Figuratively Speaking - Take a Moment

8"x8" oil SOLD

This is always a hectic month.  I am not sure how you avoid the hustle and bustle but I do know that taking a few moments on a regular basis to just breathe is a great idea.  Some of the ways I take it in is to take a walk, especially in the woods, do yoga, swim, and of course paint.  However, those things only work if I am willing to let everything else go and just be in the moment.  I am curious how you relax and regain sanity.  Do you read a good book or listen to or play music?  Let me know!

Shoppers On the Go

6"x6" oil Price $100

This is the last painting for the 30 in 30 challenge.  These shoppers are taking off for new and more exciting things and so am I (in the painting realm at least).  This was fun to paint with all the blacks and movement.

Morning Walk

6"x6" oil Price $100

Every morning this lady does her fast walk along the beach. I thought she was bold to wear a bikini because....well she wasn't that young! I also kind of admired her boldness...what difference does it make anyway? She is out taking in the beauty of the ocean daily. Her life is good!

The Long Journey - 30 in 30 Challenge #2

Day 2 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge by Leslie Seata, is of my friend Susan walking along a path at Lefferts Pond. I am really loving painting on birch panels covered with clear gesso.  My goal is to leave some of the wood showing as well as using more subtle color choices and leaving an element of the original drawing evident.  This is a really fun experiment.  My hope is to do 30 figurative works in this style.

Happy As a Sailor, Just Me and My Dog

6"x6" oilClick to Bid

I know, the title is bigger than the painting!  It is from lyrics from a silly song about a dog. 

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. 

day 10 Slate a walk in the woods11"x14

11"x14" acrylic on slate SOLD

This is a little different.  Firstly, it is a remembered landscape, meaning that I took a drive with my sister-in-law on a back road and decided to study a spot and later paint it from memory.  Two ladies in black with red mittens caught my attention.  To get the feel for a deep forest I dribbled black paint onto the slate first, blowing it around and dripping it until I thought it resembled trees.  Then I painted in the background, path, people and underbrush.  I am experimenting, trying to find the best subject and techniques to use on the slate.  I think I am beginning to come up with a plan that pleases me.  The next few I do will be quite different, so stay tuned in!

Seeking the Destination

5"x7" oil

I can't help but wonder what makes couples attracted to each other.  Beautiful looking people often pair with beautiful people and their attraction, which could be much deeper, may also just be based on that, but what attracts people who seem so different from each other?  What made me want to paint this one was the interesting texture of  their hair.  Both of them had big hair that was kind of fuzzy.  I wonder if that was their first point of attraction?  Could be.

Morning Jog

8"x8" oil

A fit young woman starts her day running across the Brooklyn Bridge.  This is a revised version of a painting I did a while ago.

A New World

6"x6" oil

I reworked an old painting.  I liked the figure of the woman and baby but didn't like the environment she was in so I decided on a soft ethereal world.  Of course everything is new for a baby, but I think that a new mother also experiences the world in a new and different way, as the surrounding take less precedent over the world of love and responsibility you feel for this vulnerable and fresh creature.

Gratitude

6.5"x6" acrylic

I am grateful for my knees.  I am sure that sounds odd, but I am facing double knee replacement surgery this month (my Christmas present to myself) and it makes me appreciate all the hard work my knees have done over the years and the hope I have getting new ones that will be pain free and strong.

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.

A Walk In the Park

5"x7" acrylic

This is another illustration for my little book.  All of our grandkids love to go for walks in the woods and in parks.  It is probably my favorite thing to do with them because it is so easy and they love it so much.