It's good to be still....

One of the best parts of painting is being able to share my art with others. I ran across this photo tonight and I decided to share it with you. I was in the process of wrapping up this painting, and as I do, I stop and give thanks for all the things I have learned from it and all the joy I had in creating it. I also lay my hands on it and silently share energy with it. I bestow on it all positivity, light and ask blessings on those that will encounter it. This painting was going to Saint John's University and I was also saying a prayer that it would find a joyous home there.  Often when I start a painting I will lay hands on it and be still and be open to receive what will flow thru me. And I always give thanks, thanks, thanks for the opportunity to create something. Each of my paintings is like a good friend and even though they go out into the world, my mark of energy and blessings remains within them. Whenever someone is coming to get a painting, I always arrive early and spend a few quiet moments with it before they show up. It's odd I suppose, but I've done this from day one.  And if I'm out and about and happen to run into one of my paintings it's so fun.  And if my clients send me photographs of where they hang my paintings it's such a thrill. So much positive energy that again, it's good to be still and just say....thank you.  

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Time for another "Tweed"

I have a "thing" for textiles! Thus my paintings sometimes turn into what I call "tweeds". They are so fun to paint and to play with colors and to build them up on top of one another.  This one has two shades of gold added. I love painting with metallics as it really adds a different element. I'd like to wear this one as a big scarf! Cheers!

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Getting back to basics

Getting back to basics today. Trying to focus on just the trees and not the background to just get a sense of shapes and colors. Kept this one simple with only four colors. It's a fun challenge. Also had fun painting the trees off the edges of the canvas. I like the simplicity of it for a change of pace! Cheers!

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These are fun to do!

These are fun to do because I like to see how many colors I can add yet still have it read the over-all color.  If you look closely, there are a lot of colors woven in! I also like to play with the direction or the movement of the over-all color. Sometimes trying to keep it really even and uniform, sometimes adding a "current", sometimes making it into a woven element and sometimes making it directional. 

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More experiments!

Sometimes I use tape to mask off areas and I've found that I fall in love with the tape when I remove it and it's covered in such wonderful colors. So I save the tape remenents and wait for the right painting to come along where I can apply them. That happened tonight and I was pleasantly surprised how different this one turned out!  

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The one that "got away"!

I often joke that painting is a bit like fishing! Every now and then a fish gets off the hook and gets away, so do paintings! I often take progress photos so I can track what I do and this photo is an example of one that "got away"! I was aiming for a different outcome and this is a pause on that trip. I stopped for a bit to ponder if I wanted to stop here but alas, I kept going. I often will look back at my photos later that day and think, gosh, maybe I should have stopped! I might have to bring this one back! You would be surprised at how many "get away"! I've learned to just STOP! But today I was on a mission! 

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Oddly, these are so relaxing to do!

The last thing this style of painting portrays is relaxation,  but oddly that's just what painting them does to me. I love doing these. They mesmerize me. Each one has what I call a different "signature".  Some signatures are tight and repetitive,  some are loose and flowing. Some have a lot of paint and colors, some don't.  Some go really fast, some linger. And some even get tipped around and turn into other things. Overall, they are so cheerful, dynamic and energetic. I never grow tired of these. While they are not for everyone, they give me great joy! Cheers!

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Thank you Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli for your beautiful music today in my studio!

Every so often I'm moved greatly when I paint. Today I was painting Italian flags while listening to Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli's duet. It's so beautiful that on occasion I had to stop and weep. I listened to it over and over again as I painted, getting lost in the music. Such a feeling of happiness, peace and inspiration came over me. It was such a delight. Such a joy. I wish I could thank them for giving us such a beautiful gift in their song. Time stood still for me as I painted and I was transported to Italy. I could feel the music flow thru me and thru my paint.  It was such an unexpected gift. It was pure magic.

 

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