It was thrilling to create this simulated garden "setting" in my studio, complete with draping grape vines, roses and wildflowers. I used a potted silk ficus tree from Michaels, a piece of lattice stuck in the pot, and a Trader Joes potted hydrangea at the base. I didn't do much to organize the arrangement, instead letting the beautiful clusters fall where they might.

Here is a photo of my setup:



There is nothing like painting directly from life and as I have been very blessed with being a fast painter, I can now go give my thirsty wilted hydrangea some water.

Enjoy the final painting, "Concerto in the Garden", 30 x 22, Soft Pastel

I have always wanted to paint a high-key painting...one where the value range is condensed in the upper range of the value scale. I have wanted to do this for two reasons. First, it would be a great exercise for really training my eye to see very subtle value shifts. Second, I wanted to convey a strong sense of light without the usual light-dark extreme. It was a most enjoyable exercise and was a painted on the heels of a low-key painting which is more typical for me. Compare the two paintings and think about light.  

"Pearlescent" 18 x 24 Pastel

  "Lust for Life" 18 x 24 Pastel


 Isn't light just a marvelous, wonderful, intensely variable thing?

I am absolutely in heaven!! I have discovered a brand new pastel surface by Clairefontaine of France called PastelMat.  They are on the web at www.pastelmat.com

And this is from the website of Dakota Pastels (www.dakotapastels.com), where I first learned about this wonderful surface:

"Clairefontaine developed this paper to meet the specific expectations of the most demanding pastel artists. Its single and original surfacing is a true innovation, which combines the advantages of two papers traditionally used: "Velour surface" and "Pounce". The fine particles are sufficiently well fixed for a smooth surface and an optimal comfort of use. Its unique velvety surface, made from a fine coating of cellulose fibers, has the ability to grab and hold multiple layers of even the softest pastels. The character "fixing" of this surface with such a pleasant touch is so extraordinary that the superpositions of multiple layers of colours, the realization of flat tints, precise details or delicate and transparent veils are easy to achieve. The use of fixative is not necessary anymore. The art of the pastel is sublimated. Subtleties, freshness, the luminosity and the delicacy of the colours that make the charm of this technique burst in all their splendour."

When I first opened the box from Dakota, I thought that the paper was the wrapping or cover sheet for the real paper.  It seemed impossible that so smooth a surface could be receptive to pastels. 

From the first stroke I felt that I had died and gone to heaven.  My fingers were so sore from using a highly sanded paper and when I blended on the soft but firm surface of the PastelMat, the pastel pigment retained it's character and luminosity.  I was able to push the pigment around and into the surface without it chalking up.  I also noticed that I didn't have a pile of pastel dust on my dust catcher like I normally would.  I am thrilled!  And the pads of my fingers are thrilled too!

Stay tuned for more paintings produced on this wonderful new surface.

I am so thrilled to have been featured this past week in Informed Collector, an on-line newsletter highlighting artists for discerning art collectors. I have been reading this on-line newsletter myself since it began a few years ago. I've so enjoyed reading about the highlighted artists and seeing their beautiful work. It was amazing to see my name featured in the subject line this week! Wow! As a result of "Polonaise" being selected as a Finalist in the September competition (12 winners out of 560 or so entries) of Fine Art Views, I received this wonderful opportunity to be featured in Informed Collector.

I received an invitation to have my paintings considered for a cookbook. That got my creative wheels spinning and I began to imagine how luscious a chocolate cake would look next to a rich arrangement of roses. I finally had to put myself out of my misery and paint it!

There was only one way to do it: bake my favorite Hersey's chocolate cake, frost it with rich fudge frosting, find some delicious looking roses and begin...begin arranging...and arranging..and arranging. The rich, chocolatety aroma of this delectable cake was almost overwhelming as I added and subtracted, moved and replaced elements until the composition was just right.

Painting from life to capture the nuances of the frosting and fudgy cake, not to mention the beautiful nuances of shadowed rose petals, was essential.

Many hours and layers of pastel dust later, the still life was finished. I was sorely tempted to scrape off the dry dusty surface of the cake and dig in! But instead, into the garbage the cake went.

You're sense of geometry might suggest that there is a piece or two missing....and yes, you're right...very necessary for creating a great composition and a beautiful shadow shape in the wedge of course!

The buyer of this painting will also receive a fresh, home-baked chocolate cake, delivered in the southern California area! Punch included!

I was asked by a collector this summer if I entered many high profile juried shows put on by art organizations. My answer was that I have been able to do this less and less as my exposure to the community of buyers has increased and thus, has reduced my available inventory! This is a happy problem indeed.  However, it means that I have had to forgo adding potential accolades and opportunities to my resume, one of which was a museum invitational "Windows to the Divine" exhibition, happening now at the Madden Museum of Art in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

This exhibition, showcasing spiritual art, is guest-curated by the Colorado Dominican Vocation Foundation (http://www.cdvf.org/upcoming_events.html) and is the sixth Fra Angelico Celebration of Art & Spirituality, designed to celebrate the Spirit in the visual arts and legacy of Fra Angelico, a famous painter of the Renaissance and a member of the Dominican Order in the 15th century.

The mission of the exhibition is to honor the special calling of artists. Many spiritual paths are represented, including artists from the Buddhist, Christian, Jewish and Native American traditions. The exhibition is being co-sponsored by Southwest Art Magazine, Abend Gallery, 1261 Gallery, and Saks Galleries.

The Exhibition is the most comprehensive juried exhibit of spiritual art in the country. It features more than 100 original works of art by emerging and known local, regional and national artists such as Kathy Anderson, Kim English, Scott Fraser, Tammy Garcia, Albert Handell, Ron Hicks, William Hook, Quang Ho, Ramon Kelley, Lynn Kircher, Ray Knaub, Emilio Lobato, Karol Mack, Kim Mackey, Andi Mascarenas, Ben McPherson, Laura Merage, Ron Richmond, Don Sahli, Daniel Sprick, Nancy Switzer, Karen Vance, and Kevin Weckbaugh. The content of the juried show is not confined to explicitly religious or sacred subjects, but also includes landscapes, still life, figurative, contemporary and traditional ethnographic.

For this particular show, I wasn't interested in accolades. I so support the Colorado Dominican Vocation Foundation and their purpose in organizing this exhibition. To be part of it at all, as an artist participating, in some small way, in revealing those Windows to the Divine would have been a great honor indeed. 

I will be setting aside some special paintings for this exhibition with the hopes that I will be invited next year. In the meantime, I wish all participating artists and lucky viewers and collectors a wonderful show. God Bless You!

I just finished this painting as a potential piece for a collector. I love the combination of blue and white and when I saw this pot at Laguna Nursery, I had to have it. It is sure to figure in several future still lifes. The tattered sheet music is from days of old playing the flute. When I turned to the page with Shumann's Humming Song at the bottom, I knew it was the page for my composition and I knew I had found my title.

We have only hours to go before the Sawdust Festival closes, and a day and a few hours before the Festival of Arts closes.

I thank all of my loyal clients who have supported my work and all of the wonderful new people I have met who have made this a most enjoyable summer. And of course a special thank you to my fellow neighboring artists at both festivals for the laughs and fun.

You're all just the best!

Almost everyone comments on the "light" captured in my work. Some say that while they don't usually care for still life paintings, they are surprised to find mine so appealing. As I listen to the comments and think about my own motivations for painting still life, I will attempt to express some insight into the hows and whys of this subject . The early history of still life was all about story and meaning, exemplified in the choice and arrangement of the objects themselves, and not so much on light as an element.

Regarding the first observation about my paintings--about light-- I choose simply to paint what I see, and am relentless in the pursuit to heighten my perception of all the subtlety and brilliance revealed by light. Edward Hopper's critics, observing his work, delved deep and attempted to dissect his motivations for each paint stroke and object in his paintings. His response? "I just like painting light on the side of a barn".

Certainly, Hopper loved to paint the light side of the barn, but how that lighted shape was placed and juxtaposed with shadowed elements was a key part of his story, as it is mine.

And yet unlike Hopper, I am intrigued, surprised and gratified when I see both men and women pause at length in front of my still lifes and say, with a bit of surprise themselves, "You don't just paint a vase of flowers...." with the implication that there is more here than meets the eye.

Indeed, the lit elements and shadowed elements are carefully arranged to tell either a complex or simple story: as complex as an inquiry into specific objects that evoke inspiration; or as simple and elegant as the poetry of an illuminated and gracefully draping cluster of roses.

There is one particular piece in my booth--"Redemption"--where I am asked to talk about the personal meaning of the piece. It's a struggle to put into words....as the process of composing the still life is an intuitive grappling and arranging and rearranging: of light and shape and the meaning into a harmonious whole. Ultimately, my hope and ongoing quest is that the story of my still lifes points to a certain universal harmony and beauty, in all of its simplicity and complexity.