Figuratively Speaking - It's Free

5"x7"original oil   For Sale $100

In moderate weather the Staten Island Ferry is one of the really fun free things to do in NYC.  It is a  great place to do some serious people watching and it has a great vantage point for viewing the Statue of Liberty from the water. New York City is a very expensive tourist place with oodles of things snazzy things to do.  On the other hand,  is a magical city with loads of authentic and low cost or free things.  The High Line and  Central Park are two of them, along with the Ferry.  I love finding off the beaten path jewels, but this applies to any place I visit, and even in my own back yard (Go Figure!).  What is a favorite, low cost place you like to visit?

Baby Steps #14 - Too Much?

5"x7" watercolor Price $50

 Do you remember the first art that really moved you?  For me it was Dick, Jane and Sally illustrations by Robert Childress, my first love affair with art.   In first grade we had to sit round robin and read aloud when it was our turn.  I can't imagine how painfully boring that must have been for the teacher.  I think it made her a bit cranky.  I could read because I watched my father teach my sister to read lying on a blanket on the living room floor.  There were a lot of tears involved and I vowed I would teach myself to read so I wouldn't have to endure that.  While waiting for my turn in the reading group I would read ahead and look at the pictures.  I thought they were magical!  I was in art appreciation zone and very happy.  Then the teacher would call my name, observing that I wasn't with the group.  I wouldn't know what page I was suppose to read and she wouldn't tell me.  It was humiliating.  Today, I feel bad for both of us.  Mostly though, I loved her.  She was very young and very pretty.  When we came back from Christmas vacation she announced she had a new name because she had gotten married.  It was Baumgartner.  I don't remember her maiden name but it was something like Smith.  I thought Baumgartner was impossible.  It took a lot of effort to learn that new name.  She should have considered that when she was dragging my attention away from my beloved "Dick, Jane and Sally." By the way, Sally wore baby shoes in those pictures.  Go Figure!

A Walk in the Woods

5"x7" oil SOLD

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!  It is such a lovely idea to spend a day giving thanks.  If you have a chance, take some time alone with someone you care about and just be totally with them.  I like the idea of taking one of my grandkids by the hand and walking with them in the woods just to see what they see and talk about what they want to talk about.  Taking a walk after a big feast is also a good idea.  I just wish you a day of joy, and contentment.

One of Those

5x7 oil Click to Bid

Yes, indeed, it is one of those gorgeous sunsets we all love to paint, where the colors are so saturated you don't think it is real.

Quiet Corner

5"x7" oil

I am getting so excited about all the things I can do now that I can walk and drive!  It is exciting to be alive and well.  I really want to make a trip to one or more of my favorite galleries/art museums.  On another note, I have had 3 requests just today for donations of art to auctions to benefit worthy causes.  I am glad to do this because I paint so frequently, but I know a lot of other artists that get asked as often as I do, and they don't have nearly the inventory.  It would be interesting to see some actual numbers on the amount of art donated by artists around the world every day, and see all the different causes it helps.  So, if you go to a fundraiser that auctions art, think of those artists who are donating and do your best to purchase something you love.

Seeking the Destination

5"x7" oil

I can't help but wonder what makes couples attracted to each other.  Beautiful looking people often pair with beautiful people and their attraction, which could be much deeper, may also just be based on that, but what attracts people who seem so different from each other?  What made me want to paint this one was the interesting texture of  their hair.  Both of them had big hair that was kind of fuzzy.  I wonder if that was their first point of attraction?  Could be.

Little Pumpkin

5"x7" acrylic SOLD

Coming out of the fog of 4 days without electricity, internet or telephones.  It is really beautiful here..kind of like a magical winter wonderland, but there is a harsh side to the reality.  One that requires preparation...a generator, woodstove, lanterns and down comforters.  Once those things are taken care of, our attitudes can switch from "what we don't have" to "what an amazing place this is!"

Not a Whisper

5"x7" oil

This is not a new painting but one that really speaks to today.  We have had a really long bout of rainy weather, with a small break yesterday.  It was cool and there was a slight breeze this morning, with hope that it would dry a bit, but alas, the air is still and there is the promise of coming thunderstorms which could be quite severe.  They tell us that Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be sunny, and of course hope springs eternal.  The flooding is pervasive and our crystal clear rivers are muddied with silt...still, it is a gorgeous landscape.  I am working on an artist's journal for my class this Friday.  It is really fun!  I have kept sketchbooks and journals over the years, but I never actually planned one out the way I am doing this one.  I will post photos as I complete pages.  Today is Wednesday; something tells me I won't be done by Friday!  But, I love new projects!

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