New Year's musings from the non-football obsessed...

(one of) Dean's Birds / 6x6 / Oil

January 1st.  Another beginning.  So many in a life time.  Do we notice them, or is that all we notice?  Beginnings sing the siren song of the Future.  We start a painting, a school year, a diet, a new job, a relationship--swearing allegiance to perfection only to be consumed by old habits.  At some point on this day my thoughts always turn to New Year's resolutions.  What should it be this year?  Another food/money diet?  An exercise extravaganza?  A commitment to write a blog post every day?  At this age, I've tried them all.  (Well, maybe not the one about blogging...)  I need something new.

I'm sitting in a house full of twinkling colored lights, alone, candles flickering, flames in the fireplace confined by their man-made limits.  I hear the gas logs hissing, the furnace blowing warm air into an already warm room, the ice maker periodically regurgitating it's bounty and shocking me from my reverie, the tick tick of my fingers as my thoughts slowly take form in print.  I am blessed in so many ways.

It's fully dark now, and I've left the blinds open so I can add the neighbor's Christmas lights to my collection.  An artist's sunset tonight.  Aqua sky with warm tangerine clouds, deepening shades of lavender and blue to the east.  A jet heading west looked like an orange poker in the sky.  I noticed how the further your eye traveled from the jet the fuzzier the contrail became, and I thought how much we are like that jet--points of blazing intention heading off into the future with our past becoming more and more blurred.  It was a good reminder that all we really have is the present moment.  The future--even with all our planning and intention--is untouchable.  The past--even though we hate to let it go--has already faded away. 

When I'm driving and realize my mind has strayed, I always bring myself back to reality by saying aloud, "Be here now, Cheryl."  Tonight's jet made me realize that it's also the perfect New Year's resolution.  Ignore the lure of the perfect future, and don't get caught up in the good/bad past.  Live every moment in the present.  Be the jet.  Be here now.  It's all we really have. 
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 PS:  For those of you who have asked, my painting "Hydrangeas in Milk Can" made it into the top 15% of the BoldBrush painting competition.  Thanks to all who voted, and in addition to "Being Here Now," I really am going to try to post more often!  Have a wonderful 2012!

Hydrangeas and Milk Can

Hydrangeas and Milk Can 30x40 Oil on Canvas

 

I have entered this painting into the BoldBrush painting competition for May.  You can vote for it by going to the BoldBrush website and clicking on the "Like" button.  Thanks so much for your support!

Arizona Fine Art Expo--Only 5 Days Left

Sunflowers and Milk Can--48 x 30--Oil on Canvas

It's hard to believe this ten week show is almost over and that there are only five days left.  Thanks so much to all of my wonderful new collectors and to all of you who have had so many kind words about my art work.  Your support is greatly appreciated!  Thanks also to my new artist friends.  Your friendship, encouragement and advice have made these past ten weeks not only a great learning experience but also lots of fun.  We've "weathered" everything together from 40 to 97 degree days in the tent, to Galas and Garden Parties, and have managed to do it with style!

If you haven't had a chance to visit the show yet I hope you'll take advantage of these last few days.  Come see all the beautiful art work and the amazing sculpture garden, and enjoy the live music on Saturday and Sunday, April 2nd and 3rd.  The show is located in Scottsdale on the southwest corner of Scottsdale Road and Jomax (on the MacDonald Ranch site.)

American Art Collector and the Little Things

Sunday on 17th 8x8 Oil

I hope you had a chance to see my painting in American Art Collector's December issue. This view is looking east on 17th Street in downtown Denver, and it was chosen by gallery owner Chris Serr to be in Abend's two-page ad for the Holiday Miniature Show.   The show started last Friday, and I was lucky enough to sell two paintings on the first night.  Early Morning Tuscan Fog (shown on Nov. 4th's posting) and Union Station Reflections (shown below) have both gone to good homes.

Union Station Reflections  12x6  Oil/Linen Panel (sold)

I was in Union Station on the same day that "Sunday on 17th" was conceived, but this painting took a lot longer to be born.  I must have taken over 200 photos that day, and over the months I kept coming back again and again to this photo inside the station.  When I finally started playing around with the photo and cropping it different ways, I realized that it was just a tiny portion of the photo that kept bringing me back.  The sun shining through the large expanse of windows had created beautiful turquoise reflections on the floor, and in the middle was this lonely yellow "wet floor" sign that was just begging to be painted.  So now, whether I'm plein air painting or composing with a camera, I try to remember to look at both the trees and the forest, because sometimes it is the little things that count the most.

In this very busy time of year I hope you are finding time to keep track of and enjoy the little things in life.

Happy Thanksgiving and the Joy of Early Preparations

Hello, Spring!  18x24 Oil

 

It's quite cold and snowy here today, but I'm not complaining.  While many of you are busy doing last minute grocery shopping, cleaning, and cooking to get ready for tomorrow's feast, I'm smugly sitting in front of my easel and munching on turkey left-overs.  

 

Because a couple of our (very grown) children have to work tomorrow, we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving early.  I thought it might feel strange, but I now realize that early planning, preparation, and stuffing yourself instead of the turkey is definitely the way to go.  

 

Getting the turkey carved, the stuffing into a serving dish, the potatoes mashed and gravy made while heating assorted veggies and rolls, and pouring last minute drinks all at the same time while trying to converse with friends and family and dodge the grandchildren who still love to run through in the kitchen is like conducting a symphonic grand finale.  It's all about your timing, and I'm usually up to the challenge.  But this year I decided to forego the podium, enlisted the help of a couple of crock pots and made most of the dishes and all the desserts the day before.  I used this make-ahead recipe for mashed potatoes and it was so easy and so good that my conductor days are over.  Another time saver was making the stuffing in the morning and putting it into a crock pot instead of the turkey.  While I used my own recipe for this, a similar recipe for stuffing can be found online.  

 

Instead of cooking all day and being so tired that I really only wanted to eat pie and drink a glass of wine, I actually got to visit with family and friends and enjoy dinner.  I even got to try the hors d'oeuvres--amazing!

Now, with all this talk about the joy of early preparation, you can see why it's never too early to plan to visit Scottsdale and the Arizona Fine Art Festival.  You'll be able to see "Hello, Spring!" in person and perhaps that will get you thinking about planning your own spring flowers and garden.  (And I promise it won't be snowing in Scottsdale.)

P.S.  Don't tell anyone, but next year I'm cooking the turkey ahead.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Another Painting for Abend Gallery Holiday Miniature Show

Peonies and Tangerines 8x12 Oil

I have five different types of peonies in my garden, and this one is the most prolific.  It's a Sarah Bernhardt peony, and I have three of them planted in various places in the yard with differing amounts of sun.  The bushes with the least sun have fewer flowers, but they bloom considerably later and that gives me a much longer peony painting season each year.  

I always check out and often buy what's available at the supermarket, but I'm quite partial to painting the flowers from my own garden.  I enjoy watching over them, anticipating when they'll be ready to go and picking them at various stages of development, which usually makes for a more interesting grouping to paint.  I'm sure my husband wishes I would do less watching and more of the work, but he's the real landscaper at our house.  I usually manage one good-sized spurt of yard work in the spring and then it's over for me. 

This spring we--I mean my husband--planted four new rose bushes and they struggled throughout the summer.  Then this fall they went crazy.  Cooler weather, I guess, but we still had roses last week--even after several frosts and a couple of light snows.  I didn't get around to painting them this year, but next year look out.  It's tough to beat peonies, but some rose paintings are definitely in my future.

I hope you will be able to join me at the Abend Gallery Holiday Miniature Show where this painting, along with five others, will be on display.  The show starts Friday, Dec. 3 with a reception from 5-9.  I will also be doing a demonstration painting on Saturday, Dec. 4th from 10-4. 

Abend Gallery Holiday Miniature Show

Sun Spot in the Mountain Storm 8x10 Oil

I painted this on a snowy day last January when I was wishing for a bit of sun.  It's from a photo I took near Salida, Colorado, when I was down there for the plein air festival.  It was late in the day, and everything was so dark it was almost difficult to see where the mountains ended and the sky began.  Then this ray of sunlight snaked it's way down through the clouds and bounced off the field and aspens trees.  It was definitely one of mother nature's quick moments of spectacular beauty, and I was thrilled to have my camera handy.

When I started to paint this I was using soft brushes.  I wasn't happy with the way it was turning out, so I switched over to the palette knife and reworked everything.  Somehow using the palette knife helped me to let go of trying to replicate what I had seen and concentrate more on trying to recreate what I had felt.  So, in addition to my last post about using new colors, sometimes it's a good idea let go of the brushes, pull out the palette knife and just play.

This painting, along with four others, will be in the Abend Gallery Holiday Miniature show in Denver, Colorado.  The show starts on December 3 with a reception from 5-9.  I'll also be painting a demo in the gallery on Saturday, December 4th from 10-4.  Hope to see you there!