Ready For the Pros

Day 8 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  We are at the beach and the weather is not that perfect blue sky, warm breeze kind we all love.  However, for what we lose in sunshine we gain in waves for body boarding!  There are lots of other things to do as well, including playing this game with fuzzy balls and a Velcro mitt.  This young man really knew how to balance his body for maximum efficiency and I loved trying to capture it.

Dancing With the Apple Trees

6"x6" oil

The beauty of childhood is that a little girl sees the shape of the apple tree and the abundance of sweet fruit and spontaneously dances with it!  True story.  It is my granddaughter and we had such a lovely day picking apples and eating lunch on a blanket in the shade.  I hope your day is filled with little dances of joy!

In the Spot Light

6"x6"

My granddaughters were sitting on the floor with the sun glowing on them and I just couldn't resist taking a photo for the purpose of painting it.  I like how clean and spontaneous it looks and want my work to progress in this direction.  So much to learn....

Indoor Swimming

7"x7" oil

If it is cold outside with slushy snow, too wet to sled or ski, another great way to entertain yourself if you are 5 years old is to go swimming inside.  I am always doing the dance between accuracy, abstractness and keeping it loose.  When painting very small figures, it is even more of a challenge.

Picnic

6"x6 oil

I love this little scene.  You don't see too many cowboy hats in Vermont, so it is even funnier that it is her sunhat.  It is always good to have a little picnic at the beach.

Goats View

6"x6" oil

These goats looked as happy as any goats I have ever seen.  I am not sure I could correctly describe what a happy goat looks like, but they sure looked confident, well fed, and like they got a lot of attention.  I don't think they are the easiest animals to have around, but they sure are fun to watch.

Courage

6" x 6" oil

A 3 foot wave may not be surfable, but to a pre-schooler, it is daunting.  The child on the right is crouching down like a prowling cat ready to pounce on the wave if it gets close enough, while the toddler in pink is fascinated by the little rivulets of waves lapping at her feet.  Gramps is ready to grab the first one to get in over her head.

Anticipation

12"x12"  oil

This is from my new series "Things I Love."  I am having a lot of anticipation for the next few months and progress on my recuperation.  This child is anticipating a beautiful day at the beach.  Someone asked me why I am painting in such happy colors when I should be painting from the dark (representing my recent challenges) to the light (hope for full recuperation).  We are all made differently and I am definitely a "glass half full" person.  I love to be happy or find happiness and joy and the dark takes care of itself...I just don't want to amplify it!

Wash Day

8"x10" oil

I love how these sheets have this spectacular view!

To purchase this painting go here.

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.

For Purchase information go here.

Together 8"x8" acrylic

I like how sunny this is.  A couple of friends posed for me.  Folks in Vermont are so hearty.  I had on a down coat, hat, mittens and my friends had on light weight shirts and sandals.  It is early winter here, but I painted this in a spring-like setting to give it a feeling of warmth.
SOLD