Category: #PositiveEnergyArt

ASPENS

Leave a comment
ASPENS

Aspens 14″ X 11″  Acrylic on 1 1/2″ gallery wrap canvas

Just down the street is a beautiful clump of Aspens, they are the first in the neighborhood to turn brilliant yellow. They herald in the passage of time and the dance of Autumn. The riotous colors of the pears and ash were cued to bring forth there graduar and I got a quick step to my gait. Yes Fall is my favorite season of the year; no wonder that my first demo of the Artist Studio Tour was this little gem.

This is nowhere in particular but it was nestled in my heart and spewed out on Friday last. Reminicent of Granite Mountain and the meadows of Aspen that grow in Flagstaff.  It appears to be a composite of beautiful memories of Northern Arizona.  God’s tapestry that brings me joy.

Enjoying the beauty of Autumn on painting at a time…

ASPENS 14″T X 11″W, Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas

Beautiful fall scene. Original one of a kind art, sides painted, and ready to hang. UV coating to protect the colors from fading. Shipping Free in the United States

$230.00

RIVER’S BEND

Leave a comment
RIVERS BEND

“River’s Bend”  20″ X 20″ acrylic on 1 1/2″ gallery wrap canvas

This painting reminds me of so many things: fishing with my dad, camping with my brother, tubing with my kids. Cold mountain rivers are a favorite of mine, especially after a long day of hiking. I love to take my boots off and wade in the water, replenish my thirst and relax on the shore. They restore my soul too. Nature in all it’s forms brings me closer to the divine and gives me a pathway to mindfulness. I have come to understand that this is why I paint, to bring me closer to the light of God and to share that joy with others.

I will be sharing my Journey To Faith Through Art, at the “Friday Project” at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Prescott, AZ on October 13th. If you are local and want an inspiring evening join me for dinner and fellowship before the service. Learn about the Friday Project here.

SUNSET LAKE

Leave a comment
SUNSET LAKE

“Sunset Lake”  16″ X 16″ Acrylic on 1 1/2″ Gallery Wrap Canvas

Recalling memories while hiking up a trail this magnificent lake came into view. A beautiful sunset played over the waves and I knew I was home.  My heart was content, my soul was full of wonder and the light of God reflected from my eyes. The Divine was everywhere that day, and I was privileged to see his works.

I created this piece during an art instruction. My student wanted to paint a pond, and show movement in the water.  I usually paint along side my student so that I can demonstrate techniques when asked to. I painted this lake as the movement of water flowed through me.  I try to explain to my students that whatever you paint has to be felt to be truly authentic, and if authentic, it will have movement or emotion or feelings or what ever you want to portray. The longer I create the more it becomes me, my truth, my why and my life. It is as simple and as difficult as that.

Creating my life one painting at a time…

 

 

 

TWO APPLES it’s harvest season…

Leave a comment
TWO APPLES

“Two Apples”  9″ X 12″ acrylic on 150 lb. pressed paper

Today’s painting in my 30 in 30 challenge has broken all the rules.  I should have one tree or three trees but not TWO trees. But I snuck one in as your eye is leaving the paper.  Maybe that means there are a whole slew of other apple trees.  Maybe it is an orchard. If I step back I can envision it.  That is what I tell my students, paint till you are 80% done and let the viewer fill in the rest. Let them envision their own story.

I love this time of year, growing up in Michigan we had this great Cider Mill that I loved to go to in the fall. They have an apple press that was built in the 1800’s and is meticulously cared for.  They make the best fried donuts on the planet, perfectly paired with their cider. I remember as a kid running through their orchards and climbing the trees. Such happy memories I needed to paint an apple tree or maybe two.

Remembering my childhood one painting at a time…

MARCH OF THE TREES, or marching along in the studio.

2 Comments
MARCH OF THE TREES

“March of the Trees”   9″ X 12″on 150 lb. pressed paper

Today is #19 in my 30 in 30 challenge, you may have notices that this isn’t going very well. I have 5 days till the end of the month and 11 paintings to go. So I think I already lost the battle but not the war. The success of the whole exercise is keep marching along. I had decided long ago that for my own mental health that I needed to take weekends off. So that is what I do, I walk out of the studio on weekends and devote time to family and friends.

Just yesterday at church someone introduced me as a REAL ARTIST to one of her friends. She explained that I did all the sets for Park Avenue Theater. That got me thinking, working all day in the studio and running an art business for the last 10 years does not qualify me as an artist but designing sets twice a year for 6 years does. I guess it is all in the perspective of the beholder so I will just keep marching along with those trees.

Marching along painting one tree, one set, and one painting at a time.

AUTUMN, I am thinking Fall

Leave a comment
IMG_1368

“Autumn” 9″ X 12″ acrylic on 150 lb. pressed paper

Finally the autumnal equinox has arrived and I for one am thrilled.  It is my favorite time of year. So out come the fall colors and switching out my wardrobe to cozy and warm sweaters, jeans and boots. It was natural that yesterday’s painting would have me gravitating to the above colors.  Yet I did not paint them in the traditional way with colorful leaves. I instead chose to make the sky and water brilliant orange and yellow, a juxtaposition of what you might normally see.  I like it, it makes the painting more dramatic, bold and screaming for you to look at it.

I am sure that in the coming days I will use more of this color combination and you may see me painting in oranges, purples, red and golds during the Studio Tour the first weekend in October.  I paint the seasons, and moods of my life here in the Southwest, and that will demand this color pallet.

Creating  a world of Autumn, one painting at a time…

JOY

Leave a comment
JOY

“Joy”  12″ X 9″ acrylic on 150 lb. pressed paper

Number 16 in my 30 in 30 challenge and this time it is an abstract.  I love doing abstracts and playing with patterns.  I used that bright fuchsia again.  It was still on my palette from the last two paintings.  I hate to waste paint and this palette is beautiful. The soft sage green and sky blue pairs well with the fuchsia.  The white ties it all together and makes the negative space come into view.  I think this abstract is stunning.

I chose to name it “JOY” because that is how I am feeling these days, Joyful.  It is also what I hope you experience when you view this piece. God plants plenty of joy in this world just open your heart to receive it. Joy is a blessing to receive everyday, look around you, from the smallest bud to the expansive sky to a beautiful painting joy is everywhere.

Here’s to experiencing joy one moment at a time…

PASSING THROUGH ON THE WAY…

Leave a comment
PASSING BY ON THE WAY

“Passing Through On The Way”  9″ X 12″ on 150 lb. pressed paper

Half way through my 30 in 30 challenge and the last half will be a bit more tasking since I have the Studio Tour coming up in two weeks. But that is another story and today I am still finding creativity oozing out of me. It has been fun experimenting with different color palettes. Fuchsia was todays color choice. I think I have painted mesas in every color imaginable, so today was no exception.

As for the reason I painted them Fuchsia… What could be more exciting than driving miles  down I-40 through Arizona and New Mexico heading on the way to somewhere.  You got the idea. I have traveled this route many times and the collective memories are etched in my brain. I have been thinking about a road trip after the Studio Tour, which lead me to remember the comforting rhythm of the car wheels traveling down such roads. The topography is mesas, hundreds of mesas. Mostly brown, but when the sun hits them just right, they magically turn beautiful colors. So todays fuchsia becomes mesas and the familiar cadence of a road trip.

Traveling in my mind’s eye… one painting at a time.

RED HILLS

Leave a comment
RED HILLS

“Red Hills”  9″ X 12″ on 150 lb. pressed paper

Oh Gosh I am way behind on my 30 in 30 challenge.  It was a busy weekend and I took sometime off in the studio for rejuvenation and catching up with friends.  So this is #14 but actually should be #18.  So I better hustle, or should I.

These 30 in 30 challenges are to make you better not perfect; the idea is to continue to improve, elevate your creativity and build strong habits.  It is like boot camp for artists. It forces me to  get in there and paint even when the spark is lacking. But deeper than that it is helping me see where my creativity comes from. Somewhere deep inside I pull out glimpses of past experiences, feelings and emotions that silently bubble and wait to be brought forth.  Sometimes I don’t like what I see but most of the time I do.  In all cases it is very cathartic and keeps me mindful of who I am.

Red Hills is one of those paintings that reminds me of how much I love living in the West. It is of no place in particular, but some place I have been to in my dreams.

Challenging myself one painting at a time…

 

 

CANYON FALLS

Leave a comment
CANYON FALLS

“Canyon Falls” 16″ X 16″ acrylic on gallery wrap canvas format  

This is  #13 in my 30 in 30 challenge. I did this painting while doing a lesson with one of my students who wanted to paint waterfalls. Being that I hadn’t painted a waterfall in over a year I needed to rethink how to achieve the luminous quality of the water going over the falls and then relaying that to her.  Sometimes I learn just as much during a lesson as my student does. In this case neither of us finished our falls. This took a bit of reworking this morning but I believe I accomplished what I set out to do.

My student had a photograph of a falls in the High Sierras that she painted. Of course I very rarely paint from a photograph so my painting is completely from my mind’s eye; something from a memory of the Lord of The Rings, or the Hobbit I am sure. I did have fun painting this and it makes me happy to view it.  Plenty of positive-energy in this painting…

I diverted from my 9 X 12 on pressed paper format for this challenge and painted this on canvas. I really love painting on canvas best, this one will go on the gallery wall for the Open Studio Tour the first weekend in October.

Getting ready for the studio tour Oct. 6,7, and 8, one painting at a time.