Getting ready to rock and roll

Hi everyone,

Tonight I've been working on refining one of my paintings. I showed
it to you a while ago and it needed some sparkle. After a long, but
great day at school, I settled in to change it.

Today's starting point

The second image shows what happened, and then...I was photographing
it and thought -- wait a minute, and changed it again. The
discipline of producing a daily blog has definitely affected both
my productivity and my outlook. Seeing my images through the
camera teaches me to scrutinize what I'm doing and
adjust it. I am not a fan of the critique, but doing the blog is
like a self-installed critique. I want you to like what
I'm doing, and I hope you do. But I really want to be happy with
what I do. One for all and all for one -- hup! I sound like
a cheerleader, which by the way is how I sound most of the time.
It's definitely a role I play with gusto.

Almost there, and then the eye on the
left of the painting caught my eye

And here is what may be the final version. This little painting is
only 10" x 10" -- so enough. I am happy. I think.

Beautiful woman
10" x 10"
acrylic on canvas

Tomorrow in addition to marking papers, I am working on spiffing the place
up enough to have visitors take a look around the studio. No big deal
because I'm a very tidy painter. Just ask my family. They live with
paint creeping onto the surfaces in every room in the house, paint on
the walls, floors and furniture in the studio, tape on the floor and
chairs and couch in the studio to mark commission poses, and even tape on the
studio pillows! I would love to be a tidy painter, but I'd need an
assistant who went around behind me keeping everything squeaky
clean. Before Artwalk I tidy up the rooms, and make the place look
as though order is every bit as important as creativity. I learned
that from Flora Doehler. In fact Flora taught me the whole idea of
showing my studio space, and how to make it look good. She
could be a house Martha,making any place look appealing.
I wish she was here now.

Have a deliciously organized day.

Blocked briefly

Hi everyone,

I have no idea why my September 10 post listing my
"Brilliante Weblog Award" choices was blocked from
comment, but please feel free to comment on later
blogs. I will be writing more later today and
posting an image. But for now I just wanted
to get the message out.

Steven and Timbah relaxing,
that's Sam's dying palm tree in the pot
heading for the compost
(Note to self -- we've got to clean that window.)

I teach this afternoon, so have to drive to King
City, north of Toronto, and the traffic Friday
afternoon is pretty thick. Even so, as an artist
I am always happy on the drive, listening to my
music and looking at everything. They say
we artists actually have different brains, and I think it's
true. If I'm not sick, and my family is well, and
I've eaten, I am almost always happy -- because
there's always something to look at. So here's
to keeping the eyes working. Even when traffic
is completely stuck there are flights of birds
swooping up and down as if to music, there's
the light reflected off the car windows, and the
shiny sides of clean cars, and for a portrait
painter there are the people stuck with me,
moving in the opposite direction. So much to see!!!

So if you want to comment on the great blogs I've
chosen, you can do it on this blog (I hope), I
can't understand what's happening with the
other one, but I don't have time to investigate
either.

Here's to open communication on the internet.
Long may it continue.

The joyous dance series

Nobody could embody the best just-before- a-party mood better than Louisa. I did this
little painting from reference photos a few
years ago. Louisa has a great natural
confidence, looks terrific in a dress, has superb
long legs and knows it. The painting was
meant to be a sketch for a larger portrait,
but Louisa has been so busy it's been hard
to make a time. One day though I will, and
I know the larger, more finished portrait
will have all the pizazz she brought to this
little one.

I thought of the painting today because I've
been walking so much, but not taking my
dog. I feel a bit guilty about it, but I am
walking for serious exercise, and dogs walk
just for fun. This is my dog Zoey, who fell
in love, as everyone does, with Louisa.

I donated the painting to a fund-raiser
for my son's school band trip to Vienna a couple of years ago.
I frequently run into the lady who now owns it at school functions;
she's very happy with the piece.

Have a party day!

The luckiest of professions

One day during a show I had with
the wonderful landscape painter
Gill Cameron, a friend of hers
came in and instantly understood
my concept of "Before the Dance."

She saw this metaphor as a perfect
description of her three children,
and so began a delightful working
experience for me.

When I visited the family in their home, and saw how
they were together, I knew I wanted the paintings to
connect. All three children got along extremely well.
They were polite, gracious and a pleasure both to
paint, and to talk to during our many breaks. I
generally buy cookies for my subjects, and each child
liked a different kind of cookie. They were all athletic,
artistic in their own ways, and enjoying life to the
fullest.

I've enjoyed everyone I've ever painted, and when I
have a client in my studio and the image is humming
away nicely, I am certain that I am blessed as an
artist. Then I say, "Thank you universe for your
bounty." Thank you children for being a delight
to paint. This work is three separate paintings,
which together add up to to 6' x 36".

The photo in this case does not do the work
justice.

Have a blessed evening.