Feminine and Free!

                                Feminine and Free -- Three canvases, each 12"x30", in oil.


This painting started out mild and innocuous. I kept working and it started to acquire blood and guts. There is enough wallpaper in this world that blends into the background. The turmoil that bubbles under the surface, the angst that is churning and the hearts that break -- I think I got close to it in this painting. I applied the paint with brush and palette knife. Then, I scratched and I scribbled. Too much perfection and smoothness is patently artificial. Overly dramatic? After as many decades as I have been around--I think it only beings to tell the story. The whole truth is impossible to express. I do believe that the truth is that women yearn to be free, free of the constraints that have been attached to them over the centuries in almost every culture.


Below: Close-ups of  the scratches and scars. 

T

"On the Edge of the Horizon"

Is there an explanation for all this nonsense?

Deep in the bottom of my soul, I think there are spots and lines and crazy shapes. Whenever I pick up a brush or a pen, they're there, talking to me, jumping in my face, insisting on being there. When the colors and lines blend, there is always a story, always a feeling. This one has hills and valleys, a big wide space that suggests its own universe. No, I'm not a conscious artist who plans and knows what is coming. It doesn't happen that way, but my eyes keep seeking a balance, a jolt, a reflection of life. It's not done until it gets to the point where it has an integrity of its own. That may not make any sense to anyone but me, but there it is.

"Happy"

Painting in progress...Happy? Was working at my desk, forcing myself to work at my desk and finally allowed myself to take a short reprieve. The freedom, the joy of it...no matter what the painting looks like...not finished...but bursts of color that say it's worth going forward. Needs to be finished.

For Love of Los Angeles

There is no place like Los Angeles. My love for the place is in this painting...beautiful hills, incredible light, and a big, big sky.

Sincerely Yours

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, a painting for the ones I love..."Sincerely Yours"

Valentine's Day Specials

For an exhibit at 2 Rules Fine Art in Marietta -- opening the evening of Feb. 3 -- I did two special paintings. The theme is commercialism and love. That's not too hard to put together in our world. Soooo...I did (A)Heart of Gold and Eyes the Color of Money and (B)You Have to Love Me. I Bought You So Many Things.

Splashing Waters

Last night I came home and had to paint. Had to feel centered. This afternoon, I picked up the brushes and palette knife and gave it some finishing touches. With the torrential rains we've had lately, not surprisingly, it is "Splashing Waters."