Courage

I sometimes wonder what others see when they look at something I have painted . . .

In 2016, I made a personal commitment to support as many local art competitions as I could through participation. One of those local competitions was Lynda English Studio's Miniature Competition.  And this evening the judge shared comments on the pieces she selected.

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This little mini was the delighted recipient of 2nd place!

But this is what struck my core this evening. The judge said the delicate lines within the parachute reminded her of the frailty of life.

My heart stopped.

What she didn't know (and what I couldn't tell her because I would have cried!) - is that this is actually a painting of my father, painted from the image at the right. He died when I was 8 years old.

At that age the frailty of life became a reality to me. And just today my heart has been aching for a friend who is facing the same. It doesn't matter what age you are . . . they will always be Daddy.

And so to me courage means many things. It means those that serve fearlessly with bravery. But it also means those that continue to take one small step at a time. Or those that take a leap of faith and jump. 

Courage means my mother who chose to stay in the United States to raise her three girls, - rather then return to her country of Germany because she felt it would be best for us to grow up here. It also means my grandmother - who as my sister points out is the original steel magnolia. If you know her, you know this is true. 

But it also mean living a life well. I'd like to say living without fear. But honestly, fear has become paralyzing real to me at times - especially as I have had children. (Case in point: my 18 year old self on a plane verses my now self on a plane. Two completely different beings.)

And I know God has not given us a spirit of fear. But it does like to sit on our doorsteps. 

Then this captures my heart and I have to agree.

My sister gave this to my oldest boy when he turned 16. A photo of our dad in his glory days.

So here's to courage! And the beauty of life.

A special thank you to Kim Brauss for her kind words this evening. Kim, you saw exactly what my heart painted into that little piece. Thank you to Lynda and Jackie for supporting local artists this evening, both young and old!

Eyelets and Lace

Commissioned as a special birthday gift for their father, this set of two small paintings was completed over the past two months. And I LOVE them!

Here's why:

1. The girls did not coordinate their outfits. They were photographed at different times and yet, somehow despite living miles apart, they complimented one another in their choices! One in black with eyelets in the fabric, the other in a pale white lace.

2. They are grownups! I'm mostly asked to paint children. But I think it says something when women are as treasured in their adult years as when they are young through a portrait.

3. The bit of a Mona Lisa smile in Rachel. And the kindness seen in Kaitlin's eyes. Both girls have beautiful smiles and it was difficult to choose which expression I wanted to capture in the portraits. (I seriously have at least five more for each of them that I wanted to paint!)

They are incredibly intelligent young ladies.  I am pretty sure these two will each be leaders in their own right, if they are not already.

4. Watercolor meets lace. The lace detailing took some time to paint.  For watercolorists, it entailed so much of that backward, saving the whites thinking - that very thing that is such a challenge but also one of those things that is most endearing to us.

5. The hair! So many lights and darks to capture in such beautiful tones! All these details were delightful!

6. Painting a set of sisters. My own are very important to me. I hoped that a hint of their own person was present but also in a way that showed how the two can compliment one another.

Unique yet still sharing much.

Thank you so much to this family for allowing me to be part of creating such a meaningful gift. It was an honor and a privilege!

"A sister is both your mirror - and your opposite." ~ Elizabeth Fishel

Rachel
5 inches by 5 inches
watercolor
 

Kaitlin
5 inches by 5 inches
watercolor

Daughter of Man

A little nod to Art History today.

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Daughter of Man
watercolor
8" x 10"

This painting is of a selfie my sister took. It is painted in watercolor on Arches 140lb paper. The minute I saw the image, I knew I wanted to paint it. I loved the hair, the negative spaces and the whites I saw but mostly . . .

The Son of Man by René Magritte

It IMMEDIATELY made me think of the painting, The Son of Man by René Magritte.

About his painting, -which is a self-portrait - Magritte said:  "Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see. There is an interest in that which is hidden and which the visible does not show us. This interest can take the form of a quite intense feeling, a sort of conflict, one might say, between the visible that is hidden and the visible that is present."

And what strikes me most is THIS statement of his, "Everything we see hides another thing, . . ." 

And that says volumes to me in 2016 on the social media footprints we leave and the lives we lead.

The Twelve Days

Last holiday season, I committed to creating something on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

I worked in paper collage, which is not my normal. But I loved it.

I cut several old watercolors and rearranged, glued, snipped and glued some more. I felt 7 years old again! It was sheer play. The old was re-purposed into something new, one could say.

On each of the Twelve Days of Christmas, a new collage was created. Each day I reflected on the season at hand.

And how it is symbolically portrayed in culture. . As I put together the traditional nativity scene, I thought much about poverty. And then also about the refugee crisis.

Fleeing and the need for shelter. What is it like to live in a war torn country, while we are surrounded by gifts and comfort? How can I even begin to understand?

The rose is a nod to the German hymn Es ist ein Ros' Entsprungen. On that day I thought of my mother and the fun German Christmas traditions she instilled in our home.

They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. The collage above had me thinking of first steps on long roads as new year's resolution season was underway. Mine was to increase my time painting. My productivity did increase but not as much as I had hoped. My inventory is still much lower than I'd like for it to be. And the ideas continue to come faster than I have time to execute them...

Anyway, I've been sorting through the collages this week. I'm actually making a postcard set out of them. I used to collect postcards when I was younger. I had shoe boxes full of them. I loved all the travels they depicted. The thoughtfulness of those who took time out of their vacation to send a note home impressed me.  I wanted to capture this 12 Day Series in that format.

The printed cards have not yet arrived, but I'll post more about where you can find the sets soon.

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to creating another Twelve Day Series this year. I have ideas already at work for the theme!

Evelyn Claire

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This little one was painted for her mother on her birthday, commissioned by her grandmother.  It's a joy to see the treasure she is and the delight she brings to the entire family!

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The painting is 4" x 4" and completed in watercolor. Then coated in a wax varnish. It's really difficult to give the smallness of these little miniatures justice in digital images. But this one is so cute!

Happy Birthday Becca! I hope you enjoy the finished piece as much as I enjoyed painting it for you!

Vainglory

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It began as I painted the beautiful plumage patterns. The shapes and markings oddly matched the sun spots I have.  We women of 40 years old have been taught they are our enemies. And I thought of the money, time and tangle of emotions we western culture ladies spend on battling aging.

Then I went to visit my grandmother in Germany and I saw the pain of arthritis on a daily basis. And it broke my heart.

Pause. Reset.

When in our society did aging lose its beautiful honor & wisdom? Why would we try to hide and fight against that? Perhaps because it frightens us?

So I am trying to live beyond myself. Learning to recognize which things in our lives give and which take.

Vainglory, I believe you are a thief.

watercolor

19" x 24"

(background hand drawn and painted, ... took FOREVER!)

From Across the Pond...And Looking Back

I recently had the privilege of painting a set of grandchildren for a special friend.

Three of the four happened to be British...The morning I went to photograph the three British children, they had arrived the night before from that long flight.

And it made me think of how excited I always was - as I child to go see my family in Germany. And how that was my normal !   Flying to another country to see family.

I now recognize that as an incredible gift and also how very difficult it is to be SO FAR from family.

So for my friend Jennifer, I hope these little paintings make all four of these sweet grands of yours feel close when miles may make it seem and feel otherwise.

All four have such distinct personalities but I can tell each one of these little ones adore you to the moon and back!

Cleaning up the Desktop

I've been determined to streamline and clean up my personal computer's desktop. I'm also sorting through old pictures and images. And boy, the memories.

Here's a few.

Sophmore year of High School. 1992 Ms. Plaxco's Class. Katherine Hudson sat behind me. And I loved this acrylic painting assignment. Image was taken out of some torn out magazine ad, I think... But seeing it takes me back. I remember lipstick colors, AP European History, some of the best of friends and the sense of independence only a driver's license can provide. (Side note: Katherine and I went to see U2 in Concert in Birmingham, AL on a SCHOOL NIGHT! - Now as a parent, I think twice about that. But an interesting fact: my now husband was also at that concert.)

Collage, Acrylic, 1992

Friendship. I have some of the greatest of friends. And this was painted in celebration of that.

Talueek, watercolor and ink, 2007

And then this one. I painted this for a friend based off of Psalm 23. This one makes my heart still for a moment. She showed me goodness, strength and love when I most needed to see that.

Psalm 23, watercolor, pencil and ink, 2007

And this one is so strange to me. It's bright and colorful but it was painted as I waited for some of my mother's test results to come back during her battle with cancer. I felt as if my family was navigating through uncharted waters without a map or destination that could be seen nor understood.

Fluid Utopia, watercolor, 2018

Asian Girl in the Middle, watercolor, 2008

What Color are You?, watercolor, 2008

Lyrics of Lascaux 3, Watercolor, 2008

A Black Tie Affair, watercolor, 2007

There's No Place Like Home, watercolor, 2008

The Homeplace, Watercolor, 2008

Consider the Sparrow, watercolor, 2013

Relentless Prayer, watercolor and acrylic medium, 2015