Abraham Lincoln said, “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” An article on CBC radio said that happy people are much more creative than sad people. I have learned to develop an attitude of gratitude and I have much to be thankful for. Quick, think of five things that make you happy. Better still, send them to me.
My five are:
Drinking coffee in the morning. I have two cups, each with two teaspoons of sugar and a generous dollop of half and half, just the way my Dad taught me to drink it when I was four.
Seeing wildlife every day. I have seen white tail deer, mule deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, cougar, grizzly bear, black bear, badger, herons, swans, Canada geese, eagles... ..some just a glimpse, some farther away than others (thank goodness) but everyday something and it always makes me smile.
Having pets. They are entertainment and companionship. Currently there is Kirra, The British Columbian squirrel chaser, and Jinx ,the cat.
A car that works well. There is nothing worse than not having wheels.
The advent of warm weather. I can hardly wait for the grass to turn green.
This wonderful girl showed up at Pynelogs last summer looking glorious in her cocky hat. This is my rendition.
This is what happens when you don't do your thumbnail value sketch, or determine a focal point. However, I wasn't sure where this painting would go so I just jumped in. Now, I think I will go back over it and try to make it more of a "painting" and stop worrying about reproducing a photo. I was trying to go for a more subdued palette but I don't like it over much. The background color splits right about the middle (big no-no). Green has to be the most frustrating color to deal with, I can never get it to look right!!Oh well, we'll see what happens.
This is one of those paintings that hangs around on my wall and drives me crazy. I went back in and changed some of the background colors. I may go back and kick it around again eventually. I like the couple and the look of that era. I still remember my brother going to prom in his white sports coat.
I blend a couple of tablespoons of crushed flax seeds, hemp hearts, lecithin and powdered greens with some yogurt and a little homemade jam for a fruit flavor. It looks disgusting but actually doesn't taste too bad. My naturopath has me eating this daily. I figure I should have a really shiny coat pretty soon.
I made a few art cards last summer. This is one of my favorite quotes from that great Canadian icon, Red Green.
Twenty two below is not that bad unless there is a breeze. Then you have to cover up your nose and mouth which makes your glasses fog up so you can't see and you trip over frozen chunks of old snow. It was so cold walking into a stiff north wind yesterday that I had to keep turning around and walking backwards because my eyebrows hurt!
I'm posting my beginnings because my friend Lori said she liked to see how paintings develop. After painting steadfastly for an hour, I am taking a break to lift weights and walk the dog and think about how to proceed. I am always amazed at how many decisions get made in my head. But there are always changes that can only be made when you see them on the canvas.
I need to get six new paintings done by the end of the month. I am starting off with a chair series for two reasons. One, I'm hoping these will serve as a warm up to get me back up to speed. Two, they are inspired by my brother, the king of chairs. Mike has a 3 bay garage that he cannot get into for all the furniture, etc. that he has bought at auction and is awaiting his refinishing. He also has about 50 chairs that he has stored in the basement of his house in Springfield. Old chairs are similar to old cars in that they have an innate character and I prefer them rustic to shiny.
There is no good reason! I find that after I come back from a trip, I go through a little nesting frenzy. This time I bought a new pink flowered duvet for the guest bedroom (the old comforter was pretty worn). I made chinese lantern curtains to go with it. And I like the silly shaggy block quilts that are being made, so I made one for our bed to match our curtains. I learned that a king size quilt takes up a lot of blocks.
I hate when I fall off the wagon and don't paint for a while. The inertia is nearly overwhelming. However, I made this because I had a big blank space on my kitchen wall (a lot of work out a shows, fortunately) and I was trying to "prime the pump". Plus, I found this ugly old painted canvas in my closet and thought it could be better purposed.
