As you may or may not know, I am doing the 3 Day, 60 mile walk for breast cancer research in September. I did a "long" walk this weekend as part of my prep. These guys thought I was pretty interesting! It was funny how different the cows were from pasture to pasture. One group was terrified and scampered away from the fence as fast as they could. Others just seem hypnotized. It's going to be fun to see the little guys grow as I walk all summer.
Painting the figure is like a strange addiction. If one were to think of painting as commerce they would certainly paint what has proven to be a viable product. That said, when brush is in hand self indulgence takes over.
When you live in the country, as we do, animals just seem to show up. As we wandered the garden one evening we heard a faint meowing. We already housed several feline darlings but we knew right away it was not one of their voices. From under a tree came the most peculiar looking cat. There was this tiny body on top of long, long fluffy legs. Housed in that odd body was an amazing personality. We took her to our local vet only to find out her odd looks were due to low body weight. Where ever she came from they had not been feeding her. At the same time we had a young male cat that had not been with us long. His energy and attention was NOT welcomed by the older cats in the household. He and this little stray hit it off immediately. She became the distraction he needed to get him to stop tormenting the older pets. She's been with us about 5 years now. The skinny little body has been replaced by a round, plump one. She's full of spirit and smart as a whip. This painting gives you a peek into that wonderful little spirit.
This is another area of the grounds at Don Gaspar. We sat at these little glass tables, shipping wine and wondering who had rented "the big house"
And yet another image of my beautiful neighbor. I think everything about her is so expressive. These paintings certainly don't portray her personality though. She's wild and funny, always brightly informed. I just hope she won't get bored with all of this.
I was up at 4:15Am today to be sure I could paint before I had to go to an appointment at 9:20. It's my day off and I HATE having to leave the property. I can't impress on anyone enough how hard it was to swing my legs off the side of the bed and lift my body off. If you haven't been following the news, Washington state is having some kind of freak weather. It's April 18th and it snowed. That means getting out of bed at that hour was cruel! My studio floor is concrete to boot! Boy, at this point I'm so glad I did. This series is materializing just like I hope. I can't thank my neighbor, Sarah enough for posing. Shhhhhhhhh, don't tell her but I've got some more ideas................
Yes! It is the model I wanted when this whole idea came about. She's such a good sport. Believe it or not she's part American Indian. In fact, she's a lawyer that specializes in Indian Law. She lives right next door to me (convienent). Amazing story teller and all around fascinating person. Trust me! you're going to be seeing more of her.
I'm so impressed by the music artists that frequent our famous Pike Place Market. Imagine trying to paint for change in front of thousands of people.
My husband, Ross is a sculptor. He shows at a wonderful place 5 miles north of Santa Fe called Shidoni. If you ever get the chance you MUST visit. It's an artist's foundry and sculpture garden. The owner, Tommy Hicks is legend. Anyway, we go every other year to deliver new work. There's a bed and breakfast called Don Gaspar. It is beyond words. This painting is the little dining room where we enjoy the most wonderful breakfast and delightful conversations with the caretakers.
Funny, but when I look at this group of dresses all I can think of is Dancing With The Stars. When I was painting these images of the mannequins dancing around the mall after all the doors are locked. Kind of a Stephen King prom.
