"Pet Prickly Pear" Oil on canvas paper, 9"x12"

  Time sure has been flying by lately. Had a last minute trip to Arizona over this past weekend.  It was a wonderful trip, but put a bit of a wrench in my painting time.  Arizona is not a state that's ever really been on my list to explore.  If you know me well you will know I am much more at home in the lush forests of New England, or the Mists of the UK, then I am in the desert.  In theses past months I have ever so slowly begun to fall a little in love with the landscape there.  The colors, the cactus, the shadows... the rugged, dramatic shapes, they are bewitching.

  Its funny to see some of the places around Phoenix, as I have heard of the shapes of the land there since I was small. Camelback mountain and Hole In The Rock are two locations that feature in a series of books that I have read over and over again since childhood. The stories of The Little Coronel, by Annie Fellows Johnston have had an everlasting impact on my whole perception of the world. 

  There is a magic in the land there I now am starting to understand. You can feel the age of it, the rocks, like sleeping giants guard who knows how many secrets. The Cacti seem to be like little animals, ready to scamper across the plains at any second. They are like little creatures, each species imbued  with a different personality.  I look forward to more wanderings in that captivating land. So the magic of the desert has taken me.  Here is a little Prickly Pear Study from last night, I hope you like it, and dream of the desert tonight.

"PET PRICKLY PEAR" Oil on canvas paper, 9"x12" $100

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LOTUS STUDY

 THE LOTUS

   I recently heard somewhere " You cant talk about art, You have to Art about art."  Which seems to ring quite true for me. But here I am, not just talking about it but blogging about it! I think to me though, the idea of taking it all to seriously, and not simply sitting in silence and observing art, is a waste of time.  The more you try to speak about something visual, and intellectualize it, I feel the further you get from it. Painting and drawing for me have always been a way to speak without words, to transform what I see and experience around me into something that is pure.
   I went to art school for awhile in my younger days, and it seemed to stifle something in me. I barely picked up a paintbrush for months after.  I felt their take on it  in school, was so much more about the process and so little about the end result. Which for some is just fine, but not for me. I want to create beauty, to invoke a mood,  to give people something lovely to look at in this crazy world. To Maybe that is shallow, or simplistic and I am simply missing some great piece of what Art is. I guess it can be so many things its hard to nail down. But to me, I think the less you talk about it, and the more you simply drink it in and feel it, the more powerful it is. I like art that makes you stop in your tracks, make your breath catch in your throat, work that inspires awe. 

  This is just a simple little oil study of a lotus, but to me it says so much more. It is my journey, it is my light.  I have dabbled in Buddhist mediation for a long time and have always felt solace in the image of the lotus. I remember seeing some while in Hawaii as a child and my mom telling me how they represent enlightenment. I thought that was such a beautiful image, the idea of rising from the dark muddy, murky depths  into the light, sun and beauty above. I only wish more of us realized that we can rise above, that we have that innate power, beauty, and light within.

  This piece is inspired by my own journey, Buddhism, meditation, nature, our humanity, rising from the depths of self doubt and insecurity to come into the light of awakening and enlightenment. Buddha Nature, our own divinity and our oneness, and inseparableness from nature.

"Lotus Study" Oil on stretched canvas, 8"x10" $100

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May all beings be happy,

May they all be loved,

May they all be protected from harm, and free from fear,

May they be joyful,

May all beings be at ease,

May all beings be free.

 

The Begining

Transcend Art

"Pear Trio Study" oil on canvas 11x14 Inspired by Fall Flavors $100

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   I have been holding the idea of doing one for a few years and after delving into a book my lovely mother sent me last week, I finally feel bold enough to start.  I have really just started focusing on my Art over the past year and a half. 

  

   I have always painted, sketched and doodled. But for some reason never really put it out there, until recently. Up into my 20s most people around me didn't know I painted. Its funny, I for so long kept that part of myself hidden to a degree. Of course close friends and family know I am an artist.  Even with the fact that I paint nearly very day for at this point I still have a hard time saying "I'm an Artist", which is silly, right down to my very core, and essence that is what I am. My grandfather was a painter by profession and I have grown up in a very creative family. Traveling a great deal as a child lead to me needing something that was easy to transport, quiet and easy to do anywhere, thus drawing was what I naturally fell into. 

  In the past year or so I have brought a new attention and focus to my art, realizing how much it nourishes me, and is part of my being.  It helps me process the world, and my thoughts, fears, and bliss. Its something I simply do, a compulsion. As a creative type, and one with a deep desire to have a meaningful life, and a right livelihood, I have started taking steps to hopefully make Art my livelihood as well as passion.  Last summer I started painting everyday, for at least an hour. I was blessed to have so many amazing and supporting people around me who advised, encouraged and even payed for commissioned pieces. As I sit and look at my work from the past year or so I am astounded at the volume and leaps by which I have improved. As with anything, there is infinitely more to learn, everyday I figure out another tiny puzzle piece in this magical web I am part of.  I am absolutely terrified to put myself out there in this way, but for some reason it feels like the right step.

In this way I will seek to express my daily struggles, inspiration and all the pieces that help to weave what it is to be an artist.


So, with that being said, here are a few offerings for the week!
 Fall in is the air and Halloween is around the corner. I have been inspired by these themes and have been painting a lot of fall flavored still life's.

My first Autumn still life from last week,  "Squash Study" watercolor on paper. 9x12"

  $100 

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Inspired by the rich colors of Autumn, Halloween, Samhain, life and death, phases of nature and the change of seasons as we slip into the darker days of winter.

  

 

"Crimson Fox Study", Oil on paper, 12x16" $100

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I have always had a deep love for red foxes, they have in a way always been one of my spirit animals. I tried to be bolder with color on this one then I have in the past, I used some violet blue type highlights in places, and like the effect.

Thank you all for taking the time to look at this! More to come soon.