All In All

12 x 16, oil on canvas

The grey skies of winter have lifted -amen!

The trees and flowers are putting on a show -achoo!

The studio windows have opened -again!

And the jockeys are ready to go -at last!

portrait artist

I was most fortunate to have my portrait rendered this weekend by an artist simply known as A. Although this artist has never taken a drawing class, never studied color theory, and is not the least bit concerned with the "rules" that govern shapes, values, composition, line, form, and function; I can assure you that, at age five, she understands all there is to know about the creative process. Eliminating judgement and worry that her work may not be "good enough"; she intuitively understands the importance of rendering the essence of her subject.

My artist began by pointing out what she sees in me (my love of painting, the fact that my favorite red lipstick is more pink than red, how my eyes sometimes look blue/sometimes green depending on what I am wearing, and last but not least, how we both agree that the most important criteria for choosing a great skirt is whether or not it "twirls" when you walk). If you look closely at her depiction of the painting on the easel, you will see that she has drawn the two of us holding hands, and simply written "you/me" - an economy of words that say everything. The best artist for the job may not be the one with the most technical skill or years of study under her belt. She will not be focused on the shape of your lips, but on the warmth of your smile. She is the one who always "gets you" - and the one who sees and paints your spirit.

"Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe,

a moment that will never be again.

And what do we teach our children?

We teach them that two and two make four and that Paris is the capital of France.

When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them:

Do you know what you are?

You are a marvel.

You are unique.

In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you.

Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move.

You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven.

You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel.

And when you grow up, can you then harm another, who is like you, a marvel?

You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children"

Pablo Picasso

a trip down memory lane

"Walnut Grove" for JCP

6" x 12" oil on canvas

My sister, brother and I played among these walnut trees as children and relished the boundless magic endemic to our grandparents' home and farmland.

Just over the hill was a fragrant apple orchard - the thought of which always reminds me of this wise old Welsh Proverb:

"A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible"

...and this most enchanting observation by Rabindranath Tagore- who surely knew a thing or two about magic, wonder, and the infinite charm of nature:

"The touch of an infinite mystery passes over the trivial and the familiar,

making it break out into ineffable music...

The trees,

the stars,

and the blue hills

ache with a meaning

which can never be uttered in words"

the daily round

12 x 16, watercolor

"We should return home from adventures,

and perils and discoveries every day

with new experience and character."

Henry David Thoreau

Enchantment by the Sea

12 x 16, oil on canvas

"There is a garden in every childhood,

an enchanted place where colors are brighter,

the air softer,

and the morning more fragrant than ever again"

Elizabeth Lawrence

all hearts day

Dear Mr./Ms. Sun,

I don't want to appear selfish and ask you to "Be Mine" on this day, but please, oh please, could you just "Be Here" for awhile? I have really, really, really missed you (three reallys).

love,

your devoted fan

"Love is not selective,

just as the light of the sun is not selective..."

Eckhart Tolle

valentine to the world

"If anything matters,

then everything matters,

Because you are important,

everything you do is important.

Every time you forgive,

the universe changes.

Every time you reach out

and touch a heart or a life,

the world changes.

With every kindness or service,

seen or unseen,

my purposes are accomplished,

and nothing will ever

be the same again." ~

William P. Young

the present moment

6 x 8, oil on canvas

"Events in our lives happen in a sequence in time,

in their significance to ourselves they find their own order,

the continuous thread of revelation"

Eudora Welty

The King of Blues

B.B. King's Blues Club, Nashville, Tennessee

8 x 16 oil on canvas

Baby, it's cold outside...more snow on the way? But the music is hot in here..."global warming" at its best. Cheers!

here's a little history - "Blues Boy" King began recording in the 1940s and is still going strong today. In the 50s he narrowly escaped a fire when performing; only to race back in and retrieve his $30 acoustic guitar. The fire started when a scuffle broke out over a woman named Lucille, so B.B. named his guitar after her (and subsequent guitars) to remind himself to never fight over a woman.

Because Bowling Green, Ky is halfway between Nashville and Louisville, and a similar distance between Chicago and New Orleans; it became a popular gathering spot for musicians like B.B., James Brown and Ray Charles in the 40s and 50s. Always willing to share his love of music, he has since played with musicians from every walk of life; even opened for The Stones in the 60s. I've written about the 10,000 hours of meaningful practice necessary to become a master..well, you can do the math for B.B. but I can tell you in his case, it all adds up to a new level of mastery called The King. In addition to his many honors and awards, he has received honorary doctorates from six universities - uh, yeah, you read that right.

Let's face it, when you have music in your soul, the thrill is never gonna be gone. Thanks, B.B.!

"Jazz is the big brother of the blues. If a guy's playing blues like we play, he's in high school. When he starts playing jazz it's like going on to college, to a school of higher learning.

The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you."

B.B. King

nature's color wheel

Glancing at the clock, I realized it was time for a jolt of caffeine, so I reluctantly put down my paint brush long enough to dash into the kitchen and grab a cup of tea...when I was stopped in my tracks. Mesmerized like someone on a LSD trip, I found myself melting into the moment studying the sunlit image created by a crystal hanging in the window...But the real story has nothing to do with a technical explanation of where rainbows come from. Doesn't even have anything to do with caffeine. It was yet another of life's little surprises not to be missed. Simple and miraculous in the same breath. A fleeting reminder to slow down, savor the moment, and share it with you. Here's hoping breathless little discoveries abound in your life today. Cheers!

"The true harvest of my life is intangible ~

a little stardust caught,

a portion of the rainbow I have clutched"

Henry David Thoreau

Paging Paulie

10 x 12, oil on canvas

Paul Cezanne was born 175 years ago today. He knew he wanted to be an artist early on, but agreed to study law in order to please his domineering father. Meanwhile, another artist 10 years his senior, Camille Pissarro, became a father-figure and devoted friend. Pissarro's influence and kindness encouraged Cezanne to find his artistic voice and gather the courage to continue painting amid rejections. And, growing stronger in his convictions to face his fears and live a life of integrity, Cezanne was eventually moved to confess to his parents that he had fallen in love and fathered a child. While they may not have agreed with the career and family choices their son had made, surely they admired Cezanne's honesty, courage, integrity, and desire to live in truth. I certainly do - and so today, in his honor, I paint two of his favorite subjects, apples and oranges.

"Right now a moment of time is passing by!

We must become that moment."...Paul Cezanne

curiosity

6 x 8, oil on canvas

I stare at the cardinal outside my window and he stares back. What is he thinking? What does he see? Does he sense danger, or is he just curious about who and what I am?

Happy New Year. Wishing you new adventures, ideas, and experiences to explore and be curious about!

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow.

The important thing is to never stop questioning...

There are only two ways to live your life.

One is as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is as though everything is a miracle"

Albert Einstein

December

10 x 10, oil on canvas

I enjoy catching a glimpse of the brilliant red coloring of the male Cardinals; Kentucky's state bird and a common sight outside my window. They are especially beautiful amid winter's more subdued palette.

"I heard a bird sing

in the dark of December

A magical thing

So sweet to remember

'We are nearer to Spring

Than we were in September,'

I heard a bird sing

in the dark of December.

...Oliver Herford

Winter Solstice

8 x 6, oil on canvas

Today marks the Winter Solstice; a day to celebrate LIGHT as we look toward longer days and shorter nights. Enhancing the celebration will be the brilliant light of a full moon.

I have always been intrigued to imagine what life, and this night, must have been like centuries ago when there was no electricity, when the onslaught of winter meant that many would starve or freeze. It is easy to understand why this night was so important, and why people celebrated with feasts as provisions were stockpiled for the approaching famine months, and there was joy in the lighting of candles. And today, while I was still having my morning tea, there was a celebration inside the Stonehenge circle, as onlookers watched the sun set. Centuries ago, the stones there were aligned to precisely capture the setting of the sun between two of the stones in honor of this day, and the promise of future days to come.

Light... Something to celebrate every day in every way. Wishing you the joy of family and friends, a peaceful heart, and the blessings of love and light this Christmas season.

"Somewhere across the winter world tonight

You will be hearing chimes that fill the air;

Christmas extends its all-enfolding Light

Across the distance...something we can share

You will be singing, just the same as I,

these familiar songs we know so well,

And you will see these same Stars in your sky,

And wish upon that brightest one that fell.

I shall remember you and trim my tree,

One shining Star upon the topmost bough;

I will hang wreaths of faith that all may see-

Tonight I glimpse beyond the here and now.

And all the time that we must be apart

I keep a Candle in my Heart."

Mary E. Linton

peace

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world,

and behold,

everything is softer and more beautiful"

~Norman Vincent Peale~

Christmas Cheer

"Red Star of Mexico"

8 x 8, oil on canvas

"Santa is very jolly because he knows where all the bad girls live"

Dennis Miller

all you need is love...

I have been happily engaged in Christmas commissions only to look up and realize that it is suddenly December. Well, I can't show what is on the easel (don't want to spoil any surprises), but I do want to take a moment to share a couple of new discoveries that are on my list of favorite things.

First, Dreama Tolle Perry has issued the book above on blurb: "Let There Be Love"

in which she is both the author and illustrator!

What I LOVE most about this book is that she explains how her paintings begin with written words of focus and intention penned right onto the canvas. Once the painting is complete, some of her beautiful words can be found incorporated into the shapes and colors while others remain hidden underneath which makes for a very powerful connection to her subject, the viewer and her heart. I LOVE that.

And my favorite children's book ever is by Nancy Tillman called "Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You". Like Dreama, Nancy is both the illustrator and the author. Wait, let me restate that...They Write As Beautifully And As Powerfully As They Paint--nothing short of astonishing! While I love all Nancy's books, this one carries its own special magic that is both timely and timeless, heart-warming and healing. In an interview once, Nancy's response to the question "What is the best gift you ever received?" was "a ladybug that my husband gave me". The moment I read that, I knew she was my new best friend. I haven't broken the news to her yet, but I assure you that is but a minor detail...And while I have never met either of these author/artists, their work reminds me of something Dr. Wayne Dyer often talks about: why we can only get orange juice from an orange (there is nothing else inside). And, he points out, if humans only have Love Inside, that is the only reaction we can ever offer to the circumstances and challenges that surround our days. So it follows that books like these happen only when the writer/illustrator is powerfully connected and aligned with the beauty and wonder of all those seemingly "insignificant ladybugs" out there.

Nancy and Dreama's books open up our eyes and hearts to what we already know, but perhaps were too busy to remember or notice. So wherever You are, my wish for you is that the love "hidden" in every moment will be revealed to you in the shapes and colors of This Day, and you will feel the ~swirl~ of~magic~and~wonder~all~around~you ~

"I wanted you more than you will ever know,

so I sent love to follow wherever you go...

you are my angel, my darling, my star...

and my love will follow you wherever you are"

...Nancy Tillman

"It is the East, and Juliet is the Sun"...

Who needs to hire a model when you can paint fellow students like Juliet?...

“In study after study, of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice-skaters, concert pianists, chess players, master criminals, this number comes up again and again. Ten thousand hours is equivalent to roughly three hours a day, or 20 hours a week, of practice over 10 years… No one has yet found a case in which true world-class expertise was accomplished in less time. It seems that it takes the brain this long to assimilate all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery...Daniel Levitin

finding the form

I find I'm obsessed with figure studies since returning from the recent workshops, so that has been the focus of my early morning sketches where, as Kim English pointed out, the goal is to "find the form" and record the gesture.

"The idea that excellence at performing a complex task requires a critical minimum level of practice surfaces again and again in studies of expertise. In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours"...Malcolm Gladwell

Early Morning Club

A few weeks ago, artist Robert Genn wrote about the importance of scheduling creative endeavors first thing in the morning..."The minute you awaken, proceed like a zombie to your studio. Before your kettle has boiled, before you have checked your email, squeeze out and prepare your palette..."

I find that I am really drawn to those fleeting moments before the first light of day, before the phone rings and doorbell demands our attention; before the world sweeps us off our feet and hurls us in a new direction. I love that magic hour when all is quiet (including our minds) and the muses are beckoning. Glancing out at the stars or, on this particular morning, witnessing the beautiful crescent moon, we are encouraged to face the blank page without judgment. Detached from "outcome" we are free to practice "process" before our inner critic awakens.

While I may not post all my efforts, I think I would like to to "join" the Early Morning Club with the intention of sharpening my drawing skills; perhaps rendering studies in paint as well as charcoal, pastels, pencils, markers. We will see. I may make it up as I go along, because after all, waking up before dawn is easy, and I've already "mastered" the part where I am expected to proceed like a zombie... So, the way I see it, I'm already halfway there; why not crank out a few sketches, too? Come on and join our virtual "club"!

"The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you...

Don't go back to sleep, don't go back to sleep"...Rumi

8 x 16, oil on canvas

"Sunday in the Park"

I saw this very tall, lovely girl reading her book in the park, and couldn't wait to paint her. The best models are just everyday people being themselves. (click painting to enlarge)