Showing my art work!

These are shots from the Art League of

Germantown show just held this past

weekend. It is a three day show and is

called "Winterglow".

I love taking shots of people at the show!

And of course I have to show you what

paintings of mine were in this one.

After all, you have watched them develop

on this blog, and now you see the results!

Total immersion!

I consider that when we really step into an area with both feet and live in that realm, ideas just are not hard to come up with because we immerse ourselves in what we have chosen to do. It is, to me, one of the key ingredients of creativity. You can't just skim across, you have to get in and swim! (I'm hopelessly addicted to analogies as you see!).

This is why I never run out of ideas. They come faster than I can do anything about many of them! Now executing them is something else again!

Seeing color

Why, you may ask, would I post a photo of nail

polish and my towel? Because sometimes I see

combinations that thrill me. The grey-green

towel and the purply polish just look good to me.

Now to find a dress that color. Oh, and a painting

subject where I can utilize such a sophisticated

combination!

Partners in art and petting

Now this is the close up photo I was looking for!

Miss Lucy earns her keep, huh? And gets petted

at the same time.

Helping at the easel

A friend of mine has been coming to paint her

large work in my studio. This is fun for me to have

company while I work! But it is more fun for Lucy

who is getting lap time. I'd call my friend an art

multi-tasker!

VERY smart cat!

I had to post this. Isn't it funny? My cat Lucy is aligning herself

with my new arrangement of animals for my students to draw.

Previously, they were all mixed in with the other still life stuff.

Only now, with Lucy there, I can't really call it still life now can I?

Me and my Dad

This is a portrait of my Dad at thirteen. Can you guess the

artist? It was done as a logo for the Hohner Harmonica company

in the U.S. in the early 1920s.

Garden Gate

 

This is my neighbor's garden in full summer. Oil on canvas. 8 x 10.
So much fun to do it. Work out the tones/values and the pops of color!

Girl's Night Out

 

This is my latest oil painting. It is 23" x 29". While the frame is a bit askew in the photo, you can see the painting just fine! I am happy with the color of the frame choice. It really did what the painting needed to make it pop! Let me know how you like it please!

Where have I been?

I see I'd better get busy and post new work! I have been doing some and just have been having a wonderful busy time this summer. But now it's September, no more excuses! Stay tuned!

Umbrellas

I'm always on the hunt for the bright umbrellas of

summertime. Found this recently in my travels

and I'm thinking about it as a painting. But I

would want to 'punch up' the girls sitting together

because pleasure moments is what I am after.

I seek to paint people enjoying themselves or

others because I want my paintings to remind

any viewer to do exactly that - have fun and

enjoy yourself!

"The Conversation" completed

At last I have finished this painting. And

I have changed the title to "The Listener".

After working on it over these many weeks

I saw that it was really about the woman who

was receiving her friend's communication.

She is calm and attentive, just the sort of

person we need to hear our thoughts and

concerns.

Let me know what you think please. It really

matters to me to hear how it has affected you

and how well I got that communication across.

Thank you!

"The Conversation" part 5

It's much closer to what I am after. Painting things into submission so I can get the main event of the window and the 'girls' to shine. Love the black shape of that sweater! But WHY is this format like this now? I have NO idea!

"The Conversation" part #4

I don't have a deadline for this piece as I often do. And so I am letting it 'simmer' in between the times I work on it. I have a vision for it, but at this point I am simply getting the elements carefully worked out. There is the perspective to it all, the odd and mysterious shapes of legs and napkins under the table, the very subtle tone and color changes of the walls, window moldings, etc. It is rather like building a house. You first must have a vision for what you want. Then you have blueprints (or the sketch you make for the painting) and then you build the structure. Only then do you return to your vision and make the necessary changes that bring that vision to life. Or else it is just a copy of the physical universe. In that case, might as well just make a photograph!

"The Conversation" part 3

I'm working to get everything major in place so I can make judgements about how light or dark I want those things to be. That part under the table is challenging because it is hard to tell from the photograph exactly what is going on. As a painter, you have to know what the H is going on and paint with understanding!

You can see that the photo I am working from is partly showing on the lower right.

"The Conversation" part 2!

Just getting started and working out the window which is where I want emphasis of the lightness of the tones of the leaves that cast a sort of glow on the ladies who lunch and chat!

Something extra

This lovely fellow was a gift I did for a friend for whom I did a large commission. I thought you would like to see it. It is just 5" x 7" and I used alkyd paint to get it done and dry in time.

New work - "The Conversation"

This work is 24 x 36 inches. It is meant to

be a testimony to friendship and the pleasure

of conversation.

I want the glow of the leafy green trees

outside the window to somehow transmit

the magic of true connection, being to being.

Keep your eye on this as it develops!

My latest commission - Windy Hill

This painting was commissioned as a birthday gift. Three

family members got together to have me do this painting of

the home of the 'birthday girl'.

It was quite a project because while they wanted a springtime

scene, it was in snowy February that I was getting started on

it! So just a week ago, the fabulous cherry tree on the right

burst into bloom and I got the last part done in time for the

presentation.

Helping our fellow man in Japan

Dear ALOG Members and Friends,

We have all been stunned to see what the Japanese people have been enduring in these recent days. Three major disasters (earthquake, tsunami and Nuclear plant issues) and then on top of that it snows. What it has to be taking for these people to endure through this I can only guess at here in the warmth of my home.

I was very impressed to see that this site called Daily Painters (www.dailypainters.com) is doing a special fundraising effort for several agencies that can distribute needed help to the beleaguered Japanese.

Please look at it and see if there is anything you would like to bid on and then you can pick the agency you wish to receive the funds you have paid for the painting you will receive.

Click here: The DPW Painting Challenge! - The Help Japan Challenge

The innate resilience of mankind in the face of disaster will surmount all this, but in the meantime let us remember that Life is a Team Effort. So however you help, do help in some way.

Starting a commission

This is a gift commissioned by the family of someone who will

be celebrating a 'big' birthday! It took quite some time to get

the drawing done so very carefully. I went out to the house

and took lots of photographs so that I could suggest the best

angle. Seemed to me that the full house, full on, was the best

to do. The clouds were spectacular the day I went and so they

will be part of the drama of this early spring view of the home.

AND you get to see my loaded work area!

Stage Four of 'Bicycle' Painting

Here you can see that I have repaired the back wheel of the

bike so it is more properly in perspective as I mentioned in

my last post about this painting. Also the railings have been

improved upon and I have done more work on the 'girls'

who are enjoying themselves.

See what you think and let me know!

Invitation to my other blogs

Dear Friends of Joy of Art Forever!

I have two other blogs which you may not have seen. The links are on the right side of this, my main blog.

But you can go to Art and Life Interwoven right from here: http://artandlifeinterwoven.blogspot.com/

Let me know what you think!

Thank you!

Stage Three of 'Bicycle' painting

This painting is quite an interesting challenge which I am

sharing with you as I develop it. The bike needs work in

that the back wheel is the same width as the front wheel and

that is NOT proper perspective! I have made the changes

now, and have refined the railing behind the bike as well as

taking more care to refine the faces of the gals enjoying

themselves. Soon I will post that image so you can see

how I improved it!

Would anyone like to suggest a title?

Stage Two of 'Bicycle' painting

This is the first overall painting layer done in one sitting.

Probably around 2 hours of work. I am mainly working on

the tones of the ladies at the tables, and getting all of them

right in relation to each other before attention to details or

specific colors.

This painting is 23" x 29". It is a 'custom' size for a

particular frame I have for it.

Beginning a new piece

I don't generally use a ruler. But if there are really long

lines in the painting, or a lot of perspective that needs to

be really right, it saves me a lot of trouble if I find something

needs changing after I get into applying paint!

The thing is, doing this before I start painting gives me the

control I need to get it down right. Then I follow those drawn

lines with careful application of paint (but no ruler), and it

doesn't look mechanical because of the aliveness of my hand

and body movement, however slight. Doing it this way gives

life to those lines.

This is the beginning of a cafe scene at night. I love the bike

which has its own perspective challenges!

In order for this painting to have the composition I wanted

I added pieces of paper to the edges of the photo.

If you go to my teaching blog, you can find out more.

The link is on the right side of this page....Teacher Tips.

Flowering into the New Year

So what are you nuturing so that it flowers for

you this year? This is a collage I made from

bits and pieces of my watercolor paintings

along with some photographs I took. Soon

I will be showing you my latest work in

progress, but I am still in the 'get it together

for the new year' mode!

What will the new year hold?

What lies ahead? Lucy is looking

down the road to see. She tells me

there is expansion of happiness

for all my friends and family.

And for her too, of course!

Happy New Year!

Moonlight and holiday lights

This month we had such a gorgeous full moon that came

in tandem with everyone's holiday lights. I was able to

catch this shot just as the moon was coming up and I do

think it should probably be posted on my Art and Life

Interwoven....my other blog to which you can find the link

on the right side of this page.

Wishing you a new year filled with all you desire on every

level of life and living!

Waaaaaaaaaaay too much dessert!

The first part of this holiday meal was

fantastic, but the visual art is in the

desserts! Greek delights that are

homemade and delicious!

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

To all of you who have made this year so wonderful.

May your holidays with friends and loved ones be just

as you imagined it to be!

Up close and beautiful

This candle sat on my porch this summer. It was really hot

for several months and it began to sag with all that heat.

I brought it in when the season changed and it just sat on

my counter for a long time until I began my holiday decorating.

I love flickering friendliness of candles and so I looked at this

one again. Inside the bent over column was what you see here,

something quite beautiful. Rather like a cave with wonderful

formations.

This candle means even more to me than its recently discovered

beauty. It was one of two tall columns that were at my parents

memorial service some years ago. My sister and I each took one

after the service was over. I decided to keep using it and it is

yet another way that I remember all they were to me which was

as good as it gets.

Merry Christmas. Light a candle.

Waters House in Germantown, Maryland

I started this painting earlier this year. It was going to be in

a show at this house which is owned by the Historical Society

in this county. But due to budget cuts, it is not open to the

public now. So the painting languished until recently when

I got it out and decided to complete it. It is pretty much done,

though I need to study it a bit more to see if I want to do

anything else to it. The big tree took as long to do as the house!

SO many branches.

This painting is 12" x 24" in oil. I hope you like it. It is rather

a different subject for me from what I have been doing!

Cat commission full size!

OK folks, I just put up the previous post, and

then realized I hadn't put put a photograph that

shows you the whole painting!

Here it is! Those shadows are what attracted me

to doing this painting in the first place!

Cat commission completion!

You may recall having seen earlier posts on this painting.

They show you how I got started. You can go to those posts

for May, June and July 2010 to see them.

At one time there was a sky behind the cats, but in

discussing this with the client, she liked the idea of the

deck and plants being out there behind them.

I liked the sky idea, but now that I have done this the

way my client requested it, I am satisfied. One thing

it does which the sky didn't do....the warm yellow green

of the plants contrasts very well with the more shadowed

area where the cats are inside.

Click on the image if you want to see it larger!

It is oil on a panel and is 16" x 20".

Any ideas for a title? My client has one....

"Can we go out?"

Sharing my Thanksgiving with you

Well you already saw the turkey in the last post!

Now you see the table and the dessert I made to

bring to share with my friends! It was such an

enjoyable evening! I am truly thankful for the

wonderful generous friends I have in my life.

Thanksgiving

Perhaps this isn't the most aesthetic image for

Thanksgiving, but it got my mouth watering for

the feast and family day coming tomorrow.

So I wish you all a wonderful day of good conversations

and happy times within the blessings of your friends

and families.

"I Concentrate on You"

"I concentrate on you" is an old song. It is one of

the cuts on one of my friend Carey's albums, and

since this is a painting of him, it seemed the perfect

title. His beloved and gorgeous custom-made

guitar makes beautiful music with his accomplished

fingers and phrasing! He concentrates on that jewel

of an instrument.

I worked on this painting over many months and

almost hated to finish it because it was a constant

reminder of the beautiful music Carey creates and

painting it reminded me of his favored tunes from

the 30s and 40s. My favorite era too....though it

was really my parent's music!

I altered the background somewhat so that it

complimented him more that what was actually

there in that room. I added the fire to show more

of the warm heart of his music and his love for it.

It is an oil painting on a panel. 18" x 24". Please

do comment here and let me know what you think.

Not a painting......yet!

I love these scenes where families or friends go

out to eat and enjoy each other's company in

a warm and attractive setting. I'm alway taking

photos in restaurants. So far no one has protested,

but of course I am very discreet. Also, I never try

to do likenesses of people I haven't met.