Day 24. So much depends upon…
“How the Light Gets In” 8×16 inches, oil on canvas Today’s painting is a bit of a shift. A couple weeks ago my family was invited to one of our most dedicated and long-time 31 in 31 participant’s new home on a huge, sprawling span of land complete with a large pond and a perfectly […]
Day 23. Caution: Artist at Play
“Inspiration Does Exist” 16×20 inches, oil on canvas I have been working on today’s painting for several days now. It’s a good bit bigger than my paintings so far, and I had no idea where it was going until it got there. First one bird. Then two. Then three and four, in a circle around […]
Day 22: The one that almost wasn’t
“Sing the Tune without the Words” 8 inch diameter, oil on canvas I know this is painfully trite, but I’m diving in anyway: Mondays are hard. My son nearly missed the bus as I threw all the previously chopped onions, peppers, garlic, celery, and beans into the crock pot, threw the dial on high and […]
Day 21. Do over.
“A Holiness that Exists inside Everything” 8×8, oil on canvas Today’s painting started many days ago. I was trying to explore the poem by Mark Nepo that I shared on Day 14– This line in particular: In the very center, under it all, what we have that no one can take away and all […]
Day 20. Love Letters II
“It’s Okay, Dear One, to be Proud of Yourself” 6×6, oil on canvas I came across a photo of a little Prothonotary Warbler with its chest pushed out, and I knew that kind of confidence would have to make it into a painting. I learned this years back about parenting: It is more important […]
Day 19. Let the voodoos of ambition sleep.
“Let the Voodoos of Ambition Sleep” 6×6, oil on canvas Today’s painting is a continuation of yesterday’s: the subject matter but also the idea that it’s okay to explore the same thing again and again if that is what feels right. I did wonder if these faces would translate on canvas as they do on […]
Day 18. You don’t have to be good.
“Heading Home Again” 12×9, oil on paper When I was contemplating a title for this one, my mind kept saying “Bird Brain,” a reflection of how I’m feeling at the moment– a little tired, not from painting itself, but from thinking about painting. I have been so drawn to these images on paper this month, […]
Day 17. Tend it well.
“Your Mind is a Garden, Tend it Well” 6×6, oil on canvas I started this one before day 16 but there was something not quite right about it, but the idea of it, the little built in frame, led me to yesterday’s painting which came quickly and without the strain and struggle– the very best […]
Day 16. I made a thing to think about getting rid of things?
“For the Birds who Own Nothing– the Reason They Can Fly” 6×6, oil on canvas The title for this one comes from a line from Mary Oliver’s poem, “Storage” where she tells a story of collecting all her excess possessions into a storage facility only to realize she doesn’t need them at all. So she […]