Water reflection, organic, collages

 A work in progress.

 

Here I have selected scraps of paper that speak to me from my shelves of uninteresting works. It is difficult to throw away old work, but I am disposing a lot of paper especially ones with paint that is falling off the paper. I tried to reconstitute gouache and watercolors and they have failed to have enough medium to adhere to paper properly.

 This is a postcard sized beginning of a series. It looks like  an ocean beach, foam line shape.

Earthquake Painting/North Albany Series

The earthquake in Haiti just couldn't be suppressed when I continued to paint on my North Albany Series. What if we had a big earthquake? Right now there are 10 new homes with roofs already covered since the beginning of the year. An additional blocks of new foundations are being prepared. It doesn't make sense when we just had a paper mill close down.

Precious Vase - a new approach to the series

From construction paper I cut random vase forms. Then I studied them until I identified the most precious value that they exude. My earlier vases and paintings started in exactly the opposite way - taking a concept and then fashioning a form. click on the image to evaluate their labeling.

Precious Vase - Second Wedding Vase

My first vase painting for weddings looked like two co-dependent necks walking on a cracked egg. This one has strong colors with both partners equal in their individual growth connected at their feet by a common reservoir- a heart. And as long as they may stretch in their individuality they are connected by a bridge. This vase is inspired by a vase in Rain's collection. She purchased it from a Navajo trader.

The painting is oil on a deep cradled board block.

Precious Vase - Respect

Here are two variations on the same theme - Respect: Self-Respect, the Expectation of Receiving Respect, Respect for Others, and Respect for the Earth.

These two are not the final painting on Respect.
I am keeping a sketchbook by our television so when I see on the news vases in the presence of high governmental officials of the world, I can sketch the shapes for analyzing their body language. Are they defensive and sealed off from others and put forth a message of being stable, and invincible? Or are they trusting and giving. Do they appear to expect to be respected? Do they need to be divided into shields of protection?
Do they need ornamentation or does their regard for themselves come from within? Do they give off an illuminating sense of goodwill?

Precious Vase - Dreams

This is one that was not dreamy enough until I worked on it some more.

"My DreamsVase Holds Waters as Big as all the Oceans" is oil on a deep cradled board.

Details of changes on "Bovine Catching Lily's Song"

I just can't do daily paintings. I start out fresh with a feeling but sometimes that feeling goes to desperation. Like yesterday when I made this great departure leaning towards fantasy. The other factor was I have more than doubled the size of my surface and it took some doing to completely cover the canvas without using solvents that cause headaches.

This afternoon I was pleased to work into the still wet paint in order to reclaim the happy song of the lilies.

There maybe more steers. Tomorrow I will paint with the Albany Painting Enthusiasts. and will be able to build on the series at Nicole's Nursery.

Transition to a new series of summer yard flowers

"Sunflower" is oil on museum wrapped canvas, 18" x 18", for sale when paint is dry, $200. The steers have not walked in my view for several days. They will be placed in the field right in back of our place next week. I have not decided if I will continue this series or if 10 is just right. Talked to a dear friend I have known for decades. I have enjoyed comparing the life of being artists. now she supports her husband and his work by maintaining a blog for him. Herb started making abstracts and now prefers to paint in traditional realism. http://herb32426.wordpress.com Welcome to my blog Herb and Herby's wife.

Number Ten of the Well Cared For Steer Series

"Calf at Sun Down" Number Ten of Woodlot Mother's Well Cared for Steers, oil on museum wrapped canvas, 12" square, for sale available when dry, $150.

I am afraid I have not seen the steers walk by in the evening since the grass dried up some. So now I am working on some earlier starts and mostly memory.

A Sunday in a Retired Painter's Life

This Sunday is a good day in the life of a retired fine arts painter – retired from a focus on sales shifted to an intensified exploration of my feelings for life’s forms and colors. I am searching for relevance in today’s world. As readers of this blog know my new series is of flowers in my yard and the steers in our neighbor’s pasture. With my new direction I have become on most days a stay at home painter.
I woke up at 6:00 AM and enjoyed my husband’s waffles with berries and Cool Whip. Then on the Internet I read a blog about a caregiver for an aging Mum and how she feels about the enriched relationship she has. I am impressed at how Cath can balance her creative development with care giving and work. Inspired by Cath’s continued sharing of her life, I had fantasies of making a difference from my past care giving experience. Maybe make an art u-tube movie from some video tapes of how my mother and I painted . She suffered from dementia and painting brought us closer together in many ways.
Then I checked http://www.recovery.gov/ I was almost assured that we are headed for prosperity in the long term. I felt elated by a generous sum of stimulus money for education. It is also sobering to realize that people must learn to watch and influence where that money is spent. With the transparency of the administration and the aid of computers, much more can be accomplished much faster and better than any time in history. I speculated more. People are still thinking we are in 20th century low gear and keep the usual fear of change. I had some fantasies of applying for an education grant for a Children’s Ceramic Project. A letter on CCP to Michelle Obama has not been answered and probably I need to start at another level. Or I should figure out how much it would cost on a small scale local program. Or maybe the idea would not work at all.
My husband called for me to steady his ladder while he climbed up to replace roofing on the patio cover. While waiting for him to come back down, I set up my paints and made some very poor choices of paint strokes on one of my new oil series. When my husband finished the roofing we went for an hours walk in McDonald’s Forest. Then we picked early blue blueberries for half an hour. At home we had lunch and I spent another half hour cleaning berries before freezing them.
I spread out 10 of my paintings for viewing and then looking at my original sketch I ripped into the calla lily painting and improved it heading it towards a resolution that will satisfy me. I tried to call a friend to confirm our visit tomorrow but I am not getting a response so probably she has left to visit her daughter in another state. I considered going to a Vistas and Vineyard paint out Wednesday but I won’t do it because I am so happy for the first time in 24 years able to say no to distracting activities.
Now, 8:30PM, it is time to relax and unwind for the evening.

Number Eight of the Well Cared for Steers Series

Hidden Steer, Poppies Glowing, number eight of the Well cared For Steer Series, oil on museum wrapped canvas 18" square 1 1/4 " deep, $300

The roof over our patio is undergoing maintenance. And so off to the side, I painted the sides of the museum wrap on several of my new paintings. Also went through my closet searching for garments to cut up for paint rags.

Sketches are more in the moment

Here is a painting previously posted with the sketches that I did the same day. The sketches were warm ups for the painting and I was close enough to the moment that I feel the painting is expressive of being in the moment.

But days later I did not sustain the excitement of the moment as I started to work from my sketch of the table. When I tried to paint the one below I was just going through the motions. I like the sketch though. I didn't think it was going to ever be the finished painting. It is done with watercolors and watercolor crayon. I rather like it and want to make the flowers like entering another world. This is Lynn Power's picnic table, the one her father built. He just passed away and days before I painted in Lynn's garden her family had come to her home for his memorial service. So I thought the table embodied good memories and I wanted to express that.
Yesterday I started an oil painting from the sketch but it seems like I was just going through the motions without the emotion I had when I did the sketch. So I have elaborated a little on the sketch and calling it a finished work and no longer a sketch.

Number Seven of the Well Cared for Steers Series

"Composite Flower Steers Headed for Feed Bucket, number seven of the Well Cared For Steer series, oil on 12" square museum wrapped canvas, $120.

What is most precious - wildflowers on Rocky Creek Wayside ,Oregon

What is most precious to me is living in the moment and sometimes trying to capture it with the camera. Well the photographs are not like what I saw and felt not exactly. The energy of the moment is what I put down on canvas. The series about well cared for steers isn't really about steers and flowers as objects but about being alive. If you have no scientific explanation about why something is precious to you and you just love it, then is it spiritual?

June grasses and daisies in back of our place about 8:45 PM.

I would like to hear about what paintings or photographs you are making to express what is precious to you and how you feel about what you are expressing. Is your art spiritualas well?

Number Six of Woodlot Mother's Well Cared For Steers

In all honesty today I went to Lynn Powers beautiful garden to paint with the Albany Painting Enthusiasts.I did many sketches of her garden with the Beef animals and calf in the neighbor's property. This evening with the help of the animals I see from my back patio I painted " Two and a Calf, the sixth in the series of Woodlot Mother's Well Cared For Steers." oil on canvas, 18" square. $400.

Number Five of Wood Lot Mother's Well Taken Care of Steers

"Steer Hooligans and Peace Roses", Number Five of the series of Wood Lot Mother's Well Cared for Steers is on museum wrapped canvas, 16" square 1 1/2" deep. for sale and shippable as soon as it dries, $300. I amfinding this summer at home absolutely delightful.

Fourth painting of the"Mother Woodlot's Well Cared for Steers"

"The Steers and Dandelions", # 4 of the newly named series is oil paint on museum wrapped canvas, 16" square 1 3/4" deep, $300 available for shipping when the paint dries.

Here are my four models for the series. Mother Woodlot said I could name the series "Mother Woodlot Well Cared for Steers. These animals have personalities and live in a beautiful place.

Four sketches of geraniums and black animals

My sketches captured the spirit of the animals and my hanging basket of geranimus.

More Seal Rock, Oregon Watercolor Paintings

Friday, today, and this weekend is devoted to family but I have some pictures to share
from our visit last week to Seal Rock.
Fishermen at Seal Rock, Watercolor and Gouache, 12" x 16", $90.

Rocks with Sponges,Seal Rock, Oregon, watercolor, 12" x 16", $90.For a flattering description of me see http://rainydaythought.blogspot.com/2009/06/art-as-calling.html

Black animal, oil painting number 3

I am very happy painting in my back yard.

Detail of the painting while the paint was still wet all over. I liked these animals but I got caught up in the drawing of the animals.

Painting before today's changes!

Black Lambs and Geranium, number 3 of series, oil on canvas, 16' X 20", not for sale at this time. This was the most difficult of the series thus far. The paint started to dry and I couldn't move the paintaround without scuffing up the paint. For the sake of the flow and expressiveness of the painting I used distortion.