Hidden Symmetry - Another Lost Landmark (and the difference between a simile and metaphor)

Hidden Symmetry   oil/canvas   48 x 24 x 1.5

Oh-so-many years ago when passing down our main county road, I constantly marveled at this charming spire.  There were two on the rooftop of the dilapidated barn, one at each end.  I continually made mental notes to photograph them before gravity had its way.  

Eventually I did and two paintings resulted. From the time I was a child, certain objects had an animation to me...perhaps the result of too many Disney movies...Fantasia to be exact.  It is almost as if we are witness to the struggle of this spire's attempts at staying erect.  As time marches on, and being a woman of a certain age, I see myself in this struggle and view this architectural detail as a human version of myself.  Simile.

Both spires were removed weeks after photos were taken.  The spires remained on the ground for years, I believe.  They are no longer.

For inquiries about this work, please contact Hudson Fine Art and Framing.

Boy with a Red Balloon

Boy with a Red Balloon   oil/canvas   48 x 24 x 1.5

is a work currently on exhibit at Hudson Fine Art and Framing.  While working on a group of paintings designed around the concept of hanging on and letting go, my husband suggested that we see the delightful short movie The Red Balloon.  On the surface, the movie appears to be total whimsy.  But it packs a profound punch in terms of human behavior.  Seems that the boy has a red balloon.  The school teachers and administrators regard this balloon as a diversion from the serious needs-to-be-done stuff of which our lives are comprised.  The boy is punished for his magic.  Other boys become jealous of this object of wonder and go about the game of capturing and destroying it.  They do.  But the defeat is only temporary.  For me, the balloon is the magic that is within each individual waiting to be realized.  Becoming jealous of another's "red balloon" is self-defeating and a waste of time.

The lesson is clear.  Get thee a red balloon of your own.
Discover your magic.

Quick Draw Makes Me Sweat

Clock Tower   oil/canvas   12 x 9?

Artists are notorious for their personal senses of time.  I am no exception.  I believe that in order to be truly creative, one must be unaware of the clock.  That being said, you will understand why quick draw, a timed 2-hour painting done on the green in Hudson, makes me sweat.  My work usually relies on several layers, much contemplation and much alteration, involving create and destroy processes.  None of that is possible at this event.  So I am immersed into "alla prima" painting, from the first......The canvas was pre-toned with an acid green color, a warm yellow-green that fits well, I think with outdoor painting.  I found a location well ahead of the event and plotted.  I will say that this work was more successful that the ones done in years past.  I painted what I saw and tried to avoid re-painting any passages, which always ends up muddy and indistinct.  I did a slight bit of destroy, by softening unimportant edges with my fan brush and a bit of medium.  I softened all of these geometric shapes with a bit of organic leaf-play.  At the end, I wiped through to the the pre-toned canvas in some places to offer up some cohesion.  This work was auctioned at the end of the event.

What would I change given another session?  I would probably correct some of the incorrect shapes, and, perhaps, take some steps toward a more harmonious color palette.  But then there is something to be said for painting on the spot.  Maybe I will try it again..................at next year's event.

Simple Wicker Chair with Detail

Simple Wicker Chair with Detail   oil/canvas   40 x 30 x 1.5

Why would I paint a chair?  A simple chair?  The two chair paintings that I have done in the past several months are, quite simply, objects of beauty to me.  They represent comfort, quality, a purity of spirit, and all the warmth that is "home".  While painting, I thought of all of the artisans whose work led up to my work:  the designer of the chair, the artisan who wove it, the designer of the fabric whose colors and patterning catch my eye.  These are the artists whose work contributed to this work...a collaboration of sorts.  And, I will confess that I had to pay close attention to the rhythm of the weaving in order to represent its qualities.

Wicker is complex.  Wicker is enduring.  Wicker is comfortable and light weight. 

A tribute, of sorts....to a simple chair.

Kathy Johnson is at it again!

Loves Me   oil/canvas   6 x 6

The owner of Hudson Fine Art & Framing is hosting an unusual "In The Pink" exhibit this year.  Over 50 small canvasses (6 x 6) will be raffled to support The Gathering Place, a support venue for cancer patients and their families.


A wine and cheese reception will be held this Friday, October 1 from 5:30 - 8:30 pm.  The exhibit will continue throughout the month. 

"Loves Me" is my offering.

Sleep...

Dean Hoover's Place   oil/canvas board   10 x 20

is welcome...especially after the 3-day plein air paint-out in Hudson!  The small paintings, done by about a dozen artists, are all hung in the gallery waiting for buyers.  The styles, energies and subject matters are varied and captivating.  It is really not that simple painting outdoors and my sun hat goes off to those who do this on a regular basis.  For a studio painter like me, the chances for little disasters are multiplied.

On day one my leg fell off....of the easel, that is.   Luckily my art cart was just the right height to make up the difference and my easel was easily repaired for the next session.

On day two, I hit a terrible rut in the parking lot while dragging my art cart along....in trying to catch the spillover, the painting that was being held pizza-fashion landed in my hair.  No problem.  Washing my hair with hand-soap did the trick, as well as a trip to the hardware store to replenish the spilled turp.  And, really, most folks enjoyed the paint and liquid all over my business cards....they say it added character.

Wow....I thought I was home-free on day three and, I must say, feeling quite smug....until I got out of the car to find paint all over the cloth seat....also all over my legs.  Where did this come from?  No problem.....some turp and some soapy water did the trick.  Oh yeah....also a towel on the seat for a while to prevent unsightly spots on my clothes.

Soaking up the environment is one of the advantages....beauty, nature and the talents of the many gardeners whose hard work was showcased.

Today....the studio...the calm...and, hopefully accident-free.

In The Pink

Chocolate Box   charcoal/toned paper   23 x 13.5

I am fortunate to be represented by Hudson Fine Art and Framing in Hudson, Ohio. Kathy Johnson, the owner, is a really nice person. She has been combining her business of art with the business of helping others ever since she took ownership. Earlier in the year, she hosted "It's Raining Cats and Dogs" to benefit The Humane Society of Greater Akron. "In The Pink" opens this Friday and will benefit The Gathering Place's annual retreat for women with breast cancer. This show features the needlework of Hudson's Pillow Group, a group of nine women who have formed a coalition of sorts, to share and promote the varied needlework art of its members: Beth Angelotta, Katie Coulton, Anne Cutchin, Brigitte Gottfried, Angela Strach-Gotthardt, Heinke Klaassen, Peg Mayor, Kathy Schiciano and Barb Warner. In addition to my work, the exhibit also features the work of fabric artist Connie Bloom, the collage and haiku work of Darcy Haynes and the work of fellow painter Tricia Kaman. There is a $10 entry fee for a fabulous opening this Friday from 5:30-8:30 pm at Hudson Fine Art & Framing located at 9 Aurora Street in Hudson. Support those with breast cancer. Support the arts. Support Hudson Fine Art & Framing. They are good guys. Or should I say gals?

Farmers Market/Framers Market

The Apple Seller   oil/canvas board   12 x 9

The Saturday morning Hudson Farmers Market is an absolute delight....that is where I perched under a tall pine tree Saturday morning during the drizzle. The smells that wafted from the chef's demonstration were tantalizing. The colors of the fresh produce and flowers were stimulating. I was initially drawn to a flower seller, but soon realized that she bounced around too much for me to catch a likeness of her figure. The apple seller was more stationary under his umbrella.....I was satisfied with that. Just across the green from the market is Hudson Fine Art and Framing....a framers market, so to speak. I enjoyed both that day!

Making Hay while the Sun Shines

Baughman Barn   oil/canvas board   12 x 12

The Friday morning of the paint-out poured! So.........I spent the morning on the covered porch of Hudson Fine Art fine-tuning paintings from the previous day. I hope that some day I will be satisfied with my impressions from just one session. The afternoon turned hot and sunny so I spent it at the Baughman property, a renovated arts and crafts house that drew quite a crowd! Although the house was amazing and the gardens quirky and creative, I decided to focus on the barn.....that is so funny, in that 20 years ago, I swore never to paint a barn, as I felt that they had reached a point of redundancy-plus in terms of paintings. I guess it was because I was dying to use my square canvas and the barn was perfect for that. Plus, my goal was to improve upon my ability to use purer color and harder edges earlier on in the process. I usually put those things off until later in the process, after some time for consideration. Alla prima requires more immediate decision-making. We are always learning..............that's why the whole thing is so stimulating! "Baughman Barn" is the result. Although it has a nice mystical quality, I think that, in considering it this week, that it would benefit from a few harder edges and, perhaps, the addition of another color.

Blue, blue, blue

Endless Summer   oil/canvas board   12 x 9

As I drove down College Street in Hudson looking for my next painting site, my attention was grabbed up by some awesome hydrangea bushes....their blueness stood out among the endless greens. The century house behind was captivating, but difficult to paint with so much cut-work around the porch. The owner stopped by and told me that the bushes were new and promised to bloom all summer.....the variety called "penny mac". If I had been able to come into the painting for a second pass after several days of dry-time, I would have come back in with some purer blue pigment. Ah.....regrets. Too much mucking around in oil paint creates nothing but mud....the same as with watercolors. "Neverending Summer" is my resultant painting from that Thursday afternoon.

....and did I mention rain?

The Learned Garden   oil/canvas board   10 x 8

The paint-out in Hudson was exhilarating! Dodging the ever-present drops added to the level of excitement.......it is difficult to paint in front of people, to be sure, but I found it to be less threatening than it used to be. One of the problems for me is the overwhelming complexity of gardens. In order to create an interesting composition, I need to be able to include a larger, simpler form. I also need to tweak the color palette away from the given, the local color, in order to enhance the process and harmony. My first attempt on Thursday morning was a garden next to a guest house. Things fell into place. I usually count on another painting session after drying is near to completion....that is when I add strokes of more pure color as well as enunciating strokes to firm up the movement in the overall composition. As this step is simply not possible in painting plein air, I have had to make adjustments by speeding up the problem solving and trying to foresee conclusions more quickly. "The Learned Garden" was completed in 2 1/2 - 3 hours on Thursday morning. These paintings are available for purchase through the end of June at Hudson Fine Art & Framing.