Be Brave

This started at least a year ago, with more added in May. (first photo)  I thought I was finished 2 weeks ago and got a good picture then. (second photo)  As it sat around waiting for its frame, my satisfaction waned...it needed something more.  And, I had written in several phrases from Sara Bareilles' song, Brave.  Awesome song...cool inspiration...but inappropriate for me to be using.  It  made me antsy about copyright issues.  So, today I added paint and papers to obliterate some of the words...which led to more paint, more paper.  It is now much improved with more layers of interest.

Once again, I forgot to get a final photo before I finished framing, so please excuse a few reflections in the last photo.

I should dedicate this piece to my 92 year-old-father-in-law, as he has been trying hard to be brave in the extended recovery time after knee-replacement surgery.  Not sure whether the pain or just being in the nursing home requires more bravery.  Last night I helped him through the pain until time for more drugs by having him recall his most memorable hunting trip.  He was able to fill half an hour with details of a big elk he got in Colorado in the 1950s!  He has a couple more weeks with skilled care, but he's making great progress.

Farewell Dear Friends

Two of my favorite paintings sold last week to some good friends here in Imperial.  It was so fun to see them in a different setting.

Impressions of the Frenchman seemed to glow on the green wall in their house!  And it means a lot that her family is from the area where my inspiration photo was taken.  This has been part of my Highway 6 Series and depicts the Frenchman River near Hamlet, Nebraska...with artistic license!

High Plains Aerial #2 was also inspired by a photograph taken from our airplane, towards the eastern part of a line between Denver and Imperial.  It's the last to go in a series of three coordinated aerial landscapes, that were all framed alike.  All three are owned by people in Chase County!  I loved them hanging together..they are all in a square format and have the same papers, and colors.  But, they are perfect individually in their new homes.   

I am honored to have others appreciate and purchase my art.  I know there is magic and mystery in the unique responses people have to art, and it is a blessing to connect with people in this way. 

My Hiding Place

Life has been happening a lot lately.  In two months this Spring, I made two trips to Kansas (Dad's birthday, then he broke his hip), two trips to Aspen (daughter's health, then surgery), three trips to Lincoln (son's award ceremony, and gallery work twice), and one trip to Omaha (nephew's graduation)!  I am excited to stay put for a while, but after all that travel, it's hard to figure out how to just be home.

This painting happened quickly.  Earlier, I'd been practicing piano...trying to perfect "You Are My Hiding Place" for an upcoming worship service.  So, the song was stuck in my mind.  In frustration over a social situation, I escaped to the studio.  After playing with a portrait idea, the flowers (like I used to doodle in the margins while taking notes in high school) started growing ...I guess as a fallback to mindlessness.  The song started taking over and became the theme of the painting...as if I realized that I tend to hide behind my art, rather than communicate.  This sounds like a sad commentary on my psyche, but I'm okay with the metaphor.  Sometimes, I hide behind art, sometimes it speaks for me, sometimes I use it to escape, sometimes I deliberately create statements, but artmaking is intrinsic to who I am.  The circles, flowers, grids, and music keep me grounded.  I like how they are working in harmony with  the layers of this piece.