The Sunny Pea

Its been a bit since I last painted. I've been back in the office pretty much full time. By the time I get home I don't want to do anything... I did take today off, though, since it appeared it was going to be slow. I decided to paint a rose... This rose is from one of the photos I took in Portland, OR, the City of Roses. I was also inspired visiting the Currier Art Gallery in Manchester yesterday. Not by the Picasso, but countless others I saw there. I found more than ever, the paintings just "popped" at me and I wanted to go home and try to reproduce that feeling myself. Something to draw the eye in and say something to the viewer. Nothing esoteric, no hidden meanings, but yet something that speaks to the soul... I hope I will be able to accomplish this with my rose. This is the beginning. I am doing this one in glazes like I did my turtles. Here is the first monochromatic layer. More to come as I progress! (24 x 36" acrylic on canva...

18 x 24" Waking Up Spring Spring has hit full force. Leaves have popped, the grass is growing, the deer have emerged for their regular feeding in our backyard. Most times these amazingly agile animals, bound off into the woods if they see us, even when they know we won't hurt them. The other night we almost ran into one in our driveway coming home. He ran across the driveway, we stopped, and then he stopped off to the side, about 100 feet from us. He was camouflaged with his surroundings, but we could still see him in the dim light and we talked. Facing us as still as can be, he listened. Our car was running, we rolled the windows down and we said hello and told him how beautiful he was. He stood there for what seemed an unusually long time, seeming appreciative of our compliments, then turned and slowly walked away. AWESOME.

(Maybe you can think of more? Join in and add to this list!) dump negative thoughts, love for things, anxieties and worries bury the dead past but don't lose its memory and the lessons learned incinerate / burn any hatred you feel, proud looks, lustful thoughts, angry words, hurtful gestures recycle hugs, smiles, handshakes, nods or waves of hello as well as the common courtesies and politeness your momma taught you this may not save the earth, but it will make it a much more pleasant place to be while we are here This 10 x 10" painting that I did today is for all moms in memory of beautiful marigold bouquets. Happy Mother's Day!

New York City, 24 x 36" As I did with "Eye Over London", in this painting I tried to create the illusion of a lot of detail without really using much. I wanted the design to be a bit more on the abstract side and simple so I used a larger brush for the majority of the painting, blocking in color and generally capturing the essence of New York City. New York is a bustling city, but I wanted to create a sense of calm as well as excitement. There is no sign of life in this picture, yet so many lives went into creating this great city. The difference in architecture shows the many years of life it has spanned. I will come back to it in a couple days and decide then if it is finished. One fault that I have is not knowing for sure when I am done with a painting. I have ruined many a painting by overworking and reworking and eventually starting over. Now, as I am learning to do, I'm walking away....

OK... so New York wasn't built in a day.... Here is the progress of my painting of NYC for Kevin & Jayne. So far I have spent two days on it, though several weeks in between. It is a 24 x 36" acrylic on canvas. Jayne didn't specify what size she wanted.... so hopefully this is not too big for her! It's what I wanted to work with, though, considering the detail. With no one else in the house but the cats, I have time right now to paint this weekend... (as always, click images to enlarge). First I sketched in the layout. Next, I added in blocks of color. MAYBE tomorrow I can finish it up... right now I have to feed the cats.

I saw myself today. Three little-ones in tow, one on each hand, one in a front carrier, all under the age of four. I smiled at myself as I allowed myself to pass by, across the busy parking lot, and smiled with a nod of "you understand" and a nod back of "I've been there". I watched myself with a lilt in my step as I headed inside for another adventure in grocery shopping with my babies, beaming that they were mine. I wondered to myself, "where was that lilt today?" as I had watched my youngest baby drive away, on an adventure of her own, to a new home far across the country. I looked in the rear-view mirror and I saw a single tear trying to find its way across the smile lines, worry lines, lines of every emotion all etched upon my face. I looked. I really looked... and I saw myself.

Eye over London 30 x 48" I've included this painting of mine from a few years ago because I have a similar painting that I am about to get started on for a family member. This painting (Eye Over London) was done from a photo I took while high above London (443 ft)in the "London Eye", the biggest Ferris wheel in Europe. My brother and sister-in-law visited NYC recently and took pictures from the Empire State Building, high above and looking down on The City. The picture that my sister-in-law sent me is beautiful. Jayne is an artist herself doing beautiful scrapbooks, decorating, etc. and I fear doing her photo justice. I will be working on this painting next, they did not specify a size so I will first have to determine this. I'm not sure I want to post the progress on it, though, so it may be a while before I next post new art on here. Maybe I will post old artwork, those on my website, with explanations / descriptions. Until then, STAY TUNED! :-)