Quiet Comforters

 

Quiet Comforters
oil on canvas
9x12 inch
purchase

"The real subject of every painting is light."

                                   --Claude Monet

Three 5x7 Paintings

Blue Light Night
oil on linen panel

                    Painting on this small size is a challenge.  They take so long because of their small size and my older eyes probably make it harder.  I often paint over things and wipe out things, constantly changing the composition and sometimes the entire color palette.  I have found these little paintings to be frustrating latley, so I did not order any more of this size of linen panel.  I am now painting on 8x10 on up to 20x24 canves, much more freeing!  

Chair Duo
oil on linen panel

Small Duo
oil on linen panel

 

I recently came across THIS video posted by The Netherlands Bach Society and have been obsessively listening to this music while I paint, cook, and wash dishes.  Thomas Bauer's voice is so beautiful. 

I do not always listen to classical, but this slow and mournful cadence speaks something comforting and deep into my soul during these quiet and contemplative weeks in Winter.

Two New Paintings and Blue Inspiration

Girl and Dog With Red Collar
oil on panel 5x7 inch
available here

 

It is already May 15 and here in Kansas, our usual March and April rains are coming this month.

Cloudy Day Countryside
oil on panel 5x7 inch
available here

        

It has been wonderful because now the blue cornflowers are blooming.  Last year I threw wildflower seed into a sunny patch of lawn to try to transform it into a mini meadow.  It didn't do much last year, however this year it has matured.

Little Painting of a Big Strawberry
oil on linen panel 4x6 inch
available here

I have strawberries growing as well and so far I think I've eaten four and painted one.

:)

Three Nocturnal Paintings

 

House at Night With Clouds
oil on linen panel 6x4 inch
$85

Whether it is in photography or in paint, a night scene has a special quietness.  I love the challenge of capturing that quietness in a painting.

Nocturnal Reading
oil on linen panel
7x5 inch
$125

I'm still painting every morning, beginning just after the coffee is made.  I have four lights in my workspace.  This habit has inspired many "darker" paintings and night scenes.  All of these compositions are imaginative. 

Green Bedroom at Night
oil on linen panel 
7x5 inch
$125

These paintings can be purchased from me directly by contacting me or you can visit my Etsy shop.  Shipping is free in USA.

These paintings are on a linen canvas panel and will fit into most standard frames.  

Here is my studio recently.  This photo was taken during the day, so it's much brighter than when I work.  In the foreground is my guitar that I never play.  I tried to pick it up again, but I guess I am just too scattered right now.

Last Fall I planted 175 bulbs.  They are starting to pop up all over the place and it's fun to go out each day and see new ones.

Painting will start to take a back seat now that garden season is here.  This has been becoming my rhythm.

I added this chandelier that I found at an antique store recently and it added some charm to the patio.  It doesn't work, but the bulbs catch the light and sparkle.  I am excited to grow a vine of some kind on the trellis.  That will be so beautiful.  

Until next time! 

♥

New Art for a New Season

Hare and Jay Discussing Plans for Spring
acrylic on cradled wood panel 10x8 inch

As the weather changes, so does the choice of color and subject.  I started the above painting last Spring, a bit different for me, but it was fun to work on this.  It went along with the dolls I was working on at the time.  This painting and the ones below are all available in my Etsy shop HERE . 

Off Center
acrylic on cradled wood panel 8x10 inch

Little Painting of a Big Strawberry
oil on linen panel 4x6 inch

 

Frog
paper clay, acrylic paint, varnish, fabrics, thread and button

Frog is 18 inches long and has joints in his elbows and knees so that he can be positioned in a lot of different ways.  He is the first frog I have made, so the name Frog seemed appropriate.  Most of my dolls have been girls, however venturing into the animal world has been a lot like what I imagine writing children's books must be like; only with clay and cloth.  

I went on a photography shoot with my friend the other day.  We celebrated our February birthdays by roaming the countryside in Augusta and Douglass, Kansas taking pictures of textures, old barns, rivers, bridges and fields, enjoying lunch and coffee at local places and soaking up the unseasonably warm temperatures.  This is one of my favorite photos of the day.

Until next time. ♥

Valentine's Day

French Press
oil on canvas
2020

 Happy Valentine's Day!

The sun is out, the Cardinals are singing and I am in my studio painting this morning.  I painted the sides of a painting that has been fininshed for quite some time, but I was not positive it was done. Then suddenly it really felt finished.  That's how it works for my art making process.  I sometimes have to leave things for months before deciding.  

As I type this, I have eight small paintings (4x6 inch size) and eight larger ones (8x8 inch to 11x14 inch) in the works.  They likely will go on the backburner as garden season begins.  All my creative energy went into creating a garden at my home last Spring and Summer, and I hardly put a dent in all the plans I had made.  I am excited to dive back in, however this year I plan to keep up my painting practice if I can.  At least a little bit.

I don't know if anyone reads this blog anymore, but if you do, I hope all is well in your world.

Fresh Flowers

 

Fresh Flowers
oil on linen panel 4x6 inch
available here

The sun is out and it feels like early Spring, only it's still January.  The fresh flowers will have to come from Trader Joes for a while longer. 

Flower Paintings and Dreams of Gardening Again

Colors Dancing
oil on linen panel 5x7 inch
available here

Painting flowers is a great way to explore paint color and brush strokes.  The above painting was all about palette freedom.  The painting below was extremely boring, in my opinion, until I smeared cobalt blue onto the pitcher with a palette knife.  There was something so satisfying about that. I cannot explain.

Tilted Cobalt Pitcher
oil on linen panel 7x5 inch
available here

 

Now I am feeling ready for Spring.  

Soon.  

Pretty Boy

Pretty Boy

oil on cradled wood panel

10x10 inch

available here

The shape of these trees changed dozens of times, inspired by arborvitae of the most unusual green.  However, that hue in oil paint was elusive.  

The title was the easiest part.  

Moon and Star Paintings

 

Stargazing - Red Chair

oil on linen panel

5x7 inch

available here

There is no ocean here, but there can be with a little imagination.

Three recent paintings.  My son asked what inspired them.  Always having to think about that question because often the painting is created intuitively.  In this case it was a mix of lovely winter evening walks with lights reflecting and sparkling all around, and of course the love of being outdoors where the air and sky are crisp and gently stings the nose and eyes.  

Moon Gazing - Blue Chair

oil on linen panel 

5x7 inch

available here

There is no giant forest here.  But in dreams there often is.

                                              Moon Gazing - Red Chair                                              

oil on linen panel

4x6 inch

available here

New Painting: Discussion With Two Cats

 

Discussion With Two Cats
oil on cradled wooden panel
10x8 inch
available here 

I have been painting every single morning since October 27, 2023.  This is the longest consistent stretch since I began painting over 12 years ago. I used to just steal time wherever I could and often many days would go by where I didn't paint at all.  Now I wake at 5 am, sometimes earlier, sometimes later, make coffee and get to it.  It's my favorite time of day.  Quiet, dark, peaceful and meditative.  

And it's snowing today.  Extra bonus.  :) 

Happy New Year!

 

This year has been a beautiful one.  I painted.   I made dolls.  I gardened...a lot. So much peace comes from being outside in nature, and it is a big part of  what made the year feel so beautiful. I was outdoors for countless hours creating beds, mowing paths to reduce my lawn, planting seeds and just planting in general.  I put in dozens of trees, shrubs, and flowers.  I even put in a mini orchared with apple trees, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. I studied permaculture and learned about rewilding, trying to apply those practices into my yard.  I cannot wait to see how it all looks next year.  

I put together a a video showing all the art from 2023.  Many of the dolls were actually made in 2022, but I never shared them until this year.  And below is my favorite photo this year from all the ones taken of my garden.

I hope you have a wonderful and Happy New Year! 

Newest Painting and What Inspired It

Dawn Has Broken
oil on cradled wood panel 11x14 inch
available for purchase here

 Two years ago I was visiting the Nelson Atkin's Museum in Kansas City, Missouri and saw The Record Player by Karl Hoger.  I was very moved by it, so later on I made my version of it and infused it with memories of spending hours and hours listening to records and with a love of painting intimate interiors and shadows and light.  I think my version is a little bit more joyful, but given the time he lived in, it's easy to see why his is a bit dark.

Spring is Coming

 

Flowers Citron Green
oil on panel 6x6 inch
(sold)

Winter is a wonderful season of rest.  One can sleep more with the extra darkness and cozy up for some good reading and movie watching.  But come March, it is common for a craving of color and warmer temperatures.  That craving often shows up in my art.

Frog
original art doll

cilantro started from seed

My first pot of the season is full of cilantro!  I am planning on growing some other herbs and vegetables this year.  Growing food will be a learning experience for me.  Tomorrow I will be joining a group of local urban growers with Montiel Farms to plant potatoes.  You're never too old to learn new things!

New Little Paintings

Living Room With Turquois Pillows
oil on linen panel 7x5 inch

I have created quite a few small paintings lately.  Here are the dry ones so far.  They are all available in my Etsy shop.  I think I am craving color like many people do this time of year. 

Cup of Pink
oil on cradled wood 4x6 inch

Little Flowery Landscape
oil on cradled wood panel 4x6 inch

This Painting is Finally Home

Cafe in Tribeca 
2015

If you have followed my art for a while, you may remember this painting from 2015. It was painted back in the day when I was at Tessera Gallery here in Wichita. It was inspired by a visit to New York City and a cafe there in the Tribeca area. The figure sitting at the window to the left is a nod to one of my favorite Edward Hopper paintings called Chop Suey. This painting has been all over the place from the gallery here, back to my studio, then to Colorado while I lived there where it was in a show in Colorado Springs and in then in the background photo of an interview  I did with Colorado Homes. We were smack dab in the middle of moving back to Kansas when that interview was done, boxes everywhere and the pandemic was in the beginnings.  The painting traveled with me back to Kansas, went on a long term loan with someone I trusted to keep it, and then back to my studio to be listed once again on Etsy. I often paint over paintings this old and this one did have a retouch on the waitress at one point.  Her neck and posture bothered me, so I repainted the whole head and face. Anyways this painting is finally home, purchased by a long time collector and it's back in Colorado.  I am so so happy and grateful for this because it was always one of my favorites.  

Another Video Creation

 

Creating short and entertaining videos has been a thing I do for many years now.  I watch a lot of YouTube videos myself at night just before going to sleep.  They say the computer screen lights are not a good thing as it can disrupt your sleep, but it has never seemed to bother me.  I love to watch videos on art, interior design, but especially on quiet living, minimalism, or living with intention.  It often inspires me to take the thousands of videos and photos I take while out and about and put them to good use.  Like using them to make this little video.  It is about a two minute nature walk through one of our local parks here in Kansas.  

If you are a YouTube subscriber, you can find my channel under Lisa Graham Art.  I post new videos periodically on painting, drawing, hiking, and lifestyle.  I would love it if you subscribe to my humble little channel.

Until next time.

February! Around Here Lately

 

Seated Woman Waiting
oil on linen panel

Though the landscape still looks very much like winter, the daylight is returning.  Some birds are becoming more vocal, like the cardinals.  You don't realize how much you have missed their song until it returns filling the quiet morning air with delightful energy.  

female cardinal

male cardinal

I have been doing the usual things this new year.  Painting, drawing, reading and taking daily walks are my favorite things to do.  I am also dreaming of a wildflower pasture in our backyard, a small effort to join the "rewilding" movement I am so intrigued about.  I live in the city limits, so growing tall grass is not allowed.  I will have to place the pasture in a place where it cannot be seen from the street, so it won't be a big one, but they say every little bit counts to help with pollination. 

The pasture will go somewhere where you see the green grass, but more to the left of the photo's edge.  I am trying to decide on layout, shape, etc.

Last year I planted a little seed garden with all kinds of flower seeds.  These are morning glories popping up.  The garden did not turn out as full and pretty as I hoped, but the this year it will be more mature hopefully.  

What does gardening have to do with painting and art?  For me, everything.  They go hand in hand.  Time outside = inspiration...always.

I want my garden to feel like this...all layers and texture and color.  I took this photo at the botanical garden in Denver, Colorado while visiting last fall. 

GOALS :)

Mitsou says "until next time!"

Revisting the Art of Doll Making

 

 

Back in the 90's I explored doll making.  It was 15 years before I would discover my love for painting.  I was working in the Coronary Intensive Care Unit at a hospital at the time and I remember how relaxing it was to work with clay, paint and cloth. My job was very stressful and this offered such a respite.  I made 11 doll ornaments with matching hearts and bows to go on our Christmas tree.  It took two months to make them.  My husband kept commenting about how fixated I was during the process.   I should have known then that making art would be a good fit for me. 

Last March I had the desire to reexplore this art and found it to be just as satisfying as painting.  I don't think I will ever stop painting, but having other mediums to work with is a good thing because I have always liked variety.

These two have been listed in my Etsy shop.  

In October, I rearranged my workspace again.  Here it is as of yesterday.  It's already a mess, but that's a good thing, right?

I have been working on my bird photography.  I would like to buy a new lens for my camera to get clearer photos of them.  Birds are so beautiful in their markings, not to mention entertaining to watch!  I love this photo the most out of dozens I took recently.  It looks like he is casually taking in the scenery, though I am sure he is just keeping an eye out for predators.  I discovered a YouTube channel titled Leslie the Bird Nerd.  She lives in northeastern US and is so knowledgeable about birds. It is amazing how much they trust her, eating seed right from her hand.  Her videography is stunning also and I highly recommend her channel if you are a bird lover too.

                                                                                    

I am keeping this post short and sweet...Until next time!