"Life I love you, all is groovy..."

"Rough"
Watercolor on paper

"Slow down, you move to fast;
You got to make the mornin' last
Just kickin' down, the cobblestones.
Lookin' for fun and feelin' groovy."

-59th Street Bridge Song
Simon and Garfunkel

On to adulthood

I few posts ago I showed you picture of an "adolescent"painting still in its ugly awkward phase (click here to see). Here's the finished painting, all ready to be delivered to its new home. 

T.J.'s Winter, oil on copper

I'm so proud to have been able to usher it on to adulthood.  ;-)

T.J.'s Winter, detail

Exploration

Just a Spoonful of Moss

Sorry I've been M.I.A. I've been off exploring exotic and far off places. Like, for example, my backyard. Hanging out with a toddler is great for training the eye and soul to notice and delight in little things. On our explorations we picked up dozens of acorns, some with "hats" some without. To most of us, one or two of these treasures would have sufficed, but not so for my 14 month-old. She had to have as many as she could hold in her tiny hands and when one would slip out and roll away, she'd chase it down crying, "Oh no!" My favorite discovery was this cheap, cafeteria style spoon partly buried in the dirt with moss growing in the bowl. We live in an older house and finds like this always lead me to wonder how they got there. A little boy digging in the dirt? A family picnic in the yard? What do you think? Any ideas?

What's catching my attention

I'm sure my neighbors (and my dogs) thought I was nuts yesterday when I stopped every 1 1/2 feet to pick up fall leaves.

But how could I resist? They're all different! When such beauty is throwing itself at your feet, you have to accept.












And enjoy.

New Beginnings

 Hi all! I was excited to see some of you at the show the other night at Parkside. It was a really fun night- good turnout, relaxing evening. All in all I'd call it a success!

A couple of posts ago I showed you an area of a painting that I had to just leave alone for a while. However, I never did show you the finished painting! Here it is!

New Beginnings I

And here is a companion piece:

New Beginnings II

These are actually kind of big paintings for me. I typically work rather small (around 10"x10" size). These are both 20"x24" inches. I really enjoyed doing some bigger work, however, and I think I'm going to continue experimenting with size and scale.

Nesting

Nesting 10"x10"
Oil on metal

At long last here it is, my latest painting depicting a tiny speckled egg nestled in a what I imagined I would use for a nest if I were a mama bird held, of course, in a silver bowl.

Rock Garden?

My latest painting. I'm still working on a title, but I'm thinking "Rock Garden." 

What do you think?

I was reminded with this painting how much I really love realism. I love looking at something like a brown rock and seeing not just brown, but all the myriad of colors that make it appear brown. If you look closely, nothing is ever just the color it immediately seems. I'm not sure I'm ever more content than when I'm gazing at something beautiful and teasing out the unexpected colors that make up its highlights, shadows, and contours.

Everyday beauty

I wrote a couple of posts ago about doing little things to improve your state of mind and the beauty of your surroundings, so I thought I'd share a few pics of my most recent good-mood inducing project. Herb basket!

And having it right by the door means I (hopefully) won't forget to water it! 

Coming soon

Here's a sneak peak at my current work in progress:

Stay tuned for more. Same art time, same art channel. (Click on the link for fun, or for you super-youngsters that didn't get my reference). 

For more posts like this, check out:

Work in Progress Finished- Take 2

Work in Progress Day 1- Work Past the Ugly

Love is in the air

It's gorgeous here lately. The past week or so doesn't feel like a typical January in Alabama. The skies are blue, it's cold but bright outside... it makes me feel so good! I've felt really good artistically, too. I don't know if it's the new year, the pretty weather, or just a new mindset, but in a lot of ways I feel like my art career is really just getting starting. I think it's taken me almost 2 years to really truly see myself as an artist and to believe that I'll succeed.

Lately painting feels like magic- how is it that I'm allowed to mix colors together and make new colors? How is it possible that paint can recreate objects so that other people can see them the way I see them? I feel in love with my oil paints all over again and find myself trying to steal a few extra minutes with them here and there. I think I'll go steal a few now.