I Shall Be Released

I Shall Be Released

Oil on black canvas with gold, copper and aluminum leaf, 30x30

Please click here to email me for price, shipping and availability

When I was in my 20s, I was sure that people in their 60s were all but dead, spiritually, emotionally and of course, physically. I was pretty sure that there was no imagination in their lives, that most of the doors had closed - and they didn't really mind. 

I turned 60 on Monday, and I am glad to say that I couldn't have been more wrong, at least about myself and, I'd dare to say, my friends, my husband and my post-60 family members. 

I've never felt more alive! I've never had more creative ideas, a richer imagination, more daring. I've never felt happier; I've never felt more fear; I've never had the determination I have now. 

In many ways, I feel like this painting. I feel like all life is leading me somewhere, and the path is in color. The goal is bright and shiny and maybe a little scary - but it is rich with color and movement, imagination and promise. 

You all, who read my blog and buy my paintings, sponsor my projects and support me in countless ways, you're all along with me on this journey, and you're all making it possible. I am so very grateful. Thank you. 

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An amazing coincidence

 

MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND, I participated in a show in Crozet, VA, about five hours west of here. I did the show last year, and it was pretty good, so I thought I'd try again. I was elated when the show used my art on their postcard! I was also thrilled to find they'd used it on their poster and program. 

The show is in a beautiful part of Virginia, the edge of the Shenandoah Valley. It is lush and clean and full of birds and bullfrogs and gorgeous scenery - but not so many buyers. I had an OK show, selling two paintings, but it was difficult to do and, I admit, disappointing. 

One amazing happened, though! I went up to a man in my booth and asked him if he'd like to buy a painting. He said he loved them but no, he was from Arizona. Where? I asked.

"Tucson," he said. 

"Oh, yeah? My dad and stepmother live in Tubac."

"Oh, really? My wife has art in a gallery in Tubac."

"Which one?" I asked, somehow knowing I already knew the answer.

"Sweet Poppy," he said. 

And sure enough, that's where I have my paintings in Tubac. Sweet Poppy. Isn't that amazing? Her name is Sandra Montgomery, and her website is www.oldwindowart.com. And that's what she does, paints on old windows. Very cool! 

Above, Sandra Montgomery and me. Below, my van, where I camped at the Crozet Art and Craft Festival. Most people camped in a concrete-covered area just past this field, but I loved the quiet, and the greenery and the solitary camping. 

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Dog of the Day

Met this beauty in Tubac. She makes me think of Kaja,

 our long-gone part chow, part German shepherd. 

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A Final Thought 

"It is good to love many tings, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done." 

- Vincent Van Gogh

Higher Ground

Higher Ground

Oil on canvas, 36x36

Please click here to email me for price and availability

I realized with a jolt that I have shows the next four weekends. Yikes! What was I thinking? 

In part, I think that since two are in April and two are in May, it just didn't hit me that they were consecutive. Also, I think I accepted all four shows during a stretch in which it seemed every show to which I applied had rejected me. 

So I've been painting under pressure, and I have responded well to it, as usual. Painting while terrified seems to pull good stuff from me. I think it's because it forces me to focus, to push, and to paint without thought or regret. 

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THE AFOREMENTIONED SHOWS are: 

• April 15-17, 4 Bridges Art Festival, Chattanooga, TN. I'll be in Booth 118
• April 23-24, Art Squared, Memphis, TN
• April 30-May 1, Arts in the Park, Richmond, VA
• May 7-8 - Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival, Crozet, VA. Booth T117.

Hope to see you at one! 

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Dog of the Day

I met these two in Petsmart in Virginia Beach last week. They live in Phoenix, and their human had just been laid off from a job she had had for decades. She always visited the California coast, she said, and decided to visit the Atlantic while she figured out what to do with her life. She was cheerful and philosophical, and I'm pretty sure she will end up doing something great.

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A Final Thought

"I am seeking. I am striving. I am in it with all my heart." 

- Vincent Van Gogh

Carrots - and Crozet

Carrots

Oil on canvas, 10x10, $100

Please click here to contact me if you're interested in this painting

The show this weekend in Crozet, VA, was interesting, took place in a lovely spot, and was a pretty good show for me in terms of sales, too. So that's a grand combination! 

The town is just west of Charlottesville, in the foothills of the Shenandoahs. When I arrived, I found that getting there from Wachapreague, about four hours away, does not involve "going over the mountain," a question that a number of people asked. 

This mountain figures prominently in Crozet. The town was named for Claudius Crozet, a French engineer who, among other achievements (helping found the Virginia Military Institute, for example), designed the tunnel through the mountain. When the first diggers reached each other, digging from either side, they were only 6 inches off alignment, after 4,273 feet of digging. At the time, the Crozet-engineered Blue Ridge Tunnel was the longest in the US, and one of the longest in the world. 

The show had a lot of beautiful art and craft items, and made me think of a small Paradise City, in terms of quality and diversity. We set up under a huge tent, and in small pole barns. Music and food vendors were in their own area, a little bit away from the art. I was one of 20 or more artists camping at the site. I stayed in my van, like about half of the campers. The others had RVs, pop-ups and tents, and the encampment made for a fun sense of community. 

The show attracted lots of folks, and especially lots of families. Moms like art! The fair-goers were fun and engaging, and many of them liked my paintings. Two cowscapes sold! And that's great - and unexpected. Both went home with really nice people, who will love them, I know. 

Above, my booth, in the big tent. Below, Dave and Susan, who bought "We Three Kings."

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THIS COMING WEEKEND, you can see "Carrots" and other new paintings at the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival in Norfolk, VA, Saturday (my birthday) and Sunday, 10-5 and noon-5, respectively. I don't know my booth number or location yet, but it's a small show - you'll be able to find me! 

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Dog of the Day 

I am always happy to go to the shows, and always happy to come home and see Peter and the dogs. Here are Jojo, left, and Abby, romping in the yard a few weeks ago. 

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A Final Thought

"I make myself rich by making my wants few." 

- Henry David Thoreau

Looking for Lunch

Looking for Lunch

Oil on canvas, 16x16

sold

Richmond welcomed me this past weekend with arms that might not have been completely open, but at least were part-way there. I came away from this show with some profit, unlike most of the shows I've participated in so far this year. So, yay! 

In addition, the people were very nice, the park where the show was held was beautiful, and the neighborhood was gentle and pretty, brightened by azaleas and warmed by lovely brick homes. 

Carol and Bill from Wachapreague showed up, along with their grandchildren Richmond and Keagan, and that was a great treat. My friend Cynthia Battista, a marvelous jeweler from Connecticut (check out her work here)  did the show with me, and friends Alison Thomas, who makes wonderful photographs and digital art, and John Maurer, one of my favorite painters, also attended.  It was a big show, the weather was beautiful, and it was fun. 

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MY NEXT SHOW is this weekend in Crozet, Virginia, about four hours west of here. I've never done this show, and it seems that it will be interesting. Click here for more information! 

A happy buyer with "Looking for Lunch." 

Clockwise from upper right, it's Carol, Richmond, Keagan and Bill. 

My booth in Richmond

I really like the arrangement of paintings on this wall. 

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Dog of the Day

This French bulldog puppy was pooped! 

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A final thought

"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures." 

- Henry Ward Beecher