Living Artfully

Some paintings I have done a while ago, and remain favorites. So, in the tradition of " throwback Thursday", I'm presenting this piece, and will share the story. Such is the case with " The Sicilian Guardian" , pastel, 16x20. I came across this scene in Catania, Sicily , on a narrow side  street. Many places have small vegetable markets, away from the main stalls. The young man leaning out of the doorway caught my eye. It was a late afternoon; and the light was starting to fade.Together with the piles of brightly colored fresh vegetables , It made a combination that was irresistible  to a painter's eye. This was all in a day's work for him, and he was likely unaware of the juxtaposition of some of the elements...which would make a wonderful story. The story  is the grouping of busts under the main window, with the central one having wings.  It was almost as if this figure were standing guard over the young seller, hence the title. Kind of like...

Sometimes , it is good to have another pair of eyes look at a painting before we call it finished. I have made a practice of having my husband look at the pieces that have some architectural elements incorporated, as he was in the construction industry for many years. It is a general rule of thumb to have your verticals straight...unless it is a dilapidated building, or for a special effect. Sometimes roof lines can be a bit tricky, as in this rendering of farm buildings. It passed muster, and I was able to finish the piece. " Honey Dript Morning", pastel, 18x24. Another genre that I want to run past someone is in my classic car paintings. They are fun to paint...but I know that the details, if put in, need to be right. So, I usually ask my son, a collector and car buff whether or not the particular model is right.I recall that I needed to make a change on the rear fins with this one. Again, I could get away with skewed proportions, for example, if I were doing a m...

In today's post, I'd like to write about two paintings, as they are quite similar. In fact, the first inspired me to paint another, although in a different media, and a much different size. It is something I like to do from time to time, to see how works translate from oil to pastel, or vice-versa, particularly if I like the subject matter. "Shadow Whispers" is a pastel painting that I painted earlier this year. I entered it in a national pastel exhibition, where it won a first place award...nice!  I had been plein air painting in this particular spot, and really enjoyed how the late afternoon shadows played across the desert landscape. It is a subject that I knew I wanted to go deeper in to, and make larger  ( 16x18) as I was quite inspired, so I did this studio version from my plein air pieces and photos. I was fortunate enough to have the work out on exhibit, and it  then went home with new collectors during a studio visit. However, it was a work that was ...

This past week, I went to Las Vegas for the first time. It was a bit overwhelming at times, but high energy and full of excitement and inspiration. I had wanted to visit some gardens, and see if I could set up and paint , as I knew that they would be elaborate and colorful...and gardens , especially with architecture are a favorite subject. ...and one can find places just about anywhere that are planted with colorful blooms, like this corner in the little town where I live. I knew that the courtyard of the Bellagio always has an elaborate , themed installation...but it was torn apart for a seasonal change, and roped off. Disappointing. While at the Bellagio,  I did see the Chihuly glass ceiling, and also visited an in-house gallery of the work of Richard Macdonald. You can see his fabulous work at www.richardmacdonald.com I was familiar with his work from having gone to Art Expo in NY for many years, a few decades ago, but I did not know that he was associated with the C...

There are so many artists that I admire...too many to name them all here. One of the things that sets the really accomplished ones apart is that they are always striving to learn. This is something that is very important to me...as I realized a long time ago that the more I learn about this art thing; the more there IS to learn. Recently I was going through some artwork, and saw  definite progression from some of my older pieces, particularly as it applies to rendering the desert light. "Creekside Shimmy" is an oil painting that I did not long after moving to  Arizona.. I was thrilled to be in a region known for the red rocks...outside of Sedona, and abundant , brilliant sunlight. When I painted this, I was happy with the capture of the reflected light in the area in between the green grasses. Back East, I had painted a lot of water, so was reasonably satisfied with that.However, it lacks the finesse, brushwork, and edge quality that my more recent paintings have. ...

Because this is a new platform, I'd like to revisit an idea that I have written about in a previous post. I have been a long-time Yankee fan, and so I have always gotten a kick out of the wit, and sometimes unwitting wisdom of Yogi Berra. One of my favorite quotes is " You can observe a lot just by watching". The same is just so true for painting. Many of my late day, and nocturne paintings benefit from my practice of sitting out and just observing the light, and how it changes as the sun is near setting. The quality sometimes only lasts for just  a few short moments. "Moon Rise, Night Fall" is a painting I did after having hiked, and really watched how the light was changing. I had done another version of this piece, but wanted to explore it further. The last rays were hitting the tops of bare trees, as the long dusk shadows were encroaching. The time of year was November, when the light is particularly rosy. A wonderful occurrence is that t...

Hello there, I have decided to start up a completely new blog, as previously, you weren't able to sign up directly to my posts from my web site. I will continue to post every Sunday, and Thursday , usually with some work of art, particularly on Thursdays, when I like to share a story behind a particular work. Are you wondering what the new adventure is? My husband Wayne is now retired. As you know, I am fortunate enough to be asked to teach in various places, participate in shows, or present my work in an interesting venue. Now Wayne can join me when these wonderful opportunities take me away , and we can go on the road. I do consider myself very lucky in that I have had many such opportunities over the years. "Alee des Arbres" is a painting from Flauvigny, France, in the Burgundy region, and a great example of how I have been blessed. This little town is where one of my favorite movies,  "Chocolat " was filmed. I did have a wonderful time, ...