Here you will find a few words, alongside the works.
Ch-ch-changes
A few changes are taking place in my world in 2017.
The main one being, I have returned to being at home.
Here are the stats: I'm 41. My 20 year wedding anniversary is approaching and my children are 18 and 17. Here's the reality. Time isn't going backwards. It's moving and it's moving FAST!
And I felt it was time to take a pause, stop the clock, reflect, take some personal dreams off of a shelf and blow the dust off. Some may call this a mid-life crisis. I'm calling it half-time.
Charles and I have talked about this for a LONG time. And we felt this was the time. I am leaving an organization I have worked for in very good hands - with a wonderful group of people and partnerships to carry it forward.
And while I could have continued on in my role, I know that the organization is currently poised for growth and development in areas that require a new set of strengths. In the nonprofit sector, I believe it is crucial for leaders to know themselves, their capabilities and the needs of the organization.
I also know that for every yes one says, that is a no to something else.
So I am saying yes to a new adventure. For the next few months this will include a little more painting and a few additional hidden projects. (more about them in the future!)
But for today, I'll simply leave you with this little halftime performance and Ohrworm of a song.
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.
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.
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.