Heavenly Spires

This is the first painting completed in over two months since I began the gallery/school/studio journey. The painting was inspired by a friends photograph of the Gorge amphitheatre in George, Washington. He calls the spot "heavens amphitheatre". The green, blue and yellow palette is reminiscent of paintings that I did when I was 16 and 17 years old. The earth object that is overlapped on the foreground is actually the same object painted in the "Dubai" painting. It is from the poplar tree and looks somewhat like a spire. I chose this object for its pointed shape and majestic look like that of a kings spire. There is also a tower metaphor going on in the imagery. The sky was inspired by Sharon Antholt's Tibetan paintings. Antholt is one of my teachers who used to show her work at Anton Gallery, in Washington D.C. The gallery closed several years ago.

Some thoughts about the spire are as follows.

A spire is in the word inspire.
Dictionary definitions:

a tall, acutely pointed pyramidal roof or roof like construction upon a tower, roof, etc.

a similar construction forming the upper part of a steeple.

a tapering, pointed part of something; a tall, sharp-pointed summit, peak, or the like: the distant spires of the mountains.

the highest point or summit of something: the spire of a hill; the spire of one's profession.

a sprout or shoot of a plant, as an acrospire of grain or a blade or spear of grass.

Dubai, 60" x 54", acrylic, 2009

 

Some paintings seem to flow off the brush naturally as if the image was waiting to be discovered within the canvas ground.  Dubai is one of these paintings where each stroke felt complete.  The painting is inspired by a photographer friend of mine who shoots images all over the world.  His photo, Dubai is of similar palette--a warm purple red with layers of pink overlaying.  Pink is the color of unconditional love and its a color I am embracing in my own life this summer. 

I bought a huge pink purse and some pink shoes along with pink shirts and underwear.  I can't seem to fill my life up with enough pink and it reflects the new inspiration I have found in my life and my work.

I am opening a gallery/studio in my hometown of Vienna where I will teach students and workshops on painting.  More to come on the studio and its location.  Hope you are having a wonderful summer as I am having the greatest summer and adventure of my life.  I just sold my house and am moving back into town.  Yes I am a townie--a vienna townie and proud of it.

Sweet Gum, 54" x 56", acrylic

I had a conversation with a toad  yesterday. He appeared under the big tree called Robins Roost--my favorite spot in the world.  It was truly a moment of being present--spending some time with this tiny little creature.  He climbed onto my hand and sat with me for a while.  I talked and he listened and the conversation was purely one sided. It is so nice to be able to talk and have someone listen to you. The toad had a quiet gentle personality. He was unimposing and exuded virtues I most admire in others. He was beautiful, and the colors on his skin were made of beautiful stripes of black, yellow and brown--the artist pallette of raw sienna mixed with some greenish hue.  These are colors I would like spend some time working with on my next painting.

I do hope he returns the next time I am sitting under my favorite tree. It simply was a joy just to sit and do nothing but enjoy nature and its bounty and be present with a friendly toad. 

The sweet gum painting was finished today. It  is a quiet painting as well, and  am happy with the final results.

The next several weeks will be busy with teaching a summer painting class at NVCC Loudoun campus.  In the meantime, enjoy this nice weather and if you run into a toad , you may be surprised at what good company they can be.  The best things in life are free and sometimes come unexpectedly.

Pink Star. 36.5 x 36.5, Acrylic

Pink Star is an image started several months ago. She is definitely a female painting that was begging me to dress her up with some pink for spring time. Pink is a strange color to work with. I was one told that is too sweet by one of my fondest instructors, but when the sweet fits, you must splurge a little. I definitely splurged on her outfit. She is placed on top of an older work that was unsuccessful. If you look closely there are some words underlying her dress. She whispers things from the past and brings them present. She likes to be present because in the present she finds her "true gifts"!

Star Anise

This spice is one I was introduced to by my dear Vietnamese friend Rosie. Rosie taught me how to cook Vietnamese food during the three years she was my childrens babysitter in my home.

Star anise, star aniseed, badiane or Chinese star anise, (Chinese: 八角, pinyin: bājiǎo, lit. "eight-horn"; Malayalam: തക്കോലം) is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor, obtained from the star-shaped pericarp of Illicium verum, a small native evergreen tree of southwest China. The star shaped fruits are harvested just before ripening. It is widely used in Chinese cuisine, in Indian cuisine where it is a major component of garam masala, and in Malay–Indonesian cuisine. It is widely grown for commercial use in China, India, and most other countries in Asia. Star anise is an ingredient of the traditional five-spice powder of Chinese cooking. It is also a major ingredient in the making of phở, a Vietnamese noodle soup. It is used as a spice in preparation of Biryani in Andhra Pradesh, a state of southern India.