Recalling Pinehurst

Recalling Pinehurst oil/canvas 8 x 8 x .5 Our travels have been punctuated with lovely fragrances! Hikes along the California coastline were abundant with sages and wild grasses. The lush, moist air in Virginia held onto scents that filled us up spiritually. And....North Carolina.....ah....the pine scents that rush up to you as you exit your car.....that first trip to Pinehurst will be tucked into my olfactory memory forever. I adore these giant cones from the longleaf pines...in fact, I revere them. We collected the cones on hikes every year and displayed them during the holiday season. We also pitched them into flower beds to make them more interesting. I consider these cones to be objets d'art.....simple yet complex, enduring and appreciated in so many ways.

Quiet...a watercolor of pinecones

Quiet Conversation   Watercolor   9 x 13

is a wonderful way to spend time...with my dear ones and by myself.  Quiet allows the creative brain to work its wonders.  Quiet provides focus and a sense of calm.  The dormancy during the dark months morphs into the energy of what-is-to-be.  While I do welcome a festivus or two, and certainly relish the bright lights, I absolutely relish the quiet season and its opportunity for self-definition. 

End Game...

Lone Cone   watercolor   7 x 7

With watercolor, the end game is always the trickiest....I guess that it is true in all mediums.  The major difference is that in applying the darkest darks, certainty is more crucial, in that these pigments are impossible to remove, and the spoiling of the work is always a possibility.  By the time I have nearly reached a finish, I have an idea of exactly which dark I would like to use.  For me, it doesn't really matter which hue is used, as it is read as "just dark".  I guess that temperature is more important.  It is then applied sparingly (usually) to lead the eye around the picture.  Light washes of cadmium red were added to some of the bracts.  (Thanks to Tom Auld for this new word) Crucial edges become more defined.....last minute details.  More often than not, the artists who look at my work find them to be under-described more than over-. Fine by me.  When I tread across that fine line, the works just don't look like mine anymore.  Most often, we find the areas that have been less-worked to be the freshest and the most agreeable.  More spontaneous.  More calligraphic.  Yes, there will always be passages that hit the mark.  And always those that don't seem to commit.  I guess our goal might be to increase the number of those passages that do.