Go Figure - Ruthie's Bouquet

12"x12" oil SOLD

It is tax time.  There are numerous things which make me cringe when I have to do them and taxes hold an honorable place on that list, along with dental appointments and making travel arrangements.  But, somehow, those things are not nearly as imposing after the fact as they are in the anticipation.  Yesterday it was plane tickets and today taxes.  However, it is hard for me to jump into painting when I have days like this.  I fiddle around a bit painting, and then occupy myself with tasks like framing, or preparing painting panels, cleaning the studio or I do the laundry.  It is all part of my resistance behaviors and I am reading a great book about this, "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield.  I highly recommend it.  This was a painting that I did over a number of days.  I thought about it a lot.  Considered the composition, the colors, the values, the textures and patterns.  It is not my usual way of working, but I have been needing a shake-up and this represented part of that process.  It was satifsfying.  I framed it today and will mail it out this weekend.  Tomorrow, I am going to be all about painting.  I may create a flop or surprise myself and have a success.  That is part of the fun of all of this, not knowing if the inspiration and technique will cooperate for me.  It gets me out to the studio and that's what really matters....go figure.

Figuratively Speaking - Blue Symphony

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers,
From seas and the streams;
I bear light shade for the leaves when laid
In their noon-day dreams.
From my wings are shaken the dews that waken
The sweet birds every one,
When rocked to rest on their mother's breast,
As she dances about the sun.
I wield the flail of the lashing hail,
And whiten the green plains under,
And then again I dissolve it in rain,
And laugh as I pass in thunder.
The Cloud by Percy Bysshe Shelley


Yesterday I made Valentine cards for my granddaughters before I packed a little red bag and headed up to the gym for Pilates.  It was seriously cold, like four degrees and there was a blasting wind, but still  cars were in the ski resort parking lot, hardy souls.  I dashed in to the gym, checked in and went to sign up for my class, noticing that the sign-up sheet was not in its usual place, and that several people I didn't know had signed up for the class.  I was later in arriving than usual  because of the Valentine creation, but I did make it in the nick of time.  I grabbed some mats, pulled off several layers of clothing and other accoutrements, took a  deep breath and was ready to give my core a beating workout.  After class I re-layered and grabbed my little red bag and went to have a cup of joe with my workout buddies.  Conversation inevitably turned to politics and I looked for my graceful get away, but not soon enough.  Someone grabbed a newspaper and put it in front of me to read an article about Melania Trump's comments in a lawsuit about loosing out on the opportunity of a lifetime in promoting a line of clothing while she is First Lady, because of reports that she had worked as an escort.  Deep breath again, I looked at the small print, but then I realized I didn't have my glasses (oh where could they be?)  but that gave me a way out of the conversation.  But really, where could they be?  I retraced my steps and thoughts.  I was able to write the Valentine notes and sign in at the gym, so they weren't at home or in the car.  I checked every pocket of every (and that was a lot) layer of clothing and shook out my little red bag. After totally searching the gym  I figured they would turn up as I am an optimist.  I am wrong frequently and this was one of those times.  Flash forward to today, Saturday.  Carl and I got up and headed up to the gym to search again, and go to the post office to mail the Valentines.  The ski resort was packed with no parking space left as the temps were a balmy 18 degrees and no wind. The glasses had not been turned in, and were no where to be found. I entered the "distressed" zone.  Like every human on the planet, I hate to lose things.  It just didn't make sense.  I said a little prayer, because that is what I do when I feel distressed.  At home, it popped into my head to go look in the little red bag again, even though logic told me an empty bag would not produce a pair of glasses.  Oh wait, there was a little pocket on the bag and sure enough my glasses were wedged in it.  Clearly I am not smart enough to find them on my own, so I am attributing this to providence....go figure!  What color are you thinking about?  I bet it is a little red bag.

12"x12" oil SOLD

This is a painting of Carol and her cousin Heidi.  Today Carol and Heidi are undergoing surgery to remove one of Carol's kidneys to give to Heidi.  What a brave and generous act of love! This painting was commissioned in part to honor that event.   My main concern was to capture the posture and attitude of the ladies in an environment that suggests their family summer home.  Carol is a dynamic and very talented woman who is capable of enviable yoga poses!  I do not know Heidi, but I am sure she is as beautiful as she looks.  This painting is a compilation of many photo references.  It was probably my most challenging commission so far.
If you would like to commission a painting please email me at chrisholzsch@hotmail.com.

Deep Breath

12"x12" oil 

I have been busy painting...really I have, but I just haven't been good about posting.  This is something I promise myself I am going to be better at.  The above painting was done plein air with Peter Huntoon, who is an inspiring plein air painter.  He is equally adept in water colors and oils, and amazingly, approaches them with the same technique.  I am so grateful that he was generous enough to spend an afternoon at this lovely spot painting with me.  He gave me 2 tips, which aren't new but so good to relearn them.  I seldom paint plein air but love doing it.  It does overwhelm me though at first.  I actually had to come back the next day to finish it up.  The water was so calm and the light was so lovely.  Peter reminded me to block in the big shapes like I am cutting them out of paper (great tip) and upon finishing it he said to soften the bright colors I had put in on the trees to the left of the island (which I did) because they drew too much attention from my focal point.  It really helps to have a second pair of eyes looking at your work.  I am heading to Cape Cod this week to practice plein air painting with two good buddies, so I am glad I had this warm-up.  Please check out Peter's work by clicking on his name.  He is the quintessential Vermont landscape painter.  He has an auction for a painting once a week on his website/blog.  I love how professional he is with everything he does.

Home School

12"x12" oil

Some paintings almost paint themselves. Even though I was very deliberate about painting this, I did it quite slowly, for me, as I was talking with a friend the entire time I did it.  I like how the limited brushstrokes are able to say a lot.  It has an edgy quality, but there are enough soft edges to balance it out.  I really like the limited primary colors as well.  I painted this over a panel that I had covered up a painting I didn't like.  I had painted it with a turquoise paint I never use because I don't like the consistency of it.  You can see the turquoise showing through here and there, which I think works well.

Catching Up

12"x12" Oil

This couple is in front of Georges Innes's "New Jersey Landscape" shown at the Clark Museum in Williamstown, MA. It is not the typical pastoral scene I associate with New Jersey, but then times have changed the scenery since 1891.  Innes believed that the spirit of God was present in the natural world.  This is what he was trying to convey in his landscapes, and as a result they are very ethereal looking with soft edges he rubbed with a cloth  I need to try that sometime!  My edges are usually pretty evident.

A follower of the Swedish philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg, Inness believed that the spirit of God was present throughout the natural world. Although this painting may represent a specific place, the artist was less interested in defining recognizable details than in conveying nature’s immaterial essence, here expressed in finely modulated colors that have been painted with a brush and then wiped with a cloth, so they blend together without contours. - See more at: http://www.clarkart.edu/Collection/15667#sthash.B1kat9qp.dpuf

A follower of the Swedish philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg, Inness believed that the spirit of God was present throughout the natural world. Although this painting may represent a specific place, the artist was less interested in defining recognizable details than in conveying nature’s immaterial essence, here expressed in finely modulated colors that have been painted with a brush and then wiped with a cloth, so they blend together without contours. - See more at: http://www.clarkart.edu/Collection/15667#sthash.B1kat9qp.dpuf

A follower of the Swedish philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg, Inness believed that the spirit of God was present throughout the natural world. Although this painting may represent a specific place, the artist was less interested in defining recognizable details than in conveying nature’s immaterial essence, here expressed in finely modulated colors that have been painted with a brush and then wiped with a cloth, so they blend together without contours. - See more at: http://www.clarkart.edu/Collection/15667#sthash.B1kat9qp.dpuf

Exercise 7 Not For Sale

12"x12" oil Not For Sale

This was the final piece in the Dreama Tolle Perry online class.  It was a lot of fun to paint and I am happy with the results.  The five things I am taking away from this course are the following:  1)  Wipe the brush off after almost every brush stroke to keep it clean and not contaminating the clean colors 2) make sure to put my mind and painting environment in the right state to focus on the painting 3)  work steady but don't rush and don't let distractions creep in 4)  Make sure the first layer of paint is darker than you know the final painting will be  5)  set up my palette the same every time and keep it clean.  These are things I had been exposed to and inconsistently practiced, but they really sunk in with this class.  The great thing is that I will have access to the videos for the rest of the year to refresh my mind and also maybe pick up 5 more things.

Exercise 5 Not For Sale

12"x12" oil Not For Sale

This was exercise 5 from the online course Dream Love Paint with Dreams Tolle Perry.  Whenever I go to a workshop I always intend to learn 5 new things.  I limit myself because I know that is all I can really focus on and put into practice consciously.  I don't feel like I need to write everything down because I will probably not look back at my notes even though I have every good intention to do just that.  I have taken several workshops with Dreama but I keep returning because it not only positively influences my work, but because it positively influences my life. I have taken some really wonderful workshops but if I didn't identify those 5 things I would put into practice, I didn't grow as much as I should.  I will tell you the 5 things in the next few posts.

Anticipation

12"x12"  oil

This is from my new series "Things I Love."  I am having a lot of anticipation for the next few months and progress on my recuperation.  This child is anticipating a beautiful day at the beach.  Someone asked me why I am painting in such happy colors when I should be painting from the dark (representing my recent challenges) to the light (hope for full recuperation).  We are all made differently and I am definitely a "glass half full" person.  I love to be happy or find happiness and joy and the dark takes care of itself...I just don't want to amplify it!