The Journey Continues

Heron Pond Glow

10 x 15

Pastel on Canson Paper

Referring to my blog of January 8th you will see the the first two legs of the journey this painting took.  It happens to me from time to time that I pronounce a painting done before its time. I get an uneasy feeling and the thought enters my mind that the piece has more of a story to tell. Slowly at first, the idea begins to build in my mind until I reach a point where I can't stand it. Curiosity drives me to continue on. All I knew was that I wanted to increase the warm areas and in general give the painting as a whole  more punch. I guess you could say that I wanted to change the mood of the painting yet another time. I'm allowed to do this. As an artist, I have permission to practice my artistic license. Do you?

Moody Heron II

Moody Heron

Painting In My Studio

Marcia's Lillies

16 x 29

Pastel on Canson Paper     Sold

Prints availabe at fine art america

It's great to be able to take a few steps down from my kitchen and be in my studio. It's always there for me no matter what I'm wearing, no matter the weather , no matter what time it is. It's where I love to get in touch with me. Outside the studio, I am wife (of a wonderful and supportive husband), mother to my wonderful kids, grandmother to five fantastic grandchildren, friend to some people I hold dear in my hear, etc. etc.etc.etc. .... but in my studio I am not labeled. I am there with me and my muse and or my spiritual advisor who puts me in touch with me and says paint from your heart , your emotions and your intuition. Forget the rest of the world and the judgments of others. There are no rules in my studio for how I express myself. My muse/spiritual guider is all I need listen to. Any others comments that my head congers up are not allowed here. Here I am free to express myself on canvas any way I want. No judgements. Rules be damned. Here I need only listen to what's in my heart.

Winter Mood

Moody Heron II

10 x 15

Pastel on Canson Paper

I took a painting I posted before as "Moody Heron" and gave it some more life and color today just because I felt like it. It used to look like this.

Moody Heron

Am I sorry? I don't think so. After living with Moody Heron for a while, it began to look unfinished to me. It's so nice to know that as an artist, I can and do give myself permission to alter a painting and to paint it anyway I want. This is called artistic license. Every artist has this license. Some use it more then others. Some not at all. Where do you fit in? 

A Serenade of Frogs

Sometime in Spring

12 x 16

Pastel on Sanded Mat Board

The rain had finally stopped. Yesterday was filled with bright sunshine. Everything sparkled. Last night the stars were at their brightest, so clear, so beautiful. Lots of new frogs have emerged since the rain and it's a delight to my ears to hear their serenade. I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful place. I am so grateful to have found my passion as an artist (certainly not a writer).

I'm happy to show you my second painting of the new year. Finished yesterday, it is a transition painting that went from this

to the painting "Sometime in Spring" above. It was a 20 x 26 work in progress that sat around most of last year unfinished. I decided to do a rework on it. First, I hosed it down but the pastel did not come off (I guess because it was so well fixed with hair spray). While it was still wet I took a piece of pipe insulation and began scrubbing and moving the pastel pigments around on the board. The painting started to have an ethereal feel to it but after an hour of experimenting it didn't seem to be going anywhere until I sprayed water on it and played using my fingers to move the pigment around. That felt good. I didn't like the painting as a whole but the upper right hand  corner section intrigued me so I focused on that area playing around until it came to be "Sometime in Spring" So the 20 x 26 work in progress became a 12 x 16 work transformed. I was surprised and pleased how things  turn out. One never knows.

Water, Water Everywhere

Down Levee

11 x 14

Pastel on Pastelbord

I'm on a water painting kick. Could it be all this rain we're getting. What influences an artist to paint on a particular subject? Would like to hear what you have to say about this.