The Lake House…

Where childhood memories are made and teenage antics are harmless and carefree.

This is the place of family gatherings, board games, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing with your dad.

This neutral piece looks great in any decor where family and connection are the goal.

I created this series of nine, believe it or not, after researching the colors in peacock feathers. I call it the Splendor Series and used the “official peacock colors” in its creation. Read this post for more on that!

And if this post has sparked your interest in peacocks, check out the United Peafowl Organization for all kinds of interesting facts. You may even be inspired to start your own peafowl farm. Just sayin’…

I lived in the Sonora Desert for over 20 years and I know the tricks those blazing summer temps can play on a person.

When I first arrived I jumped in with both feet because I had three kids who needed to acclimate and make new friends. We did everything we could afford to do and experienced all the community had to offer. We hiked a lot and went for nature walks in washes and mesquite bosques. After a while our lives unfolded as naturally and normally as anyone elses, and we were deep into school and social activities. Time flew by.

After over 23 years in  that lovely but VERY HOT community, we decided to move back to Southern California. But I still have lots of friends and family in the desert, and I still know what that extreme heat is like…

Mirages are real, folks, even when you’re not delirious. They occur because light bends to move through warmer, less dense air. In the desert, the air is at its hottest near the surface, and it cools as it rises. The light then refracts downward, causing the eye to see rippling colors at and below the horizon; and objects change and sometimes seem to appear out of nowhere.

While working on this piece the green line seemed to jump onto the canvas of its own accord. I immediately thought “That looks like a mirage.” And so it is, dear friends, so it is.

This piece is part of The Splendor Series. Check out the originals page for the other eight.

Painted in the classic abstract cruciform, ON THE ROCKS is layered and deeply textured. As I worked on it I smiled at the variety one can create with just a few colors. I’ve made a group of 9, including this one, in The Splendor Series.

When I paint, I often let the work take me where it will. I start out with a vision, study or sketch (or rarely, a photograph) and then allow something new to emerge. When I began this one, I knew I wanted to work with the cruciform and the limited palette I’d identified for the series. I could not have told you what the end result would be. It’s a fun and exciting way to create.

In this one, I see waves… or are those mountains?

I see trees on a rugged cliff and water that must be cold because it is so gray. Brrrr!

Tell me… what do you see?

While working on this painting I saw am image of blue ice appear and reflected on the Alaska trip a good friend of mine recently took.

She sent photos and video of the amazing sights, including blue ice glaciers. I was in awe!

Blue ice occurs when snow falls on a glacier, is compressed, and becomes part of the glacier. Air bubbles are squeezed out and the ice crystals enlarge and become more dense.

That super-dense ice absorbs every other color of the spectrum except blue, making the ice appear blue to the human eye.

The denser the ice, the bluer it appears.

So COOL. (Pun intended!)

Here are some resources if you want to know more:

The Alaska Satellite Facility

United States Geological Survey

Symbolically, the pillar is a bridge between heaven and earth, the vertical axis which both unites and divides these two.

Frequently found in religious symbolism, Two Pillars indicate the quest for balance and harmony in one’s own being, as well as in one’s community.

Seems like we can use this kind of symbolism right now, doesn’t it?

“Two Pillars” is another in my Splendor Series.

I built this group of 9 paintings around the colors in peacock feathers.

Really.

Looking back at a peacock photo I took in Arkansas a couple years ago, I wondered about the colors, so I Googled that.

Turns out there are “recognized” peacock colors. They are: India Blue, White, Cameo, Charcoal, Purple, Bronze, Peach, Opal, Midnight and Jade (or some version thereof).

I pulled or created those shades and got to it, working on a 3 by 3 group for an upcoming show.

Just goes to show… ya never know… where a creative bent will take you!

Have fun today!

While we’re hunkering down for the foreseeable future, protecting ourselves and our community from COVID`19, I thought I’d take you on a virtual mini-vacation.

Imagine…

You just arrived for a weeklong stay.

The wind is blowing and it’s a little cold, but you rush to the water’s edge to feel connected to it all before you go inside, unpack your bags and think about starting a fire.

Wide Open Mint is an abstract landscape/seascape capturing that moment.

Can you feel the breeze, the cold water on your toe?

Can you smell the scents of the natural world?