play time!

I love words - made up or not. I love the differences between one font or another, and how they blend together or push each other apart. So much can be said with only a few words. Basically, this was my play time last night. Don't you just love the word "ubernormous"?? Ranks right up there with "ginormous"...:o) 

picasso and the tree

brown flowers

Sometimes, we feel like we have very little time to paint. This was done in about 5 minutes. It's no masterpiece, but sometimes it's surprising to see the results of something that took so little time. But of course, the sole reason for doing this is not about results for me... it's about the doing itself. :o)

candy bowl

No painting last night, so I'm posting something from the slush pile again. I gave the original to a friend a long time ago... (do you still have it?) :o) It's never easy to paint something white. Here, a white bowl with little white mint candies nearby. There was obviously some color reflecting on the bowl, but I doubt the colors were this intense. I just got carried away, once again... :o)

here's to life

I did this one a few weeks ago... it got lot in the pile. :o) It was meant to be a collage, but ended up with more paint over the images than anything.  When I sit in my blue room to do some journaling/painting, I turn on the music, light a few candles, and slowly allow myself the space i need to get "in the groove". Sometimes, the groove finds me pretty quickly, sometimes it doesn't. Often, I sit with the intention of staying there about 15 or 20 minutes - just enough to dabble. But more often than not, that 20 minutes becomes 1 hour or even 2 when the music is good & everything just feels right. I love those nights. :o)

Alex

I did this one a few months ago. My study of Alex (in Greece, I believe) in preparation for a painting. Some of you may know Alex... artist extraordinaire. :o) Values are always so important in a painting - I dare say even moreso than color in a painting like this one, because of the gorgeous shadows. Looking at the value of something always helps me determine how light (or dark) the color will be.

cat queen

Thought I'd post this before going for a nice walk at the beach. Yes, the beach. It's as beautiful in the winter/spring/fall as it is in the summer. Beautiful AND quiet. Bonus for me. I love hearing nothing but the wind, the frozen snow crunching under my boots, and the occasional bird.

where the river runs dry...

Years ago, someone we knew ended his life in the woods. I wrote these words just after the funeral. May seem like a somber way to kick start the weekend, but a good reminder that life is all about perception. We don't all see the same beauty. Find at least one good thing about the day - and seize it. And if you can, help those around you find the same. 

3 amigos...

As i was doing this, and seeing the 2 other upside down vases between these three (in the empty space), i was thinking of Escher and his play with negative spaces in his drawings. What a challenge some of those drawings must have been. I wonder did he stumble on some of those images by accident? Sometimes, the accidents contain the magic. Just ask the POST-IT creator. :o)

soft stones

A storm day today... gotta love it.

The kind of day where you realize you're still in your pj's at 2pm and figure, what the heck, I'm not changing clothes at this point. A wonderful day of catching up, reading, & drinking coffee. :o)

Sharpies!

aaaaaaah...summer fun

ok, 'nuff with the gray days... We haven't seen the sun in a few days now, so I thought I'd remind us all that it's still there - somewhere. I painted this from a photograph taken many years ago. A day at Parlee Beach. There's nothing like a swim in the ocean on a hot summer day. With or without goggles. :o)

abstract

father & child

This watercolor was done from a book called "The last album", by Ann Weiss. These photographs were meant to be destroyed - along with the jewish population. But somehow, these were hidden at great risk & after the war, were discovered in a locked room at Auschwitz. The thing that strikes me most about these gorgeous photos, is the "normalcy" of it all. A wedding, a picnic outside, a mother hugging her daughter, a toast by a woman with a glass of wine. These photos are all that remain for many of these families. This father & child is only one of many photos that tugs at the heart, when one thinks of their fate...

howling at the moon

Don't we all sometimes feel wild or raw? I'm not even sure what kind of animal this is - I never question too much when i'm inspired to paint something. I think it's important for an artist to trust their instincts & just go with it. We've lost this ability somewhere along the way, haven't we?

holy macaroon... :o)

Just in case you haven't had enough chocolate over the Christmas holiday... 

winter trees

I realize not everyone will agree, but winter is pretty... sometimes. I took a few weeks off during the holidays for some serious rest & relaxation. One can only run on empty for so long... I'm back now and happy to settle into a somewhat normal routine. I took a few pics recently & thought I'd share some of the beauty. 

lhasa desela

One of my favorite singers - Lhasa deSela.

Wishing you all a wonderful new year filled with sparkles & rainbows.... and of course, good music. :o)