the "Season"

Busy time of year here in Florida. The Museum docents came for a visit. My Kappa Alpha Theta alumni group came for a luncheon. The Art Chixs group that I'm in meets here tomorrow. We will be making collage pins. Finally, there's construction next door. Busy. The painting "Western Light" just sold. The patron also bought Gus' dog sculpture to place on their table in front of the painting. The money will go into our granddaughters' college expenses.

spring evening dinner party

Some good art books: Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton
Omega and After Bloomsbury and the Decorative Arts
by Isabelle Anscombe
Objects of Desire by Thatcher Freund
Making the Mummies Dance by Thomas Hoving

Some other books I've been reading: Longitude by Sobal
The Man Who Loved China by S. Winchester
The Future of Life by E.O. Wilson
River of Doubt by Millard
Thunderstruck by Larson

"Western Light"

44" x 48" acrylic on canvas

Our home since 1985 is on the market for sale. I'm doing paintings of some of the spaces we know so well. All my work over the years has created a visual diary. My husband Gus worked on this canvas, too. He finalized the painting of his building sculpture in the corner and his steel dog on the table. He and I have enjoyed a great life in art together. We had a show in Melborne, FL, last year titled "Together".

Lunch and Learn

The Vero Beach Museum of Art has a "Lunch and Learn" program. Today I did a brief talk there about silk screen printing. Two of my prints are in the current show.

"Beach at Vero"

48" x 54" acrylic on canvas I'm thinking about what to do. People don't like the roughness of the water. They're right. It doesn't really go with the way the landscape is painted.

"Vero Dune Grasses"

44" x 48" acrylic on canvas This painting slipped back into a more tightly controlled surface. It seems to be what I do unless it's a quick en plein air painting. Over working is an easy trap to fall into.

work in progress...

"Bridge Pond Lilies"

44" x 48" acrylic on canvas First painting finished in the new year.

new computer

I'm struggling with new programs on our computer. I find myself painting instead of facing its' challenges. This photo is by studio visitor and friend, Ellen Fischer.

Art in Bloom - "Cut Flags"

Art in Bloom is an exhibit this week-end in conjunction with the Vero Beach Museum of Art's show "Contemporary Still Life from the Permanent Collection". A garden club member chose my silk screen print as her inspiration.

February

Im working on several canvases, trying for interesting paint quality.

Art By The Sea, Vero Beach Museum of Art

"Art By The Sea", at the Vero Beach Museum of Art was a fun night for all us local artists with food, music and our art.

before revision

"Cut, Paste, and Paint" 40" x 46" acrylic on canvas

reworking a subject

"Cut, Paste, and Paint" 40" x 46" acrylic on canvas -final state

To start the new year I pulled an old painting out of storage and reworked it. I pushed the over- all design to be more important than the imagery.

STARTING FRESH

To start the new year I've been spackling, sanding, painting my studio walls. I put a fresh coat of stain on the floor and stairs. Finally, I put the framing stripping on the 3 new flower paintings, filling the nail holes, sanding, painting, and ending with steel wool to smooth the surface.