Figuratively Speaking - Buddahs With Anonymous

5"x7" oil

Figuring things out......she is and so am I.  She is "Anonymous" and so are the makers of the Buddha's she is figuring out.  I wonder what questions are going through her mind....historical, cultural, material....maybe she is wondering if she can pick up some copies of these, made of resin, to put in her garden.  I like the patterns of straps on her blouse...very yoga-like...very zen and they echo the patterns of her tattoo, also a piece of artwork.  The shape of her bag and the shape of her skirt are also interesting patterns.  I am returning to work after traveling to help out family and then coming down with what I am calling "flying flu."  I am not sure it is actually flu, but it involves a week-long fever and generally feeling miserable. I seem to get it, or something similar, whenever I fly.  There has to be some way, short of encasing myself in an aseptic bubble, to avoid this.  It would be very cool though, if you could travel in a bubble....mmmm.....still figuring it all out.  Go figure!

Twilight in Boston

4"x8" oil

This lovely hippie girl is meditating on Childe Hassam's "Boston Commons Twilight." It is a lovely, warm painting.  The young woman caught my attention because of the bell bottom jeans and fringed purse which definitely gave me a Deja Vu moment.

Long Dresses (revised)

8"x8" oil

I just wasn't completely happy with my first stab at this painting.  I thought the gallery viewer was stiff and that was the problem, but after looking at it for a couple of days I realized the background magenta was just too colorful and drew too much attention so I neutralized it and now the person doesn't look odd to me.  The little painting on the left is by Tarbell and is called "Girl Reading a Book." It is my favorite part of this painting, not for the least reason, because it is so tiny and I think I got a reasonable representation of it.  Again, I have to say, Karin Jurick is my favorite painter of these types of scenes.

Long Dresses

I haven't done any of these gallery viewer paintings in a while.  Karin Jurik is my favorite artist who does these types of paintings.  There is a flow to her work, especially in the stance of the viewer that I feel I have not captured as well in this.  However I do really like the brushwork here and the colors are pretty yummy.  Getting a likeness of the painting on the left was a real challenge because it is so small.   So, all-in-all I like this, but I recognize there are things I need to work on.

Mirror Illusions

This was tricky. The idea of painting a concave surface made of multitudes of hexagonal mirrors was daunting, but in the end, it is all illusion anyway!  Someone said, and I often repeat it to myself, that it is all just shapes,  lines and values on a 2 dimensional surface when you apply chemicals that reflect color.  This simplifies it for me when I am feeling overwhelmed.

Contemplating the Tree of Life 5"x7" oil $100

This is at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, with a lovely museum and entertainment facilities.  The background painting is by Susan Abbott....I didn't remember the sculptor's name.