"The Prophet"

In the New Mythology realm, all mice are prophets.



Finally, done......"The Prophet"
24x12, oil on canvas

Happy New Year....On the easel.

I took a week off at Christmas and always think I am going to get work done between Christmas and New Years, but I find myself tinkering more than anything else.

I sold "Liar" and "Overcoming the Seeds of Doubt" in the last two weeks as well as a bunch of prints, so I am very, very thankful to all who are so willing to part with their heard earned money to have a piece of my work.

Happy New Year to you all.....and after Sunday....back to work in earnest! So far I have two shows to paint for in 2011

On the easel:


"Carolina Wren"

Birds

My birds for the July show are climbing. Think I have 19 now. I am making a point of painting birds that are sort of annoying to most people. Often we miss something really beautiful when we dismiss "pest" animals. The common Grackle is probably one of the most bothersome yet, most beautiful of birds.



Shots of the "Small Wonders" show at FCCA. The show hangs through January....



...honored to be mentioned.

On the easel...New Mythology

I am feeling the magic.........

Check out the Etsy link on the right....more prints and small paintings uploaded.

What's up.....new paintings and getting warmed up

The "Small Wonders" opening was really fun. One of my paintings received an honorable mention, which is nice. I never win anything, and honestly don't put too much stock in awards, but it was a nice treat. Thanks to all my people for coming out to the party. I was really glad to meet artists Ana Rendich, Jill Powell and finally, Jeanne Tanks. The show hangs through January, so come out and if you do, let me know so we can grab a coffee.....


Me and Jill.....

After so many months of painting tediously for the bird show in July with focused technique and tiny brushes, I did a warn up, a painting challenge of sorts to get myself in a different state by using a completely different approach to painting. I also decided to begin a new New Mythology painting today. Below are the first foundational passes.....


... study from this morning


new painting

On the easel.....FCCA Opening reception

Birds and more birds.....still. I have 18 now. Let's see how many I can hold on to until July.

"Small Wonders" at the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts is now on exhibit through January 28th. The open reception is this Friday December 3rd at 6 p.m. here in the 'Burg.
I will have three paintings on exhibit and will be at the opening. Also downstairs in the member's gallery is the Christmas show. There will be a lot of very affordable paintings in both shows.


"Mockingbird"
5" x 7" oil on panel

Small Wonders at FCCA

"Small Wonders" open at FCCA in Fredericksburg next week. The opening reception is Friday December 3rd at 6 p.m. I will be there, so come on by. This is First Friday, so all the galleries will be having opening receptions for new exhibits.

Birds Galore....

I received an letter announcing that I was awarded an exhibit of New Mythology paintings at the Howard County Center for the Arts in November of 2011.

On the easel....birds and more birds...

More prints and small paintings available on Etsy....see the link on the sidebar....

Art Prints...On the easel..

I have prints very affordable prints and paintings available on Etsy so go here if interested. I plan on adding more birds and paintings from New Mythology over time.

On the easel....

Prints Update

Ok, so I am in the process of getting prints up and running and it is a long process.

But I do now have prints of most of the 5" x 7" bird oils available. They are 5" x 7" on archival matte photo paper at $25 plus shipping to your destination. These come directly.from me, so I have complete control over quality. I will probably use Fine Art America once I look into all the details and make sure it is all kosher.

The larger paintings (New Mythology) will have to scanned professionally, which will be expensive to set up, so still wrestling around with researching this...

I am still playing with ideas on promoting this option on the website and blog. In the interim if you interested and are on Facebook you can find me here where I at least have an album on the fan page of available prints.

Thanks for following me, everyone. I just noticed followers have jumped from 58 to 81 in the last few weeks. And please comment....:) I love to hear what you have to say. It is important to me.

On the easel....

Working away at the paintings for the summer solo show. And also putting a few back up on the easel to work more on...

5" x 7" framed oils are $250 should you like to have one.



"Ki Goes Up"




And for the bird show...


"Great Tit"
5" x 7" oil on panel


"Hummingbird"
5" x 7" oil on panel

On the easel....

5" x 7" oil on panel

Just have to put on the legs.....

On the easel...and it's October!!

Fall being my favorite time of year, I am soaking in the wonder that is October at the moment.
Most of the time, no matter what is going on in my life, if I can get to the easel, all is right. It is doubly right when the temp outside is only 65 degrees....

On the easel and moving right along....




"Purple Finch"

On the easel...

Hopefully, with two physical therapy sessions weekly, I can make some serious tracks on this neck and shoulder dilemma. I have been able to paint longer, yet not long enough to really "click in."
Working on paintings for the FCCA solo in July and also this one which I am really excited about....I am using cradled hardboard as opposed to my usual canvas and I may be sold.

On the easel

On the easel... Beginning the long haul of painting for the bird show in July. I need about 20 more, so one of twenty, a very common yet beautiful bird, the house sparrow.

September back to school for many...back to work for me.

I have been awarded a solo exhibit in July of 2011 at the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts. The theme will be birds and I am thankful that I have so much time to paint them! There are currently eight in a list of thirty that need to be painted by March (drying time) I figure one a week will get me to the goal give or take a few because of sales.

Ok. All summer travel, visitors and most immediate new home madness has come to an end. Time to rock the easel. Hope you all had a fantastic summer. Keep in touch with your thoughts and comments.

Where have you been?

There is one more trip for us yet to come this weekend in a string of summer travels. I have been away from the blog so long I had to actually sign in!

Let's see how much I can get to before Thursday. I am starting a new painting on a new ground. Canvas has been my ground of choice, but in a new effort to expand the work I will be using Ampersand gessoboard.

On the easel and coming to completion....



In the works:

Now showing through August...

If you'd like to make a day trip to Fredericksburg, "Ei" will show at the Fredricksburg Center for the Creative Arts until August 27th.



And "Diamond, Ringleader of the Spring Revolt" and "Overcoming the Seeds of Doubt" are at Liberty Town until August 29th.

If you come to Old Town for a visit to the galleries and see the historic city of Fredericksburg, let me know. Craig and I would love to see you.

Thinking, rethinking

The great summer is winding down and the days of squeezing in a few hours of painting between travel and house guests are coming to an trickle. Limited by physical pain as well, I did find a great local physical therapist to help me get out of the mess I have with my shoulders and neck. Unfortunately, it will take some time to work back up to several hours a day painting and though frustrating, this is just reality for me at this time in my life. It took a few years to get into this much pain and it will take some time to get free.

Having had a lot of time to think in the midst of the crazy summer, I am unsure of how I feel about the direction of my work. A sense of dissatisfaction or, more positively, a desire to push myself to climb to another level has settled upon me. I suppose this is a good place to squirm. The moment we believe we have arrived in some area of life, something in us settles for less. This is especially true and dangerous for artists. A bit of applause, success and a certain level of mastery tempts us to stay where we are in an attempt to hold to what we have, yet so much more awaits if we are brave enough to wrestle with the fear of change and the unknown to obtain something greater. In my life, when the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of change, I know it is time. I have seen artistic paralysis happen to many. I see it in every gallery I walk into. Before we know it, we have churned out the same reworked painting over and over. So, this fall I start the climb of fear and change....again. God willing and by grace, there will be growth.

Still on the easel:

FCCA Regional Exhibit

"Ei" has been accepted into the FCCA Regional Juried Exhibit. The show runs from August 1 through 27. Opening reception is Friday August 6th.

On the easel....

On the easel:


Tufted Titmouse
oil on panel, 5" x 7"



In the New Mythology Kingdom, mice are prophets. That is all I can say so far about the painting....

Party at the Clarke's..

Wow, I am exhausted. The summer has just begun and we have a lot of travel and visitors planned.

On the fourth we had the first official party at the Clarke house with our amazing friends. My sister and niece were here for several days, then dear friends Phil and Elisa stayed and then we are off to Atlanta twice over the next month. My time in the studio might be limited for awhile.



Friday night was the Liberty Town opening. "Diamond.." and "Overcoming the Seeds of Doubt" will hang through August. If you are around Fredericksburg, stop in and see the show.

On the easel:

Liberty Bird show

Yesterday I was notified that "Diamond" and "Overcoming the Seeds of Doubt" were accepted into the Liberty Bird show at Liberty Town Arts. The theme is art inspired by literature about birds.
The show opens with a reception this Friday night from 6 to 9 p.m. and will hang through August.

My sister and her kids have been here since Saturday. It is already Wednesday and a holiday weekend at that. More friends in for the weekend ahead and the 4th of July festivities....

Would anyone like to name the latest painting? I have been unable to settle on one.....

I started a commissioned painting today and have a handful of painting on the working list....
On the easel:

New Painting on the easel....

On the easel:



Mice. Not sure where the mouse imagery is originating, but there is something compelling about their innate ability to go unnoticed and generally influence an environment underneath the surface......I think of Galadrial's words:

“Even the smallest person (or "creature" in my economy) can change the course of the future."

On the easel

I wonder if I should give up fine art painting for interior decoration.....just kidding. In the last few weeks I have thrown myself into painting my house and love it. Priming those walls are like covering a canvas with gesso. And laying on those coats of color almost as exciting as seeing something come to life on canvas. I even love trim work (what the hell is wrong with me?!...) The house has indeed become a work of art to me. Replacing knobs and outlet plates.....love it. People talk about how much work having a home is, but I love every minute of it.
But I have been painting in the studio and meeting with new artist friends here in the great arts community of the 'Burg. as it is called by locals.

I have been working on this one for some time and it has been a real challenge technically. At first I wasn't sure where it would fit in to the New Mythology story, but as I go an identity is unfolding. Who is this and what will be her great purpose?......


24" x 30", oil on canvas

Physical Therapy and on the easel...

Last week was my first visit to a physical therapist. After a three hour assessment, I went home with a stretching routine and a bit more peace and education over a long-standing neck and shoulder issue. Along with daily stretches, a few changes need to be made, namely, I must go back to a desktop and learn proper typing. I type with four fingers and have to look. For now, there will be twice weekly sessions of PT.

Balancing my time between new home and new studio is falling into place. Even as I type (with four fingers..) I am sitting on my deck looking out over the woods that leads down to the river. There is wildlife abounding. My kind of living. Our neighborhood red-shouldered hawk has begun the afternoon announcements like clockwork.

I have several proposals on the docket, so plenty of paperwork to do over the next few weeks. Tomorrow morning, I am meeting for coffee with an artist and president of a local co-op gallery.
Katie is coming down from Lorton Sunday night for a dinner and a look at a few galleries

Currently on the easel.....




"Carolina Chickadee"
oil on panel
5" x 7"
$250 framed

On the easel

"Red Bellied Woodpecker"
5" x 7" oil on panel

Small oils

More neck and shoulder problems lately. I am (slowly) working on adding to the "New Mythology" body of work and small oils count. My hope is to have 20 or so of the panels for Artomatic, but they are flying out the door. As far as I know they are still looking for a building for the 2010 show.

I have to say I love being a home owner. I enjoy repairing, updating and painting..nesting. We are getting settled, painting walls and endless trim, working in the yard and dreaming up cool things to do in the house over the years. And patio furniture comes Wednesday......yee-ha.

If you are interested in a 5" x 7" framed oil, just say so. Here are some new ones.


"Tree Swallow"


"Mourning Dove"

If you have an specific animal in mind as a subject, I can do that for you, too.

Today's Painting

So far, I have had a bad time with birds and their nests. There was the robin's nest horror, and then this week the wren's nest ordeal. While working out in the yard, Craig found a nest of baby wrens in a hole about knee high up in the side of our house where the AC wires go inside. Three little hungry mouths. I didn't see any sign of adult birds all afternoon and evening and thought about them all night wondering if they had been abandoned. The next day, out of fear, I resisted looking in on them until the afternoon. What I found was two dead babies. One was obviously taken by a predator. Unfortunately, many of our neighbors have outdoor cats, so this is the probable culprit. I am sure most people have no idea how many birds and other animals outdoor cats can kill.
The birds surely decided the nest location was too risky and left it and the babies to die. I had to pull them out by their little feet. Baby birds are the most helpless of creatures....at this age they have absolutely no chance without parents. I spent a long time looking at them. So delicate. A sad day.





I am certain I might be a bird nerd.


5" x 7"
oil on panel
$250, framed

Finally.....back at the easel....seriously.

Last week my attempts to return to painting failed. Most of you know that we have been packing, moving and unpacking...and settling. I gave myself permission, in hand with well-trusted friends, to spend more time "nesting" here in our new home in Fredericksburg. I love doing handyman kinds of things and our place needed just that (and more...) I also spent several days painting the kitchen. For whatever reason every wall and every piece of trim in this house was painted antique white, all except for the ugly blue wall on the cathedral stairwell. So, you know, being all about color, I felt I needed to get at least one room painted.

I had breakfast with friend and fellow artist Elizabeth Seaver yesterday. I was greatly encouraged to talk with a comrade and I have gotten back to it this week. And, after six weeks away, it feels great.


Almost complete....putting in the details....


5" x 7" oil on panel


5" x 7" oil on panel