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! 

Paintings This Summer and Life in Colorado

Commission #1

Commission #2

Hello Everyone!  How have you been this summer?  It has been a very active one for me, packed full of art, exploring Colorado - my new home state, and spending time with friends and family.  We had 22 visitors total this summer!  We have a running joke about being able to put "Bed and Breakfast Owner" on our resume.  Ha ha!  But seriously, it was a blessing to spend time with special people.  We talked, we walked, we ate, we laughed...all the good stuff!  

I did these two commission paintings for a friend this summer.  They are to be gifts for two of his aunts.  The boy in the painting is his father in childhood.  They were so fun to do, and a challenge to get a likeness between the two paintings.  

Brown Sofa
oil on panel 4 x 6 inch
sold

I have been working a on a series of interior paintings, all of them are 4 x 6 inch.  I love the challenge of working small.   These are available in my Etsy shop.  Link is HERE.

Nina's Sleep Space
oil on panel 4 x 6 inch
sold

Library for Two
oil on panel 4 x 6 inch

Room in Yellow
oil on panel 4 x 6 inch

Room With Doll
oil on panel 4 x 6 inch

Starry Night Bedroom
oil on panel 4 x 6inch

Bedroom With Blue Flowers
oil on panel 4 x 6 inch

Kitchen With Orange Tile
oil on panel 4 x 6 inch

I think Starry Night Bedroom is my favorite of these.  I started to paint some small houses the other day, but I am missing painting people, so I started them again yesterday.

my studio

My studio space has been well broken into now.  
:)

Besides painting and enjoying all the visits we have had, I have been taking some time to put together our new living space.  I found this broken wing angel at an antique store for only $5.  She HAD to come home with me and we can see her from our kitchen table out on the deck.  I love seeing her out there.

And there has been plenty of hiking too!  Colorado is all about the outdoors which is truly wonderful.  I can't lie...it has been a BIG adjustment to move to a new state at the age of 50 after being in Kansas most our lives, but for now this feels like a gift we should take advantage of for as long as we are here.  

Until next time...

♥ Lisa

Around Here Lately

Picasso Colored Fields
mixed media on panel 5 x 7 inch

Lately, I have been doing a lot of painting.  And I've felt inspired by some of the colors in Picasso's work.

And it got me thinking about color mixing which made me watch this video by Gillian Lee Smith (Cox now).  

Then I kept thinking about all those pretty pinks on the palette which made me order this pink strawberry cake at a women's fair with a friend the other day.  Yummo.

Katie is Protective of Kendra
mixed media on panel 5 x 7 inch

 I began experimenting with my Shiva Oil Paintstiks once again and loved the tones they gave to these faces.  

I have been painting mostly in the early hours of the morning.

I was involved in an art auction to benefit those suffering from Juvenile Arthritis.  This is me and the sweet 12 year old I worked with this past summer.  We worked on one 16 x 20 inch together (left painting) and I created one that went with the theme she chose.  Our pieces auctioned for $350!  I love that she chose happy colored flowers to reflect her happier days...she has been in remission for some time now which is wonderful.  I wish it was that way for all the children that were there that  night.

Enjoying the Fall colors along our street.  

And watching the sky and the river at The Keeper of the Plains bridge.  

Taking bike rides with a long time friend.

And conquering Kansas mountains...which is a lot harder than it looks.

Making comfort food.

Ordered a bohemian art pillow from Sparkle Day Studio  AKA Corrine Gilman.  

And more walks on the river...

and down the streets...

and the sidewalks...

taking it all in...

with my furry walking companion Hurley.

and listening to Philip Glass' beautiful theme music from The Truman Show. 

And enjoying the blue Morning Glories and the other flowers I planted in the back yard this past Spring...getting ready to say goodbye to them.

What have you been up to lately?

♥ Lisa

What Frederick Leighton Inspired and Scenes from Yard and Studio

in progress
oil on paper 16 x 20 inch

Last week I wrote about a visit to the Kendall Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.  I was so inspired by Frederick Leighton's work I checked out some books at the library to learn more.  I then found  this image  online of a portrait called Biondina, also by Leighton.  The urge to paint a portrait was strong, so I am using Biondina as my guide.  

This is still in progress, but these photos are the most current. 

detail of work in progress

I added the checks to her clothing just this morning which was inspired by Edouard Vuillard's painting called Interior: Mother and Sister of the Artist in the image is below.

Edouard Vuillard
Interior:  Mother and Sister of the Artist

___________________________________________________________________

Look!  Morning Glories have sprouted!  Fingers crossed there will be blooms this summer.  I am worried though because the spot I planted the seeds in is a bit shady with dappled light.  Hopefully those little dapples will be enough.

Above is the absolute best place to sit on the back patio. 

This is part of the flowerbed I put in with the bench my son made.  My dream is to have it FULL of flowers and all kinds of pretty.  This year I put in a few perennials, but mostly seeds for Wildflowers, Sunflowers, Morning Glories and Hollyhocks for this year.  If it doesn't take, then shade-loving plants it is. 

When you're settling into a new place, it's all about creating spaces you want to BE in.  The hammock makes a great spot to read...or nap.  We had it at our old house and I was thrilled when my husband found a place to hang it at our new house.  Our old property had 20 trees on it, this one has three, which makes it a bit challenging to hang a hammock.

Lastly, a shot of the studio the other day.  The shelf on the desk is actually a CD shelf.  The smallness of it and the multiple shelves make it awesomely useful.  I use it to store supplies, or as an area to get things out of the way quickly, or to dry small works. It looks odd on the table, but it would have blocked a window on the floor.  Plus it only cost $5 at an estate sale. :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Beginnings and Amazing Snowfalls

Work in progress

mixed media on 11 x 14 inch canvas panel

This is a work in progress with lots more to do. It is based on the sketch below.  

water-soluble graphite and ink sketch

4 x 6 inch

Obviously I didn't stick to the plan. As I layered acrylic paint, the composition unfolded in a different way.  Love it when that happens...I think.

Before I go, look what we got the other night.  It was so gorgeous out, my husband and I decided to take the dog and go for a walk.  He took this magical photo while we were out.

The Flower Petalers and How the Move Went

The Flower Petalers

mixed media on cradled wood panel 8 x 8 inch

SOLD

Hello friends!  I am back after a chaotic couple of weeks of moving to our new house. I have taken some time to paint, but not too much.  Above is my newest finished piece.

 The move went well for having been settled in the old home for 15 years.  You accumulate a lot of stuff in that amount of time! I should have counted boxes as I am sure the number would have been impressive.  Oh my!  

Anyways, you would probably like to see photos rather than read babble, so here you go...

                               

Above is my favorite picture.  It captures the beauty and some of the character of this old house we now live in.  It was built in 1930 and comes complete with glass doorknobs and drafty window panes.  We absolutely love it. 

                                

My studio is really really great.  I have lots of storage and it even has a sink in it because the previous owner had a manicure business.  The light coming from the north and west windows makes me want to be like a cat and lay on the floor basking in the sun.  

                           

This is the view from my west studio windows.  I think I am going to have to paint every one of those houses at some point.  They are so pretty...and HUGE.  Our house is quite a bit smaller than those.  

                          

This is the best part about our new house...it's in Riverside and there is so much to see in this special area of town.  The river always inspires...

                            

it's a great place to see Christmas lights on foot...

                            

and ooooo and aaaaaahhhh at how they reflect on the water.

                             

And now that we live here I was able to walk less than two blocks the next morning after a beautiful snowfall the night before...

                                 

and see this park blanketed in white...

                                 

and the footprints of the locals...

                              

and chuckle at how the geese just hang out in the streets.  Do you see them?  They are everywhere in this neighborhood.  They cross the streets (and take their sweet time), hang out on lawns, walk up the sidewalks.  They squawk and honk at each other like they are discussing plans for afternoon tea.  

This evening I made pumpkin bread and plopped into this chair to write to you all.  It's the same chair that started my art journey years ago...the one I drew just for the heck of it.  The same funky pillow is there too.  And you may also recognize the painting on the wall, Candela's Light.  

My family said that our furniture looks like it belongs in this house and that my paintings are like I was painting them specifically for this house.  Maybe they are right.  I wonder how long we will be here.  We are told we are only the fifth family to live here, which we found amazing.  The family previous to the family that sold it to us was here 36 years.  I can't imagine staying anywhere for 36 years.  But who knows?

Have a beautiful weekend.

♥ Lisa