Figuratively Speaking - Chasing Shadows

Do you ever feel like you are chasing shadows?  I live in ski country and so the phrase is used by enthusiasts to describe a bright day with the sun to your back casting shadows to guide you down the hill.  That can be a slippery slope if you don't keep your eyes and body facing downhill.  I understand there is a TV crime series with the same name about a missing persons unit.  Go figure. The internet seems to be the place where otherwise sensible people seem to air their most controversial and ugly underwear and opinions.  That, some would say, is leading to a more transparent culture.  I just wonder though.  We are spending a lot of time chasing these shadows and I am concerned we might miss what is really going on.  Do you feel that way?  I should probably stick to painting and leave deep thoughts to the philosophers...figuratively speaking.

Bottles and Balls

6"x6" oil

Bird Feeders

12"x16" oil

For the last four months I have been staring out at the bird feeders in my back yard.  Most of that time there was snow covering much of it, but finally the snow has melted the pond has thawed and may migrating and hibernating creatures have returned and there is a hint of green.  This is not exactly the details of my scene, but I was more interested in the patterns that were here than in capturing the details. 

Side Yard

original oil 11"x14"

 Recently I was wishing for some time to be bored.  Be careful for what you wish.  I realize that there are a few things that will guarantee having boredom time, one being getting the flu.  I don't recommend it and being bored is overrated anyway.  I just felt like I was over-scheduled and over-committed. The only way to slow time down seems to be having lots of time to do "nothing."  Apparently being confined to bed is my only option at this point.  This painting was from a workshop I did with Randall Sexton.  His advice helped push me to make bolder strokes.  It was a plein air (outdoor) workshop in Vermont just prior to peak foliage.  This day I was enchanted by the way the light fell on this hilly back slope of a beautiful colonial house right in town.  I set up my easel in the shade of the house and proceeded to freeze all morning painting this.  In the afternoon I moved into full sun and finally was warmed up.  Honestly painting, particularly plein air painting, stops time if only for a few minutes.  It is one of the reasons I love to go to that place...the zone.

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Book Illustration - Sledding

9"x9" acrylic

Do you remember the first time you went sledding.  I do.  I just remember a blur of color.  It took me many years to figure out what that memory was attached to.  I still like to go sledding, only I do it a little differently.  I hike up the mountain with snowshoes, then put them in a pack and ride down on a shovel sled (also known as a butt sled).  Thinking about it makes me feel excited about winter.  My husband just built a fire so I think I need to go sit by it with some hot chocolate.
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A Time Gone By

8"x10" oil

There is a story to this one.  Vermont is known for its quaintness.  There is a charm here because things move slightly slower than in large urban areas.  We try to protect the beauty of that without being too sentimental.  However, urban sprawl has made a foothold in our nation and is doing its best to creep into our area.  This building is the last quaint structure on the south end of Rutland on highway 7, the main road that runs along western Vermont.  It was a victim of our economic woes, and the business had to shut. The new owners are planning on tearing off all the porches and architectural features, cutting down the trees, putting in more pavement and opening a Dollar General Store.  I added the fence and the kids standing on it because I think about how our current trend of merchandising over quality of life is affecting the younger generation.  I am grateful that new businesses are moving in, but it makes me sad that they are more corporate and less "mom and pop."
I have included a close up of the kids.

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Windy Hill

7"x9" oil

I was inspired to do this because I cleaned out my studio and went through my photo references (hard copies) and found a photo of the house I lived in when I graduated from high school.  Daily Paintworks was having a challenge to paint your house, so I decided to put the photo to good use.  By that time in my life I had already lived in 8 houses in 6 cities in 4 states, as we were kind of an upscale gypsy family.  After high school it got worse and I became more of a real gypsy, but I have great memories from this place, and once I married a stable guy, I more or less settled down.  I love the shadows and feeling of moving air and hope I have captured that quality.

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Drawing

9"x7" oil

I like this painting because of the composition.  The dark shadows are like an object in itself.  I mixed purple with a very dark blue to get this color, but on the monitor it looks black.  When I showed my husband, he commented, "Oh it's your mom."  He is right, it does look like her, but she wasn't my model.  It was from a drawing class I taught.  I photographed this lady from a balcony, looking below to her.  I am not completely satisfied with the skin quality or tones, so I will probably go back in and rework them when it dries a bit.  I am scrambling to get everything together for a big art fair this weekend, so I my not paint every day, or like this one, it might be a bit rushed.

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