Poppies on Black

Poppies on Black

Oil on black canvas, 16x16

sold

With my penchant for leaving paintings unfinished, or to put it another way, leaving the canvas showing, I got to this point with this painting and I just fell in love with it. Several people urged me to "finish" it. The black was too much, too distracting, too dark - but I just couldn't. Well, I just didn't want to, that was really it.

So I hung it, like this, in the show in Houston - and it sold. A woman came by the first day, and then came back later. She couldn't get it out of her head, she said. And the black, the drama of it, was part of what intrigued her. 

Before I began painting, I thought I knew who I was. I mean, I was in my 50s, after all. I had a successful career, a secure marriage, a happy home life. I was intellectually, physically and spiritually active. I'd done some stuff, seen some things, been some places. 

Now, I see that while I might have known who I was for the situations I was in, I really had very little idea of who I was deep down. There was lots of stuff in the way. 

These days, I am on a journey of discovery. I'm clearing the stuff out, keeping what's important, tossing the rest. I have an increasingly clear idea of who I am, and am increasingly happy with the person I'm seeing. 

Paintings like this - and all the decisions that go into them - are part of the process. 

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In Place

Here are two of my sunflower paintings in an incredibly beautiful display

 in the home of friends who are also collectors. One is 36x48, I believe, 

and the other is 36x72. I do wake up at night sometimes worrying 

that they will fall, but my friends insist that 

the paintings are safe and secure. Don't they look fantastic? 

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Hahahaha!!!

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Dog of the Day

It's Zeus, dog about town, at the Wachapreague 

Christmas celebration Saturday night.

Poppies No. 1 - and Cynthia's Great Jewelry

Poppies No. 1

Oil on canvas, 16x16

At Center Framing and Art, West Hartford Center, CT

In a little while, I will head north for the Paradise City Arts Festival, at the Three-County Fairgrounds in Northampton, MA. This is one of my favorite shows of the whole year, in large part because I am always so awed by the art and incredible craft there.

There will be amazing furniture, luscious handmade clothing, fabulous jewelry, brilliant glassware, great paintings - and always new items that surprise and lure me. The facilities are fun, and set-up is relatively easy. The patrons are smart and well-educated, and often are in buying moods. And as an extra added bonus, there's good music and yummy food. And the festival is three days - Saturday, Sunday and Monday. 

If you want a fun outing, please consider seeing the show. There is an admission fee, but you can get discount coupons at the Paradise City Arts website. I'm in Booth 909, in the arena building. I will have my new floral paintings, and some other new, exciting paintings, too! 

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ONE OF THE BEST parts of making and selling art is meeting other artists. At one terrible, terrible show, I met Cynthia Battista and her husband Kevin Ireton, and we have become fast friends. Cynthia is an amazing jeweler, whose work has a rough, organic edge that really appeals to me. 

Kevin was the top editor at Fine Woodworking for a long time before he left to be a carpenter. You've seen his talents in that field - he was the one who built the inside of my van. 

And George and Zack, their dogs, have been Dog of the Day many times. 

Here is some of Cynthia's amazing jewelry. To see more, or buy any of her pieces, click here to go to her website.

Aren't these beautiful? 

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I'M GEARING UP for my next plein-air painting trip, in winter/spring of the coming year. I'll post details here on the blog first - and I'd love any ideas or input you all might have, about where to go, what to paint, etc. 

Calendars will be on their way soon to everyone who sponsored my California Calling Painting Extravaganza. Meantime, the book showing paintings and writing from that trip is beautiful, and on sale on Blurb. Click here to get a preview, and to find out about different options... 

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Dog of the Day

Abby is making herself at home here, and the other dogs, by and large, are accepting her. Abby and Jojo have become the best of friends, spending large parts of their days racing around the yard, chasing each other and barking, then flopping down in the grass, side by side. It's the youngest I've seen Joey in years.