More Than Just a Bowl of Cherries

Jeff* and I talked over a year ago when he called to ask if I'd do some commission work for him. Time went on and I never heard back from him until he appeared at the Mountain Brook Show last month. He said it had been a crazy year. He went on to say he lost his mother last year and then told me he buried his father just last week. He said with resolve, he will work less going forward he will take time to enjoy the little things...a way to honor his parents memory. He said he wanted either an 8x10 of strawberries or cherries, whichever one I thought. Well. Clearly, he had to have a bowl of cherries don't you agree? While I painted this, I reflected on our conversation and the pain of loss. And a song came on "You are not alone in this." the chorus said. And I wept. Jeff, I pray that this little painting will remind you to do what you said you wanted to do in their memory. There are smudges on the bowl, there is a bump in the linen...reminders that life is not easy. And there is light from above. Thank you for sharing your story with me. It's a good reminder for us all.

(*name changed to protect client privacy)

Ready, Set, Go!

I did it! I completed my first "daily painting challenge". This weeks challenge was to paint something using 3 colors on the color wheel choosing from: complimentary, split-complimentary, and triadic. My first issue was, where did I put the blooming color wheel? I bought one years ago because every artist should have one, right? Never found it, so I just used an example given: green, lime green, and red. (added white for values) How'd I do?

"Not Easy Being Green"  4x4  $50

You can see this and other artist's work here.

This Past Weekend...

Matt and I attended the opening Gala at the Columbus Museum of Art. What an incredible and memorable night! I have 5 paintings there throughout this week (Well, 4 because one sold Friday night!). Here we are standing beside one of them, titled "Love Will Keep Us Together":

And on Sunday, we attended the closing reception for the Alabama Wildlife Federation Flora and Fauna Art Show. Here's a photo of my daughter and I. "Cahaba Lily" won the "Best of Flora Purchase Award". 

I almost didn't share these photos. After all, this blog is going to be about the paintings...but since I mentioned that we were attending this reception, I thought it'd make since to follow that up. More to come...

The Blank Canvas

What to post first? I'm not a journal writer. That surprises some people. After all, I am an "artistic soul" who over thinks and over analyzes as a rule. Maybe that's why I don't journal. I drive myself crazy, so why would anyone else want to read to my ramblings. See? There I go. Ha! Back to the blank canvas... Much like a blank page when you have to write a paper, it can be intimidating. The best though is when you already know what you want to do...when you feel INSPIRED. I pray for inspiration all the time. There is a lot to share right now. It's Spring and it's a busy time for us artists. So much to do, so much to paint, so much to celebrate. But for now, on my first "blog", I will make a promise. I promise I will try to keep it simple. But then again, life is not simple. There I go again....

Meanwhile, check out the 2011 Alabama Wildlife Federation Art Show they just put online here. Gorgeous work! My family and I will be attending the closing reception this Sunday.