In The Grips

In The Grips   oil on canvas   20 x 10

we are....the coldest and snowiest winter on record here in Northeast Ohio.  One can feel a connectedness to all creatures in the face of such extreme weather.  I gain strength myself from this realization.

This small canvas was calling to be painted over.  First I sanded, then I toned.  My challenge was to use a space, a composition, that was a bit unusual.  Different problems to solve.  Other advantages as well.  Despite its smallish size, I am please with the power that this bovine has, and deserves, as a result of  its dominating volume in this composition.

As we, as a species, continue to evolve, and in due time recognize equality and respect for those of color, women and gays, there will be a time that we respect the animal kingdom as well.  The recently released footage from Mercy for Animals taken at the Wiese Brothers Dairy farm in Wisconsin saddened me beyond belief.

We::They thinking is toxic.

(The) Wood Pile

Wood Pile   oil on canvas   60 x 20 x 1.5

has been our best friend here in bitter-cold northeast Ohio this winter.  Throughout the late summer and autumn my husband carefully plans our "stash" and arranges it priority-wise by its seasoned past.  Large stashes of kindling are collected.  Because of our intimacy with our our wood, it became a lovely subject to me.  While, admittedly, painting stacks of things would probably be boring to some painters, I find the rhythms that abound and the individuality of the logs to be interesting and challenging.  "Wood Pile" is a slice of my life.  I offer it up.

Ten Below

Ten Below   watercolor   13 x 21

is a watercolor of my back yard around dusk.  It was so cold when I took a reference shot that my camera batteries died within minutes.  Because, for some reason or another, I am not quite inspired by landscapes, I felt that I had to "shake it up" one way or another.  Having just watched a video by Janine Gallizia, I thought I would use Winsor Blue, a strong staining color that, until this time, I would only have used as a footnote at the end of a work.  In addition, my ire was up due to spending a half hour in single-digit-temperatures trying to figure out the new lock box at the art center.  The work was approached with anger, I'm afraid, which is not my usual process.  The result is temperamental and moody.

Andrew Wyeth once said that one can create out of love or out of hate...i.e., extreme passion.  I prefer the love option.  At least my juices were flowing.

And, BTW, the art center had also changed the combination without notifying me.  The result is definitely passionate.

Snow Day

Snow Day...a sketch