Sometimes, I sneak away. It isn't often, but there are times.

Some days I just need to get out of my life to get out of my head....to find out what I really think. 

On days like that, I escape to a place like this, simply to quiet the noise so the important voices can be heard.

Thought you might enjoy the story behind the creation of a piece.

I was driving east through North Carolina on a smaller highway. I glanced over at one point and saw this stunning wave of yellow wildflowers leading from the roadside back to an old tree, also in bloom, and a pond. It was just breathtaking. And there it was, just lying by the side of the road.

That experience led me to create "Casual Beauty", which you see above.  I have to say, I wrestled with this piece. I started off with the tree...I really got into the shapes of the trunk and branches. Then I added the water and really had fun deciding on the edges and their rhythm. So as I started adding in the yellow flowers, the original eye-catcher, I just didn't have room. I couldn't make the shapes hold together like they were in my mind.

In the end, I shrunk the tree and water and tried out several ideas for the yellow flowers to get them to carry the eye in an interesting way.

Some times, the piece just spills out of my fingers...other times, we have to go to the dentist and pull teeth.

Fun fact...see that texture in the mountains and sky? The faint lines? Can you guess what that texture is?

It's from a pattern brush called �"cement�". When I saw it, I just had to try it out. A fun little reminder that there is beauty everywhere, even in a concrete jungle.

Here's hoping you have a chance to spot some beauty and soak it in today.

There are days when there are not words. Days to draw in and gather strength. Days to feel what cannot be seen. This piece is about those days.

Saturday Afternoon

It's a rainy, cold day here in NC, just the sort of day that cries out for a little sunshine and fun!

This piece comes from memories of walking near my home, up a little stretch of unpaved road. The "road" is surrounded by very tall trees - homes tucked back behind the trees. Often you can see birds sailing from branch to branch or down to the ground for a hidden gem. The trees are old and very tall. It's a short stretch of road, but it feels like a bit of pocket magic to walk under those trees.

"Easy Breezy Afternoon" is available as a giclee print on archival matte paper. It's part of my "Walking" series.

As is true for so many, life has new rhythms and I am re-calibrating to find my steps. The music changed and a new dance has begun.

In my new dance, I have spent more time in old pleasures...spending hours looking at Japanese woodblock prints...finding inspiration in a vanished world.

I have also spent time with new tools...learning how to use digital art tools. In challenging myself with new ways to paint, I've returned to old subject matter. 

Above you see a pair of chipping sparrows, common birds in my part of the world. They survey a lake on a peaceful day from their pine tree perches. I hope you hear their song and feel the gentle breeze.

I hope to continue investigating a woodblock style with digital tools in a series on birds. Any requests for specific birds?

As I was preparing the images for this blog post, I realized from my numbering that I am just about to my 400th recorded painting. That is,  I haven't photographed every painting I've ever done and I only started numbering in 2008, but I have done at least 400 paintings.

At the top of the post, you can see my latest painting. Below you can see the first, done in colored pencil in 2008.

Like with a sequel movie script, let's evaluate what's the same, what's different and what's new altogether.

Same: they are both landscapes...that's surprising, I had forgotten that I had done any landscapes before the last few years. I painted mostly portraits, florals and wildlife before that.

Different: the newer painting has much less detail, but says more and has a greater sense of space and place.

New altogether: most of my mark making was not controlled - I used saran wrap to lay down the paint. I have grown in my trust of the pigment I am using and it's ability to create magic.

It's interesting to realize that in 12 years I've learned to say more with less. I'll take that as a sign of success!

Just had to begin with that old language joke...perhaps the social isolation is getting to me.  :-)

We've talked about color and value. I thought I'd cap this little series with a post about line. By "lines in art", I mean anything close to a line. It doesn't have to be straight, it just has to lead the eye and not devolve into a shape too quickly. 

And right there you have the importance of line, it leads the eye. There are other ways of leading the eye, but lines, with their graphical nature, tend to be the strongest in this category.

Personally I find line entrancing, I love the graphic in art and how it plays with our eyes and minds. Line can tell the eye, move up in a swirly fashion...

In the above picture, the lines pull the eye upward in that "swirly fashion" (technical term) and in so doing tell the mind..."it's windy" or "there is a pathway to follow here" or even "those things at the top are farther away".

It starts so simple, just a line, but then it builds and the drama brings an image before us. In the example below, lines bring the eye up and then gently lead it back down (but your eye might just read that as sun rays cascading down):

Art is magical. Thanks for sharing the journey with me. If you enjoy these posts, please consider telling your friends, the more the merrier!

Last time I hinted that color is not the most powerful element in art.

That is a surprising statement to most people. But, honestly, it is true.

Value is the most powerful element. What is “value”? Simply put, value is the light and the dark.

This is one of those tricks of the eye...your eye is drawn to the contrast in light and dark and it does that without reference to the color. A pleasing pattern of light and dark  makes a picture engaging. Without that pattern, the eye is not so drawn to the image.

Here is a section of a recent piece before I adjusted the values:

Here is that same section after I introduced darker values:

That contrast of value makes it a more engaging image.

This concept has lead to a study among artists into what is called “notan”. Many artists will do a “notan” study before beginning a piece...they do a small black and white study to make sure they have a pleasing value pattern.

Other artists will take a photo of a work in progress and turn it black and white...if all of their values have become the same it is instantly revealed. Usually, if they change that, the work improves.

In my own work, being able to focus on the value statement has helped me maintain control of a piece and not lose my intention partway through painting.

At the top is a recent study I did, from some time in Pisgah National Forest. It is available in my Medium Works on Paper series.

Next time, we’ll look at another element in art, line.

Cheap red lipstick, it's a thing isn't it? I'm going to tell you a secret...when I see it, it makes me feel bad for the one wearing it. Internally, I want to put my arm around them and have a chat. I get the same reaction when I see overly colorful work. I feel ashamed for the artist, as if they are cheapening themselves.

Too much color is like a shouting match, "Look here! No, over here! Absolutely not, here! Here!" I don't like to be shouted at, it unsettles me. Of course, there is art designed to unsettle, and if that is your aim, perhaps color is an effectual tool.

This aversion to too much discordant color, I think, is part of the appeal of Japanese prints for me. The color is usually from a minimal palette (print block ink lends itself to this) and the narrowness of the colors creates a unity about the piece.

That unity helps me be very clear about the artists intention. It also creates a definite mood.

And for the record, I'm not against color, just color that doesn't hold together.

Color is a powerful element in art, but not the most powerful. More about that next week...

I've been a bit escapist as of late...and found entry to another world. Today I wanted to share one of my greatest inspirations, Japanese prints.

Japanese prints have always had a special pull on me. Something about them lowers my blood pressure and then quickens my heart rate, in a good way. They are always my first port of call when I feel overwhelmed.

Why is that? I haven't been to Japan, the places are not familiar. I've never done any wood block printing.

There is a rhythm to Japanese prints. That tempo creates a drum beat inside me that just pulls me in. 

There are areas of detail and areas of lack, there are great sweeping lines to pull your eyes, then small staccato steps. As if a friend gently grabbed your elbow and pulled you over in the corner and then said, "Look, see this finery here." You examine it and then as you walk away, your mind is still captivated there and ruminating over those details.

It's this kind of interaction that changes me, that enriches my life and I hope yours. 

Above you see a recent fruit of my study of Japanese landscape prints. Next time we will chat about color.

2019 was not the year I thought it would be. I did not get thinner, more sophisticated and I still haven't deep cleaned anything. But, it was a year that taught me the preciousness of time and the importance of doing things while they can be done.

So, I step into 2020, cherishing each day. It has been a busy start to the year. My plans include:

- Developing my landscapes a bit more with attention to detail

- "Cross-pollinating" my skills by learning digital painting

- Challenging myself by entering more prestigious juried shows.

I will continue sharing stories from the studio, both when it is a magic castle, and when it is a dungeon - because we all need perspective. I share here on a monthly basis (blog post, newsletter) and more often on social media (Facebook, Instagram). I'd love for you to connect on your preferred medium.

Wishing you the best with your year,

Rose

Today is a gift. One of those rare gifts that cannot be bought or sold. May you find moments in it to savor and enjoy.

It was the day that my undershirt drawer wouldn't close. As I added a clean shirt to the overflow pile on top of the drawers, the whole lot tipped over. My undershirt hoard was just the tip of the iceberg... that calved and crashed onto the sea of my closet floor. So I was forced to admit that my closet needed a reckoning.

So after said confession, I made time in my schedule to go through my clothes. I was actually excited. I know myself and I know that my stress levels increase when I don't see empty space. I don't like too much stimulation and too much stuff is too much.  (As I type this I can see that my desktop is also in need of attention! No wonder I have been finding it difficult to get in here and do some computer tasks.)

As I went through the clothes, I realized more shocking things. For instance, I own 6 pairs of black pants. I almost never wear black pants...usually only for the occasional funeral. May it never be that I attend 6 funerals in 6 days and need all these pants! So, I have a new wardrobe challenge...wear black pants more often.

As for the undershirts, I found a bunch of shirts that if I saw a friend wearing, I would march her right to the store and buy her some new shirts! Once I got rid of the stained, worn through to holes conglomerate, I actually had the perfect amount of shirts. It made me think of that rule that people who live in RVs have...one in, one out. I may need to adopt that rule...

In the studio, I've been working on finishing up a few larger paintings. The one above is the second in a series of night skies...very happily the first one sold recently. Beyond that, I am playing around with some new series ideas. I'm looking forward to the return of school and the schedule it imposes.

Hope you are well and thank you for your support!

Be efficient - a common mantra of our day...the life coaches say...the boss says...and just general common sense says. Why use more effort than necessary?

In terms of our most precious resource, time, why spend more time than necessary on something? Time is something you can never get back.  You can't buy more of it once it's gone.

It all makes sense when you read it on a blog. But then, of course, you try it in real life.

I, like so many, am constantly short on time. Studio time, in particular,  is extremely valuable and difficult to come by. So when I see a chance to use studio time efficiently,  I grab it without hesitation. (That right there might be the problem.)

For instance, recently I had 20 minutes before I had to leave for work. I did not want to waste 20 whole minutes. And did I have a 20 minute job? Yes, yes I did. I needed to gesso a few panels. (Gesso is a white substance thicker and chalkier than white paint. It is commonly used as preparation over wood panels and canvases for painting.)

Perfect...20 minutes to slap gesso on...then magically later, when I have an hour, I'd be ready to start new paintings. (So efficient!)

But you know what is coming...slapping gesso...of course, in my slapping, I flicked. I flicked white gesso all over my work pants. My work is casual, I can wear nice looking jeans...but gesso droppings removes the new jeans from the "nice looking" category.

So, did the panels get gessoed? Yes. Did the 20 minutes get used? Yes. Was it efficient? Sort of. The 20 minutes were efficiently used, the job was accomplished. But, it wasn't efficient in terms of my wallet...I have to buy new jeans, again. Not in terms of time...I have to spend time buying the jeans again.

Moral of the story? Efficiency can be allusive...Efficiency depends on your perspective....Efficiency comes in all shapes and sizes...well, something like that.

It's summer here, so I'm sharing "fun in the sun" images. Aside from the gessoing, I am working on a new large painting. I hope it have it finished and available by the next newsletter.

I hope all is well with you and thank you as always for reading and for your support!

Rose

I have neighbors who don't speak to me, on purpose.

I have a neighbor who makes a point of coming over with a big smile and compliments overflowing whenever he (rarely) sees me in the yard.

I have another neighbor who once walked by and said under his breath "you can't fix months of neglect in a few hours."

So, as you might guess, I have a substandard yard in my neighborhood. I have more weeds than grass. My attempts at new plantings have almost entirely failed.

But, for a few years now I have been trying to come to terms with the disgrace that is my yard...as well addressing the lack of skill and time deprivation that have contributed to the situation.

So my current plan is three-fold:

- spending 20 minutes (only) a day out there

- plant more of whatever has survived to this point

- involve my sons as much as possible.

And, is it working? So far, "20 minutes a day" happens more often than not...we are not weed-free, not even weed-scarce, but small steps, small steps. I have more confidence in my garden center investments this year, after one week, nothing appears close to death. Involving my sons has meant we removed a much detested prickly bush and I received spread mulch for Mother's Day...big improvements that wouldn't have happened if they depended solely on me. The neighbors are, I believe, cautiously optimistic.

In the studio, I have begun work on 2 large canvases with the sun rising over the sea as a subject. I have introduced some new notecards to my product line and added the ability to purchase cards from my website (shipping to the US only.)

Moons are not heavy...in the sense that we do not weigh them. The moon isn't heavy, it is after all suspended in the air (ah, the magic of physics). But, moons are a symbol of the seasons and there are heavy seasons in our lives.

I have been out of the studio on bereavement leave for the last several weeks amidst my own heavy season. But, these are seasons and they do come to everyone who has the blessing of living long enough on this earth. And as has been said so well, "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

It is necessary to laugh in these seasons...you have to laugh when the casket selection is back ordered...or when the funeral director does not wear an undershirt, but really he should.

As I write, the birds are singing, there is a gentle breeze and it is perhaps the last cold day before autumn. I hope to paint the calm, the hope and the contentment of this moment soon. Art has been a refuge for me these several weeks. I have not been painting, but I have been seeing. It is a gift to be transported into someone else's world for a few minutes and see things through their eyes.

I hope to begin a new series this week, more on that later...

Life is a journey. There are times of great excitement. Times where everything flows together and surges forward. There are eddies, where all is calm and peaceful. There are dizzying heights and astounding lows. But taken all together, it is a glorious journey that results in a beautiful symphony of contrasts. This piece is about just that...the beauty of the journey.

There is an internal battle in stressful situations. Part of you is fighting to keep going and part of you is wanting to just panic and give up.  It's in those moments when I stop, take a deep breath, and remind myself that I am up for anything I want. If I want what is at the end, then I am strong enough to keep a clear head and press on. This piece is about that moment.