Figuratively Speaking - Fiesta

6"x6" oil

My grandson used to live close by, however, and alas, they have moved across the country.  Initially we would take him to a Mexican restaurant every year for his birthday.  They sang to him, gave him a balloon, and he got to wear a sombrero.  One day he told me he could speak 3 languages, American, English and Spanish.  American because, well, he is.  English because his dad is British, and Spanish because of the restaurant.  It is funny what we hold close to our hearts and carry freshly in our minds from our experiences in the past.  Recently, I remembered something from junior high journalism class.  I had a great teacher.  She really taught and valued the intellectual curiosity of her students.  One day she said, "The biggest problem with propaganda is that eventually people will believe nothing."  It struck me at the time like a light bulb going on.  I really thought about it, but didn't have any personal experience to back it up.  It was a bit like the story of the boy crying wolf.  At the end of the year it was a question on the final exam.  Of course I remembered it, and amazingly she told me I was the only one in the class that got it right and that someday it would mean something to me.  In this age of fake news and Russians influencing what we think by interfering in what is leaked, that phrase really does mean something to me.  For all of our differences, I hope Americans can come to grips with who we are.  I don't want to live in a country made up of radical factions that are at war with each other.  Really, are we not just a ginormous tribe?  Go figure!

Sand Play

6"x6" oil Price $100

Thank you Lowell Klock for having such a cute grandson!

Skimboarding

 

 

6"x6" oil Price $100

This is one of those cool sports that is really fun to watch and kids can do it with some practice.  I love watching people play at the beach.  Besides swimming, body surfing, splashing in the waves, building sand castles, flying kites, throwing things for dogs to fetch, surfing, paddle boarding, kayaking, gymnastics, there is always the fascinating sunbathers and those crazy people in the sky, like those parasailing.  All in all, the beach is quite entertaining.

The Drummer

6"x6" oil

This is day 3 of the 30 in 30 Challenge by Leslie Saeta.  I am painting on birch panels coated with a clear gesso.  I am trying to use slightly less saturated colors than my normal palette, leave some of the birch showing, and although it is not evident in this one, I am trying to also leave some of the original drawing.  I am learning a lot and tweaking this method with the hopes that I find a technique that really works for me combining realism and abstraction in a pleasing way.

Potential Energy

6"x6" oil for sale by auction

I have recently come to realize that I am truly a part of the older generation.  I am one of those old ladies that sits on the bench while the teenagers laugh and play and have so much ahead of them.  I am not being bitter about this.  Inside I am young and ageless...outside I look "mature" but I work at staying flexible and balanced and keeping a happy attitude, enjoying the joys of this long path.  I love a good joke but sometimes that joke comes in the form of catching a reflection in the window and wondering who that aged woman is!

Determination

6"x6" oil

Again, I used a primary triad for this palette using Radiant White with the 3 primary colors.  This little guy was walking with determination.  He had a purpose and his mind was set on it and I think I captured a posture that reflects this action.  I usually am pretty happy with paintings I do that have figures in action.  That seems to be a pretty good reason to continue to investigate this. 

First Ride

8"x10" oil

I thought I would post the first stage of the painting with transparent paints and the finished product.  I wanted to capture that happy moment of wobbly success.

Deep Thought

9"x10" Watercolor  $50

9"x11" watercolor NFS

I love this one of the little boy.  The second image is Monarch #9 which I also forgot to post.

Chosen Child

8"x8" oil

When I paint someone's portrait from a photo and they are smiling, I smile too.  I am totally in love with this little guy and I haven't even met him...yet!  I approached this painting differently than others I have done.  I finish my own painting boards with many layers of gesso that I sand down.  I used a roller to apply the gesso on the last batch I made and there is quite a bit of texture to them.  They are more absorbent as well.  At first I thought of this as a flaw, but after using them, I realize I can get a different effect from them and it really worked on this portrait.  I blended my colors instead of layering them, and he came out very soft looking which I like.  I hope you do too!

  SOLD

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A Mother's Joy

8"x8" oil

I needed a change from painting still life paintings so I decided to do a series of portraits of children.  They are adorable, don't you agree?  That makes them especially fun to paint.  I haven't been able to paint as much lately because life and other responsibilities keep getting the better of me.  I am busy working on the annual fundraiser for the Carving Studio, which is very time consuming, but rewarding as well. And, the best distraction in my life, my grandkids, are another excuse!

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Book - King of the Mountain

9"x9" acrylic

What can you do at Gramcamp? 

 You can climb on a rock or maybe a hill. 

You can talk to the squirrels and sing to the birds.

Command all the world and never sit still.  

  Or just be so quiet and not say a word.

OK...I admit it, my rhymes need work.  But you get the idea!  I am just painting the pictures now and will add the poems when I am all done.  Next time, I may write first and then paint.  Somehow, that makes more sense.

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