A June Evening

A June Evening

Oil on Linen

16x20

The greens are so abundant this time of year.  June is my favorite summer month.  I love the freshness of the landscape.  The foliage isn't overgrown yet.  The air is soft and fragrant.  It would be June all summer if I had my way.  I know that the hot humidity is coming here to Chicago.  That's when we're constantly watering our flowers and watching the temperature before heading out the door.  But June is perfect, even though we've had our share of rain.

I used green in the sky of this landscape.  It also has magenta mixed with naples yellow.  These colors, to me, are the colors of June.  The colors of contentment.

April Inspiration

Time for another artist's date.  My husband and I went to Starved Rock State Park last week and stayed in a log cabin for three nights.  Most people think of Illinois as completely flat.  This area is one of rolling hills and canyons and waterfalls.  It was carved out by the glaciers 116 thousand years ago and people come from all over to witness the incredible beauty.

 We walked for miles on the trails throughout the park.  The above photo is Council Bluff.  Of course the photo doesn't do it justice because in reality it resembles a cathedral in the woods.  Legend has it that here is where the Native Americans would come together for community and ceremony.

 I didn't notice the rainbow at the time I took this picture.  Indeed these woods are magical.

Here is one of 18 canyons in the park.  My husband and I have come here in the winter when the waterfalls are actually ice falls.  It's hard to say which time of year is more beautiful.

Trips like this inspire my soul.  There is nothing like being out in nature.

Update:  Sam asked why this place is called Starved Rock.  According to Native American tradition, some Peoria Indians who came under attack by a war party of Potowanami Indians suffered starvation when trapped on a rock without food or water.  You can check out the history of the park here.

Sonnet

Sonnet

18x24

Oil on Linen

In between painting, I enjoy reading in the summer months.  I've been avoiding long books at this time because if a good book grabs me, I can't put it down until I'm finished.  I'm not a chapter a day person.  So I read books that don't have a story sequence.  I'll save the epic novels for the cold weather months.

I came across this quote by Eric Maisel.  It made quite an impression since it has to do with why we create, whether it's baking, writing, woodworking, gardening or whatever drives one's passion to create.  

Love is the spirit that motivates the artist's journey.  The love may be sublime, raw, obsessive, passionate, awful, or thrilling, but whatever it's quality, it's a powerful motive in the artist's life.

Sometimes I'm in the obsessive catagory.  Other times I'm in the thrilling catagory.  But I've definitely experienced them all.  

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.

Edge of Day

Edge of Day

Oil on Linen

20x16

This is a larger painting I did from my smaller study that I showed two weeks ago here. I've found that it's almost impossible to do a painting exactly like another. There are always variables such as my mood, weather and what music I'm listening to that day. I think of each painting as "what was happening at that time".

A wonderful blogger, Catherine Jeffrey asked what kind of music I listen to. If you haven't had a chance to check out her blog, you're in for a treat. I swear I can hear what's going on in her paintings. Anyway, that got me to thinking that I'm all over the place when listening to painting music. Rock, alternative, classical, country, new age. It goes on and on. Lately, I've become addicted to Josh Groban. I resisted listening to him for years and now love his voice. I try to start out each painting with a little Josh.

What kind of music inspires you when you paint? I would love to know!