Throw Back

"Jalopy" watercolor, 11 x14 inches

Right now things are a bit crazy with the holidays and having problems with my sinus and tummy (I have been having a lot of pain for the past few weeks and will be having a test in 2 days). So I put two oil painting projects on hold for a few days (just needed a break from the solvents). Instead I began working from a photo I took long ago while strolling along the streets of a little German town call Dinkelsbühl. While walking around, we came upon this old jalopy tucked away in a carport attached to hobbit-like house. I loved the lines of it and the pretty gated carport so I snapped a pic in the hope of painting some day. Will enter it into the December juried exhibition at the Art League Gallery in Alexandria.

Inside Out

Can't remember where I purchased the pretty bottle that was used for this painting but really enjoy painting glass and reflective surfaces. At first I simply wanted to add a few flowers to the scene, which would have looked elegant but I really wanted to get started. So I decided I would use what I had on hand and added the small glass pebbles. I have been toying with the idea lately that I would like my still life paintings to say something. Enjoying the beauty of everyday things and configuring them on canvas is perfectly ok with me but sometimes I just want to say a little bit more than, "ok here are some pretty things to look at". To create sometimes involves revealing the voice within that wishes to share the things of the heart. Also, to live a good life, a person has to put aside their desires at times and give something of themselves to others. I am drawn to the theme of emptying oneself and doing the right thing even when it hurts...a painful process that in the end reaps many benefits, though not always in ways one would imagine.

Click here to bid in the auction.

"Inside Out" oil on panel, 6 x 6 inches

Being Thankful

"My Cup Runneth Over" oil on panel, 5 x 7 inches