Listening to the Band

Listening to the Band, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

This is another scene from my sunny farmer's market. Sunny as in HAPPY!  People are just happy when they go to farmer's markets, and why shouldn't they be....fruit and vegetables fresh as a daisy with no stickers identifying which foreign country they traveled a million miles from for consumption.  Fresh baked bread, coffee, herbs to plant, local meats from grass fed animals etc. 

These folks were listening to the band, which I also painted (see yesterday's post).  They were so heavily into watching and listening, I snapped their pictures.  Lost in what is in front of you... my favorite place to be.

Bluegrass

Bluegrass, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

These three musketeers were playing at my local Farmer's Market recently and had a big crowd enjoying them.  As I walked by on my way to my favorite grower's booth I snapped this photo. A split second later I saw a beautiful dog,  harness on, laying in a shadow near his owner...the fiddler.   With or without sight, he, and they, were phenomenal!

Thinking by the Lake

Thinking by the Lake, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

This was a nice, calm scene I captured last Fall near the Lake at my favorite spot, Bernheim Forest.  There was a patch near the lake, with no trees or anything in the way, except these two serene folks.  I wish I had a day with nothing on the slate to sit, read, and think. Cheers to them!

Beach Combing

Beach Combing, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

Another painting lamenting the end of summer.  This photo was taken 2 years ago while we vacationed at Marco Island, FL.  There are shells a-plenty that far south and we took advantage of that and beach combed daily.  I still look at my shells, think about all their years tumbling in the sea, and then finally washing up on the very day and the very place we were looking.  Serendipitous!

Skate Break 3

Skate Break 3, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

A time to rest after an afternoon of fun. The figure is actually sitting in shade (where else would one take a break from the sun), therefore no long, figurative shadows to be had, but I still like this composition.  The sunlight that peeked through the trees was playful on the pavement.

Heading Home

Heading Home, oil on gessobord, 7x5
NFS

Today is the lil' skateboarder's 13 birthday so I post this in honor of my darling daughter Barrett! I painted this back in July when I painted the others in the skateboard series, but never posted it. It was painted from a series of photos that I took over the 4th of July weekend, when the  weather in Louisville had turned cool and the humidity was gone. In other words....perfect for beautiful light and color! Happy Birthday B.   You are the light and color in my life!

Ready for the Plunge

Ready for the Plunge, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

All I can say is, I wish I was there :-) 

I love painting water and anything involved with it because of my love of swimming. I'm wondering if in the winter I will feel the same way about snow which I also love, and attempt to paint it.

Page Turner in the Sun

Page Turner in the Sun, oil on gessobord, 5x7

As I choose this particular painting this morning for the blog, all I can think about is how calm and peaceful this scene is and how in a matter of the last few days, my life is back to being so hectic :-).

Nothing beats being in your own head with a book, tuning out the rest of the world to calm water.  This woman was in full attention of that.  I don't think she moved for an hour or so. I sure wish I had caught a glimpse of the book she was reading. I need a dose of that as I start my day!!

The Float

The Float, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

Even though it's only August 18, it feels like summer is coming to an end in Louisville. School starts earlier then it used to when I was young, and there is not enough time for swimming.  Here are three kids who are still in summer mode.  Not a worry in the world! Just like it used to be. 

Oh, and here is a picture of me painting this particular work :-)

Geraniums and the unruly Tomatoes

Geraniums and the unruly Tomatoes, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches
SOLD

The title of the painting almost sounds like the title of a play or Broadway musical!  I planted two small tomato plants in the most fertile, organic soil this summer and it turned into Tomato jungle.  You could get lost in there.  The right side of the gessobord represents a tiny potion of the entire thicket.  The geraniums were at a re-growth stage in full bloom when I snapped this photo.  It was a lush little scene! 

Row Boats 2

Row Boats 2, oil on gessobord, 5x7
SOLD

A second angle of the boats that I posted a couple days ago, this one was equally as fun to paint.  They look like a loaf of bread taken out of its wrapper , with the slices left to fall as they may!

Sunflower

Sunflower, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

Good day Sunshine!
I have been trying to paint a hibiscus plant and other flowers all summer with no success. I am unsatisfied with the results and just keep wiping off the paintings.  I had also tried to paint a couple sunflowers earlier in the summer and my brain started to concentrate on the details, the individual petals etc. which causes my brain to hiccup. Sunflowers are so alive, that personally, I need to abstract them, so their energy and symbolism of life is all there for me.
Next goal...start painting more flowers.

Row Boats 1

Row Boats 1, oil on gessobord, 5x7 inches
SOLD

My children have been traveling the last 9 days which means I have had a house to myself for painting and frame building.  I have felt extremely productive and am hoping I am able to keep the momentum up once they return to school and I've returned to work.  I have painted so many this week, that i had a hard time choosing what to post for today." Row Boats 1", is from a photo of stock row boats at a local lake and beach.  I had fun playing with the colors and creating almost a bleached look.In the end other than the dramatic shadows (when are shadows not dramatic!), this little painting turned out quite peaceful. 

Lost and Found

Lost and Found, oil on gessobord, 6x6

At my local farmer's market, I was pointing the camera in the  direction to capture a completely different scene, when I spotted and luckily pressed the button to catch this bittersweet happening. A small girl had wondered off from her mother while mom was busy gathering her goodies, and panic set in momentarily for both. Luckily, they reunited quickly in a lovely ray of light.

Chillin'

Chillin', Oil on Gessobord, 5x7 inches

NFS

I painted this one a while ago, but it falls in line with the "about town" paintings I have been posting this week. This is actually the first painting I did with more than one human in it, and the intricacies demanded absolute focus and endurance which I was having a hard time with. Overall, I was thrilled the painting turned out so....calm. It reminds me a bit of Edward Hopper's many paintings with figures in it that show little to no interaction, but much solitude and introspection. 

Cafè on the Patio

Cafè on the Patio, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

I love to see people having down time at a coffee shop. It really is a time to talk over ideas, spar on differences, philosophize, theorize, and just work your brain!

It was popular in Europe long before Starbucks, and in my humble opinion, those people know how to live!

Little Red Wagon

Little Red Wagon, oil on gessobord, 6x6

What can be better than being pulled around on a hot day!

The vendors at the flea market were melting on this hot weekend, so kudos to this dad for carrying the gear as well.

This was a quick painting that I had a lot of fun doing. Colorful and loose, despite the detail needed to portray the scene.

The Tourist

The Tourist, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

I remember the good ole days before pocket digital or cell phone cameras,  when people went to visit a new city or landmark, and they had their bulky 35mm cameras around their necks, with all their gear in a carry bag.

This painting is actually of my son Hugh looking like a tourist in the days of yore, at a local flea market, shopping for his favorite thing - old cameras!  He buys film 35mm models, polaroid varieties, lenses, expired film...you name it.  Its been really cool to watch him study a scene before using a one-take image like a polaroid, to make sure it will actually create a beautiful image.  This painting was a bit difficult because my subjects were back-lit, as you can see by the shadows, so I actually had to mentally adjust the image to bring the subjects to life through color. The magic of painting!

Just one more note about old cameras.. .my son visited the Charles and Ray Eames case study #8 House and Foundation a few days ago. The house was designed by the dynamic duo as part of a challenge to the design and architectural community and sponsored by Arts and Architecture Magazine in the 40s, to create works that would "express man’s life in the modern world" . It is in Pacific Palisades, CA overlooking the Pacific Ocean. My son was using his vintage Polaroid SX-70, a model for which Charles Eames had created a promotional film. A docent saw Hugh using his camera, asked if she could take his photo, and proceeded to show him Charles Eames' own model of the identical camera.  Needless to say Hugh was over the moon with happiness! Here are the photos the docent posted on their Facebook page:

Heading to the Trail and building "reverse shadowboxes"

Heading to the Trail, oil on gessobord, 5x7

I used to live on a street that connected two large city parks. Each park is heavily used by cyclists so the road between them is always busy with groups of bikes moving between them. Sometimes the groups are so big they stopped traffic.  This guy was probably headed to one of the off-road trails that also occupy these parks.  

There are so many cyclist on the road these days. Luckily for these roadsters, Louisville's streets have been put on a road diet, getting a make-over, and bike lanes slowly being installed. It's so hard to capture a good impromptu photo of a cyclist. I was actually snapping (more!) photos of my daughter skateboarding when I saw this guy and snapped him up. Hope he had a good ride!

In other news, I have been painting so much and have produced a nice little body of work. I have had many nice people leave comments or tell me in person how much they are enjoying my paintings. Nothing in the world could make me happier than this feedback! 
A lot of you have asked how you can purchase my work. As of now, I am selling each painting available on the blog for $100, unless marked sold or NFS.  I am happy to ship anywhere in the U.S. for about $10. If interested drop me an email at sojourn6262@gmail.com  I accept paypal, and cash or check locally.  I have also had MANY people ask about a possible show. This I am working on...literally, in the hot sun :-) Because most of my current works are painted on Ampersand archival gessobord (flat panels), I've been brain storming for a good solution to display the paintings if/when a show occurs. That's when, through osmosis, or the idea simply slamming into my brain the other day, I have decided to craft, if you will, a reverse shadow box for my little paintings.  The boxes will be painted a neutral black, adhered to the back of completed paintings, and be ready for display or purchase.

 So here I am, in all my glory, returning to power tools of my college youth.  I once built my canvas stretchers by hand and loved every minute of it. I am sanding the just-split panel that will become these reverse shadow boxes.  More pictures to come of the finished product.

Waiting for Custormers

Waiting for Customers, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

I have a lovely farmer's market less than 4 blocks from my house, and it is full of local farmers each Saturday.  I used this past weekend as an opportunity to photograph so many happy people, happy scenes, with happy happy produce and hand-made products for sale.  Now if I was only made of money....

This young lady had a lull in her business even though she had such lucious looking produce.  I'm sure the lack of customers didn't last very long, just enough time for her to check her messages.  She was obviously in the shade under her canopy, but the driveway where she had pitched her tent was all speckled and patterned.  It was a festive little scene!

From the window, Chianti

From the window, Chianti, oil on gessobord, 5x7 inches
SOLD

My sister has been living in Germany for 7 years but has been a frequent visitor to Italy for over 30 years. She starting the love affair by spending summers studying in Perugia while in college. Now she knows the country, language, and culture better than most Americans. She and her husband even married outside of Verona.  She was the lifesaver/interpreter/familiar face one needed in a foreign country last summer, when I was fortunate enough to go on a school trip to Italy with my two high-school age kids, and she met us in several cities. 
 This photo is one she sent me of a hotel window in Strada, in Chianti.  The olive trees stood out in the photo with their silvery leaves, and the two tone field was striking. The window and planter shared the only shadow, and the field drenched in the hot Italian sun. Ahhh, una bella vista!