(232) Cantaloupe II
6 x 8, oil
Without passion, all the skill in the world won't lift you above craft.
Without skill, all the passion in the world will leave you eager but floundering.
Combining the two is the essence of the creative life"...Twyla Tharp

(231) Cantaloupe I
6 x 8, oil
"I believe that once we are all gone, Keith Richards will still be here...with five cockroaches saying 'you know I smoked your uncle, did you know that?" ...Robin Williams
(just a little humor for a rainy sort of Tuesday)

(230) Just Peachy
private collection
6 x 8, oil
"All colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites"...Marc Chagall

(229) Lemon Party
private collection
6 x 8, oil
When life give you lemons....
"We must take situations as they are. We must only change our mental attitudes towards them"...Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

(228) Pucker Up
6 x 8, oil
"Change is growth. For me it has been a very spiritual and musical growth"...Lenny Kravitz

(227) Peaches
6x8, oil
Yesterday's painting involved rich darks and contrasting lights, so today I chose to focus on more subtle values.
"There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it"...Martha Graham

(226) Cherries
6 x 8, oil
private collection
I am inspired by the bounty of fragrances and lush colors currently available at the markets, so I'm putting photos aside for now, and switching back to painting from life.
"If creativity is a habit, then the best creativity is the result of good work habits. They are the nuts and bolts of dreaming"...Twyla Tharp

(225) Daddy's Girl
12 x 16, oil
private collection
As I painted this I realized that I am always drawn to photos and paintings where the viewer is behind the subject. Why is that? I suspect it is because there is a certain mystery that is missing when the subject is facing the viewer. I am intrigued by what the subject may be thinking/doing/seeing and if I can't see their faces, they are more likely to take on a universal "everyman/woman" quality. I like that. Anybody else have any theories about that?
"If equal affection cannot be, let the more loving be me”...W.H. Auden
(Happy "new number" Da)

I'm working on a larger painting (large for me, it is a 12x16) that I will post Monday when it is finished. In the meantime, I am behind accepting the awards below from fellow bloggers: From New York, photographer and pal Paz: (aw shucks, thanks Paz!)

And from Mississippi, my artist friend Lorrie, This is the Arte Y Pico award ("art and a little more") I am honored, thanks so much.
Upon receiving these awards, I am required to do all sorts of things, cross t's, dot i's, color between the lines, yikes, please forgive me, but if you want to read about all the "rules" please see Lorrie's blog in the above link. However, the purpose of the award is to recognize and pass along favorite sites as an inspiration to others. Now THAT I can do. Check these out:
The Little Lined Notebook...This is Sara's blog, an artist, writer, all around old soul in a young package, and did I mention she lives in ITALY? I love this one.
Colin Page ...one of my favorite young artists...he just recently held a painting workshop on a 115' schooner off the coast of Maine; how cool is this guy?...
My Marrakesh ... unique and smart, Moroccan eye candy to start your day
Trust Your Style...art, fashion, design, oh my!
Penelope Dullaghan ... love her fresh, vibrant illustrations
Teaworthy ...one of my favorite writers; insightful, poignant, clever, fresh...
Footprints ...photography: crisp, clean, enchanting, inspirational
Ok, it was supposed to be 5 blogs, but 7 fits me better, and some are websites in addition to blogs ...again, those pesky rules are too constricting... Sammy says it best:

"Go ahead...write me up for 125, post my face, wanted dead or alive.
Take my license,and all that jive...
I can't drive 55!"...Sammy Hagar

(224) "The Seventh Horse in the Seventh Race..."
8 x 10, oil
"Each movement changes as well the way the form's revealed by the light: the shadows, reflection and local color are in constant flux"...Philip Pearlstein

(223) Even Cowgirls Text the Blues
8 x 16, oil
" Light...the soul and medium of art"...John Constable

(222) Benched
6 x 6, oil
I've been benched by technical difficulties (my laptop bit the dust for the final time) so I'm behind in painting and posting my shadow series. It is more an aggravation than crisis, as nothing was lost except the t i m e required to get back to where I was. This too shall pass.
"Shadow is the absence of light, merely the obstruction of the luminous rays by an opaque body. Shadow is of the nature of darkness. Light (on an object) is of the nature of luminous body; one conceals and the other reveals"...Leonardo da Vinci

No painting today, just lots of errands, appointments, obligations and general catching up...but I wanted to share a couple of links. The first one I tried to include in yesterday's post but the photos were missing, so if you care to, please click here to see the complete Amplifier "artist of the month" article about me.

And secondly, I want to offer a link to skirt! magazine. In 1994 in Charleston, SC, Nikki Hardin founded the magazine and now it is available in over a dozen cities. She aspired to create a bold, fresh magazine that celebrated all sides and personalities of women and has stated "if we had an ideal reader, her name would be Martha Steinem" ( I love that)...What attracts me most to the magazine is that the most talented and savvy artists and writers are showcased each month. Please click here to check out my favorite writer, Teaworthy, a gifted and insightful contributor.

(221) After the Race
8 x 10, oil
Several of my regular readers have asked why I'm painting from photos instead of life now. It is temporary. I just needed to explore a new direction and work with more complicated subjects for a little while. The best thing about the blog is I can go in a completely different direction as often as I need to keep the challenges fresh and fun. Perhaps you've noticed that I resist being tied down to painting the same subject day after day....(Jerry Seinfield would add "not that there's anything wrong with that...")
"If you are not doing what you love, you are wasting your time"...Billy Joel

(220) The Lady in the Yellow Hat
8 x 10, oil
Continuing my shadow series...This lady caught my eye as she rushed along. Love the hat.
" I'm just a little bit heiress, a little bit Irish
a little bit tower of Pisa whenever I see you"
~Rufus Wainwright ( cigarettes and chocolate milk)

And just like that, I'm back from vacation...While I was away, I had the opportunity to visit the High Museum in Atlanta where the ambitious Louvre exhibit continues. Currently, it is showcasing the 10-foot Tiber sculpture (not to be missed)
Above is the atrium entrance - I love the architecture creating the play of shadows and patterns of light. To me, the building itself is equally as grand as its contents. My favorite painting here continues to be a Robert Henri portrait - his mastery of brushstrokes is breathtaking.

We also visited Savannah, Georgia. I love the way the city is laid out with park-like squares like the one below. The magnificent trees are hundreds of years old and most have Spanish moss hanging from the branches. Truly enchanting. Each is a cool oasis of southern history and charm offering a welcoming respite from the heat. As you observe people hurriedly cutting through these green spaces on their way to "somewhere important" you begin to notice a transformation as they begin to walk slower, relax their shoulders a little, and take in the charm, sights and sounds of nature. Wouldn't it be great if ALL cities had a similar street plan?
We also spent a few days at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, just across the bay from Savannah. Is there anything more energizing and uplifting than a beach vacation? For those of you who know me well, you know there is nothing I would rather do than watch the sunrise and set as often as possible. But no location can match the beauty of those at the beach. It is the very best chi, and as you can see below, the sunrise over the Atlantic was nothing short of spectacular. I find great comfort in knowing that in every hour, this kind of beauty continues around the globe...It is truly God's most magnificent work of art. And pure magic. I can't fathom choosing to sleep through this awesome gift, but then I have always been a zealous "morning person"...
While in Hilton Head, I also visited one of my favorite galleries, and in my opinion, one of the best in the country: Morris and Whiteside/The Red Piano -maybe that is because they represent so many artists who inspire me: Peggy Kroll Roberts, Karin Jurick, Kim English, Michelle Torrez, Ken Auster, Stephen Scott Young, Marilyn Simandle just to name a few...and the owners couldn't be more charming and gracious: Thanks Ben and Jack for the "grand tour" and for making us feel so welcome.
“The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls”...John Muir
Tomorrow, I will be back at the easel...