Geese and Downy Pillows

Geese and Downy Pillows
oil on canvas 11 x 14 inch

I am so happy this one is finished.  It was a little more involved than the alpacas and the cows.  As I look at this I can see that the Arkansas River in Kansas inspired this.  I took many walks along that river.  People complain about the mess that geese leave everywhere and it's true it can be a big fat mess, but it always washes away with the rain eventually. 

Lately I have been really enjoying John Dalton's podcast Gently Does It.  The interviews are often very informative and inspiring.  You can see a list of all his episodes here.   I was excited to see so many artists on there that I have admired and followed for years...Andrea Kowch, Brad Kunkle, Katie O'Hagan, Zoey Frank, David Kassan and Ali Cavanaugh. All of them are realist painters which I have always been facinated with even though I have no desire to paint realistically.   I really enjoyed learning about Jane Filer and looking at her fun, colorful, intuitive style..what an inspiring human being she is, so much joyful energy.  Now I want to attend one of her openings and dance around in one of her heads!

This week I watched the documentary called Everybody Knows Elizabeth Murray.  She paved some new ground as an artist and was really up against some odds.  I thought her story was very moving.  Here's the trailer.  I rented mine on Amazon, but it may be available elsewhere.

Have a great week.

♥ Lisa

A Lot of Snow and What I am Working On

I am sitting here on a cold day recovering from some oral surgery I put off way too long.  I am full of pain medications, so I hope whatever I write here makes good sense.

We have had so much snow here in Colorado and the locals tell me it is just getting started.  Most of it occurs in February and March.  I love snow, but the late ones take some getting used to for me because in Kansas it starts to feel like spring in those months.  The birds are starting to show up, the days are longer and warmer and the air smells like spring.  Not that Kansas never gets snow in those months, but the usual is what I just said.  I am pretty sure I will adjust just fine.  It is lovely here.

I am working on a painting containing geese and another surprise in the composition.  The surprise is the fun part and I don't want to give it away.  It's taken a long time because I have been layering the oil paints and glazing quite a bit, so it all needs to dry between the layers otherwise it becomes a muddy mess.

In the meantime, I've been sketching a lot with acrylic paint in my hardback sketchbooks.  The above was done after a neighborhood walk.  The one below was done while cooking dinner.  I love olives and munch on a few while I cook...along with a glass of wine-yum!  The olives on the left were painted with care and the ones on the right were blobbed on with my fingertip.  I think I like the one on the right best.  Friends on my Instagram said the same thing.

I have enjoyed sketching these so much, I decided to try to do this more regularly.  It feels more free to paint in a sketchbook where you know it will not hang in a show or sell online.  

The above photo was taken last year and I just came across it.  The painting is one I did called They Have Come to Bring Us Spring and it's going to be shown at the Art on the Mesa show at Gold Hills Mesa Community Center in Colorado Springs.  The opening reception is February 7,  5-7 pm and the show will be up through May 1st.  This will be my first Colorado show so I am very excited to be participating with two wonderful artists:  Lelia Davis and Phyllis Davis.  I met Phyllis at Julie Ford Oliver's workshop years ago and it was Julie who helped reconnect me to Phyllis so that I could be a part of this.  I am so grateful!  I will share photos of the show after it happens.

This is a view from our backyard deck.  Snow snow snow!

But isn't it beauitful when the sun is shining?  This is a scene on a neighborhood path I take during my daily walks.  Sometimes I just can't believe what I am seeing.  The mountains have such a presence.  So quiet, yet so rugged and wild at the same time.  I am enjoying leaving footprints everywhere I go here. :)

I hope you are having a good month of January.  I am going to close for now and take a nap!  

Until next time!

♥ Lisa

Cows and Chairs, Horace Pippin, and Past Paintings

Cows and Chairs
oil on canvas
11 x 14 inch

I have been enjoying doing these paintings with playful combinations.  I started on another idea, but it will be the last for a while because I want to get back to painting rooms and figures.  I am sure the inspiration for this one stems from growing up in Kansas and my love for chairs.  A friend said she can now imagine cows being like spotted leather chairs out in a field.  I love that.  

Recently I discovered the work of Horace Pippin.  I love the intimate family rooms he composes and his use of patterns, particularly in some of the women's clothing.  

Horace Pippin's "Domino Players" 1943

Horace Pippin's "Asleep" 1943

I bought the book I Tell My Heart:  The Art of Horace Pippin and it is a gook one with plenty of colored photos of his art and a lot of information about him.  He was self-taught.

I like to revisit old paintings from time to time and these two are from January 2014, five years ago.  My style has changed in ways, not in others.  I used to work in a lot more mixed media than I do now.  I prefer oils these days because I think the colors come out more vibrant when I use them.

Bree in a Dreamweaver Coat
mixed media

Winter's Blessing
mixed media

I hope your new year is off to a great start!

Until next time!

♥ Lisa

Alpacas and Chandeliers

Alpacas and Chandeliers
oil on canvas 11 x 14 inch

When we first moved to Colorado last April, we stayed temporarily on a ranch in a loft apartment above a barn.  It was primarily a horse ranch, but the owner had a small herd of alpacas.  Ever since staying there, I have wanted to paint them and I finally did.  Why the chandeliers?  No other reason other than I thought it was a funny idea and they were fun to paint.  Alpacas themselves are funny looking creatures.

This is my last painting in 2018 and boy did the year fly by.  So many changes, so many activities. I am not as prolific a painter as I used to be, but I sure did explore our new state.  Vic and I love to take hikes on New Years eve, but this year it's 12 degrees and snowing which is why I am doing a blog post instead today.  I love walking in snow, but the temperature isn't hiker-friendly, so we did our hike yesterday.  It was a fun day...seven miles, lots of just taking it in.  Here's a couple of scenes from our time in Roxborough State Park.

I am looking forward to 2019.  May there be more days like yesterday in the coming year!

Thank you for following this blog and I want to  wish you a very Happy New Year!  May the year be all you hope for.

♥ Lisa

Merry Christmas!

from 2016
Mother Christmas

I have been sharing winter themed paintings from years past on my Facebook page and Instagram since the season has become so busy that there really isn't time to paint.  Some of my favorite artists share older art as well, and I really enjoy it when they do, so I am following their lead.  This painting is the one I shared today.  

Last night Vic and I went out for dinner downtown in Castle Rock and I was so excited to see the lights.  They are all over the area and Vic drove me around so that I could pop in and out of the car taking some photographs.  I am like a child in a toy store when I am surrounded by a multitude of things to photograph, I get so excited and inspired.  These are just a few from last night.  One thing I love about Colorado is how there are so many people outside.  People love the outdoors here.   

My favorite photo is the one below.  It's just such a serene and peaceful sight to me.  The warm glow in the houses, the streetlights, a few Christmas lights...and that mailbox...I love it. 

I will be back some time after Christmas with some new work to share.  Think Alpacas!  :)

Until then, Merry Christmas to you all and thank you SO much for following my art and for all your support here and on social media and also for buying my art.  I appreciate every bit of it and you have helped me to keep going!  Thank you always.

♥ Lisa

Three and a Dog in January

Three and a Dog in January
oil on board 5 x 5 inch
available here

I like the number 3.  Always have for some reason.  It goes way back to those School House Rock jingles that aired on Saturdays during morning cartoons.  Anyone remember those?  My favorite was "3 is a Magic Number" and I just found it on YouTube.  You can find anything on YouTube.

Speaking of YouTube, last night I was exploring some new music to add to my iPhone.  I always have music playing whether I am in the studio or cooking or doing housework, and of course while driving.  I try to listen to podcasts from time to time, but my mind drifts too much while I am busy doing other things. Anyways, last night I stumbled onto this really great video with Martin Sexton and these other amazing musicians.  I once saw him in concert in Wichita and he was really good.  Here they are performing John Prine's Angel from Montgomery.

Until next time!

♥ Lisa

Winter Sisters and Their Cat

Winter Sisters and Their Cat
oil on cradled board 5 x 5 inch
available here

I actually started this painting last year and then set it aside and forgot about it until I was picking up my studio recently.  I used an old photo dated 1925 of two little girls unknown to me and I've been calling this series "Past People" portraits.  I love painting them because it feels a little like honoring their memory. I find myself wishing I could somehow look through a window and see the real moment these photos were taken, to understand a little more of who they are and where they lived.  

Now that most photos are digital, don't you wonder what will happen to the memory of us once time marches on?  Fewer of our photos will end of up in a box at some antique store, and what about our blogs?  Our facebooks?  Our own computers where all our photos are stored?  The other day I uploaded 3,000 photos!  What will happen to those in 100 years?  It would be interesting to know, wouldn't it?

Until next time!

♥ Lisa