Great Grandma's Kitchen and Around Here Lately

Great Grandma's Kitchen
oil on panel 16 x 20 inch
available here

A while back I painted an image in my sketchbook of my great grandmother's kitchen from memory.  All I really remember is that there was this very bright red and white checkered floor that felt like you were stepping into some sort of candy land or something.  I also remember there was a dark back room where there was a bed and coat rack that always had a hat on it and it scared me enough that I never went into that room.  My older siblings said that my memory was pretty close to the real thing so I decided to do an actual painting of it.  I did not make the back room a scary one though.

Gabriel's

Yesterday was my birthday and Vic surprised me with a dinner reservation at the most romantic and quiet restaurant I have ever been to.  It is called Gabriel's and it is only a 15 minute drive to the small town of Sedalia, Colorado.  The food was amazing.

Chandin's cows

A couple of weeks ago I went back to Kansas to watch over my grandson for a week while his mom traveled.  I took him with me on a photo shoot with one of my friends and loaned him my little Powershot camera.  My friend and I like to roam around in her truck looking for interesting things to photograph, hopping in and out each time we see something.  After giving my grandson a quick lesson on the rule of thirds, finding interesting subjects, and paying attention to light, we meandered along backroads all the way to Douglas, Kansas.  He really got some great shots.  Once we got home he picked his favorites and edited them after I showed him how to use a simple program on my laptop.  He is only ten years old and is very artistic.  I asked him if he enjoyed photography and his reply made me laugh:  "yeah, but it really isn't my thing".  He prefers to draw marvel characters.  :)

I love this kid.  He was a trooper for going along and joining in the fun.

Chandin's woods

Chandin's closeup  of growth near the river
(his favorite)

Here are a few of  the photos that I took.  It was a very cold day.

Until next time!

♥ Lisa

Art on the Mesa Art Show

My wall at the Gold Hills Mesa Community Center

The Art on the Mesa Art Exhibit at the Gold Hills Mesa Community Center in Colorado Springs opened on Thursday February 7 and it was a great night.  A lot of people braved the cold and dark to come out and see the show.  I was so happy to be feeling up to it as I had oral surgery that turned out to be more extensive than I thought and it had been a rough couple of weeks.  This is my first time showing publicly in Colorado since moving here last April.

I took very few photos during the evening because I was so busy visiting, but I did get some of the beautiful venue the day we hung the show which are shown below.   It was a joint show with artists Phyllis Davis and Lelia Davis (mother and daughter in-law), and I have really loved getting to know them a little more.  The show was curated by artist Carol Naylor who teaches watercolor batik.  Phyllis, Lelia and I plan to take her class which we hear is an absolute blast.

Lelia Davis' work, hanging in progress

Phylis Davis

The views at the community center are spectacular.

I loved the comments I received during the evening.  Words like "unique", "primitive", and "story telling" were said repetitively.  For any painter, it is always encouraging when people respond to your work and take the time to study the paintings.  At this showing, people seem to like my interior paintings the best, which I am standing in front of.  (You can see them in the first photo of this post).  There were also a several that questioned the meaning behind They Have Come to Bring Us Spring and I was pleased to know that most had guessed it correctly. 

The show will be hanging until May 1, so if you find yourself in Colorado Springs you can check it out.  It is free and open to the public.

 Gold Hills Mesa Community Center
142 S. Raven Mine Road

Until next time!

♥ Lisa