The Grass Being Greener

The Grass Being Greener   Watercolor on Khadi   18 x 24.5

Yes...the grass is always greener on the other side...of the experience, of the life circumstance, and of the painting.  The sketch is complete.  The subject fairly well understood.  The paint, the brushes and the paper at the ready.

Each painting offers up a unique experience and, as part of the preparation, I try to visualize the finished work as well as to plan a step-by-step plan in order to achieve the desired results.  Khadi paper offers up it own qualities.  This is my third work using this wonderful paper and I am still maneuvering through its capabilities, as well as my own.  I liken it to driving a vehicle through an unfamiliar terrain, or in various weather conditions.  My first pass was a dropping-in of pigment wet-into-wet for the spots on this dappled bovine.  Dropping-in is something that Khadi does very well.  My next pass was to be a graded background wash.  Not easily undertaken.  A failure, in fact, as the ultra-absorbing paper does not allow for much pushing and pulling.  And so, my thrill came from the adjustments that had to be made in order to achieve the painting in my mind.  Difficult, but doable.

Indeed...the grass is always greener...how very appropriate! Oh, the glory of the process!

(Painting)..."It is a form of conversation, and just like a conversation it can turn out exciting, boring, ugly, beautiful, enlightening.  Like a conversation.  it can have unexpected turns, sudden discoveries and hidden subtext and periods of silence.  All this is what makes painting endlessly fascinating."

                                              Alex Kanevsky

Come Spring

Come Spring   Watercolor   17.5 x 24

is an expression that implies jobs and tasks that will be undertaken once the winter weather clears...that which is yet to be.  Earlier in my artistic career, I swore that I would never paint a barn.  For me, those barns painted during the 70's and 80's reached a kitsch level...way too sweet, way too charming.  Never say never.  As I drove along shooting references for a landscape painting, the subjects that most appealed to me were both buildings and animals.  The bare landscape just doesn't do it for me.  Maybe just too much green, as was spoken earlier on by Georgia O'Keefe.  I wanted my own barn to be more current, at least as current as an old barn can possibly be.  It is somehow comforting, a symbol of the everlasting, of the work that sustains us. 

This is my offering to the subject of "spring landscape".

Out of intense complexities, intense simplicities emerge. (Winston Churchill)

New Recipe::Old Recipe

Old Recipe

New Recipe   watercolor/mixed on paper   27.5 x 18

Beginning a new painting is often like trying out a new recipe.  Which pan?  (oops...too small) Which order would best accomplish the goal?  Which spices...more of?  less of?  And, oh, the mountain of pots and pans at the finish!  For me, it takes more than one "go" at a new recipe to feel comfortable in the making.  With a painting, those options are limited...especially with watercolor.  I had a vision, in this case, of how I thought the painting would look.  My sketch proved to be erroneous, in that I saw the cookware as a lighter value...the background a darker.  As I painted, and continued to paint, the reflections and all of the colors therein, the cookware took a turn to the dark.  My dark background continued to confuse.  It seemed fine up close.  But distance turned it all into a muddle.  I prefer a stronger value differentiation in order for the work to be read at a distance, as well as to simplify the shapes.  Woe is me.  This painting hung in my dining room for over a month.  During that time, my patient husband hung and removed the work for further study and further work several times.  I was not happy.  My final answer involved printing relief ink over top.  I had reversed the values from my initial sketch.  Topsy turvy!  And so, I guess that lesson for me is to remain flexible, to veer from the initial notion in order to achieve the look that first sparked my brain.

A painting is never finished.  It simply stops in interesting places.

Phil Gardner

Onion Afterthought

Onion Afterthought   Watercolor on Khadi   10 x 14

For me, a still life painting is a way to get back to basics without an overload of emotional attachment.  We can learn about value patterns and their linkage.  And there is no one to offend.  And, for me, the still life work is a bit of an offshoot of my other life in the kitchen.  The onion, for example.  Its amazing flavor is the basis for many great meals.  The variety abounds.  And, given the abundance of options at the market today, we can experience the marvels of leeks and shallots.  Visually, they are expansive in color, shape and texture.  This kept my interest in this work which was painted on Khadi paper.  Khadi provides an interesting texture to the paint which should probably be considered in selected appropriate subject matters.  I am happy with this work and am thrilled with both the color and the shapes of the leek leaves.  And, I guess that the rich dark backgrounds seem appropriate for the richness and strength of the subject matter.

Grilled, fried, sliced, diced and painted....an epicurean delight.

Bucket List #2 - Don't Forget to Climb

Don't Forget to Climb   oil/canvas   48 x 36 x 1.5

My husband and I were blessed with three extremely active sons.  And now, two grandchildren who simply cannot sit still.  As I sit back (yeah!) and watch their antics, I am renewed by their adventuresome spirits and their delight in moving... pushing their efforts beyond what is doable, to what is possible.  Here, here!  We all have our bucket lists.  My own involves painting...in pushing myself by daily risk-taking.  I believe that we aren't really learning unless we are trying something new.  Note to self: allow my brush to skip, jump, skate and climb.  Explore the road less traveled.

At the end of the day, there is always the easy chair.

Drawing, Doing Dishes and Pulling Weeds

Drawing is the seed...the start of it all...the place where your love for a subject begins to express itself.  Amidst the daily chores of doing dishes and pulling weeds, I often find the search for large chunks of time for painting to be relentless and nagging.  After all, it takes me at least an hour to get into the zone, to shed the obsessions of life in hopes of arriving at the mindless freedom that painting is....at least for me.  Drawing takes less time.  Drawing requires fewer materials.  Drawing requires less commitment. Drawing can be more mindless, as imperfections and misplaced lines reside comfortably next to passages that are more truthful.  I enjoy their unfinished, unpolished, wabi-sabi qualities.  Drawing is where my soul finds peace.

Drawing is where I find the excitement and commitment to pursue the subject in paint.  Or not.

 One's art goes as far and as deep as one's love goes.

                                                                                                                        Andrew Wyeth

One's art goes as far and as deep as one's love goes.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/andrew_wyeth.html

One's art goes as far and as deep as one's love goes.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/andrew_wyeth.html

Thursday Night Painting Class

Patty   watercolor   14.5 x 7

It seems that most of the artists in my classes like to try their hand at painting the human figure, which is fine by me, as it is my favorite subject!  I have read somewhere that an artist, by nature, is either a line-person or a mass-person.  While I am not sure if that is true, it can then follow that a line person probably prefers a fine tool and drawing, while a mass-person is well suited for the use of larger, more inaccurate tools, such as a large brush which is good for painterly paintings.  My goal for the class was for the painters to be able to "see" only the masses of lights and darks and midtones, avoiding then, the description of the eyes-nose-mouth-legs-arms-fingers syndrome which can lead to disappointment and more child-like rendering.  The week before the session, I set up a strong light situation in a darkened part of the room to photograph the artists as they entered.  That week, I cropped and altered the photos to promote my goal.  They were then printed on the grayscale setting.  I also offered the suggestion of painting upside down.  While there were a couple of takers, most preferred their reference rightside-up.  I believe that in this way, we can see that a likeness is more dependent on shape, than on detail.

My subject is Patty, a retired art teacher, and a strong painter.  I like the result. 

Bucket List

Don't Forget to Swing   oil/canvas   48 x 36

I am not a good tourist.  Wandering through crowds and snapping photos is painful.  Painting to me is the ultimate pleasurable activity.  And so, my personal bucket list has PAINTING on the top.  After that...many activities that reflect my desire for simple activities that flood my senses with excitement.

"Don't forget to Swing" is the first of a planned series of bucket list adventures.  My goals in this painting were many....the frozen stop moment of a swinging tire....the laxness of the chains, the wind created by the back and forth movement.  The most difficult passages involved the lessening of power of that big black tire which could easily overpower my small subject.  Every shape creates a counter-shape and these are difficult to manage.

I might be done.

The Flatware Family

Flatware Family   watercolor on Khadi   9.75 x 19

I am not a repeat person.  What keeps my interest in painting is the polar opposite thing.  After having completed "Tin Among Cans", a large work done with LARGE brushes and bold heavy strokes, I wanted to work on a quieter, more delicate subject.  Since we were working on reflective surfaces, I chose some pieces of flatware and arranged them on one of my favorite bar towels.  This work was approached wet into wet mostly, layer upon layer, with a softer touch and medium size brushes.  It was worked from left to right, mostly, in order to take advantage of varying degrees of dryness in the paper.  A few folds were noted and edges wet down so as to soften any edges that might form as the paint dried.  Several years ago, I was stimulated by a very minimalist painting of silverware and wanted to try my hand at this subject.  Not too much working of the medium....as the paper simply won't tolerate it...kind of reminds me of pie dough where the less you work it, the better. A few details were added to imply the hemming of the cloth and the resultant puckering. 

I am pleased.

Happy Easter!

Easter Basket   watercolor   12 x 9.5

A Tin Among Cans

Basement #2 (A Tin Among Cans)   watercolor on Khadi   18.75 x 28

Another composition from my very very very old basement!  While in high school, I used to freak out every weekend trying to decide upon a subject worthy of my attention to paint for the required Monday art project...something so meaningful or so beautiful that it would initiate "pause".  That all seems so funny now, as my work is based on my own perception of the reality, rather than the subject itself.

This work was broadly painted with watercolor on Khadi paper...my first experiment with this luxurious handmade paper from India.  It is an intimate relationship, and one entered into with some trepidation, getting to know and appreciate the qualities of an unfamiliar support.  I like this work (a lot), although I feel that from here on, I will use Khadi for more delicate subject matters.  I hesitated a bit as to whether or not to include typography from the paint cans and decided against...typography (left brain) always steals the show and takes the visual power away from the inherent rhythms.  A visitor to our local gallery expressed this same opinion a few months ago....she paused in front of a very conceptual work that included stenciled lettering.  She offered her opinion that the "readable symbols" caused her appreciation of the work to come to a complete halt.  Ah....something to consider.

Norma

Norma   watercolor and thread   16 x 6

is another steadfast watercolorist from our Monday evening class.  She has the distinct advantage of seeing simple shapes without cumbersome detail.  She also creates lovely travel journals with small watercolor sketches in whatever surroundings she finds herself on travels with her partner David. 

In this exercise, photos were shot (by me) of each artist the week before.  Photocopies of all were laid face-down on the table.  We all drew one as we entered.  So....our paintings were done on-the-spur, as it were.  The goal:  to try to be able to see only valued shapes and masses without our left-brain, naming-brain getting in the way with messages such as "This is a hand... 4 fingers and a thumb....better paint small....better get it right".  We painted monochromatically using a brown pigment of choice.

My only issue was the paper being too short for the perfect frame that I had on hand.  The solution:  I painted a strip with cad red and stitched it on by hand using gold thread.

Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver, the other gold.

Here's to Norma!

Good To Go

Good to Go   Watercolor   10.5 x 10.5 

Everyone likes monkeys.  And everyone likes bananas. (well, almost everyone) I don't normally paint such "sweet" subjects, but I thought that working on a stuffed animal would provide a bit of practice in drawing and painting round forms in preparation for the human figure.  AND...there has been a renewal of interest in "Curious George"....both of our grandchildren love him!  I think that one of E's first words was "George".  George is a bit like artists (and children) in that he doesn't really speak, he communicates beautifully non-verbally, and he gets himself into lots of predicaments.

Got a banana?  Then you're good to go!

Basement #1 (Drying out the Crawl Space)

Basement #1 (Drying out the Crawl Space)   watercolor   26.5 x 19

We had a bit of a mess in our old farmhouse this past December.  Due to an unfortunate "imperfect storm" of events, our crawl space was filled with water.  The clean-up entailed lots of work...removing many large trash bags filled with water-logged insulation.  We made every attempt, and still do, to dry out this nearly inaccessible space.  It was during this stressful time that I happened upon the notion of "beauty in the basement"...using the camera to compose scenes that one would not ordinarily consider to be beautiful.  Actually, I found several spots ripe for the painting.

This fan is perched atop a step ladder, providing an airing out of the affected space.  As I am not a fan of using masking fluid, I knew that the fan would be a challenge, and knew that, given my process, all of the plastic slats need not be rendered to perfection...just a few.  I used a flat brush and a light mix of cerulean blue to help me see the negative areas....I knew that they would be covered up in subsequent layers.  All in all, I am happy with the work.  It certainly was quite a challenge!

So are old houses.

Winter Pantry

Winter Pantry   oil/canvas   8 x 24 x .5

This holiday season we were the lucky recipients of luscious canned goods from neighbors and friends...pickles, salsa, apple butter and jellies.  These gifts from the kitchen really warm my heart.  As they were all lined up on the kitchen counter, I decided to give them a "paint".  By the time my brushes were warmed up, we had already delved into the pickles.  This work is currently on exhibition at Group Ten Gallery in Kent, Ohio.

Thank you Glenn, Julie, Ann, Scott and Bunky for your generosity!  Ohhhhh...so very tasty.

Hidden Symmetry

Hidden Symmetry   oil/canvas   48 x 24 x 1.5

The quest for balance in our lives, especially in today's fast-paced world, is a tough one, and ever-present.  For me, the self::others dialogue is the most difficult.  Although I enjoy socializing a bit, and having a few laughs with comrades, I am always most at home when I am by myself, my mind fully engaged in attempting to solve the mysteries of painting.  The feeling of being overwhelmed quickly dissolves after a good painting session, or two....or three. 

This painting involves not only the reality of a dilapidated steeple, but the juxtaposition of texture with the simplicity of a smoothly painted background.  It has always been one of my favorites.

"Hidden Symmetry" is part of the "Friends" exhibition at Group Ten Gallery in Kent, Ohio.  Come on along.  Lots of friends will be exhibiting:  Tom Baldwin, David Bamber, Vickie Theiss Callahan, Nancy Richards Davis, Sue Delac, Joseph Filipiak, Brant Gebhart, Terry Klausman, Deborah Vaughn Lindner, Bret Martell, Mike Nevin, Alan Peters, Annie Peters, John Sharp, and the rest of the artistic crew in the gallery.

Sense of Snow

Narrow Bridge   oil/canvas   36 x 24

Winter is my favorite season....it allows for quiet contemplation, a good book by the fire (currently Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg) and, most of all, the bliss of solitude.  It seems that my best work arises from this "perfect storm".

When you start working, everybody is in your studio - the past, your friends, enemies, the art world, and above all, your own ideas - are all there.  But as you continue painting, they start leaving one by one.  And then you are left completely alone.  The, if you are lucky, even you leave.                                    John Cage

"Narrow Bridge" is currently on exhibition at Group Ten Gallery in Kent, Ohio.

How Victoria Spent her Saturday Afternoon

Victoria   charcoal and pastel on paper   16.5 x 11

I am lucky.  Teaching a few classes a week keeps me in tact.  I am a loner by nature.  That keeps me focused and in my own art world which I do love.  But the artists in my classes offer up so much, so many things to love.  They loan to me their energy and their intelligence.  Victoria is a sharp girl with many many interests.  She agreed to pose for me.  My goal is to plunge beneath the surface in order to reveal her essence....that to me, is secondary to likeness.  The portrait was rendered primarily in vine charcoal, which lends a softness.  The paper - a bit of a scrap which just may be Arches text leftover from calligraphy days.  Charcoal sticks provided a few notes of pure black strength.  An evaluation was made at home and details sharpened with the aid of a photo that was shot sometime in the middle of the original life session.  It seemed accurate, but without punch. Blue pastel was added and sponged into the paper. 

Thank you, Victoria, for an afternoon well spent...well enjoyed.

presents::presence

Cardinal   watercolor holiday card   5 x 7

Wow...oh the stuff!  stuff!  stuff!  stuff!  On a recent trip to Trader Joe's for holiday goodies, I stopped in to the adjacent shops....Sur La Table, Anthropologie, and Barnes and Noble.  As most of my holiday shopping is completed online, this trip to the marketplace was a snap realization of just how materialistic our culture has become.  And, oh, the prices!  While I still enjoy giving a gift or two, especially to the little ones, the greatest gift of all, to me, is "presence", the beauty of being with loved ones and in the presence of nature in all of its winter glory. 

One of our favorite cards we have recently received quotes Calvin Coolidge:

To cherish peace and good will is to have the real spirit of Christmas.

In our watercolor class, we traditionally draw names....the recipient is then sent an original watercolor card.  This is my offering to Deb Z.

Happy holidays to one and all....may each of you experience peace and presence!

Delicious Apples

Delicious Apples in Vintage Pot   Watercolor   16.75 x 13

is a still life watercolor.  My inspiration came from a couple of things.  First, a vintage pot that has been in my possession for a number of years.  Its textured surface is a marvel, the patterning appearing to be random.  But, of course, it cannot be.  The second, my love of the autumn apple.  I decided in this case to "go for the gold", rather than the ubiquitous reds, the ones most often seen in paintings. The challenge was, for me, in this textured patterning...to suggest it in key areas rather than getting lost within it.  I guess I would have to say that this detailed and engaging pattern had to be sacrificed for the overall movement and visual "reading" of the work.  The white of the paper begins at the bottom and winds up through the work.  Any time that I am able to resist over-painting these whites is thrilling as well as rewarding.

I am satisfied.  (temporarily)

Dapper

Dapper   Watercolor   34 x 21

is a work done just as it was in the photo reference.  This time of year, from September on, is so chock full of celebrations and holidays that my work time is far from contiguous.  After even weeks, or even days, of inactivity, a tension sets in.  A doubting.  A hesitancy.  How do I know I can paint?  Problem-solving skills are laying dormant.  So...Dapper was painted strictly, with little maneuvering, just so that I could feel the paint beneath the brush....to remind myself of who I am.

The Green-Eyed Monster

Girl with a Green Balloon   oil   20 x 10

lies dormant in each of us, always ready to threaten our senses of well being.

I was able to procure a balloon....good for me.

But the balloon is green....that other guy had red....hmmmmm.

I think that red is better.

I am not happy and won't be until I have a red one.

Sound familiar?  Questioning ourselves is, I'm afraid, a common human condition.  But I am a true believer in elevating the internal locus of control....I am an active participant in my own life.  So............I try to be aware of the green monster urging me on.  In admiring the work of another, I allow myself to see what is yet undone in me....what is yet to come.  Oh, the possibilities!

Check out the work of artist Katie Wilson!  I am an admirer.

Reference photos for "Girl with a Green Balloon" were shot at a local street fair. 

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.

Kitchen Strainer

Kitchen Strainer   watercolor   4.5 x 6.5

is a small painting...very small.  Taping the edges allowed for a small border.  The painting was done quickly.  Perhaps its small size didn't allow for as much "investment".  And it is one of my recent favorites.  The border ran into the metal rim (which I like).  The handle is rendered in a painterly way, which only implies reality.  The challenge was to imply the mesh bowl on the strainer without providing the lines that we know are there.  Instead, I used small dots of the background implying its translucent nature. 

Less emotional investment.  Less time.  An opportunity to play.  What could be better?  Making small paintings is a terrific way to spend time....when you only have a little of it.

Boyhood

Boyhood   oil   40 x 30 x 1.5

is a painting done from the heart.  Four boys are dangling from a cable over a river, into which they eventually plunged, I am sure.  Memories such as these are embedded in my soul.  Boys.  Dangling.  Fun.  For this work, the preparation was necessary and meticulous, as I wished for the group gesture to rule....I wanted to see these four bodies as one amoebic thing.  Everything related to everything else:  pairs of arms to pairs of arms; torsos to torsos; swim trunks to swim trunks; and legs to legs.  Not to mention the multitude of other relationships between the aforementioned parts.  The negative spaces were crucial for this to occur.  I wanted the feel of the moment to override any sense of reality.  I am reminded of this quote by Leonardo da Vinci:

Study the science of art.  Study the art of science.  Develop your senses - especially learn to see.  Realize everything connects to everything else.

Ah, yes.  Overwhelming but true.

Warts and All

Warts and All   Watercolor   4.5 x 6.5

Quite frankly, I think that the title says it all.

Here's to wabi sabi beauty...jolie laide, imperfection, dappled and the good with the bad.

Warts and all!

Come. Sit.

Come. Sit.    Mixed media on toned paper   20.5 x 15

I love chairs.  Especially those that beckon.  Each has a personality.  And each bears the weight of those who have sat before.  This large drawing was accomplished by means of several mediums.  The white conte accomplished most of the wicker, with the toned paper standing in for shadow areas and with the added benefit of giving the impression of wicker without the over-abundance of stroke-making which, in my opinion, lessens the power of the work.  A template made of tracing paper was used to isolate the pillow area where relief ink was used.  It was nice.

Too nice.  Why am I so attracted to chairs?  I guess it is because I rarely sit down.  On the day that I was working on this drawing, I kept notes of my own stream of consciousness....of all of the things on my "to do" list, all of them keeping me from sitting, from relaxing.  A soft graphite stick was used for the calligraphy....done quickly, unevenly, as if I had no time for the task.  T'is true. 

"Come. Sit." was made more personal by this addition, more meaningful.  More me. 

Dappled

Dappled   oil on canvas   30 x 40 x 1.5

is a horse of my own making.  Horses in paintings abound.  My goal here was to remove a bit of the usual way one experiences a horse, by means of color and by means of posture.  A bucolic horse scene is beyond my abilities, to be quite honest.  Each time I tried to add grass, a fence, a part of the barn, my own sense of correctness made me paint them over.  I am inspired by the horse paintings by Alex Kanevsky.  Yet I am not he.  Inspired, yes.  But taking my own direction.  Fellow artist Tom Auld, who frequently provides me with interesting artistic tidbits, provided the following list.

"Notes to myself on beginning a painting" by Richard Diebenkorn

1. Attempt what is not certain.  Certainty may or may not come later.  It may then be a valuable delusion.

2. The pretty, initial position which falls short of completeness is not to be valued - except as a stimulus for further moves.  

3. DO search.

4. Use and respond to the initial fresh qualities but consider them absolutely expendable.

5. Don't "discover" a subject - of any kind.

 6. Somehow don't be bored but if you must, use it in action.  Use its destructive potential.

7. Mistakes can't be erased but they move you from your present position.

8.  Keep thinking about Pollyanna.

9. Tolerate chaos.

10. Be careful only in a perverse way. 

My favorite is the part about Pollyanna....cute girl but way too sweet.  Loses a bit of the genuine.

A toast to Diebenkorn is in order.  Cheers!

  No matter what you do, your work always contains elements from what came before.  I wish I could say, "I invented trousers.".  In the end, I have to give it new character.

                                                                                Jonathan Anderson, Creative Director, Lowe

To Market To Market

Mission Grocer   oil on canvas   48 x 24 x 1.5

Harvest season is alive with color, texture, and all of the possibilities inherent in the preparation of fruits and vegetables that have completed their growth!  We just recently polished off a spectacular jar of bread and butter pickles canned by friend and artist Jance Lentz Hatch.  What a treat!  "Mission Grocer" was painted from reference photos and sketches done on a trip to San Francisco, where small mom and pop markets seem to populate most neighborhoods.  No vehicle necessary!  Baskets of wonders dot the sidewalks in front.  This work can be seen in the Group Ten Gallery 2nd Anniversary Exhibition currently on exhibit.  Colors and textures for all seasons...............come on along.

Opportunities

E. during nap   sketchbook

E. during nap   sketchbook

for sketching abound, albeit some are safer to me than others.  For me, drawing and painting are solitary endeavors, moments where I can truly feel that which is before me.  Sketching in public invites not only conversation, but judgement as well.  My R-brain wishes for solitude and the self-nurturing that comes from this silent communion.  And, yes, it is like a religious experience for me.  The subject is our 3-year-old grandson, an extremely active and rambunctious boy, who literally crashed during his nap time on the couch at the beach.  His body melded into the soft surface.  The second pose was more difficult.  As he moved and adjusted his body, his hat fell off, and his head was in such an awkward position that it appeared almost disjointed.  I checked and rechecked...all seemed correct.  What a beautiful moment!

Drip Castles

S and K   oil/canvas   30 x 40 x 1.5

Some beach scenes are archetypal...they are repeated time and time again and hold a sweet place in our memory banks.  This painting was done many many years after my son and dear friend patiently dripped oodles of sand ribbons into piles of magic.  I think that these castles require patience as well as deferred gratification as compared to those using molds.  The sand::water ratio must be just right.  I spent some sweet hours recently recreating a castle of my own.  As it dried, the sparkling grains stimulate a sense of wonder.  Further drying creates small holes almost uniformly throughout, adding to their mystique.

I think that many life lessons are inherent in their creation.  Cook yourself up a bit of magic...try one.

Detours

take us away from the predictable, the everyday.  Although detours can take longer to get from point A to B, and open us up to failure, they can also offer us stimulation and a trip into the unknown.  I am first and foremost a painter.  But there is something in my soul that craves change, especially come summer.  These three balloon images were created by reduction printing on a linoleum block.  It requires backwards thinking and an acceptance of happy accidents.  This secondary medium offers less control, I think, that direct painting.  Working with unfamiliar paper, tools and mediums offers a different "feel" that my hands and my heart appreciate!  Color mixing is key.  So is the acceptance of imperfect shapes cut by blades that are unforgiving.  I am no Joan Colbert, a friend and colleague whose prints both defy, to me, what can be done with these crude tools, and challenge the intellect. But that does not take away my joy, my pleasure in the creating of these images.  I find that these challenges, these detours, inform the decisions I make in my drawings and paintings, as well as offer up an addition to my always-evolving sense of visual aesthetic.


These prints are on exhibition at The Open Door Coffee Company located at 164 N. Main Street in Hudson, Ohio.  Drop in to see them and to sample Deborah's new line of scrumptious bite-size cupcakes!

Dog Days

Three Hot Chicks   oil/canvas   30 x 40 x 1.5

are upon us.  Some scenes are recreated again and again, generation to generation.  Such is the case, I believe, with the patio/deck/family reunion/lawn chair scenarios that one can see not only every weekend on a walk around town, but memorialized in photos albums everywhere.  As a person of Nordish complexion, I  have to say that summer heat is something to deal with, a bit of a template, on how I perceive the months at hand.  This work was inspired by an old family photograph.  I like the organic figures paired with the geometric chairs, a polar-oppositional composition that I cannot resist.  Detail was removed as much as possible.  The color palette was changed from cool to warm.  A sketch was created attempting to link the three figures, as well as to set up a playful rhythm of values, with the lights at the top, leaving the women susceptible to the sunlight.  Shapes were simplified.  Although most of the problems were worked out by the sketch, there were still problem areas, mostly involving the extreme foreshortening of the legs in the center figure.  Layers were worked and reworked Swiss-cheese style, while trying to retain passages that appealed to me.  I think I am finished.....now for a glass of iced tea.

Balls

Balls   charcoal, pastel and China marker on paper   8.75 x 22

Playing with balls is a bit like painting...a bit unpredictable...a bit out of control.  Balls are the tools of the athlete as brushes and pigments are to us.  And, although we set ourselves up for a successful outcome, the joy comes from the process itself...the playing, the painting.  Fluidity results from that wonderful place that lies somewhere in between control and the lack thereof. 

Swahili warrior song:  Triumph or defeat is in the hands of the gods....so let us celebrate the struggle.

Our project in drawing class was to be able to render the volume of a sphere by direct observation.  The brightly lit spheres in the "learning to draw" books are minimally useful, as the rendering requires astute observations culled from the light source (or sources) as well as attempts to understand the material from which the sphere is made, as well as its construction.  I used charcoal, with a bit of conte, pastel and China markers to achieve the effects that I desired.  The rendering is fairly tight, as the number of forms involved precludes a more expressive style....which, I think, would result in far too much visual confusion.  The two counterspaces between the balls at their base were necessary, I think for understanding, as well as a bit of vertical play to balance the extreme horizontal composition.

The struggle.  The athlete.  The painter.

Introducing Chaos to the Work

Daisies on Turquoise Ground   watercolor    8 x 8

One Happy Pineapple   watercolor   17 x 8

I love Wabi Sabi...things that are imperfect.  The regularity of reality hits me like a brick and not in a good way.  Therefore, I am always up for a bit of "destruction", a bit of chaos.  It creates a more complex problem to solve and keeps my interest.  There are so many ways to introduce chaos and there are different approaches and levels of handedness for various mediums.  These works are both watercolors which were begun as monoprintss.  A sketch was made....the plexiglass laid on top so that broad and wild applications of paint are made directly on this slippery surface.  (Some artists prefer to lightly sand the plexi and to add liquid soap to the paint, changing its viscosity, so that it doesn't bead up so much).  The "plate" is then pressed onto damp watercolor paper.  There are blobs of beautiful color and beautiful shapes that can be manipulated for quite a while.  Great fun.  I then continued to work on the painting, adding a bit of detail and refinement.  By beginning in this way, with less predictability, the painting benefits, I think, from having fewer deliberate strokes.

This is a wonderful way to approach inclusion of the background from the very beginning.  Of course, as in most successful works, planning ahead of time aids in the freedom.

"Daisies on Turquoise Ground" and "One Happy Pineapple" are part of the exhibition at Group Ten Gallery through July 18.