"Relationships are Precious Vase Painting symbolized by cows Elsie and Plutonium and Pb

Update Sept. 7, 2009 My painting of Relationship Vase is about a fitting relationship that works. I have also completed a clay vase about Relationships that do not always fit nicely. The vase can be seen with all the other ceramic vases on my other blog.http://vaseswidlerwenzel.blogspot.com

Update August 20. My concept of symbolizing all relationships has developed as I painted. Today the painting of the relationship vase has been saved by scrapping the many symbols decorating the vase in order of making the idea of a vase itself being the relationship most valuable. When dirt and water is mixed a clay that can be formed is made into a vessel and fired into hard ceramic - a symbol of creation and of ourselves. Ceramics have brought about the most humanizing changes like food storage and agriculture. Vases have replaced human sacrifice. Vases have democratised the observance of death. some uses of ceramic at first seemed destructive of human virtues but can also be seen as a learning challenge. Ceramic shells can withstand the heat of catalytic atomic explosions.

On the 18th I was making a more complex multiple array of relationships. I painted a shaft of wheat poised above Pu reminding me that fowl smelling manure fertilizes wheat from which we make bread that sustains us. I have also added the relationship of clay mixed with water and then fired to make pottery. Pottery is often used to symbolize relationships. I am now looking for examples of pottery from other cultures and times. I am almost ready to make a ceramic vase about all relationships. I am not completely satisfied with the painting because it has so much happening. I want to communicate at an emotional level and the chemical symbols might not communicate as well as the foods.

The "Relationship Vase Painting" is oil on a 12" square canvas designed to hang in the corner of the room. The idea for this painting was contributed by Rain. Rain is a woman rancher and blogger. She wrote me that relationships are most precious to her. Relationships are valuable not just the lovely, nice fitted ones but all of them. Relationships that do not work for us are ones we learn from.

Rain's "Relationships" is truly a challenge. For symbolizing all relationships, I can't make a sweet pretty gem of a vase. So I have painted an oil painting of a vase with proportional relationships that makes me feel good. This is a historic classic Chinese shape. A vase of this shape was given as gifts or treasured for their reminder of diverse people having similarities in common. In the background I have the periodic table. http://dayah.com/periodic/ and a solar spectrum similar to a rainbow.http://www.solarobserving.com/pics/hydrogen-spectra.jpg. I give two names to the black cow who is like Jekyll and Hyde - Fissile Pu after the radio active isotope plutonium. She has a calf escaping the field of the vase. The calf's name is Pb, the abreviation given to lead because one element that is formed in the radio active reactions is lead. The calves break through the barrier and become their own element symbolizing a relationship in decay and the seriousness of relationships that could be the ultimate destruction or if we learn our lesson well Plutonium could be key to an energy filled future. The other name I give to the cow is Elsie and she is in relationship with sunshine, cow's milk, bee's honey, and wheat bread.

Here is my first sketch for a painting about relationships.

Link to article on the effect of photography on painting

Arts Fine of the UK listed my blog in their directory and asked for a link. On their site is an interesting article about painting style and the camera. http://www.arts-fine.co.uk/BuyArtOnline/Understanding_Art.html

"Society Allowing, and Celebrating Diversity is Precious to Me"

This vase was created in response to Cath's contribution to my ceramic ideas. She wrote "The longer I live in my home town, the more strongly I realize that society allowing and celebrating diversity is precious to me." Cath keeps a blog of her latest art series including mapping abstracts inspired by Aboriginal art. She is a librarian and care giver for her mother in New Zealand. http://cathsheard.wordpress.com

I enjoy painting in the public Sure fire Design Studio in downtown Albany, Oregon. Below are pictures of the vase before firing and the drawing I made before sculpting the vase.

I am working on the Children's Ceramic Project with my grandchildren and from suggestions in blogger comments. So please share with me a subject for a vase - share with me what is most precious to you. Or ask a young child what is the most wonderful thing in the world. One granddaughter made a bowl decorated with what she thought was precious - valentine hearts symbolizing love. The bowl will be fired and ready to paint the middle of next month. As for me after making and collapsing several first attempts in clay, I drew the idea pictured here. This is a plan for the next hand built vase that will be completed next month.

The most special thing in the world to one veteran's wife is simplicity

I have made a small unglazed cylinder vase to depict simplicity made precious because it is ceramic. This hand built vase is based on the response of a mother of four boys and the wife of a veteran who has served repeated tours of duty.

This is the first completed vase of a series defining what is most wonderful for all from age 1 1/2 to 90 with responses from all over the world.

Sketching at home and Nichols Garden Nursery

Last night I spotted the steers for the first time in over a week. They are definitely gaining weight. Then this morning I did color studies at Nichols Garden Nursery, 1190 Old Salem Road NE, Albany Oregon. http://www.nicolsgardennursery.com. Many of the Albany Painting Enthusiasts enjoyed the cool garden. The flowers were exciting in color and interesting shapes. I am so pleased to discover this gem.

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.

Number Eleven, Bovine Catching Lily's Song

"Bovine Catching Lily's Song" #11 of the Mother Wood Lot's Well Cared For Steer Series, Oil on 24" square canvas, $400. I moved my easel to the front yard to view are magical lily jungle framed in water drops.

Children's Ceramic Parties and class lesson plan projects

Front and back views of an earthen ware pot I did of my daughters and husband in 1975. This pot has always been precious to me because I love these people. The colors were clays of different colors and the green was poster paint. The shinny finish is Verothane. The yellow clay body came from British Columbia, Canada.

Looking through the archives of children ceramics is truly humbling. Themes of peace and international participation are note worthy. The ambitious projects are awesome. There have been similar art works with children to what I would like to do described in an earlier post.

Looking through the Google index I found:

An archive devoted to Children and ceramic work from all over the world. The examples of mosaic walls are splendid.http://www.ecfs.org/Projects/FieldstonLower27111/

High School Story Pots http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/high/Linda-story.htm

What is most precious on a precious ceramic vase.

I am painting on vases because ceramic vases are seen as precious and remind us of life. Children are our future and have a real sense of wonder and know what is important. What a delight it is to vicariously share their joy in what is precious to them. I want to incorporate their sense in some vases. Sometimes copying their art by incorporating their pictures into a strong statement that will interest those who will construct our future like politicians and entrepreneurs. To be seen I will possibly make a u-tube show of the vases.

These are of a vase called "Children Running Free is most precious of all for me" It is 5 and 1/4" tall and was made at Sure Fire you paint it ceramics in Albany, Oregon. It cost me $15.

Please comment with ideas of what is most precious to you. And I am open to ideas on how to get more responses for me to work with.

"Geranium and Black Animals" evolved with the development of a series

"Geraniums and Black Animals" is oil on canvas 14" x 18" with a white wood frame 15" x 19" x 1 3/4" custom crafted by my husband. Sale pending for $330.

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.

Number Nine of the Well Cared for Steers Series

"Calla Lilies and Steers" Number nine of the Woodlot Mother's Well Cared for Steers Series, oil on canvas, 18" x24", for sale $300 plus shipping. Today the skies are partly cloudy and much easier for me to paint outside. To get the feeling I wanted from the white flowers, I painted mostly all around them today so the painting I worked on yesterday is much warmer and fun.

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.

Extreem pein air painting on Iron Mt.

Watercolor 140 pound paper or heavier cut into 7" x 30" papers that are folded are manageable held in my nondominent hand along with a small Winsor Newton travel palette with a detachable small water cup. When a color is drying, I can just open the book more and let it flap in the breeze while painting a new one. I don't need a paint rag because the brush and container wet with color can be used to paint the negative areas around the flowers. The bright colors can be introduced after all the paint and water has dried. The new water is clear ready for the brighter colors. Photo by Rain

Warning : although I had some mosquito repellent little flies landed on my left wrist and I couldn't easily swat them. During the night the bites made my wrist and some of the fingers swell. Benedryl is helping. Possibly repellent needs to be new not over 10 years old.

Iron Mt.walking and painting

Rain was lucky the mosquitoes and flyes didn't bother her. And Farm Boss attracted butterflies No matter what the inconvenience the trip was thrilling to see all of nature so beautiful as it is this time of year in the Western Cascades.

In my left hand is my accordion folded watercolor paper and a Winsor Newton travel palette.

This is the first time I have used a walking stick and held my paints at the same time. The stick was helpful to push on when getting up from a rock all the while holding my palette and paper.

White Water Splash

A painting from a watercolor accordion book painted on a wilderness rafting trip on the Lower Salmon River in the Idaho, Washington Oregon corner, 4 3/4"x 7", "White Water Splash" is not for sale.

This little painting is one page of the book and nice to look at in this 95 degree weather even though I painted in around 1997.

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.

Picture wire stem, paper wiped in acrylic rose

Happy accident with one of the tall Golden acrylics! I mopped up the patio glass table with a paper towel and left the wipe out overnight. When it dried it looked so pretty that I fastened a wire to it and now have a rose. Maybe I should not trow away my paint rag paper towels and make them into flowers as an environmental consideration.

Iron Mountain photos and paintings

My husband likes to point out the arch near the top of the trail up Iron Mountain. On a folded watercolor paper I sketched the edge of where the rock meets the sky. Later I painted in the car as we wound our way down the mountain.

Today I may have done more with my camera than with my brush.

Here is my husband on the Cone Peak Trail below the Iron Mountain Trail. In the foreground is larkspar.