Tag: Acrylic Paintings

BEAUTIFULLY UNMADE

When I think of my bed, the first word that comes to mind is decadent – The sense of being extravagantly and heedlessly self-indulgent. When I think of an unmade bed, the words ‘stunningly beautiful’, ‘deliciously sexy’ and ‘magically serene’ come to mind (any of these six descriptive words can be rearranged to further capture the subject at hand). Beds, whether made or unmade, are the keepers of our sleep. They are our transport through the night, allowing our bodies to rest, repair and detoxify. Sleep helps us reduce stress, improve memory, and lower blood pressure. A lack of sleep drains our mental capabilities and puts our physical health at risk. We owe it to ourselves to take a relatively simple measure to assist perhaps one of the most important ingredients of self care: a good night’s sleep. Each and every one of us deserves a soft and cozy safe-haven to rest our weary bodies after a long day. It’s our responsibility to create it. And it certainly doesn’t have to be a chore (like it is to make the bed).

I’m definitely guilty of letting real books fall by the wayside as I turn to computer devices for reading. And I miss books. Terribly. It is time for my return to books. Reading helps me wind down into restful sleep.
F319D63C-0C39-4BD4-9DE2-5C24BA834651
Acrylic painting – 16”x20”

Need I even elaborate on how a comfortable, fluffy pillow can be our best friend?
88CC2F6A-C06D-4DFB-818D-A458092EFE38
Acrylic painting – 40”x18”

How is it
That your
Painting
Of an
Unmade bed
The first
I had seen
Before I
Knew you
Hanging
In that
Restaurant
In Taos
New Mexico
Disturbed
Me so much
That I had
To change
My seat
Ignore
My friends
Return
My food
Gone cold
I had to
Put my back
To the image
Of tossed
Pillows
Sweat scented
Sheets
A bed that
Bore
Bodies
Like an ark
Lost in
Wavelike
Folds
Through dreams
And the play
That leads
To making
Love
You managed
To leave
A message
In a bottle
For me
Just by
Believing
That the
Ordinary
Is transcendent
And beautiful
And might be
Found
Beautiful
By others
-Jack Charney
814620FF-4111-492E-9C3D-F7B3466DCCDE
Acrylic painting – 18”x24”

SOFTENING THE DARK BY ENHANCING THE LIGHT

I started painting feathers a couple years ago.  On a technical level, feathers are challenging, primarily because I use a color palette that is devoid of black.  The color black is essential to contrast, clarifying the difference between the lightest and darkest areas of my compositions. But if I’m trying to capture the lightness and fragility of a feather, I have to soften the definition and sharpness of the edges. That’s not always easy. It requires a lot of patience. It’s a continual cycle of lightening the dark into more natural tones in combination with neutralizing the vividness of the brighter colors, making them quieter. By softening the dark I enhance the light. And through that evolves the fragility and vulnerability of an object that symbolizes strength and majesty. A feather.

This is the first painting I’ve ever done without using black.
Feather 36 x 48 $2900Acrylic Painting – 36”x48”

There is symbolism in the color of a feather.  A blue feather has a calming, peaceful energy that encourages you to have faith in yourself  and express your deepest truths.
273B70BD-8BF6-450B-BDE9-71D942A977BFAcrylic Painting – 36”x48”

White feathers represent peace, love and hope.  Also, they help us to understand that everything is okay.Feathers 3 canvases at 24” x 18” $3500Acrylic Painting – 3 canvases @ 24”x18”

KNOWING WHEN TO STEP THROUGH, STEP UP, OR SIT DOWN

I’ve learned that it takes a dose of self-awareness to discover true authenticity. How do we know what feels in alignment to us if we haven’t explored our depths? We need to question and challenge the beliefs that no longer feel good to us, those that have been programmed deep within us, not only by our ancestral DNA, but by those of the societal ‘norms’ enveloping us. Finding authenticity is taking the deep dive into ourselves, facing our shadows and flaws to uncover our empowerment and strength. We can discover the core beauty and truth that combine to form our uniqueness as kind and loving human beings. It is the graceful and elegant essence of our unique individuality that combines with others to turn the smoldering embers back into a healthy passion for change. We will start to understand what it means to find a solution instead of contributing to the problem.

This journey into self-awareness, unbeknownst to me at the time, was unfolding on a subconscious level through my creative process as a painter. The inspiration for my paintings morphed and changed over the course of 25 years. It is a fascinating realization to now understand how the compositional elements in my paintings were a subconscious manifestation of my self-awareness journey.

I started with doors. While they were textured and colorful, usually with some kind of structural element, they were always closed.
32A6428D-7C9A-4DC0-BFB1-525A63963D55

Then the doors started opening.
1CADCF8D-444B-433B-9A72-D906EBA9CFCE

After the door phase, I started climbing. Staircases became one of my favorite compositions. They always ascended.
23A79586-0DBC-4501-9283-BA7D42DBD5AE

I then entered my chair phase. I was going full throttle at that point in my life and knew that I really needed a rest.
FFD57FD5-3DBA-4BCD-BEA4-D0B577CF3466

I began the deep-dive when my chairs started to include pillows and blankets.
34F9FBD0-8B64-4F26-95F6-1D978BDAE222

WHAT IF?

I love the word if. I haven’t always. Because the what if? question used to throw me into obsessive compulsive thinking patterns. I’ve somehow managed to turn the pesky logical/analytical reasoning thought processes that often accompanied the what if? question into a simpler process of answering with my imagination. As in, instead of going down the rabbit hole by answering with even if or if and only if or if….then, I can answer the what if? question with……..”Who cares?“ or “Let’s go for it!” or “Can I learn something new if…….?” Last year, I was presented with an opportunity for an incredibly challenging commission. After catching myself turning to my default mode of logical/analytical/conditional ifs as to why I was not the painter for the job, I sunk into my imagination ifs instead. And then the fun began.
It helped that I was given 100% artistic freedom.

This is an acrylic painting of the Charles Evans Whittaker U.S. Courthouse in Kansas City, Missouri. Justice Whittaker served as judge on all three levels of the Federal court, including the Western District of Missouri, Eighth Circuit, and U.S. Supreme Courts. He was appointed by President Dwight D.Eisenhower.
9BE9F808-F52D-4C50-9603-0B056E9CAD43

The painting was commissioned by Loren Whittaker as a gift for her husband Tom, the grandson of Justice Whittaker. Tom Whittaker is CLO of JE Dunn Construction Company, builder of the Federal Courthouse. Tom has a view of the courthouse from his office window, which can be seen to the left of the painting.
8A5C03A8-0C7B-4B4B-9E70-516F65392CC6

Loren did an unbelievable job of orchestrating the entire journey, down to the timing and placement of the painting. This photo was taken soon after Tom was surprised with his gift. Perhaps the best photograph ever.
FD1B59C9-29C9-4D4C-BC4F-5A33FDDC20DE

VISUAL HYGGE

Hygge, pronounced hue-guh, is a Danish word. It embodies a conscious awareness of slowing down and enjoying the present. It can be a feeling. It is the creation of security, comfort and simplicity.

I’ve been creating a body of work for the last several years that I call my “Life Stills”. I am seeking the extraordinary in the ordinary and the imaginative in the mundane. I am attempting to bring you back into the moment of what is, reminding you to slow down and take notice…..to appreciate what you have before you.
Visual hygge.

C1ADCAC5-86CB-47BB-97F2-FDF567820E4C
“Pillows”
64”x18”
Acrylic Painting

B5A8B812-4BBB-4F95-B05C-EB8A2D202D4A
“Folded Sheets”
62”x20”
Acrylic Painting

9ED11160-436E-44DB-AD49-A8758D0E7CD5
“Shirt”
56”x14”
Acrylic Painting

TEMPORARILY OUT OF COMMISSION

A lot of us are temporarily out of commission during this Covid-19 pandemic. We are unable to operate in a life-as-we-know-it manner. While we’re being forced into a recalibration of how we navigate through our daily lives, it helps to remember that it is only temporary. Each and every one of us are allowed our own, unique vision of the lives we hope to return to when all of this is over. Some of us just want to return to the comfort, safety, and security of our past lives. Some of us are taking this time to envision new horizons. One thing I know for certain. Having a vision is important. It can help us tread water during uncertain times.

I recently took the opportunity to work on a painting commission while temporarily out-of-commmission from selling my work at outdoor art festivals, which is how I make my living. The process unfolded in a way in which I enjoy……after seeing a painting on my website, a customer was wondering if I could recreate the painting not only formatted differently, but with a different color palette as well. I’ve learned, through a lot of trial and error, that while I appreciate each and every time someone asks if I do commission work, this is really the only way that works for me and the customer. It allows the process to unfold relatively seamlessly. They have a general idea of what the painting is going to look like, and I’m able to keep my vision intact. I’m adding to their vision, not trying to create it for them.

This is the painting that was seen on my website.
440F7D95-2A88-4D9A-B7DE-19DAB5461312

Here is the painting that is the result of the commission process.
7690112D-50C0-414B-A7D0-707E358FF15A

HEALTHY LIVING THROUGH THE CREATIVE PROCESS

We’ve all heard of the body-mind-spirit connection. I believe that human beings have the potential to function like well-oiled machines. If we can build and strengthen the body-mind-spirit interplay, we can evolve into fully operational, high efficiency, livers-and-lovers-of-life.

BODY Just like vehicles need gasoline to operate, we, as humans, need to eat healthy and nutritious food to fuel our bodies. While it’s important to move our bodies to get the blood flowing and the heart pumping, it’s as equally important to know when our bodies need to rest, relax, and sleep.
MIND It’s not always easy to pay attention to our thoughts, but we need to. Our thoughts can be the villain, or the hero. They can be the culprit, or the saint. It’s fascinating when you truly understand that you’re in the driver’s seat. Thoughts can be whatever you want them to be.
SPIRIT When we can connect to something bigger than ourselves, we are imbued with a sense of empowerment, safety, and most importantly, what it means to love……ourselves, as well as others. There is no singular way in which seekers of a spiritual connection find their path. The unfolding of that path can be excruciating, but ultimate freedom is what lies in wait.

The paintings below are part of a body of work that I began over 10 years ago. At that time, I had no conscious concept or understanding of the body-mind-spirit connection. It’s obvious to me now that my creativity process at the time was assisting these elements to percolate to the surface of my consciousness.

“Green House”
24”x30”
Acrylic on Canvas.
FAC069E5-5865-4569-A88D-964FE12D087A

“Lost in a Book”
18”x18”
Acrylic on Canvas
28996326-29CB-442B-9DBE-A28DB73EB2BD

“Having an Off-Balance Day”
24”x18”
Acrylic on Canvas
9180D04B-1832-4322-8820-4BAA43296BC9