Living Artfully

As most of you likely know, very few paintings come by without a lot of work, and working knowledge. Occasionally they do come easily, but this is rare! Sometimes, a painting is done quickly, and I am at a loss for a title. " Oak Creek Ochre" , oil is a piece that I didn't have a hard time in naming. Often I will choose a dominant color, and tie it to the place name. I do often like to have an alliterative ring to titles....which help people remember the names. Other times, I will think of a phrase that may apply. This one is " Between a Rock and a Soft Place",, pastel, 18x24  which is a play on the phrase about someone in a tough spot, and we say " between a rock and a hard place." A big part of the idea behind this painting is the contrast and textures between the soft grasses and the hard rocks. "I'll Follow the Sun", pastel, 12x12 is a song title. The focus is on the trail leading up to the bright, sunny background. T...

Happy Holidays 'Tis the season, so I will simply share a my wishes for a beautiful holiday. I hope that you find the time, in this busy season to simply reflect and enjoy the beauty all around us.

Yesterday I had a lovely visitor to the studio. I am quite fortunate that I have been able to achieve my dream of having a beautiful space where I could paint, teach, and welcome collectors and visitors. ...and here I am at work . My visitor Dasha is a young lady with so much potential. She has tremendous enthusiasm for painting, and the pastel media, and is a pretty smart cookie. She moved to Las Vegas, and finding that there was no pastel society in Nevada, started one! It was great to spend time with her, and share some insights in to the art world from our unique  perspectives. She is just starting on her artistic path, and is learning all she can , which I admire. I told her that we never stop learning...there is always something new along the way, which is the challenge  and joy of any endeavor. She will go far, I know.   Whenever anyone that I know is visiting the area, and would like to see me, I usually suggest that they come out to the stud...

One of my great delights are the bright, sunny Southwestern Days...after all it is what prompted the move here to Arizona. In fact, I find my mood changing if there are too many days without my beloved sunshine. Once in a great while, however, we do get grey, damp darker days, and because they are rare, are  quite enjoyable. We recently had a day of steady rain, and the drops glistening in the mesquite were jewel like when the sky lightened. "Afternoon Ochre" , pastel, 12x12 was painted on such a day; inspired by my afternoon walk. The tones are somber, and are all greyed colors. There is a play of warm and cool, which is at the heart of the painting. The desert scrub has its late autumn coloring, and there are still a few leaves on the mesquite. As of yet, we haven't had a hard frost. I really like how some of the bare branches are etched against the sky.   The feelings on such a day are that of longing, remembrance of other autumn days, some loneliness a...

This past week I got to work painting in my studio. I had posted before about how I do take a break from time to time, and get back to painting by setting up a still life, or simple florals, and am inspired by working from life. I did start a few brand new pieces...and also revisited a couple of works that I had started, and then let go . Either I did not like the way that they were going, or I came close to finish, but wasn't happy with the progress, and put them aside. One such work was " Sedona Summer Cool" pastel, 16x20 It was a piece I had started this past spring. l did get fairly close to completion, but knew I needed to set this one aside for a while. I had glanced at it from time to time, so that I could work on it" in my head". Other projects required my attention, so then I really put it away in my flat file, which meant no looking.. A few weeks ago, I got it back out, and set it up to look at with fresh eyes, as I knew that the work had ...