Summer Paintings & Thoughts

The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warm-heartedness.

~ Dalai Lama

This painting is "If I Could, I'd Fly Away With You", (painting in progress) 20" x 20" oil on linen...it really came around today: I'd taken it out to the front porch easel this morning: sun shining despite promise of rain, River Dog basking, Pikachu sneaking around as cats do.

My foot hurt (whine) from a shard of glass I hadn't been able to get out--serves me right for bare footin' it in the kitchen yesterday. The wrist hurt (whine) from carpal tunnel/tendonitis. I was worrying myself over mortgage and thoughts of will-I-make-it-another-day-month-year, and this, that, no half-&-half for coffee (whine), friends and family struggling with the big C, and then....started painting. And painting. Oh, the changes this one underwent all morning.

After hollering (several times) at Google to play "Poor Pitiful Me" by Linda Ronstadt, and the next thing I know I'm listening to Anne Murray sing "Snow Bird", and those wistful lyrics "I'd fly away with you...."

There I was, painting, crying over that song (it was my mother's favorite and how the memories fell in tears), crying over the foot, wrist, and the whole nine-yards. The painting named itself. All I did was listen. And paint despite it all.

The sun kept shining a bit longer, River snored a little longer, and I kept on. By afternoon the rain stepped in, I soaked that foot an hour in Epsom salts, and dug that damn glass out. You do not mess with a Southern woman. Behind every painting is a bit of blood, sweat, and tears....and faith that things will fall in place once again.

What's going on? The show I'm currently in with three other women painters will be up until August 3 at Upstairs Artspace gallery; we'll have an artist talk this afternoon at the gallery. For August, yours truly will be featured in Bold Life Magazine, interview by Norm Powers, photos by Amos Moses who came here on a HOT day, a couple hours behind. Naturally, I had already melted in the heat outside, and figure those photographs will show the artist in meltdown! It's a thrill to be in Bold Life. Here's a link to the article: https://www.boldlife.com/taking-wing/

In late September, I'll be at it again: Open Studio weekend with Art Trek. Also, I'm guest artist of the month at Whimsical World Gallery, Jones Street, Landrum, SC, owned by whimsical artist David Cedrone--located in a historical old church building! Stop in. I'm a fan of David's work! After moving here from Maine, he bought the old church and turned it into a gallery.



Times seem chaotic and unsure: I find solace in going out to my old easel and front porch. The swing is now 'ballerina pink', and the fish pond brims with gold fish, frogs, and ripples in water. Wind chimes sing on the summer breeze.

Tomatoes cluster on a vine, and a crimson mandevilla winds around a white post. A young praying mantis as-green-as spring's-tenderest-leaf peeps at me from the boxwoods. River Dog snoozes and the cat tiptoes soft as a whisper. Such is life here: one more day in an old house in a small town, trying to make ends meet, and singing my heart out with brush strokes and tenderness.



(photo: beauty in the imperfect: yesterday's hibiscus blossom fading)

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