Figuratively Speaking - A Bit of Sunshine

8"x8" acrylic

I painted this on a gloomy February day.  Our weather has been above normal for the last couple of weeks, meaning rain instead of snow and slippery ice.  This is my least favorite weather of all.  Give me cold temperatures and loads of snow and I am happy even on a cloudy day.  I am not sure if it was the weather, or recuperation from my grandchildren visiting, or general malaize, but I didn't get out of bed until noon yesterday and never got dressed. I binge watched comedies on Netflix.  When I finally got up and did some chores I realized I felt a lot better moving than moping around.  That really isn't like me, I usually am .  I was totally unmotivated and indulgent.  Today the sun came out and even though I still feel tired, I had a productive day.  In general I think the best medicine is exercise and painting.  The thing is, you have to be willing to push through the doldrums and get moving to understand the benefits.  So to help me out, I painted a cheerful sunflower.  Sometimes, faking it until you make it is the best solution.  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.

Remembered Landscape #4 Going Over the Pass

                                                                         4"x6" oil
Almost everyday I drive these mountains and am filled with their beauty, but I am also busy driving, so, although simplified, this is the impression on a cloudy day of the autumn colors changing the landscape. But beyond the heavy layer of clouds is a blue sky.

Still In Love

9"x12" oil

True love lasts a lifetime...even if you have a bunch of kids.  This scene is from Ireland.  It is a commission which I was thrilled to do.  My painting group is meeting tomorrow and I think I will have them critique it for me, but I am pretty happy with the results.  Let me know if you see something I don't.
ENTER MY PAINTING GIVE AWAY   directions here.

Here are the clues:  1) It is a BBC production
                                2)  It is a period piece
                                3)  It is a popular TV series
                                4) These characters were only featured in the first two series
Today's clues           5) It is set during WWII
                                 6) The female character in the painting is Bea.
A winner will be chosen on Friday.

Ramona's View

9"x7" oil

Firstly, I want to thank you for looking at my paintings and taking the time to read my blog.  I know it is a commitment to do that, and I really appreciate that you give my work this attention.  This painting is from a vacation photo taken by someone who means a great deal to me.  This is a pretty personal story.  Ramona is my daughter born to a different family.  She wasn't adopted, because she was in my heart from the day she was born, and although our hours together are significant, she has a loving family of her own.  Life throws us some interesting curve balls and my relationship with Ramona has a few in it.  Ramona is now married and I am painting this for her.  It is her memory, but the painting reflects my love for her...everything in this painting has a symbolic meaning for me.  I should say that there are a lot of subtle color variations in this that I just don't think are there on a computer monitor.  The location is Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, near the Tulum Ruins.

SOLD

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Clouds I

I plan to do more clouds so this is clouds #1!  It is inspired by an actual place...the sky over Lake Monona from the Olrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, WI.  But really, it is about the clouds. We had a sky very similar to this one today so I studied it and wrote out a plan for painting it....and I have to say, I really love the results!  It is more impressionistic than usually do, and I softened a lot of edges which I seldom do, but I love how it turned out.  You can see the texture of the painting in this photo, which in person, really works!  I hope you like it too!

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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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Together Alone

If you think this looks a lot like the painting I posted yesterday, you would be right!  This is a larger version I did as a demo for a class.  I also did two of these for a (dated) challenge for Daily Paintworks to do two paintings that are the same but different.  This one I painted in acrylic first very quickly to lay down the local colors, then I applied oil alla prima.  Which one do you like better?  I haven't decided what I am going to do with this painting yet.
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Here are the two paintings side by side.  The first one is actually 1/2 the size of the second.