Offering

Please join me if you are anywhere near Baton Rouge next Friday night, 6 January 2012, for the 42nd Annual River Road Art Show.  I have participated in this wonderful exhibit for several years.  This year I have several pieces in the show which is going to be on display until 27 January.

The Louisiana State Archives Building on Essen Lane is the site of the show.  The reception on January 6 is from 5-8 PM.  This is one of my earlier pieces which I'm reposting.  It will be on exhibit. 

Happy New Year!

LES DEUX PIVOINES

These beautiful peonies do not grow here in Central Texas, but I did see them yesterday at Central Market for $3 per stem.  They are gorgeous and one of the best-loved of blossoms.  These look a little like snow balls.  Warm in the shadows!

Blue Plate

Blue Plate Mayonnaise was one of the first commercially prepared mayonnaise products in the country and for years was one of the South's best-selling products.

This beautiful landmark in New Orleans was built in 1941 and was designed by architect, August Perez.  The art moderne style is a close cousin of art deco.  Art moderne was known for its curving forms and long horizontal lines.  The streamlined appearance of the Blue Plate Mayonnaise building is a fine example.

Production of mayonnaise at Blue Plate ceased in 2000.  Recently, the factory has been redesigned as apartments.  

Perfect Form

I have long been hoping to paint this picture of Mr. Wonderful in his perfect form on the diving board.  Of course, he is always in that state.

Sneaky

I love the reflective surface of cherries.  These three seem to me to be sneaking out.

SouthWesterly

This sweet barn in Hays County has seen quite a bit of wind lately.  No rain!

The Portal

Pixie

Log Cabin at Sunset

Sunset is so much earlier and so much cooler, for which I am eternally grateful. 

A little sunshine, a little shadow

Fresh Morning Light

Villa Fattoria Bacio

the sophisticate, #9

This looks a lot like my mother to me.  She is very sophisticated...changed her name when she was 65 years old.  Her sensitive eyes are so loving and kind.

little dumplin'

This is the baby I dreamed about last night.  He is a little diaper shirt King, funny and round.  He looks like a doll baby to me.

#7 Young and Restless

This young beauty is looking off into the future.  Wonder if the fashions will make another cycle in 30 years or so.  She looks so like my college friends in their scarves!

Strong Opinion

This man seems to have a very strong character.  I'm basing this on his square jaw, quite familiar to me after 42 years with Mr. Wonderful.  This is the reason for my title.  Oh, yeah, quite strong!

Go-Go #3, a bit skeptical

This grandmother seems more skeptical than the other two.  She was drawn in Denver also using the Sepia Conte pencil.

The Go-Go, South African Grandmother

This is my second version of the grandmother from Africa.  They do all the heavy lifting and are, therefore, dubbed the Go-Goes!  I can't figure how to make that plural!  Since there are so few men around and since a huge percentage of the population died from AIDS, all of the work is done by these courageous women who run the orphanage.  What a desperate situation!  Wonder how I would be in such a situation.

I did this one in Denver also but the drawing is a bit smaller.  Used a different color paper.  It is difficult to see next to the earlier post, but I think this lady seems more dubious.

Ryan Lochte

From the world championships in Shanghai, we hear that Ryan Lochte beat Phelps in both of their matchups.  We have a very strong team this year, winning 29 medals---16 of those gold.  Ryan set the first world record at this meet in China since the high-tech bodysuits were banned.  I am always wishing I had a suit that would help me move faster.  So much for polyurethane!
This was posted almost a year ago on August 1, 2011. Today Ryan Lochte won gold in the 400 Indevidual Medley! Congratulations! I'm going to have to do another charcoal of this man.

Go, Team USA---Michael Phelps 2012

I know, I know...he appears fearful.  This unusually talented swimmer captivated us in the past.  Here he is looking up (which I found difficult to show) as if to see the scoreboard.  Let's hope his mother does not see this.  Michael Phelps has unusual bone structure, but I do not believe he fears anything!

African Grandmother #1

Last week in Denver, I attended a class with the wonderful instructor, Rick Brogan, at the Art Students League of Denver.  We worked on charcoal portraits, wonderful practice.  Loved working with charcoal. 

I learned a great deal from Rick.  He is generous and helpful and dedicated.  

This beautiful grandmother looks out over the market place, wondering how to provide.  My daughter and a friend of ours were in South Africa on a mission trip earlier this summer.  Their tales have ignited my curiosity about these brave women who have all the responsibility for the welfare of their villages.  What courage. 

Morning Light

This landscape is an early morning scene out here in the country.  Hot and atmospheric!

Have a Seat, Cowgirl

Remember Picture Day at school---the photographer in deep West Texas called everyone 'cowgirl' or 'cowboy.'  This outdoor chair would make a nice picture-posing place.  Hot, but restful.

El Grado

Glass bottles are so pretty. This one is turquoise crystal, long-lost tequila. There is a guy in Texas who makes it a community project to re-use bottles by making them in to glasses. The community part lets anyone come learn about the cutting, sanding, etc.

Warmth

This pas de deux is a little reminder of friendship: one falls, the other provides a strong support. Warmth in the shadows is another gift of companionship. What metaphors we draw from sweet Bartletts.

Sweet Land of Liberty

These aspens seen through the shadows---poetry.

Dancing at Breakfast

We are in sweet Louisiana. Yesterday morning was spent dancing at breakfast in Breaux Bridge. We had a great time at Cafe Des Amis. Terrific zydeco band.

Summertime

More practice with my familiar. The equinox forces me inside with the heat, then calls me out for the evening light show. We have had some spectacular anvil clouds lately. Let it rain soon, dear Lord.

Lake Redcloud

Sunlit edges of the young boater, pushing off for an afternoon of canoeing.  What a life.  Summertime in Colorado.

Suzette

Lovely little hillside village of Suzette in Provence

Three Pomegranates

These little hot red pomegranates,  grenades, en francais, are on a soft plaid cloth. 

AspenGrove

I had fun with this very large canvas, 24 x 36. We were in Lake City, Colorado, last fall for the phenomenal changing of the leaves. Each day the colors were expanding across the mountains, producing this most amazing effect. Working on this these past few days has been great. Listened to a Tolstoy recording. We had ferocious winds, of the deep West Texas variety. I was happy to be indoors dreaming of Colorado.



"The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible,
but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for staying ashore."
...Vincent Van Gogh

HeyCupcake

One of the original and much beloved Austin food trailers! Hey, Cupcake!

CC and Mia

This is my Wedding Post! Finally, my son and his bride are enjoying their honeymoon after a beautiful wedding this past week. The rest of us are here recuperating from the breath-taking and very holy moments all week-end long as friends and family gathered to celebrate. Being mother-of-the-groom was tons-o-fun.

Burnt Sienna, I Love You

https://picasaweb.google.com/stewsuzanne/Suzannepaints?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_f-fyUtaeCSg#5626239905178667218

Sunny Side Up

One of my favorite subjects, this 12 x 12 was painted a while back. I love to follow the sun myself.

I'm at the Villa

We were having a huge rainstorm yesterday as I was posting this painting.  It was painted on a very hot day when we had a beautiful shady spot vantage.  Thank goodness for the rain.  Wonder if we could get a ditch from the Mississippi over here for our dry, parched land.

Evening Sun

This plein air piece is a small village in France. Evening was falling.

Little Hummer down

Icy Memory

This from a photo of our beautiful state capitol building on a snowy day in February...I have to do something to keep a cool head.  I'm quite happy with my burnt sienna underpainting as it keeps the absolute cold out of the scene. 

"Still life derives from the Dutch word stilleven, coined in the 17th century when paintings of objects enjoyed immense popularity throughout Europe."

I'm going to keep plugging!  Hope you can "pear" with me.  Love word studies, and the Dutch gave us so much of our language.   I also like the still even, just to ponder when I'm feeling a little off.  Like today.  I'm working on setting a course.

daily exercise is good for the soul

This is the painting du jour.  I am trying to paint a little all over  large panel I have.  The design upper left is from another exercise.  Just trying to clear the cobwebs.  Using a range of warm to cool reds and white to learn my colors while working on design.

The Merry, Merry Month of May

We are eagerly awaiting the marriage of our son at the end of the month of May.  All of us are on High Alert to keep going to the goal.  There seems precious little time to paint, but, as you know, the painter must.  I'm trying to keep it simple and direct.  Lots of precious practice pieces.  I painted this set up earlier with a different direction colorwise. 

LemonLife

I like the strength of cad lemon for its intensity. Love lemonade, don't always enjoy making it of the pitfalls of life.

Offering

"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge---that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."  Ephesians 3:17-19

Fully Engaged

This collection of white objects all clustered with a golden pear made for an interesting afternoon.  I was in ellipse squeeze.  I was trying to use three disparate primaries.  My objective was to work fast, to get the composition and drawing going and then to paint like mad.    I did have fun doing this one, though.  12" x 12"

En Pointe

This is my prize-winning painting from the Midland show. I received this lovely photo from my friend. Shows up quite well in my Randy Higbee floater frame, n'est-ce pas?

Paint Pot

In this painting, I have veered into the addition of Cadmium Yellow Light.  The varieties are a little surprising to me.  I have also found that a photographed look at the painting is quite a bit different than the actual piece.  Is this a little like looking at the painting in the mirror?
Last week, I had the pleasure to meet, Carol Carmichael, a fellow traveler in this pursuit of painting.  Her studio is filled with her amazing artwork.  She has been painting a very long time, teaching art, encouraging others.  I'm hoping I will get to see her again in Birmingham.  

Pesto Sauce

Here is today's humble effort.  I love working with my very limited palette: more ochre, alizarin and ultramarine.  This 12 x 12 seems unified and light.  May try glazing after it dries.

Waiting My Turn

These little boaters on the very edge of Lake Redcloud are waiting their turn to go canoeing.  What a beautiful sunny day it was.

Come a Little Bit Closer

Today's 6 x 6 is another practice with ocher, alizarin and ultramarine.  There are countless variations in tone and hue available.  I'm wildly excited just now having heard that my piece previously posted here has received First Place in the Midland Arts Association Spring Show.  The painting is entitled En Pointe.  What a thrill opening my mailbox to see such news.  A little encouragement goes a long way with me!