Moving Art: Thank You Lord!

This has been an amazing summer of selling art – at least for me it has been. In July, I was feeling pretty defeated by the lack of sales at any of the galleries. Not that I expect people to run right out and buy my art, but it was hard to feel motivated to paint – and to paint for the specific needs of galleries – and then have nothing happen. So I had a “come to Jesus meeting” with God. I have been known to have these “throwing down of the fleece” conversations with Him. I remember it was on a Friday afternoon in mid-July that I just sat down and had a big conversation with God. And I’m not trying to be frivolous in any way about my requests to God. It’s just that any creative ability I have is from God and my approach to painting is very thoughtful – primarily, the picture has to truly resonate with my spirit and the whole process of painting becomes kind of a spiritual experience for me. Well, a week later, a check came in the mail from Plum Bottom Gallery – my painting Mountain Meadow had sold on the very weekend that I was talking things over with God! And over the last month and a half, nine more paintings have sold – at all of the galleries! I have much to be thankful for and I’m so very grateful. This past year seems to have been a time of not too many personal victories – and this particular “moment in time” has just been an incredible blessing for my soul.

 

Upcoming Fair: Baker Orchard Art Festival

It’s the apple time of the year and the Baker Orchard Art Festival is coming up on Saturday and Sunday, September 25-26, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. each day! So looking forward to celebrating the season with my Wild River Arts booth in their beautifully restored historic barn! They have the CDC guidelines in place for masks while indoors and social distancing. Plan now to enjoy apples, fine art and music!

And I’m continuing with the theme of sheep! Meadow Home is 4” x 6” and will be framed in a shadowbox. See more art at wildriverarts.com

Donegal Sheep!

Sheep on my mind today! Working on more "Lilties" and this one is titled, Mama Ewe, 4" x 6" on 300 lb. watercolor paper. These are the free-range sheep of Donegal County, Ireland, and some of my favorite subjects! Paul will frame this in a shadowbox ready for sale at the upcoming Baker Orchard Art Festival, Centuria, WI, on September 25-26, 2021. 

The Gift of Water

It’s no secret that one of my favorite things to paint is water. Maybe it’s because I’m an Aquarius, but I think it’s deeper than that. I do better when I’m close to water – my spirit relaxes and I seem to breathe better. In these days of extreme weather, I’m more conscious than ever of the critical nature of having fresh, clean water. After years of living through drought conditions in North Dakota, I will never take access to fresh water for granted. And after a long, hot dry spell in July, I’m so thankful for this week of rain. Three different days, it just poured rain – straight down with no wind, and we got nearly 6 inches of rain. The rain barrels are full again and the gardens have a new life. So thankful!

This week’s painting, Light of Day, 9” x 11” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, captures a sailboat in the early morning light.

August Musings

We just turned the calendar and are hoping the long hot days of July are behind us. The air seems calmer (is that a thing?) and the gardens reflect a grand new season. After a lull in the gardens, they are all ablaze with color now – coneflowers clamor with phlox, rudbeckia, balloon flowers, bee balm, and false sunflowers. And the hydrangea bushes are outdoing themselves with their tall arching blooms! In early Spring, I was fairly ruthless with the Cardinal Flower runners, but next year, I’ll be much more lenient. They are wonderful with their tall, fiery red blooms and I think it will add much to have them scattered over the gardens.

And it’s back to school! Our youngest grandson started Kindergarten in AZ today! Isn’t that amazing - and I'm so thankful he had a fantastic day! But with fairs happening all over the area, that always seems to signal the beginning of plans for the new school year. With COVID Delta variant raging all over, it will be another interesting and probably chaotic year for parents and students. We wish them all the best.

I’m working on Lilties almost daily. Today’s painting, Northwood Sky, 4” x 6” watercolor, reflects the incredible night sky on a remote lake.

 

More of the Lilties!

This week, I’m continuing to be in the “lilties” frame of mind and just painted three more of these small watercolor “songs.” And water seems to be such a great subject to paint this time of year – and, of course, lighthouses, too! These three Liltie Series are: Night Light; Cave Point; and Big Lake Sunrise.

Back to the Lilties!

This journey into painting “lilties” seems to be going well! In the past month, 6 of them have sold at both the artZ Gallery and the Arts in Hand Gallery! So I’m back into creating more small adventures! And this seems to be a good time to tackle small paintings. In the summer time, with all the distractions of family and garden activities and just generally wanting to be outdoors, my attention span seems to fit these 4” x 6” dimensions really well. It always takes time ahead of the actual painting to plan, contemplate light and colors, sketch out and mask, but then I may be able to do up to two paintings in an 8-hour day.

Last week, I finished four of the Liltie Series watercolors: Lake Effect; Favorite Spot; Fishing Buds; and After the Storm. All are 4” x 6” with double mats and shadow-box frames. See more on the website at www.wildriverarts.com