Off the Deep End

Another excuse not to be working...drawing a silly cartoon in response to a friend's post on fb:

Photography -- another addiction...

Yesterday in the downpour, I found relief through the lens...and messing with colors and contrast. Here is the not-so-intellectual take on nature's waterworks:

Painting is an addiction...incurable

     Just when I got to the point where I was sure that I had had it...no more painting...too much stuff piled up...no payback for dragging my work to one exhibition after another...Here I go again. It soothes my soul and makes me feel like I've done something worthwhile. I start with an empty canvas and end up with a reflection of my thoughts that can make me smile. Here is what happened when I walked into my studio, picked up my brushes and painted after being sure I was done...finished...moving on... Why me?

                                      Rainy Days...a humble 9"x 12" painting, oil on canvas.

And then there was the dawn...

Swirling Seas, 9"x12", oil on canvas.

Is it possible that there is nothing as fascinating as the ocean? Land locked in Atlanta...I dream of the water glistening in the sunlight and waves washing the shore.

Some days painting brings sanity and peace of mind

Underwater Secrets

Today was one of those days -- after the rush and bother of putting together the Dolls in the City exhibit and trying to keep all the other pieces of my life together --then there was painting. Like most of the paintings I like the most -- and enjoyed doing the most -- it began without a plan, just materials and the freedom to ride.

This one, a return to the beauty of pure color and reminders of oceans with their depths and their mysteries.

Dolls in the City -- Art Exhibit with a message

This is what I put together with some of my most awesome artist friends...Yes, I have one painting in it, too, my "Children of the Night," but it's about the sum total:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8_lLuICVDQ

Debbie Smith -- Doll Maker Extraordinaire, Amandine Drouet --  Sculptress and Photographer, and Maggie Vicki Bethel, Photographer and Mistress of Collage. At the opening, I asked Maggie to lead a group collage project -- and lots of people stopped and participated. It was wonderful to give guests a chance to make art, too.

Material Witness

"I Swear by the Stars Above" -- 30"x22"

"The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth," 30"x22"

Prodded by a juried art exhibit sponsored by Women's Caucus of Art of Georgia, I pulled out a couple of sheets of precious, hand crafted paper I found at Binder's a while ago. With watercolors and India ink , I found myself getting into the blood and guts of crime scenes, thinking of shadowy figures and witnesses who see things they will never forget. Testifying and saying things in a way that will convince a judge and a jury is not always easy, but pictures don't lie.

My very own weird, weird Valentine to loved ones

This is something of a self portrait, but not really. A dog ear on the left side of my head, my kids and folks embedded in my heart. I just wailed on the watercolors and then attacked it with pen and India ink. Fun!

There is no place like Hawaii

I was lucky enough to be in the Islands over the Thanksgiving holiday. There is so much beauty it startles the senses and warms the heart. I woke up mornings and had to make a painting. I brought some watercolors with me and when I wasn't painting I was looking through my lens and taking photographs. Knowing I had to leave, I wanted badly to take some of it home with me.