Inspirations Today

I am enjoying the texture of real oil paint. I took this picture at 6:45 PM when the sun was getting low in the sky picking up the texture. I love oil paint texture even though there are times I can not tell the difference between oil and acrylic in other painters' works. But when I am working oil the textural buttery quality is an entirely different experience from painting with convenient acrylics.

This morning at 7:30 AM I saw clouds with tree dragons and the moon was like the pearl often pictured with Chinese Dragons.

Went Fishing: Caught A Verse

The Dragon of Green Peter, Oregon

The eye ball is stone,
very likely of ice age origin.
The eyeball turns in its round socket
resting on a long camel's nose.
The head hides until the waters recede and in the remaining calm waters the reflection completes the Camel Dragon.

The stillness is before the rains come.
The head is always in the the island cliff attached to a body.
A serpentine body submerges
and then emerges encircling the shrinking reservoir.
The camel dragon twists in and out of every cove.
The water at the first breath of a breeze sweeps across the open waters nearer my boat. I blink once and twice, I see it the reflection illusion way across on the other side the scaly long body is all above the water's edge. The dragon is levitating.

I see how easy it would have been for ancient prehistoric peoples to connect suggestive illusions to a god of rain.

"The Dragon of Green Peter" is acrylic on cradled Masonite board, 12 " square by 1 5/8" deep, for sale $300.

Conclusion of Riparian Dragons

I have learned how the absorbent ground works with watercolor sealing it with matte UV protective varnish. These illustrations are not suited in my mind as being architectural structuring an arch around one of our interior doorways. I would prefer non-objective paintings for our house walls.

Seventh Day of Riparian Series Started Tight

At the beginning of the day I felt tight, I was not happy with the results of my series. And I felt that was good. I was ready to go beyond what I had done but needed to get primed to do so. There was a painting I did in 1997 that had never worked to my satisfaction and it was so thick with paint I thought I would toss it but first I would play. I made a fun pseudo child like painting. The spirit of this dragon I wanted in my other paintings and I needed to feel this child in me. Then I boldly made some changes in the "Siletz Riparian Bronze Dragons" mimicking the 8th century BC Luristan pole ornament.

My playful dragon is the Oregon Coast Sea monster conjured up by parents who want their children to play safely on the beach and not venture out swimming in the cold Pacific Ocean where the monster hides.

Riparian Dragon Series Update, Day Seven

After a days rest, the paintings look a little better. Plus I started another one.

Day five of Raparian Dragon Series

Today I doubt my direction on this series. I am thinking of removing the one inspired by the Luristan Bronze in the upper right corner. I want to keep that one. It belongs with another grouping of art that appears to me connected with riparian river banks. It is time to let these paintings rest. I'll put them away for a couple of days and look at them again with fresh eyes.

The most pleasurable part of the day was making low texture with the gesso and Golden brand absorbent ground. I am finishing about 66 of these boxes to paint while I am at the Oregon Coast. Memory paintings explore creative distilled vision. I continue to think about how the ancient bronze maker was influenced not only by the environment but also by the observance of the properties of the metal giving character.

I was not surprised when my husband showed me that he some how acquired a daub of green paint on his side burn. I declare thalo green is really tough to work with because it keeps jumping onto me and everyone around me.

Day Four Painting Riparian Dragons

Looking at this group of three and my photographs, these three are lonely and I have 12 new boxes 12" square and a couple of more ideas from photos and watercolor sketches. These are a little illustrative - the hidden dragons still make them illustrative in my mind. The title of the series could be, "Can you find Dragons; Dragons are a universal in almost all our different ethnic pasts." This is my way of connecting with primal man. I keep thinking of how the bronze craftsmen of ancient times in Luristan cut down their trees to fire their forge and how the riparian tidal waters created atmospheric mists mixing with the fire and the smoke of their forge. Nature took on strange appearances that man could not explain. Working the metals the "Animal Style" artists were aware of geometric repetition in nature and must have noticed the very same reflections that I am seeing in the riparian waters of the Siletz. The open mouth shapes in tree branches, clouds, rocks and derelict snags is awesome to me. Though I don't think the repetition of dragon shapes is God, the ancient craftsmen might have explained this uncanny repetition as one fundamental base for all they knew. Dragons are everywhere in many bodies or invisible reflections. Monotheism rejected the dragons as being empty idols but at one time the dragon's geometry being repetitious may have a part in starting the ritual of looking with awe at nature as means to believing in one God.

Series of three from photographs

This is day two. The series will be a triptych of three watercolors on 12" square chunky board boxes. I do not know yet if I will remain this abstract or if the dragon motif will lure me to making these illustrations like what happened in the story series, "Finding a Dragon is Good Luck". I like the watercolor qualities on the boards sealed with Golden absorbent ground. To see more clearly the paintings and the photos I am looking at just click on the picture and a screen will pop up with an enlargement.

An invitation to share what we were doing in 1996!

To read about and see more photos of me painting in Alaska see Rain's blog http://rainydaythought1996.blogspot.com/

She invites us to briefly relate our past experience of 1996. I enjoyed finding the pictures and writing a short description of my life. I hope many more participate.

The above watercolor was painted from the doorstep of our cabin at Karta Lake, The acrylic painting was also painted from inside our cozy Forest Service cabin.

Riparian Dragon

Today I paint from photographs of the still reflective ebb tide of the riparian banks of the Siletz River near Lincoln City, Oregon. My painting is watercolor over Golden brand absorbent ground over gesso on a hard board 12" square box. In addition to traditional watercolors I used water soluble crayons. This painting will be finished with a UV protective matte acrylic varnish.

My goal is to continue this series abstracting from my photographs doing one a day for the next three days.

Here I am continuing my series of dragons I see near Windy Bend on the Siletz River.

Abstracting River Landscapes

I took photos of atmosphere to summons the many dragon shaped logs and rocks of Windy Bend on the Siletz River. Photography was my tool to stimulate imagination but I did not look at photos as I painted. My childhood memories as I painted were like yesterday when I was living in the foggy San Francisco Bay Area. These two boxes were painted in camp not on the river as was the other box I posted yesterday with a description of media. I am looking forward to doing more boxes and maybe dragons will appear in them. Maybe the abstraction will approach non-objective. I expect an adventure.

Misty Mornings on the Siletz River, Oregon

Watercolor is a natural for rendering atmospheric interpretation. Especially wonderful are the luminous washes on absorbent ground painted over gesso on hard board (Masonite). As I apply the paint I see the puddles of color flow over the slight irregularities of my hand painted surface. Picking up the box I tilt it to make the color spread. Working sensitive changes of light and dark on my hand made surface is a real joy. This box is 7" x 5" x 1 5/8", a size that is in a good ratio for the subtle changes of my medium. The watercolor is made permanent with a matt UV protecting varnish.

Seeing my dragon series in new ways

One way of seeing my paintings differently is showing them in a gallery setting. The picture shows a public display of the story with the title in the center and the story revolves around it. This will be up until the end of August at Pegasus Art Gallery in Corvallis, Oregon. The whimsy of my subject goes well with the intent of the gallery.
I am renting the wall and need to think if I want to continue marketing. If they don't sell, it is very expensive for me to show my work here. $150 /month for really fine public exposure that not only is for selling but also educates the public. It is a gift from my heart.


The painting here, one of the ones in the exhibit, started as a peace rose. And peace and war is a topic in museum settings and might my work fit into that venue? Perhaps I should be applying for shows at schools, colleges and universities where selling is not the prime motive?

I do enjoy the process of making art and journaling on the Internet. The Peak-a-boo Peace Rose Dragon with the slight suggestion of a dragon's eye in the upper left corner. But then I saw the face and decided that it went well with Rain's story. Rain of http://rainydaythought.blogspot.com/ seeing my blog and following the course of this series helped me with a story when I didn't think there was one.

Rain's Story for my Dragon Series

Rain and I at the /clothesline sale Saturday, August 4th.

A few days before I thought my dragon series would not develop into a story, when Rain came up with one. Rain's blog is http://rainydaythought.blogspot.com/ I think the fusion of our talents is much fun: Thank you Internet!!!

Finding a dragon brings good luck. Don't the legends say so? 'Not that it matters since dragons are rare. Who told you that silly woman.
Dragons are everywhere when you know where to look.'
He pointed his long bony finger to show her the way.

There is one in the clouds. Another plays on the edge of the surf. Isn't he golden one
The old sage laughed. "Dragons rare? Who told you that silly woman? Dragons are everywhere when you know where to look.
He pointed his long pointy finger to show the way. Isn't that golden red one
There is one in the clouds. Another plays on the edge of the surf.
Isn't that one a beauty teasing you from the rock.?'

'I don't see any,' she cried with disappointment.
Perhaps dragons were only for special people, she thought sadly.
The everyday woman simply aren't meant to see those magical creatures.
'Nonsense, 'the old sage snapped, reading her doubting mind,
frightening her a bit more than a little.

"More patiently,' the sage went on, 'you are going too fast. Stop to look.
You are expecting something hard, something out of your reach.
They are like your luck. They are really right there in front of your eyes.'
It was then that she saw one, then another, and realized the truth --
she was no longer afraid to look.

Sidewalk Art Sale No Sale

Above me smiling on the outside. Below is one side of my display in a shared tent.

Below is the one bite I got all day. It was a restaurant owner looking for someone to decorate their business.

Titles for the new dragon series

THE FINDING DRAGONS SERIES

Everywhere I see dragons shapes in nature. From bottom left moving up and clockwise I give each of these paintings a title. The titles this time will be as close as I get to a narration. I have not found a story in these, though often a story evolves from a series. The titles are:

Unmoving Rock Dragon

Dragon Wearing Rose Petal Wings

Dragon Hiding Behind a Rose Head

Dragon Anticipating the Dawn

Dragon of the Fir Boughs Whispers to a Dragon Cloud

Surf Dragon Splashing

Mist Dragon Sashaying

Inserted framed painting of night lights

Dragon Eyes Flower

Dragon on the Yellow Earth Blows Kisses