...no that

Simple Stool   oil/canvas   48 x 24 x 1.5

The idea for this simple stool work was threefold:  to paint the well worn and well used stool that has graced my studio for years; to complete a series of three such chair works (two just seemed wrong); and to pair this unremarkable piece of furniture with some lovely vintage wallpaper scraps, the painting of which I had intended to distress to the point of revealing underlying coats of paint.  I was inspired by a book called Sweat Shop Paris given to me by my son.  Juxtaposing the highly finished with the simple and humble....yes.  As the work progressed, I soon realized that the pattern of the sunlight into the space was upstaging the wallpaper....and rightfully so.  It was this simple stream of light that coaxed this painting into being.  Ah, yes.  Nature's beauty creating more powerful beauty than the manufactured wallpaper.  I was both surprised and delighted.

Am I sorry that I missed this design pattern earlier on?  Not really.  For me, the process is everything.  And I do retain the right to change my mind.

Happy Mother's Day

LB and E   oil/canvas   24 x 18 x 1.5

LB is my daughter-in-law.  E is our new grandson.  As I see my own history being repeated, I am awed by the intensity of mother love.  I have learned so much from this beautiful young woman...she is confident, yet soft spoken.  Hard working yet always seems to have time.  States considerate opinions without bulldozing.  E is a lucky boy.  I am a lucky woman.

This painting was done from photos taken when E was just days old.  It practically painted itself.  My commitment to the work could only be outdone by my love.

Paint what you love.

Are you in or are you out?

Who Holds the Key?   watercolor/mixed on paper   9.5 x 14

Making something out of nothing is all about design.  Given:  a random bunch of keys and locks.  They were arranged in a circular fashion before me.  I used a sketch to help determine lights and darks, and to illuminate the focal area which is the large lock on the bottom left.  My challenge was to paint brass and steel convincingly, as well as to adhere to the value and rhythm plan of the sketch.  I also wanted to provide a hard, scratchy feel that opening locks seems to give.  Some specks of gold leaf were added to the lock on the right that was in danger of disappearing.  Although I might approach this problem differently given a second go-round, I am satisfied with the feel of the work.

Locks and keys provide a barrier.  In or Out.  Something precious.  Something to hoard?  Keeping out others.  Pretty profound for a small bunch of tooled metal scraps. 

Tanner Redux

Tanner   watercolor   12.5 x 9

Our painting class so enjoyed Tanner in the fall that we invited him to be our model again this spring for two weeks...the first familiarizing and drawing; the second painting.  I am always so amazed at the "multiple looks" that every person conveys.  In this case, it hit me like a brick.  As a high school senior, Tanner's look has changed and he has visibly matured in the past several months.  His haircut different...more sophisticated.  And he posed wearing a bright yellow raincoat...fodder for any visual artist.  My painting was begun from life and completed with the aid of a photograph taken during the session.  Two sessions are always tricky...the skew of the head was somewhat different in the photo.  After the session, Tanner provided his own personal responses to each work...and showed himself to be incredibly observant and sensitive.  Congratulations on your graduation, Tanner!!! 

Tanner is off to Columbus College of Art and Design in the fall.

Tools of the Trade

Tools of the Trade   Watercolor   8.25 x 11.5

Each painting session, I must come up with subject matter for the very first class where participating artists arrive with painting materials only.  I used fruit for many years.  I knew I had to come up with something else when artists began calling this the "apple lesson". This session, we used objects from our supplies.  As I am a student of design principles, these brushes became three distinct yet overlapping lines.  And what better to counter the geometric line that an organic circle?  The "background" paint was laid in spirally.  Not only does this help to soften these strong lines, but it also prevents the ends of the brushes from commanding as much attention as the brush ends.  No fancy set-ups.  No meticulously calculated lighting.  I love the challenge of creating a subject from what you have.

I also love creating a dinner with on-hand ingredients.  Making do.  I think it's a great way to live.