Painting the Colors of Life

I was feeling thankful, comfortable, quiet, still, calm when I painted this.   The paint seemed to effortlessly move off the palette knife and brush and onto my canvas.  I did not realize that I was turning a feeling into an image but that was exactly what I was doing.  I was enjoying the silence.

Just received word today that I have three paintings that have been juried into The Gadsden Art Association 60th Annual Show.  This show will be at the Gadsden Art Museum July 27 through August 30th.  This painting, "White Tulips", is one of the paintings chosen.  It is a 20 x 30 oil painting.  I am so excited.

This acrylic painting was sold at the Kessler show.

This is the second in the Holiday Gift Series.  It is a 9 x 12 acrylic on archival panel.  It, too, has sold.  A friend who saw this painting has commissioned a similar one in a 30 x 40 size -- an exciting, and scary, proposition for me.

I've found that people enjoy giving and receiving original art, but sometimes the pocketbook is most uncooperative.  I've decided this Holiday Season I would remedy that.  I've begun a series of small, holiday-gift-size paintings.  Here is the first painting -- it has already sold.  I hope you will feel free to contact me for your gifts!

The first one is a 6 x 8 acrylic on panel painting.

Earlier this year, on a whim, I decided to paint something primarily with transparent paints.  This is the result.  What "they" say is really true - I like the way light passes through the paint and bounces back to the viewer, and I like the depth you can achieve when you layer opaques on top of the transparent paints.  I have a long way to go with this, but I know it will be a great journey.

Three Sentinels at Ryan Creek

Oil on Canvas

12 x 16

Ryan Creek is a part of Smith Lake in northern Alabama.  No matter when I am at Ryan Creek, I find myself saying "This is my favorite time of the day" or "This is my favorite time of the year."  I am planning to a series of paintings of this area and share them with you.

Life seems to take a rest in autumn, and, as a result, you can see so much of the sky and water through the barren trees.  I painted this after a rather brisk walk near Smith Lake in north central Alabama.

20 x 16   Oil on Canvas

P.S.  Another bonus of autumn walks is "No Snakes."

This painting is called "Stillness" for two reasons:  the obvious one is the subject matter, the other reason was the way I felt when I was painting.  Not quite sure how I entered it, but I was definitely in "The Zone".  I was so focused, I couldn't be bothered to find where I had buried the large palette knife, so I created the sharper edges of the trees with what was handy  -- in this case, a credit card.   (I recommend using an old one so you don't mess up the magnetic strip like I did!)  I hope to find The Zone again soon -- it was magical.

20 x 16 oil on canvas.

6 x 8  -- Oil on archival  canvas panel

Oreo is one of the feral cats in my neighborhood.  He recognizes my car and comes running to be fed whenever he hears it.

I've been working to capture the feral cats, have them spayed or neutered, then released back into their world.

Even though they may call me "cat lady" behind my back, the neighbors don't complain about the cats -- afterall, thanks to the cats, the varmints in the neighborhood have moved elsewhere!