an arting life
This is the first of this morning’s two oil paintings capturing the sunrise. I was consciously working with more vivid colors to capture the true impression of the sunrise. Though I wanted to keep tweaking the painting to get it “just so,” I’m also very inspired by yesterday’s discussion with my daughter, Amber. As we…
Some of my oil sketches are sort of doodles… quick artwork exploring themes. That’s a good description of this sketch of the woods near our home. The purpose of this was to see what would happen if I tried to convey sunset colors through the trees. It’s a whimsical piece giving me more to think…
I hadn’t planned to paint on Saturday. My husband and I spent most of the day running errands. The new indoor farmers’ market in Concord (NH) was a delight, and we returned home with great food items and some yummy-smelling soaps. However, as sunset colored the landscape, there was an amazing contrast between the lilac…
Toward dusk on Friday, the sky had that eerie mix of muted colors, from pink to blue to a greenish-blue cast. When the colors are that subdued, the more unusual colors in the hills seem to glow, and the snow is dark but intense. It was lovely, accented by light snow flurries. Of course, I…
This morning’s sunrise began with colors almost identical to the second of Monday’s two sunrise paintings. I’m working with broader strokes and thicker paint now, and I’m pleased with the results. For me, the beauty of the landscape has always been in the skies, but also in the untouched aspects of Nature. The tricky part…
Yesterday, I started my largest Pandorica-inspired drawing so far. The drawing pad is 14″ x 17″ and — in the photo — you can get a sense of proportion by comparing the drawing with my pen. (The pen is 5 1/4″ tall.) This work will take many days to complete, but — from the start…
This was one of those mornings when I talk to myself. First, there was the waiting. I’m sorting out a bunch of goals, etc., so at 5 a.m. I was working in my living room with the drapes wide open, checking the sky every few minutes. When the early light began to reach the clouds,…
This landscape painting was my second of the day on New Year’s Eve 2010. (The previous one was my sunrise sketch.) I’m consciously working with greater contrast to convey the colors and emotional content of the scenery. This oil painting was from after the sun had actually set. The colors still lingered above the horizon,…
New Year’s Eve morning looked sparkling and bright. Continuing to enhance the contrast in my work, I completed this oil sketch. (When I started it, I wasn’t certain that it’s finished, but I figured that it was at least 95% of the way there.) This is a mostly-southwesterly view, so the sun is behind me…
Something clicked over the past few days… something very good. It’s a personal/family matter related to my mom, who was also an artist. The results were immediate. I began creating more art… a lot more art. The next step was a willingness to fail utterly, and to push my art just to see where it…
I’ve been thinking in terms of a series of abstracts, but I didn’t have a sense of direction until I re-watched the 2010 Pandorica episodes of the TV series, Dr. Who. Something about the design on the outside of the box triggered some ideas. Oh, these art concepts also reference the Mayan calendar, mandalas and…
Just past sunset last night, the colors in the sky — and reflected in the snow — were fast-changing and amazing. If I’d had enough paint set up and enough canvases ready, I probably could have completed three or more sketches last night. It was a spectacular display of every color in the rainbow! Mostly,…