Figuratively Speaking - Sorting It Out

8"x10" oil  $75

It was a discovery for me that I really like the shape of circles and bubbles.  I have always loved bubbles, their shape, flexibility, reflective quality, but didn't realize how drawn (pun intended) to them I am.  Generally I paint alla prima (doing the entire painting in one session) but I let this one percolate for a while while "sorting it out."  What I mostly love about painting abstracts is that it makes me think differently.  A book, a movie, a play, a dance, a poem, music, even an exquisite meal, that makes me think differently brings me joy.  I am currently reading a satirical book about the ideal Republican.  I believe its intention is to look at the foibles of Republican thought and policy by expressing an inflated belief in them, but mostly it comes across as sarcastic.  I am not sure its intention is to also poke fun at a particularly narrow minded liberal attitude about conservatives, but it succeeds on that end as well.  So why am I reading it?  The reason is to understand the author better.  This is the second book I have read recently to better understand these authors as humans, because they touch the lives of those I care about.  Then I think about writing a blog and how that tells something about who I am.  Too bad we can't read our own writing totally objectively, or evaluate our own artistic endeavors totally objectively.  All we can do is try to "sort it all out" as best we can.  Go figure.

A Few of My Favorite Things

5"x8" oil

I set up this still life with lovely flowers in my favorite twisted purple glass vase, a lavender candle, a book, my journal, and a CD and my favorite tea cup.  I went into Mr. Twitters, a local shop that is a fabulous plant nursery, antique shop, and gift shop.  I saw this iridescent tea cup as part of a brass candle holder and fell in love with it.  The shop owner graciously took it apart and sold me the tea cup at a really low price.  It is lavender/blue on the outside and orangy-gold on the inside.  I painted it for myself, which I rarely do.

Book Illustration - Reading With Grandpa

9"x9" acrylic

One of those special and rather universal moments with grandchildren is curling up with a book. In this case Grandpa is doing double duty while reading two books at once.  Since the kids know where Grandma's books are, it is one of the first things they run for when they come to visit. And.... that is one of the things you can do at Grandcamp.
 I suddenly have several deadlines and I am feeling the crunch.  I love the feeling of working towards goals and accomplishing a lot, but I vacillate, wanting to have no constraints on my time.  Are we ever truly satisfied?  I guess there are fleeting moments and we need to just embrace those.
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