The Essence of Things

Remember

8x10

Oil on Linen

Sold

This small painting just sold through my Etsy store.  It is one of the simplest paintings I think I've ever done.  To me it describes the essence of what I love about the landscape.  

I have other paintings from years past that are more technically accurate.  But over the years I found that I wanted to express something different.  There is spirit in the landscape.

Silent Evening

Silent Evening

Oil on Canvas

18x24

Silent Evening is a painting I did in early February.  There is so much to catch up with for me.  My house is still in a state of partial disarray due to the flood we had last December.  Since then we have had numerous workmen in the house, from jack hammers to painters.  Needless to say, there has been lots of dust too!

Our house is slowly getting back to normal.  As a matter of fact, it will probably be in a much better state when everything is finally done, since the basement will now be a lovely family room with new carpeting.  Until then, my art helps me feel "sane".  While I'm painting, all is right with the world.

Magic Evening

Magic Evening

8x10

Have you every read a quote that speaks to the heart? I love to collect quotes from many different sources and write them down in my black leather journal.  It's where I turn for inspiration when I'm feeling off kilter.  But this quote turned my thinking upside down.

All life is an experiment.  The more experiments you make, the better.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was struck by the utter simplicity.  To me it means that no matter how proficient we are or what we have experienced in life, we're still always learning.  As an artist, it is especially freeing to think that every time I pick up a paintbrush, it's an experiment.  I may follow a formula or certain rules, but I can never predict the outcome.  Thanks, Ralph!

Magenta

 After bypassing this color for so many years, I found that I'm head over heels in love with magenta this spring.  I always considered it to be too bright, too loud or too something for my own palette.  Somehow it crept up on me and wormed it's way into my artist soul.  And looking back, I've always admired this color in other artists' paintings.

 Maybe it's because the crab apple tree looked so luscious this year.  I stare at it through the front window and am amazed that it looks like a giant bouquet of flowers.  At sunset the flowers turn a lovely magenta color.

 The scattered petals at the bottom of the tree on the lawn look like faerie sprinkles.  So utterly charming.

As with any new love affair, it takes a while to work things out.  These small studies are just the beginning, as I certainly need to put in a lot more studio hours into the relationship.  And to be honest, I don't know if this will be a long term relationship or just a fling.  Only time will tell.  But for now, I'm totally enamoured  with magenta.

Studio is Finally Organized

Whew, it took a while to get my downstairs studio organized.  I wrote about it back in October here.  After painting in pastels, then switching to oils, there were so many art supplies, etc. accumulated, that some serious reorganization was in order.  I can finally put my hands on any painting or any thing at any time.  The only thing out of place is the Scrabble game on the wicker bench.  I need to know where to find that at any time too!

I ordered another painting trolley.  The painting at the far right isn't mine.  It's a collaborative effort of different people who were over at the house one night.  They all thought it would be fun to try painting and this is the result.

Now that I feel organized, I can finally concentrate on the important stuff.  Painting!

P.S.  The Space Rover trolly can be found at ASW Express.

Joy in Common Hours

Joy in Common Hours

12x16

This painting painted itself.  I felt like I was along for the ride to see what would happen next.  All I had to do was show up at the easel.  This happens to me occasionally when painting.  Usually it takes a lot more thought, but not this time.  Maybe it had to do with being in the zone.

When my days are uninterrupted, the work flows seamlessly.  Or maybe it has to do with the quality of light at this time of year.  The sunshine streams into my studio now.  There is a promise of Spring.

 It is the first mild day of March.

Each minute sweeter than before...

There is a blessing in the air...

-William Wordsworth

Lambert Lake

 Lambert Lake

18x24

Oil on Linen

About a month ago, I went for a walk with my daughter.  She never cares how hot it is.  She always manages to get me to go.  We went in a different direction from our usual walks.  She took me to an area right near our house where I had never been.  I couldn't believe it!  Here was a beautiful landscape area called Lambert Lake.  I had never been tempted to go to this area because it's right behind an ugly water treatment facility.  

Two weeks later my husband and I went back for a little picnic with wine and appetizers.  We walked around the lake at dusk and I found the inspiration I needed.  Funny what gifts are available when we least expect it.

Inspiration

Evening's Call

Oil on Linen

18x24

Where does the inspiration that goes into a painting come from?  Sometimes the artist doesn't even know.  I think we all have subconscious memories of landscapes witnessed from years back.  There may have been a moment in time that was so vivid that it was stored as a precious sensory experience.  

I know we all do this with scents and foods we've tasted from our childhood and beyond.  Just a whiff of vanilla brings me back to when my mother was baking in the kitchen when I was a child.  Biting into a juicy hamburger reminds me of when my dad would make them on the charcoal grill.  I imagine the same is true with inspiring skies we've seen over the course of our lifetime.  

Skies are always so fleeting.  If a photo isn't taken right then and there, the moment is gone for good.  Sometimes I don't know where the inspiration comes from.  But I think that a lot of inspiration comes from some moment that was so poignant that it was locked away.  Until imagination sets it free.

Moment in Time

Moment in Time

8x10

Oil on Linen

Last night my husband and I went to the symphony. I love classical music, so we usually go about once a year. There was a solo violinist who was so amazing. He knocked everyone's socks off. He was only seventeen years old, but had the talent of someone much older.

So this got me to thinking, ... are there some people who are just born with talent? What made this young man light years ahead of the rest?

I think some people discover their artistic voice very young in life and soar with it. Some people live in the moment. So I decided to call this small painting Moment in Time, in honor of that inspiring young violinist.

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.