New Work (Finally!!)

I received my light cube and got lamps from Ace, but I was not able to get the proper bulbs for the best photos, I will have to budget them in next month as they are a whopping 25 dollars apiece! But I got better photos then I have been getting, though not perfect I will make do for a while.

This painting is triptych, 8"x 24", venetian plaster, acyclic, pastel graphite and collage on board. I did this piece 2 months ago, but this is the first decent photo. I included detail photos too, but you can enlarge them by clicking on them. The title is "Walk About".

I always love to hear what you think.

Happy Sunday! XOXO

Ramblings of an Artist

Be in love with your life. Every detail of it.
—Jack Kerouac

I have lately been noticing and coming to terms with the fact that I am an oddball.
I took one of my small paintings to the Millicent Rogers Museum for a miniture show next month and I saw paintings of chickens and barns and sunsets and here I was with an abstract that had nothing to do with anything except my imagination.
Reading a blogger's post about London and the comments are full of people who have been there many times, due to lack of money most of my life I have never been to Europe, but I will, watch me I will!
Reading another blogger's post about her daughter's wedding, I thought to myself, I have never been married, never had kids, it just never worked out that way and now I don't even want to get married and it is too late for children even if I had ever wanted them. I have been in love before and for that I am very grateful even if it ended up sad.
In this world I am an odd woman out. But you know I would not change any of it. I have had experiences that few will ever have and some that are unique to just me. My life has been full of paint, and love and friends and joy and spirit.
Most of my choices have all been around the fact that painting has been the most important thing to me. Yes, I love my family and friends and my animals, but art and painting and now clay, they keep me balanced and sane and very happy.
I just needed to say that. Thank you for listening.
Happy Monday! XOXO

Gratitude

i thank You God for this amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes
—e.e. cummings
That about says it for me today:-). Happy Friday! XOXO
P.S. Still waiting for my light cube to arrive.

Finding Great Joy in Small Wonders

I thought I would share some small pleasures with you:

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery is one of the most wonderful books I have ever read and that is saying a lot. Do yourself a favor and check it out. Note, it is not about hedgehogs :-).

Bored to Death on HBO. I don't get TV (no cable or satellite), but my friend W puts this series on DVD for me and I love it. Be warned there is sex and drugs, but it has a sweetness that runs through it and it is FUNNY!!!! HBO just cancelled it though. Poop.

My Tumblr blog

Painting is of course one of my favorite joys and I am working on many.
I have decided to send for a light cube, so hopefully soon I can start sharing some of what I have been doing.

Have a most wonderful weekend!!!
XOXO

Just a Reminder

Even within the seemingly most unacceptable and painful situation is concealed a deeper good, and within every disaster is contained the seed of grace. Throughout history, there have been women and men who, in the face of great loss, illness, imprisonment, or impending death, accepted the seemingly unacceptable and thus found “the peace that passeth all understanding.
Acceptance of the unacceptable is the greatest source of grace in this world.
—Eckhart Tolle, Stillness Speaks
From my tumblr blog. Must have this tattooed on the palm of my hand :-). XOXO

Sneak Peek

I wanted to show you the actual completed paintings, but no matter what I do I can't get a good photo, and even working in photo shop I can't seem to make the photos look right, the last post I did, the photo does not look like the painting, it is an awful photo actually and it frustrates me, so I don't want to show anymore paintings until I can get a good shot. I take them outside in natural light I put them all over the yard with different backgrounds and nothing works. The ones I take inside are worse! I have a nice canon Power Shot and it should take good photos. I can get detail photos though, so for lack of anything else to show I am posting closeups of 2 new paintings.

If anyone (Lori, Becky) has any pointers for taking good shots please share.

I will eventually be getting professional photos done before I take them to a gallery to show.

So after a frustrating couple hours working on this I am now going to give up and go paint!

Happy Sunday!

XOXO

A New Painting for the New year.

This is a painting I finished today, after many weeks. The tip top photo is the painting, complete and the other 3 photos are detail close ups. You can also click on the photos to enlarge them. 21" x 16", venetian plaster, acrylics, pastels, graphite and coffee :-), on canvas.

It is titled "The Ever after". This is the best photo I could get of it. I love to hear what you think.

XOXO