Today, I got back into my studio after a glorious family vacation with ALL 21 of my kids and grandkids! Before the family vay cay started I took a day and drove to Peggi Kroll Roberts' lovely, airy studio in the Gold Country of California. She kindly gave me an afternoon, where she encouraged me to use more paint. She also shared an inspiring u-tube of Jennifer Pochinsky painting a self-portrait. I couldn't wait to get home to my own studio to try some stuff. So today, I put on my favorite skirt and stood in front of a full length mirror, and used a LOT of paint!

Morning Kitchen

I am at my daughter's house being with grandson's while she goes to a writing workshop. This morning I looked up and notices her, a grandchild, and their dog back-lit in the kitchen. I was sitting on the sofa in the living space and looking into the intimacy and light of the morning kitchen. The whole scene has some of the interior-ity and bright versus darkness of Bonnard scenes...I think/hope that I can make something of this image...may Pierre's spirit inhabit me!

First Painting From Journal Drawings

I haven't fully understood how painters go from sketches to paintings...so I am trying to go from  worked out little value sketches, to paintings that stay in the value plan that I have decided on.  This is my first attempt. I have about 10 more small drawings to work off of. Please stay tuned.

Working out Shapes and Values

At night after dinner, I like to think about what I am going to paint the next day. If I am already thinking about shapes and values, it makes getting started the next day easier. I also believe that there is some intangible but very real value in mulling, pondering, staring at, and sleeping on an idea. I love that Ann Patchett writes in "What Now?", "...nobody ever made a living depending on a muse. The rest of us have to go out and find our inspiration, write and rewrite, stare and stare and stare until we know which way to turn."

Another Good Beginning That Turned Into Multiple Stiff Paintings

Okay, this is a page torn from my sketchbook...literally.  I worked out a great value plan and composition...on paper.  But every time I tried to paint this sucker, it got stiff and stilted.  Maybe, I didn't stick to the plan???

Loosey Goosey Good

I have decided to post and ponder my process with everyone.  I think too often we want to only show our 'best', 'completed', 'finished' selves...and hey, who is EVER really there!!!?  So I am going to post my process and see if anyone out there can give me any help, feedback, etc.  Surely I have problems "such as are common to man".

So today I am looking at the sketches that I do to 'get to know' subjects before I attempt to paint them.  Man, I can do the loosest, "spirit of the subject" drawing when I am scrawling in my journal with my cheap Bic pen (love those cheap Bic pens!!), and then I try to retain that spirit when I paint...and it's "tighten up city" for me.  I love love love just staying in the "shape" realm...triangles, squares, rectangles...and I feel that all of that looseness really gets at the 'sense' of the thing.

Works in Progress

Okay, why is it that I ALWAYS like my preliminary sketches, my value studies, etc. more than the finished products?!!!  I love the freshness...but most of all I think that I feel a fearlessness in those preliminary (read: not the finished product) pieces.  I want to get that bravery into my finished pieces!

Quick Studies

Julia Cameron says' "Making art is a little like dieting.  One day you just have to start, and what you do that day is the beginning of success or failure.  I cannot write an entire book today, but I can write one page."  Amen...and the more little 'one pages' that I write, the more I seem to get at the essence of what is most important in a given image.  So, here's to many 'one pages' and 'quick little studies'.

Value Studies

I have been doing these little "low stakes" value studies...maybe four or six where I really get to know the various shapes and elements of the image.  I really see the value of them for finding a 'way into' an image. I love what Julia Cameron says about this,

     "My artist performs best when the stakes are lower." 

And so it is with me, I do my best work when I just do, and try, lots of different possibilities...see what works, what NEEDS to be included, what NEEDS to be left out.

I Can See Clearly Now (kind of)

I just had surgery on my eyelids, which were drooping sooo much that they had cut out a significant chunk of vision.  I could see stuff down below me, but not the tiger crouching in the tree above me!  So, even though I am pretty scared of medical procedures, I chose a nice, super competent, double-boarded (in ophthalmology and plastics) surgeon and took the plunge.  Hopefully I will be able to see things below me AND above me.  For now, here is a birds-eye view (looking down on) of my ever evolving, movable feast still-life.

Quotidian # 24 "Fanny Lou and Her Person"

This 8" x 12" oil on masonite is my friend and her English Bulldog.  I think that the dog "Fanny Lou" clearly sees herself as the 'person' in this relationship.  I held the leash while my friend went in to get her food and Fanny had no shortage of admirers.  I DID notice that there was a tree coming out of my friend's head, but decided that it was great symbolism: She is a strong grounded woman, and our friends give us emotional shade/a place to cool off/they clean the air around us!

Quotidian #23 Maddie & Ellis Reading

This is a 10" x 20" oil on canvas board.  In keeping with my authors and readers series I want to give a shout out to all readers, authors, and people who drape all over each other while they read!  These guys are engrossed while he has his legs all over her lap...may they always be such affectionate litter-mates!  He is reading "Liars' Club by Mary Karr and she is reading "Secret Daughter" by Shilpi Somaya Gowda.  I once heard Mary Karr interviewed and she was talking about having writers block.  She said a good friend called and left her a message, "Write or die".  Thank goodness she chose life!

Quotidian # 22 Baby Launcher

Okay, this is an image that I am titling "Baby Launcher".  It is an 8 x 12" oil on masonite of my friend's daughter and grand-daughter.  They came to visit in my little walled courtyard last Fall; and as it was a nice day the baby took off her clothes and proceeded to play with the hose.  Suddenly the strong, capable mother swept the baby up onto her shoulder to give her a glimpse of the street and the outside world.
In that instant I realized that all women are "Baby Launchers"...from conception to adulthood.

Quotidian # 21 Joan and John

Today I tried painting the titles loosely into the painting.  There are Joan Didion's 'Blue Nights' and 'The Year of Magical Thinking' stacked on top of my grand-daughter's favorite book, 'The Fault in Our Stars'by John Green.  I love reading books that people tell me that they loved...because I not only get a good recommendation, but I get to know that person better.  Anyway, it was fun trying to portray the printed material on the books without getting too literal.

Quotidian #20 Joan Didion

This 8" x 8" oil on museum board is another depiction of my favorite things.  The top two books are beloved Joan Didions.  Her prose is so luminous, that I go back to it again and again.  On top of that, these books are bound in beautiful colors that I enjoy looking at on my bookshelf!

Quotidian # 19 (Joee and Zoe)

This is a 4.5" x 4.5" drawing of Joee and Zoe done in my sketchbook.  After much barking and carrying on,  Joee picked up the small dachshund as we chatted.  Zoe (the dachshund) just nestled into her arms and quieted down.

Quotidian # 18 (Joee and Zoe)

This 11" x 14" oil on canvas is my friend Joee, who is 82 years old.  She came to walk with me and brought her 'grand-dog' Zoe. (She was babysitting the dog for her kids while they were away.)
Sadly, Zoe had a giant Napoleon complex and proceeded to bark at EVERYONE and everything during our entire walk.  So we cried, "uncle" and came back home to have tea..and let Zoe calm down.  I thought she looked fab with Zoe on her lap.

Quotidian #17

This is a pencil drawing, 4.5" x 4.5" of a friend's grandchild with his cat in a hat! 
Hence the title is "The Cat in the Hat".  The painting is 27"x 27" and is oil on foamcore. 
It is very light to ship if anyone is interested.  I will, of course, include the drawing with the painting.

Quotidian # 16

Okay, I got this image of my friend's grandson with his cat and just HAD to paint it.  It is oil on cardboard, 16" x 16".  I couldn't get over how gorgeous this young man is with his cat...hence I had to paint on pedestrian material and not wait to get the perfect canvas!

Quotidian # 15 (Lady in White)

This is a 12" x 24" oil on canvas of a white hydrangea that I bought at the supermarket.  I kind of enjoyed doing the glass vase and water but man that clump of white flower-ness really bamboozled me for a few days!