The Dark Side of Our Year

Tomorrow is All Hallow's Eve. At last the bewitching hour has come. And we also turn our clocks back one hour. It's the dark side of our year.

I always look forward this time of year. It's time to prepare for celebrations with family and friends. Early suppers in front of the fire with a glass of red wine. It's time for long, slow conversations and really looking into each other's eyes. November is our wedding anniversary month, my birthday and our son's birthday. Indeed it's a time to count our blessings.

And for the artist in me and you, here's a short quote I found in Simple Abundance by Sarah ban Breathnach - one of my very favorite authors. Sarah's chosen quote for October 31st is this:

To work magic is to weave the unseen forces into form; to soar beyond sight; to explore the uncharted realm of the hidden reality.

Starhawk

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Indian Summer

Indian Summer

8x10

Oil on Linen

These past few days have been our Indian Summer in Chicago. It was short-lived, but oh-so-sweet while it lasted. Indian Summer is when there is one last span of warmer weather before real autumn begins. The sun was out. The air was balmy. And the colors of the landscape were glorious.

In that short window of time, my brother was able to sail his boat five hours away to where it gets hauled out of the water and put in dry dock for the winter. Last Sunday was Pumpkin Day at the Goodwin farm. That's when friends and family get together for a day of picking pumpkins and going on hay rides. It couldn't have been a more perfect day.

Indian Summer is a gift. The memories can keep us warm all through the winter.

I'm New to eBay

It seems so many bloggers are going through changes this year, in many ways, shapes and forms. I've been going through many changes of my own. Kind of like a whirlwind. That's what it feels like, anyway.

After much back and forth and soul searching, I've decided to take the plunge and open an eBay store. I want my work to go out into the world and I decided that it will reach the maximum amount of viewers. After all, buying art is a very personal thing. Each painting may or may not speak to a particular viewer depending on that person.

And I want my art to be truly affordable. It's not the right route for every artist, but I it just feels right for me.

Nocturne

The nocturne is the last lesson from the Magic Hours class. This simple scene is from the family farm. I've walked this way so many times at night. I felt the need to capture this peaceful place where so many happy memories have been made over the years.

With nocturnes, the hues are mainly cool with a few warm notes thrown in. And the values, especially in the trees, must be kept very close. Hopefully, this will the first of many nocturnes painted at the farm.

Dawn Revisited

This is the last week of the Magic Hours class. I wanted to post Nocturnes, but I can't rush the drying process. Each layer of paint needs to fully dry before adding the next. So hopefully, I'll be posted those next week. I think painting nocturnes is the most difficult of the magic hours. The values need to be very close at night time.

Instead, I'm showing what I've continued to work on. Edges. All artists know how important edges are in painting. They make the difference between mediocre and good work. I posted this painting a few weeks ago here. The first time I posted, it was mostly the underpainting with some color. Now that I'm beginning to understand how to accomplish decent edges, I think there is quite a difference. At least there is to me.

The learning curve with edges has been a steep one!

Twilight

I've become so involved in the technical aspects of my online class, that I need time to step back and observe.  Get out in nature - after all, nature is the best teacher.  Yesterday my daughter and I took a walk to town.  We do this quite often.  It's our little ritual.   Walking along with our hot to-go cups of tea, I observed some magnificent silhouettes of the trees at twilight.  The edges of the lit areas of the trees had a beautiful glow from the setting sun.  

If only I had my camera.  But, no, maybe not.  After all memory work is so important in painting.  

Some people have been asking what colors I use for glazing.  The transparent color in this painting is Brown Pink by Gamblin.  It's mixed with Liquin and can only be applied to the canvas when the underlayers are completely dry.