December 2021

 I'm posting my Christmas "card" as promised.  This was my gift exchange for our art league holiday party - just yesterday.  These are always a lot of fun:  gift exchange, catered lunch and lots of visiting before we all go off on our holiday plans for the rest of the year - no more art meetings until January.  

"One Rose"

 This will probably be my last new art post for the year; except for my holiday card.  The actual rose (in our yard) is more toward the yellow color; but I liked this color combination. 

New art up

I am going to call this one Attraction for now - not set on that title.   I was given this narrow canvass and decided on this idea.   And originally I was going to have a moth; but my husband suggested the firefly, which seemed to be a better fit.  Yes, the "glows" are iridescent. 

Individual Art Show

 I have not been involved in a personal art show in over three years.   Lately it's been shows with my art league members and we can usually only have 2-3 items per person.   And then nothing happened all of 2020 up until now due to Covid.  

So when I was invited to enter this one, I decided to get back into it.   It was held August 14 and 15 - hosted by a lady who has a pottery studio in a shopping area with a parking lot where we all set up:  an illustrator doing sketches, a potter on the wheel, a fractal artist, my acrylic work and of course, the pottery studio.   It was a beautiful day - not too hot, no rain.  Unfortunately, there was a studio tour going on at the same time; so visitors to our area was light.  But I did sell enough cards for a latte.   And it was a pleasant day. 

Now comes the unloading the car and putting things away.   

Snowy Woods

 I started this one way back in the spring of 2020 sometime before my son passed.  For a long time I couldn't touch it - but here it is finally finished.  It reminds me of one of my favorite poems:  "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost.

Nurturing Hope

I finally finished up this canvass this week.  This painting and the last seem to be from me working through issues - political and personal.  BUT - I do have an idea in mind that will be "less weight".

 "Nurturing Hope" - 14" X 18"
This is a somewhat restricted palette -
burnt sienna and iridescent gold for the skin-tones with just a bit of added white; and burnt sienna and dioxazine purple for the shading.  There is also just a bit of carbon black with the purple for the darkest areas.  And finally, iridescent pearl for the flame.  

New post at last.

 I'm just starting to get into the painting mood again.  This first piece is in response to the election results.  I guess a statement piece is a good way to get "back into it".  

""I-AM-BACK (the Phoenix)  

> the US coming back from the last four years of awful politics

> the world coming back from the pandemic

> and me coming back from the loss of my son

BTW - they did a DNA test and found markers for an early heart attack - which is what happened.

 

Still no art league meetings in person; but I do have two more canvasses started.

Rough 2020

Still no word on the cause of death of our son. I have been quite unmotivated to paint.  And due to the virus, my art group hasn't met for the entire year.  We did a Zoom meeting to conduct our annual business meeting.  It was nice to at least see some of my friends.  We normally have a Christmas party - at a local restaurant - the first week of December.  Obviously that won't happen this year - maybe another Zoom meeting.  And normally we exchange miniature paintings.  That won't happen either.  BUT we did decide to make them and show them at the Zoom meeting.  I pulled myself out of my funk to at least paint this watercolor.  The phrase is not original to me, so I won't be selling the image. 

It has been a while...

Sadly, we lost our only adult son in late July - quite suddenly - and with still no reason determined.  I have been totally wrapped up in taking care of his business:  two trips to clean out his apartment, sell his car, deal with his financial stuff.  Needless to say, no painting and very little else.  

I do want to finish up the story about the Global Art Project from earlier this year.  You will remember my contribution: 

And here is the contribution from my art partner in Romania:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It may be a while before I update again.  I do have a painting started - and the idea for another - when I feel up to it.

"Flower of Life" mandala

Seems like I've been working on this forever.
FINALLY finished - 14" dia. - "Flower of Life"
Defined:
> a series of overlapping circles that can build infinitely outward, forming a flower-like grid
> all geometric forms can be found within it; is used as a blueprint for more complex sacred geometry shapes like Metatron’s Cube and Merkaba
> symbolizes creation and reminds us of the unity of everything: we’re all built from the same blueprint

Something different

I have a husband who likes to take long walks - visits a nearby gravel yard - and comes home with pockets full of rocks. I have boxes full of rocks.  I decided to DO something with them, as a break from painting.  I promised some of my art friends that I would post some pics. 
The left side has an incense burner and the right side has a small flashlight inside to show the transparent "window".  The base is 10 x 12" plasterboard; otherwise: rocks and superglue. Kinda like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. 

UGH!

"Junk Drawer"
I hope to never do a painting this complicated ever again!  It gave me problems all the way through.  To do the text, I used markers and found out that some of them were not permanent; so they bled when I wanted to paint around them - lots of re-doing parts of the canvass.  BUT - I'm done.
The original idea was a drawer of things I have let go of from the past (at least to some degree).  (example:  light bulb = ideas that have gone by the wayside)
And yes, that is a real handle at the bottom of the canvass.  It IS a drawer, after all.