Favorite colors from our cruise between Buenos Aires and Valipariso, near Santiago

Buenos Aires urban renewal color.

Sunrise on the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile

Port Montt and redwood shingles.

Santiago Cathedral

Dancers at El Molino Ranch

Power of water in paint and photographs

In these pictures I believe the paintings do tell something I can not photograph.

Sun rise near "the end of the world", Ushuaia

When I see the beautiful photographs taken on the cruise, I wonder why I should work to make a finished painting. I do believe that the seeing process is enhanced as I paint and the memory is more firmly in my mind. Often when I look at a picture of sun rises or sun sets, they do not always tell the truth of what I observed and felt. This painting was one I did at breakfast time in the ship's buffet restaurant on the tenth deck.

The moon and approaching and leaving Ushuaia

One of my favorite parts of the cruise was when my husband pointed out the sea life to me as we left the Falklin Islands and approached Ushuiai, Argentina. I was delighted to wake early about 4:30 AM to see the moon through our portal. We quickly dressed and went to the 10th and 11th decks to watch the approach of Ushuaia.

Both the photographs and the scans of my paintings turned out too blue and I am working on getting the color adjusted or in the case of the paintings I may try to just photograph them and see if I can get the color closer.

Beginning to draw Tango dancers

(Please click on pictures to see enlargements) Beginning to draw Tango dancers, I am trying to feel the movements. Ideally I need a partner because Tango is a dance that depends upon two moving together. I feel that Icannot do a finished work until I have experienced both the male and the female parts with a partner holding me. No problem now, I am happy to say that I have a volunteer and some DVDs that will facilitate our learning. In a few days I hope to have some new work but in the mean time I will post some more of the scenic beauty in photographs and paintings made while seeing Argentina, the Falklin Islands, Cape Horn, and Chile.

Cruise photographs between Buenos Aires to Valparaiso

January 18, my husband and I entered our last port after out cruise On the Celebrity Cruise Ship Infinity.


Valparaiso is the San Francisco of South America with steep hills and cable cars.

After the 14 day cruise it had been months since we were in Ben's Aires and this colorful district. I wonder if the paintings here of the Argentina Tango truly reflect the real Tango spirit or if they were made to satisfy tourists. I am searching for the real tango spirit in the paintings I will be posting soon.

This Tango couple appear to hate each other. The man's right hand that acts as a signal to the woman is not directing her from the back of the rib cage.Maybe the artist didn't want to draw hands or they were making a comment on men and women these days.

On board ship our travel companions play chess.

Beagle Channel from the aft deck on the Infinity Cruise Ship

Watercolors from my Aquabee Supper Deluxe sketch book. January 11, 2009.

Sketching Tango Argentino as taught by Juan Pablo Vino

The number one most memorable and exciting part of my vacation was drawing Tango dancers seeking an understanding of this vital dance art form. I am beginning to develop an understanding and feeling for Tango. I am hoping that I will learn more with the videos that I purchased. As I gain in knowledge, I will make more finished works. The beauty of Argentina Tango, to me is the relationships of male and female expressed in movement as I saw the Carlos Gardel show in Buenos Aires and in the performances of the Pampas Devils Show on the Infinity Celebrity Cruise Ship. I am exceedingly pleased with the cruise ship Tango lessens in helping me to interpret the dance in drawings and future paintings. Tango dancers turn like tops with an imaginary cord running from the top of their head to the sole of their foot grounded. The way I see the tango man's hands are like the gentle firm touch shaping the movement of his spinning partner when she is centered and balanced like clay on a wheel. Movement takes form like magic.

Happy New Year

Holiday Season at Government Camp and Salem, Oregon

On request from my son-in-law, here are some holiday photos. In about three weeks I will return to blogging with some new directions. I enjoyed china painting on a tile at a party of the Independent Women Artists of Corvallis.
I did a 3" x 2" porcelain tile from this drawing done at the wedding.We were very pleased at how well the Chevy Tracker handled in the snow when we went up Mount Hood for a December Wedding.

Here are some of the first pictures of my 8 yearold granddaughter.

Woke up to snow - the early arctic blast for a white Christmas?

My better half at the wheel.

The news media may have over reacted to a storm that may or may not materialize into the demon they predict. The storm is rushing me for preparations for our children flying into Portland, Oregon for a wedding in our family, and Christmas gift making and shopping. After rushing about this season, a rest will be very much needed. So I will be taking a little break from blogging returning with new vigor later on in January.
One of the activities I plan in my break is to catch up on my favorite art blog links. A new one just added yesterday is Ellen Beier's. http://www.ellenbeier.com/ She has been a published illustrator for 20 years. Her historic fiction for children is exquisite. Ellen invited me to her home and studio yesterday. It is impressive how she reads and reads to familiarize herself with the period of time, places and people in her book illustrations. There are many steps in preparation before the illustrating begins.

Gloves of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Volunteer

"Honoring the River Enhancers," Mixed media, Caran d'ache on paper, image 20" x 22" framed approximately 21" x 23" (click on image to see detail) This is my other entry for "Our Fish Story," a juried show for LaSells Stewart Center Galleries, in Corvallis, Oregon, February 2 - March 10, 2009. The jurors will be looking for art that creatively represents how fish and fishing habitats are sustaining the spirit of Oregon's bounty. For entry information click on the URL here: http://oregonstate.edu/lasells/galleries There is a $30.00 entry fee which makes me pause before entering. But ever since 1986 at Breitenbush Camp Grounds where I painted my first oil painting -"Humbug Creek", I have been hooked on the fishing story in my paintings. I have available "Breitenbush 32 years later" and "Ripples" both under 56" x 48" posted on my artist page, Diane Widler Wenzel, at The Pegasus Art Gallery web site - http://pegasusartgallery.com/

Possible entry to juried exhibit at La Selles Stewart Center

"Spirit of Oregonians Volunteering to Save Salmon and Steelhead" (South Santiam Hatchery), Watermedia on paper, image 15" x 29 1/2" frame 23" x 36" (click on image for detail)
Completed in studio

Before finished - my painting on location

Volunteers fertilize salmon eggs at South Santiam Hatchery, a painting started on location and never completed is another painting I'll be finishing to enter in the show, FISH STORY.

Linda Rees Tapestrys at DIVA, Eugene

two photos of exhibit by Dennis Galloway

Linda Rees’ tapestry exhibit, “Putting Content to Color” at DIVA, Eugene, Oregon.
With great pleasure I viewed Linda Rees’ tapestries yesterday evening just before and during the First Friday, Eugene Art Walk. We are both veteran members of a marketing group, Fiber Design, dating back to 1977 through 1978 in Bellingham, Washington. During this period Linda’s designs were based on Southwestern geometric rugs. She departed from Hispanic tradition by using their design elements to make shapes and patterns expressive of her own life. Each new piece stretched the limits building one experience upon another in an admirable journey. Linda experimented with color moving from the natural wool colors to brighter died yarns from the spool ends for commercial carpets.
Linda Rees also started experimenting with curved shapes in her tapestries. I am the proud owner of her first or one of her first tapestries, “Pile of Rocks.” I was drawn to an interesting play between the hard idea of rocks and the softness of woven wool. Some of the yarn for this piece was hand spun by Linda. My tapestry and Rees rug adds much warmth to my home. The warmth comes from the wool but even more from it being a work made from the patient, enduring heart of an artist. Her work is an inspiration to my painting because of her process and deep personal involvement in each tapestry.
Linda Rees will be giving a gallery talk Friday December 12th at noon at DIVA, 110 W Broadway on a corner of Broadway and Olive in Eugene, Oregon. The gallery is open 12:00 - 5:00 PM Tuesday - Saturday. Linda's exhibit will be up through December 23rd. For more information click on the gallery's web site here www.divacenter.org

Entering juried show, Sustaining the Spirit of Oregon's Bounty, Our Fish Story

Having a husband who volunteers much of his time to Oregon Fish and Wildlife, I have started a number of paintings that are from his volunteering for enhancing and helping the survival of Steelhead and Salmon. The on-line entries must be submitted by January 12. and the exhibit is February 2 - March 10 at Oregon State University LaSells Stewart Center, Corvallis, Oregon. As I finish them I will be showing them here'

Resolution of my experimental novel, I am Darion Painter

Here I go again, fast forwarding to chapter 10 and the satisfying ending right immediately after the deepest darkest climax. The climax came to me in a dream last night. But first a few words will cover chapters 6 through 9 in which Diane identifies the characters in her dream. Mad Hatter was one facet of her personality. Mad Hatter was at the wheel of the car that went out of control narrowly missing her lean and hungry side, Penny. The other mysterious character was the person Darion wants to become -Jeannette Cougar Woman. Cougar Woman chased Penny who fell in the deathly snow and was almost killed by my car before getting up and slashing Mad Hatter's tires.
My friend Rain Song wisely says that Mad Hatter is one who does everything for everybody else. Mad hatter actually has many hats more than her bird nests and paint brush head coverings. She also has a nurse cap, a baseball cap, a cooks hat, and so on. She always has to have a hat and feels guilty about doing things just for herself. And yet she resents her other hats and will keep on doing more and more paintings without taking care of herself or her other commitements.
Then in chapter nine she dreamt that she was trying to drive a delivery truck out of her drive way and the wheels kept spinning. But she must get the truck moving to deliver all the matches for people to light holiday candles. The weight of the world's celebration depended upon her. How rediculous she realized it was. It finally became clear what she must do to become the person she wants to be. She will take time for herself without always having to feel that everything she does has to be for someone else.

Fifth Installment of the novel, I AM DARION PAINTER

Mug on left is lean and hungry Penny and mug at center is the dream office secretary. Any one of these characters could be responsible of the crime. With the exception of course of Mad Hatter who deserves to be restrained for her successive disregard of property herself. She gets paint all over my clothes and drips it all over the house. Or heaven forbid the slashing of the tires of my dream car could have been a conspiracy. Now back to the drawing board to try and remember any clue to who the other pedestrian was that snowy night of a life changing dream.

The Mad Hatter Darion, Installment Four

This is, as all of you know who follow my blog, one of Darion Painter's personalities. Darion is the main character in my experimental novel. She is the mad hatter in me saying: All I want to do is paint. Who cares about anything or anybody else but me. I don't answer the telephone. Could be a bill collector. I don't comb my hair or brush my teeth and the blue birds build nests on my head. Their waste adds great texture to my paint, don't you think?
This novel is about solving the secret of a life changing dream. Dreams like this snowy night dream are messages to bring inspiration and life into my painting. These dreams are all about unlocking my painting process. I don't remember the dream as well as I did a few installments back and could use some help in that respect because at my age my memory is not as keen as it used to be. Or perhaps you only remember what you can handle. I do hope it is only aging that is at play here and not dementia in one form or other.
One thing I do know : This drawing is not the secretary of my dreams. In my dream I didn't get a good look at the person who chased the one who tripped and fell in the snow. I hope I have not confused you. I might have hit the one laying in the snowy road when the car went out of control. I think she got up slashed my wheels and then tried to open the door and get me. She was familiar and I remembered who she was right after the dream, but now I have forgotten already who she was. I think she is the one who slashed my tires. Maybe if we make some more pictures I will remember as I help Diane draw. Now the personality that attacked me was lean and hungary. For sure I can draw that Darion personality and the secretary tomorrow.