Thursday, December 31, 2015

Happy New Year: A Video of Art in 2015

Left to right: Poetry Porch, Sir Leighton's Daughter,
Sophie and Samantha's Spherical Play

Yesterday I completed my annual video of paintings completed during the year.  I can't believe 2015 has come and gone already, can you?  It was a productive year in art for sure, so much so I forgot to add in the three paintings you see in the above photo.  I did not feature any of my small works on paper either, it would have made the video much too long.  

Thank you all for following this year and I wish you all a very Happy New Year!  Here's to a joyful 2016!

I hope you enjoy the video.

♥Lisa


Thursday, December 24, 2015

Merry Christmas



Last year, just after our move to our new house and just after Christmas, there was a magical snowfall that shrouded the world in a quiet white.  My husband captured the moment as we walked our street with hearts that oozed amazement and joy.  Something about snow excites and stimulates the soul.

I wish you all peace and love and joy this Christmas!

♥ Lisa

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"Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace..."
  
                           -Placide Cappeau 1843
          from his poem Midnight, Christians
                                      (O Holy Night)

Friday, December 18, 2015

Cafe in Tribeca

Cafe in Tribeca
mixed media on canvas
24 x 30 inch

My last large painting for 2015, and also my largest work all year. It is always so freeing to paint on such a big surface.  I just dropped this off at Tessera Gallery where there will be an open house tonight with artists in their studios working and live music.  I will be painting in the classroom there and I look forward to seeing everyone.  We hope to have a good crowd tonight as this will be our Final Friday since the actual Final Friday falls on December 25.




charcoal on paper
16 x 20 inch




I attended a recent all-day abstract drawing workshop taught by Wichita artist Brian Hinkle and one of the drawings I did in his class is very much a part of the inspiration for my painting as you can probably see. Though I did not realize it until I was almost done.  The image was obviously tucked back in my brain as I worked.









Best coffee ever at an organic cafe
in Tribeca



I think what also inspired my painting was the amazing organic coffee I had at a cafe in Tribeca while we were in New York City.  Amazing what a cup of coffee can trigger.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

♥ Lisa

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Reading Space, Art Sales, and a Sneak Peek

Reading Space
mixed media on cradled board
9 x 12 inch
(available for purchase)

When I first started this piece, which has actually been done for quite some time, there were supposed to be geese waddling about the path outside the window.  The geese looked as big as the trees though and when I painted them out I liked the path without them.  The painting is all about those favorite reading corners many of us have. It took me a while to decide on my favorite spot in our current house which we moved into a year ago December 5th.  Can you believe that?  


Left to Right:  Grandpa Was a Beekeeper, What is Best For Nigel, At Evening's End

Tessera Gallery has been a busy place lately with events and classes and many artists coming and going.  This January will be two years since I have been represented by the gallery and it has been a wonderful experience for me as an artist.  I have met many wonderful people... both artists and collectors,  I have many new friends...intelligent, talented and caring people that are a blast to be with.  The gallery has also provided such a beautiful space to display and sell my art, and for that I am always grateful. 

 The above works found new homes via the gallery...Nigel a while back and the two on the end went to the same collector just recently.  These pieces will be missed as they all had different challenges that I felt pushed me as a painter.  I sold a few smaller works too, which I have been painting like crazy in between the larger works in order to provide some available art for all budgets at the gallery.

Sneak peek of detail

I have been really busy working on a new 24 x 30 inch piece (sneak peek in the above photo).  This will be my last large painting for 2015 and I am excited about it!  I have been trying to push color a bit in this one.   I will share it with you soon!  Until then!  

♥ Lisa

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Traveling New York City


Hello everyone!  I have just returned from the beautiful city of New York...an amazing place that leaves you feeling inspired, exhilarated, and exhausted all at the same time.  My husband and I spent six days there and we went non-stop...meeting up with members of my family...all of us thankful it was a happy occasion for a change.

We saw so much and knowing there are so many people who love New York or would like to see it some day, I have put this post together with you in mind.  I have nearly 40 photos to share, so you can just scroll through them if you don't want the details.  Remember, you can enlarge them by clicking on them. I am keeping most of the details brief since anything I share here can be researched so easily on the internet.

So here we go...

above is the view from the top of the One World Trade Center and below is the outside of it.  It is a beautiful building and the whole area around it is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the attacks in 2001 and also the bombing in 1993.


The memorial pools can be seen from the top.  These are where the original twin towers once stood.


The  names of every victim in 1993 and 2001 are engraved around the edges of the pools.  It is sobering to see all the names.



We stepped into St. Patrick's Cathedral for a few minutes. 



At night we saw Time's Square.  If you like lights and noise and overwhelming crowds, this is the place to be.  It's like a perpetual party day and night.


You can't see New York at Christmas Time and not visit the window displays at Macy's.  This one excited me so much because I was a huge Peanuts fan growing up.



The Empire State Building!  We tried to see it at night, but the visibility was so poor we decided to save our tickets and see it in the day when things were cleared up.  I've been on the observation deck at night before and the views are stunning.



The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was lit while we were there.  We tried to attend the lighting ceremony, but the crowd was so huge we were two blocks away and around the corner from it.  So we waited until the next evening to visit.  The tree is massive!



We didn't see any shows this trip, but Radio City always excites!



Bryant Park was charming with lighted glass huts...all of them individual shops full of gifts and art.



Here is one of the huts up close.  The entire park was so lovely nestled in the middle of all the illuminated city buildings.



Washington Square!  If you like live street performers and playing chess, this is the place to be.  This is also the place where Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan part ways in the beginning of the movie When Harry Met Sally.



One of my favorite things to look at...homes and apartments.  This is the Upper West side.  Can you see where the inspiration for my cityscape paintings comes from?



Also in the Upper West side is Lolo Cafe where a scene in You've Got Mail was filmed.  



We spent nearly ten hours at The Metropolitan Museum of Art...and still didn't see it all!



But some of what we did see  is ...

Madame Arthur Fontaine
Odilon Redon
1901 pastel on paper



A lot of gorgeous glass beautifully displayed
against the backdrop of Central Park.



Amazing furniture and ceramics.




Big open spaces filled with sculptures of every shape and size.



Degas' beloved Little Dancer.




Picasso's Woman in White
oil on canvas 1923.



I was mesmerized by this Sir David Wilkie oil on wood painting called The Highland Family.




The details of the dogs!  The socks!  The shoes!! All of it!  Exciting!




I watched in awe as this woman painted a rendering.  She had the colors exact.  I know many of you can name the painting she is copying, but I have forgotten already and did not snap a photo of the placard.



Purple rooms really DO exist!  Absolutely love the period rooms at The Met.



Guess which artist did this sculpture called Woman's Head in 1912.




I got lost in the colors of this piece by Paul Klee called Redgreen and Violet-Yellow Rhythms, 1920, oil and ink on cardboard.  
(Who says you can't paint on anything and still end up in a museum?)  :)




Marc Chagall
Lovers Among Lilacs, 1930, oil on canvas



What I loved most about this Chagall piece was getting to see the actual texture up close!  Again...exciting!



We spent a few hours at The Cloisters in Harlem as well.  It is part of The Met Museum and it's full of very old (1100-1600) architecture, sculptures, tapestries, paintings and more.  Worth every minute!  Below is a room at The Cloisters filled with tapestries.  The size of them were a sight...hard to imagine the time it took to make such a thing so long ago.



More than anything at The Cloisters, was the elaborate architecture, still intact and huge and heavy...all created in a day where everything was done without machines.  I found myself wishing I could travel back in time to see the real people and the real sites where all this was created.  Art is SO a part of our history...it's in every culture and in every church...across the generations.  Kind of amazing really.  It is so easy to forget that sometimes.



Speaking of amazing...this is a small ivory sculpture from around 1260 to 1270.  It is about 6 x 6 inches!



Here's a close-up.  How did they do that?



This was a wood sculpture from 1480 and towered above the floor.  It grabbed my attention for quite some time...the emotion in it was moving.  



We finished our last moments in New York City at Central Park on a gorgeous 55 degree day.  It was sunny, yet ice skaters were on the rink, horse and carriage rides jingled all over the place, the buzz and excitement of Christmas was everywhere.



  Here's one last view...taken from the top of the Empire State Building...this is my favorite photo of all that I took.




Well..except for this one...which we had taken at Rockefeller Center.  Our tour group...from left to right...me, hubby, brother, sister in-law, sister and nephew...all with grateful hearts for another joyful memory made in this grand city.


I hope you enjoyed this highlight post!  
Have a great rest of the week!

♥ Lisa

Monday, November 30, 2015

Proceed

Proceed
mixed media on cradled board
12 x 16 inch
available at Tessera Gallery


I did this painting earlier this summer.  It was an intuitive piece that became a bit spiritual, however not on purpose.  There has been a lot of loss in my family this past year and half, which I am sure is being reflected here.  They say art is healing and I believe it is, but in the case of the losses I experienced this summer and the loss of my mother last summer,  I cannot say that painting this helped my sadness.  Only time has done that and continues to do so.

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I am happy to say that it has been a great week with lots of family time during the Thanksgiving holiday and I will be continuing spending time with more of my family in New York City starting tomorrow!  I love New York at Christmas time!  

I will be back soon to share some photos with you.

Thanks for visiting as always and I will see you soon!

♥Lisa

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Grandpa Was a Beekeeper

Grandpa Was a Beekeeper
mixed media on canvas
20 x 20 inch
(sold)

I got stuck on this one for quite a while.  It actually sat long enough to collect dust.  When I finally started on it again, I lighted the walls dramatically and that was almost like a clean slate for me, sort of like resetting the stage.  I was then able to gently glaze in order to warm things up again.

detail

Once the color was right, I began on all the small things. The details in the room took an entire day to paint.  It is one of those scenes where you could keep adding, but I felt ready to be finished and I think the painting did too.

detail
  The inspiration for this piece came from the wonderful and beautiful movie Mr. Holmes.  You can click here to see the movie trailer.  My story in this painting has bits and pieces from things I loved about the film.  I hope you enjoy both the painting and the movie if you haven't already seen it.

detail
I hope everyone has a beautiful week.

♥ Lisa