Another Artist's Date

Every once in a while I'm pulled out of my everyday routine to go on a day of inspiration. Usually I'm not the one who plans these outings. My daughter does. Last Friday was one of those days. Jessica has an internship at the School of the Art Institute. She's almost done with her Master of Library Science degree and has a curatorial project on display. So, of course I needed to see it! While walking around the streets of Chicago, we came across the newly restored iron grillwork of Louis Sullivan. Seeing this masterpiece up close made my jaw drop.

Even though I don't like the traffic in Chicago, it's worth the trip because there are cultural surprises at every turn. And I come away from these artist's dates with a feeling that my inspiration well has been filled. Of course we needed to have a very sophisticated lunch at Atwoods. My daughter picked the place. After all, moms always pay the bill!

Moonshine

Moonshine

16x20

Oil on Linen

This painting is another departure from my usual warm skies. I'm not sure about the lack of drama. There is just something about warm, glowing skies. This sky is actually blue-green although on my monitor it shows up as blue.

But Mother Nature gives us time to rest and reflect. If we had dramatic beauty all of the time, we would never have time to rejuvenate. So here's my sleepy time painting.

Memory of the Day

Memory of the Day

16x20

Oil on Linen

My husband and I have an evening ritual. We sit in our living room facing the western sky with a glass of wine and watch the sun go down. Some nights there is brilliance and drama in the sky. Other nights, the sun is obscured by cloud patterns. But no two skies are ever alike.

I incorporated this sky into the composition from a different painting. I just had to try and record what I really saw. Nature is never stingy. She is always a source of inspiration. Anyway, sky watching is always cheap entertainment.