Tender Love

We are all put on this planet for some reason.  I like to think one of the reasons we are here is to just to be there for each other ~ to love each other as best we can.  

This is a portrait of a grandmother I know who was there to comfort and help her grandson feel safe and secure as he waited to have a serious operation.  Of course, he was far too young to realize the gravity of his situation, but you can see in his eyes that he sensed that something was wrong. No one knew if the operation would help him or if he would even survive.  So this grandmother did what grandmothers do best.  She simply gave him all her love and care, all her prayers, and all her best hopes and dreams for him. Fortunately, the operation was successful and this sweet little boy is doing well.  There is no doubt in my mind that love was as much a part of his recovery as the skill of the surgeon and nurses that cared for him.

Oils on canvas. 11 x 14 inches. 2015.

"Life beats down and crushes the soul.
Art reminds you that you have one."
~ Stella Adler

Big Sister

When I painted this portrait of Aurora and her baby brother, I was thinking about what a beautiful moment it is when one first becomes a big sister. Not everybody gets to be a big sister. I didn't ever have that opportunity, being the youngest in our family and all.  I'm sure Aurora at that time had no idea how having a baby brother would impact her life.  This was a first in her life ~ the first time laying eyes on and holding a baby~ her very own baby brother ~ a very special little person that would be an important somebody in her life for the rest of her life.  
Oils on Canvas. 16 x 20 inches. 2010.

Brothers

"To the outside world we all grow old.  But not to brothers and sisters.  We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time."
~ Clara Ortega



Acrylics on canvas. 16 x 20 inches. Painting about 1994 from a photo that was taken in the early 1940's.

Key Deer

We have three species of deer in Florida. . . White-tailed deer, Sambar deer ( a species that was introduced in Franklin County) and a sub-species of the White-tailed Deer, the Key Deer.  This is a watercolor painting of a pair of Key Deer - a mother and her fawn.  They are quite small - about the size of a dog.  The buck is only about 3 feet tall and these two were even smaller.  They are endangered and live only in the keys in south Florida.  

Watercolor on archival paper. 16 x 20 inches. 2001.

Beaver
I have always been interested in drawing and painting animals of all sorts.  As a child growing up, I spent a lot of time exploring the woods and keenly observed everything there near our house overlooking the Mississippi river. I was so interested in it that I probably should have become a naturalist of some sort.  Having said all that, we did not have beavers there at that time.  We did have a muskrat family that lived in a lodge they built along the stream that fed into Gray's Bay.
Drawing on newsprint. 8 x 8 inches. 1967.

Self Portrait
Watercolor on Arches paper. 6 x 8 inches. 1969.

Working Man 
I used to carry some sort of sketch pad and drawing pencils with me wherever I go.  It's been a while since I did this, but may start again as you never know when you are going to see something interesting to draw.  I drew this contour drawing of a construction worker sitting in the back of a pick up truck while in extremely slow moving traffic one evening on the way home from work.
Graphite pencil on newsprint. 8 x 10 inches. 1985.
 

"If I hadn't started painting, I would have raised chickens."
~ Grandma Moses

Old Man in Hat

Hiking Boot

 Pencil on paper. 8 x 10 inches. 1963                         Pencil on Paper. 8 x 10 inches. 1966.

Self Portrait

                                         Mixed Media on Newsprint. 10 x 12 inches. 1967.

Man from Aran

I like to keep a journal whenever I travel - I jot down notes each day of the places and people I encounter along the way, notating anything that I found interesting.  I also usually take along a small sketchbook of watercolor paper, a few brushes and the primary colors (cadmium red medium, cadmium yellow and cobalt blue) so that I can do little plein air paintings and/or paintings from my hotel room.   All the paintings are watercolors on watercolor paper, 5 x 7 inches in size and painted in Ireland and Scotland in May 2002.
 

Billy Goat
We were traveling with a bunch of backpackers traveling west from Dublin crossing across Ireland to Galway and then headed south to the Cliffs of Moher and along the Burren.  The roads were narrow and after we rounded a curve we came to an abrupt stop because there were sheep and goats in the road.  This billy goat seemed annoyed that we had interrupted his lunch.  Was this a goat or a sheep - they said goat, but goats tails curl upwards and sheep tails hang down behind them?

Celtic Cross at Clonmacnoise
Clonmacnoise means "Meadow of the sons of Nos". It is a monastic site overlooking the River Shannon in County Offaly. Clonmacnoise was founded in 548 AD. by St. Ciaran, the son of a master craftsman. The first buildings were made of wood, so these buildings were not built until 900 to 1100 AD. This site was once visited by scholars from all over Europe and it is the burial site of the Kings of Tara.
Walking amid the ruins and towering celtic crosses was surreal. So much had happened here in this holy place.

Celtic Cross and Ancient Church 
Clonmacnoise

Courtyard in Dingle.
I loved everything about Dingle.  It is a small seaport on the coastline of southwestern Ireland. It is said to have 52 pubs and 1300 residents.  Too bad I didn't get to Dingle until long after I had put the plug in the jug so to speak.  Nevertheless, I found Dingle to be charming in every respect - the people, the food, the cobblestone streets and the drive around the peninsula where there was a scenic view at every turn, most especially the crucifix facing the sea at the southernmost point. We saw the Gallorus Oratory (a 1300 year old stone church) and the Famine Fields untouched since the planting in 1845 where the potatoes rotted in the ground.  Such a shame. The little painting above was the view outside our B&B window. Would that I could return sometime.

The West Coast of Ireland

This is an area between Slea Head and Dunmore Head on Dingle Peninsula where several movies have been shot including Ryan's Daughter starring Robert Mitchum. We were told many uproarious stories about the shooting of that movie and the drinking escapades of Robert Mitchum while he was there.

LaHinch Seacoast Town
Country Clare, is a place where the Irish go on holiday because of it's long beaches and appeal to surfers wanting to ride the wild Atlantic waves. We ate a wonderful Fisherman's Broth while there and then went for a stroll along the ocean side walkway as portrayed in the above painting.  Along the way, there were some Irish lasses selling cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh. . . The Irish lads told us not to buy from them as they were tinkers, but we bought a bag of sea snails freshly boiled in a pot of sea water right on the rocks of the beach.  They were quite tasty and we lived to tell the tale.

Scottish Countryside
These next three paintings are out of order. I am a bit technologically challenged, so I hope anyone reading this will just bear with me.  We flew across the Irish Sea to Glascow in a raging storm.  It was raining so hard that all our belongings got totally soaked in our back packs as they sat on the tarmac waiting to be loaded into our plane. It was bitter cold and must have been at least 25 knots of wind or more when we landed and boarded a train into the city.  Bill struck up a conversation on the train with a couple of Irish lads who loudly announced they were going to Glasgow hoping to get laid. Outside the window I was amazed to see that there were men playing golf in the driving rain along the Scottish sea coast.  The wind was so strong the rain was almost horizontal, but they were out there golfing as if it was just a balmy day.  By the way, only men are allowed to play golf in Ireland and Scotland - at least that was the way it was when we were there.  After spending a few days in Glascow we joined an English bus tour group and traveled to the Scottish Highlands staying in Ft. William on one of the Lochs.  Each day we went out on a day trip to various locations in the highlands including Loch Ness and the Isle of Skye. We were the only Americans on the tour.  They called me the American Woman.

Man on Bench, Edinburgh, Scotland

Scotland

Fishing Trawler, Dingle, Ireland

St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, Ireland
St. Stephen's Green once was a common for public whippings, floggings and hangings.  Today it is an elegantly landscaped 9 hectare park where people stretch out on the grass, play tag football, go jogging or play frisbee.  That's the way it is in Ireland - a mix of a tragic violent past and beauty.  On the way to the Green we walked past Trinity College where the gloriously illuminated Book of Kells is housed.  We stopped to listen to the street musicians for a while until the police arrived and rousted them out.  Apparently they did not have the proper permit or some such thing.  Everywhere we saw F-C-U-K graffiti in this area.  F-C-U-K by the way stands for French Connection-United Kingdom. We got some fish and chips in a pub along the way.  The pub was so smoke-filled that we could barely see through it.  I understand the pubs no longer allow smoking, but that was the way it was when we were there.

Street Musicians, Dublin, Ireland

“There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who, with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun.” 

~Pablo Picasso

“To draw, you must close your eyes and sing” 

~Pablo Picasso

Watching the Waves Roll In

My grandson, under the watchful eye of his father, was fascinated by the waves rolling in and out.  The power and size of the huge rollers pounding the Oregon coastline were awe-inspiring to all of us - not just my grandson who was three years old at the time.  

As I write this, my grandson is about to graduate from high school and go on to college.  Once again he is standing at the brink of something magnificent, something awe-inspiring happening in his life.  We continue to watch as he steps out into the world and all that is ahead of him.  

Watercolor on archival paper. 12 x 18 inches. 2000.

Honeymoon Island

I painted this one day when I went to my favorite beach, Honeymoon Island.  This is the northern-most beach house on the island.  We used to park near there and then walk along the shore northward from there collecting shells, swimming and laying out in the sun.  We preferred that part of the island because it was less crowded.  Nothing soothes my soul more than a sunny day at the beach listening to the waves roll in and out, sand under my feet and the breezes blowing in from the warm gulf waters.

Honeymoon Island, a barrier island, is now a State Park made up of 385 acres of pristine nature off the coast of Dunedin, Florida. The gulf side of the beach is about four miles long and has virgin slash pine and mangroves along St. Joseph Sound. The island is protected from development and only has four bathhouses along the beach – one of which is depicted in my painting of Honeymoon Island.

It was first inhabited by the Tocobagan Indians and was later populated by Spanish explorers, pirates, traders, and fishermen in the sixteenth century. Artifacts such as skeletal remains, pottery and chains have been found on the island.

In the 19th century, some attempts were made to homestead the island with little success until a hog farm was started on the island and it became known as Hog Island. In October 1921 a hurricane hit the island and split it in two with Hurricane Pass cutting between the north and south parts of the original island.

However, by the 1940's, the unattractive name was changed to Honeymoon Island, since it had become a popular destination for newlyweds. A businessman from New York by the name of Clinton Mosely Washburn had purchased the island in 1939. 

He, together with Life Magazine, Newsreel, and the Clearwater Lions Club, began a contest for newlywed couples where the winners would spend their Honeymoon on the island. One hundred sixty-seven couples won a stay and came down to Honeymoon Isle. They stayed in one of the fifty thatched huts built on what was then the main beach area. World War II ended the honeymoons and the island was then used for a rest and recuperative retreat for factory workers.
Watercolor on archival paper. 10 x 20 inches. Plein air. Late 1990's.

Jenna Embroidering

Jenna's parents were missionaries on the island of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean.  They lived there in a little house with a dirt floor for several years while they worked to translate the Bible into the language of the local people.  They brought their children along with them and home schooled them.  This little watercolor is painted from a photo they sent back home.

I have been told that she had injured her heel and was soaking it in water while she sat stitching some cloth.  She still has a scar on her heel. What seemed a momentary interest in sewing has become an occupation for her now that she is grown.  She studied textiles and now is a respected artist who creates beautiful fabric designs.

Watercolor on archival paper. 

One Thirty Five

This is one of the many charming little houses in Safety Harbor. Some are derelict but others have been restored and reflect the character of the inhabitants of our little town.  
Watercolor on archival paper. 11 x 17 inches. 2003.

My concern has always been to paint nudes as if they were some splendid fruit.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Seated Nude

The first female nudes were portrayed with exaggerated body parts and were thought to have magical powers that aided fertility; centuries later artists continued portraying goddesses, however the focus now was on depicting the ideal form of female beauty. Fast forward a few more centuries and artists were more interested in portraying female figures realistically showing imperfections.

With the invention of the camera, artists in the late 19th century began exaggerating and even distorting proportions to portray the life, action and emotion of the subject in a variety of styles such as Impressionism, expressionism, fauvism, cubism, abstract.

I had the opportunity to study art.  My course of study included figure drawing classes with live nude models.   We began with gesture drawings to loosen up and then did contour drawings of the figure moving the pencil as the eye moved  along the outline of the figure...later adding shading using various techniques.  This little drawing was done using a live model at an art center in the Orlando area.

Mixed media (pencil, charcoal, conte crayon on toned archival paper). 11 x 17 inches.  1974 

Tipping of the Hat (Watercolor 11x17 in. 1997)

 I also love to paint children.  They are just at the beginning of their lives. . .





exploring the world and all that is in it for the first time.  Watching how delighted they are at the simplest things - wearing a hat . . .
 

First Snook (Acrylic on Canvas. 16 x 20 in. 2006)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 catching a prize fish for the first time . . .

At the Beach (Acrylic on Canvas. 16x20 in. 2006

)

 

or enjoying the beach with their father - those things remind me of all that is good in the world.  It gives me hope and gratitude.

"The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place:  from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web." 

~ Pablo Picasso

Waiting at the Door

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
~ Matthew 7:7

Oil on canvas. 16 x 20 inches. 2008.

Thundering Breakers

We stood on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean below the coastal highway near Half Moon Bay watching the sea roll in on a wintry morning.  We were there for Patty's funeral.  The sea was enormous and seemed to echo the powerlessness and grief we were feeling that day. There are many things beyond our control.  We are but specks in the grand scheme of things.

Watercolor. 18 x 24 inches. 2000.

A Beautiful Heart

This is a little unfinished sketch I did recently of a little old lady seen walking along the streets of New York City.  

"At the end of the day you will not remember the person with the beautiful face, but you will remember the person with the most beautiful heart and soul."

"Beauty fades but a beautiful heart lasts forever."

Pencil on paper. 8 x 10 inches. 2014

Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen

Nobody knows my sorrow

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen

Glory hallelujah!

Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down

Oh, yes, Lord

Sometimes I'm almost to the ground

Oh, yes, Lord 

This is a portrait of an African American woman who was over 100 years old at the time I did this painting.  One can only imagine the toil and trouble she had seen during her lifetime. She sits with grace and dignity unbowed by her travails.  

Personally, I believe that each one of us, if we live long enough, goes through plenty of troubles too. . .whatever our paths may be. . .and that we can come through it. . .yes, scarred by it, but able to retain our dignity and worth as a human being. 

Watercolor. 16 x 20 inches.

Quotes by Marc Chagall:

"Art must be an expression of love or it is nothing."

"If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing."

Morning Walk

I love dogs!  This pair were out for their morning walk at a Ft. DeSoto Park campground when I photographed them. I like the idea of capturing a moment such as this with a camera and then returning to my studio to do a painting.  

I particularly like the way the big dog is rather intense, pulling on his leash, tail up straight indicating that he is on guard, ready to tangle if need be.  And the smaller dog is relaxed, friendly and smiley, tail curving mid-wag with a loose leash - just out for a stroll along the bayou in the early morning sunlight.  A matched pair and yet each one so different in their approach to life.

Oil on canvas. 8 x 10 inches. 2015.

Noble Athena

I was commissioned to do a post apocalyptic portrait of a friend and his dog.  Both are larger than life in real life so it seemed only appropriate to echo that in the painting by having Athena, a Cane Corso, rearing up with her Noble master mounted on her back sporting pistols. I found it a very interesting challenge to bring their request to life on canvas.  

Athena was named after the Greek goddess who is said to have been born full grown and clad in armor.  Athena was fierce and brave but only fought in defense of her home from outside enemies.  

The Cane Corso is an Italian dog that sports a large and imposing head.  Cane Corso dogs were originally used by the Romans in war.  Temperamentally, they require strong leadership.  Athena seems a perfect fit for her owner whose last name, Noble is fitting.  Together they are a formidable force and will protect and defend us all from any danger that threatens our land post apocalyptic or otherwise.

Oils on canvas. 16 x 20 inches. 2014.