Another Reflection by a Stream

This is my final reflection by a stream, for now. This is what I really mean.

Cicada or Locust?

I found this little bug outside (he was dead) and thought he would be a good subject for a small daily painting. He has been waiting in my studio for several weeks. Finally this morning I wanted to try a panel that I had prepared with oil primer instead of the usual gesso. The idea of the oil primer is that the surface is a lot smoother to paint. I love to paint on smooth surfaces and this did not disappoint. The paint was like warm butter.

Reflection by a Stream

This is the painting that I've obsessed over for the last couple of weeks. I would love to have some comments and don't sugar coat it.

More Synchronized Swimmers

Yes, this is an abstract of the swimmers series that I've been working on. The interesting thing is that this actually came first and it was only after I had done four or five of the swimmers that I noticed a sort of Jungian connection to this piece. Think of it as an archetype of the swimmers. The rhythm, pattern, and colors are all there. This is what I really mean.

Go with the flow

Someone said to me yesterday that she thought that watercolor was so difficult to work with because it's so hard to control. But that's the thing, it's not meant to be controlled. You have to go with the flow and have fun. Lots of fun.

It's still wet

I was so excited by this watercolor that I did this morning, that it's still wet! I love the spontaneity of watercolor and the way it moves around. You always get surprises. Swimming in a circle with a bunch of friends, what a contemplative and peaceful thing to do.

All Together Now

I hope I can keep up all the funness here. If anyone knows of an amateur synchronized swim group, let me know. I might have to start my own. Doing things together is always more powerful than alone. With that in mind, I'd like to ask everyone who reads this to pray for my niece who has just learned that cancer has returned for the third time. She is such a beautiful young woman, so all together now.....!

Could it BE anymore fun?

This, in my opinion, has to be the most fun ever. The only thing that could come close is tap dancing in a chorus line or playing in a blues band. The next thing after that is painting a watercolor of synchronized swimming. Today is going to be dedicated to fun.

Synchronized Swimming

I had an idea some time ago to do a series of paintings based on synchronized swimming. I started collecting photo references for this purpose and did some quick watercolor sketches, exploring the shapes and colors. Somehow the timing wasn't right, but now, I'm feeling that the time has arrived to restart work on this idea. Call it synchronicity, it's definitely what I really mean.

Comale River

This is the last painting I'll post from my plein air week in Taos. This is my personal favorite work that I did that week. Water fascinates me and the movement also speaks to me. I was standing right on the edge of what is really a mountain stream. The colors changed as the sun moved across the sky so I had to work fast. One of the things that I like about plein air painting is that sometimes you are painting the memory of the colors which can turn out to be more interesting that the actual colors. I also want to mention that I just read the blog of someone whose husband gave to her one of my paintings for their wedding anniversary. The story is beautiful: www.dreamsofsimplelife.blogspot.com