October in St. Augustine

11x14

(This painting received an Honorable Mention at the AGOP "Through the Looking Glass" juried exhibition.)

When I visit my favorite city, I can’t help but wonder what it was like to live there before all of the tourists, gift shops, and trolleys.  The Spanish Quarter is the area’s “living history museum” and it is the one place where you can easily imagine what life was like back then.  As in many areas of St. Augustine, it is beautiful.  It’s full of tall oak trees, interesting old buildings, and it has been kept in an authentic condition.  It feels a bit like stepping back in time.  But what I especially love about it is the feeling of peacefulness that comes over me when I am there. 

My life is usually very hectic.  I’m the mother of 3 children who are in 3 different schools and who all are involved in sports and activities.  There are days when I’m needed to be in 3 different places at once.  I wouldn’t trade any of this, but there are times when I long for a quiet place (did I mention I also have 4 dogs?) and this painting represents that place where time slows down, all is quiet and peaceful, and I can just sort of take a deep breath and relax.    We all need that now and then!

Zinnia with Butterfly

5x7

"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Painting makes me happy, as I "sit down quietly" at my easel, lose myself in my favorite music, and create.  There is nothing like it.

Striker

11x14

I sometimes have trouble naming my paintings.  One friend recently joked about how "non-creative" my painting titles are, and I have to agree! My creativity is in my painting and *not* in my writing.  A "striker" in soccer is a forward player who is expected to score, and I think the title is appropriate.  I admit I considered a completely different title though--"Time is Fleeting."  This is a painting of my son that captures a split second in time as he plays his favorite sport.  He started playing soccer at the age of 4 and I can so easily remember him and his tiny little team-mates chasing the soccer ball all over the field.  He is now 12 and I rarely catch any more glimpses of the little boy he used to be.  So I painted this one in a reflective, melancholy sort of mood.  Our children grow up too quickly.

I tried to keep the focus strictly on him and the ball and purposely kept the rest of the painting loose and kind of blurred.  

Sky and Water Study

(approximately 12x9)

Sadly, I have been in a bit of a creative "slump" lately.  Life's distractions, some welcome and some not, were interfering with not only my painting time but with my desire to create--which normally is always right there bursting at the surface.  I finally feel that inspiration has returned, and I'm very happy for it.  The above painting is just a "study"--I love the beach and this felt like the right place to jump back in.  I'm back! :) 

Anastasia Dunes

14x11  I took a workshop with pastellist Lyn Asselta, and she demonstrated how to do a watercolor underpainting in complementary colors.  This painting started off looking like a landscape from Mars--but the underpainting added depth and the process was fun.  I'll do watercolor underpaintings again with landscapes.

My Current Price List For Commissions

Butterfly

10x8, an experiment in painting "loose".  There are times when I feel that my painting style is too "tight"--too detailed, not "painterly" enough. I painted this with the intention of having fun and seeing where it would lead, and I'm happy with how it turned out! I plan to paint more florals with this approach.