Island Cabin

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I have not fallen off the face of the Earth! It may seem like it, I know, but I haven't. I spent all last week hangin' with my buds, painting on St. Simon's Island in Georgia. It was good to get out, good to paint something different, and so so good to get some quality girlfriend time. Above is the first painting I did, and below is our little "gaggle": (left to right) Kathy, Mary, me and my wine, Kelley and Laurel. More soon (I promise)!!

After Georgia I flew straight to Sedona where I am now in the middle of a 5-day workshop. Today we did some 10-minute paintings, and there was so much grumbling I almost had to make them do push-ups!

Aimless Pears

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Did I say I was going to do plein air? I meant plain pears. Ha! Just kidding. I have been having an absolute ball here in Georgia with my buds. Unfortunately most of it I cannot report, as we have agreed ... what happens in Georgia stays in ... well, you know. But I will do my best to photograph some of my work tomorrow so I can post it. I know I have at least 2 that are worth showing, and we'll be here 2 days more still.

ps. I have been mostly ignoring email (sorry - between painting, carrying on, giggling, eating, drinking and drinking some more, there hasn't been time) so if you emailed me I will get back to you ... eventually.

Tagalong Tomato

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I am in Georgia for the week, ready to do a little plein air painting with four fabulous friends of mine! We will start tomorrow, weather permitting, and I will post whatever good comes out of it.

A Little Birdie Told Me

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Oregon is great! There are so many cool places to explore, and now we live here! We are home now, but here is a picture.

Pear Bath

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I am sitting in a little cottage right off of Cannon Beach, on an impromptu getaway with my husband! The pear I left at home. Poor pear.

Basil and Tomato

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I didn't die! I sure felt like I was going to, towards the end of the half marathon on Sunday, but I am alive, and while sore, can now happily check that crazy stunt off my list. Here is a longer report, with pictures.

High Country Shacks

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This is a scene from a back alley in Silverton, Colorado. But what I really want to say tonight is well, two things. One, wish me luck tomorrow as I'm running a half marathon! AND - I found a very cool solution for taking breaks from painting! They're called "paint savers" and they're little suction cup thingies that keep your paint wet for weeks. And instead of explaining them away I'll just show you this picture and give you a link to the website: www.paintsavers.org. Very cool!

Flowers Away

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Our walks have netted us some pretty amazing things so far. I found this flower on a trimmed tree branch lying on the side of the road the other day. Doesn't it look like it's about to take off?!

Under Cover

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When I took the picture for this painting I wasn't sure anything would come of it, but I am IN LOVE with this painting. Sorry. That's not terribly modest of me.

ADVANCED WORKSHOP - October 1-5, Santa Fe, NM. This was put together by a former class of mine and those students had first dibs (this has been many years in the works). There are 3 spots left. Please email Nancy if you are interested. There are also sleeping rooms available. Here is a description of the class.

Just Steps From Home

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WORKSHOP: One spot just opened up in my upcoming Sedona, AZ class, May 14-18. If you're interested ...

My husband and I found a lovely little book the other day full of interesting walks around Eugene. We decided it would be a great opportunity to walk, talk and take pictures, so we went on our first one Monday. It was on that walk I found the inspiration for this latest front porch painting.

Alley Shadows

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THIS one I am really proud of. It's not every day you find a perfect shadow like this, cast on a perfectly wonderful blue building, AND manage to get a good photo of it. This is Germany again - same town as yesterday.

Orderly Rows

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This is a scene from our last visit to Germany. I forget which town we were in, but I suppose that's not terribly important here. This blue car is probably the biggest car we saw in all of Germany, and it was still pretty small.

Standing Room Only

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I enjoy the effects of seeing things through glass. The only trouble is ... shift a half millimeter to the left or right and everything changes. But, painting loosely gives me a bit of leeway. ; )

Loose Bottles

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I woke up the other morning with a vision. I had an exact vision of at least part of a painting ... so I ran to my studio and painted this. It wasn't exactly what I saw, but it made me realize something. I like painting loosely and my still lifes before had gotten a bit ... stiff. To be honest, I gave myself permission to paint anything BUT still lifes for a while, but it seems I can't stay away. My plan is to continue to do a mix of things so I remain sane for a good long while.

Old Trippers

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I found these when I was wandering around Eugene recently. There are ... ummm ... quite a few old VW's here. It's kind of a funky place. The front one reminds me of the one my parents had when I was a kid. We used to spend about a month every other summer touring around the US in our blue van. Great memories!

I left a few people off my list yesterday. I would like to include: Maggie Siner, Jennifer McChristian, Louis Escobedo, Patti Mollica and David Shevlino.

Market Coffee Break

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This is a little scene I captured at Eugene's Saturday Market recently. This guy was enjoying his coffee and his slice of sunlight on this brisk morning. And below is the promised compiled list of loose painters. You guys sent me a ton and I narrowed it down to just those who spoke to me personally, at this moment. I got A LOT of inspiration from these folks already, will surely get more, and I thoroughly appreciate the recommendations. I am happy to say I believe my funk/block/whatever is done with. For now. I am excited about painting again. Honestly excited, and that is a good feeling!

Tim Horn, William Wray, Jill Soukup, John Brian Guernsey, Randall Sexton, Hsin-Yao Tseng, Camille Przewodek, Susan Abbott, Bryan Mark Taylor, Doug Braithwaite, Connie Hayes, Larry Seiler, Anne Blair Brown, Colley Whisson, Patrick Suanders, Daniel Corey, Oana Lauric, Jeremy Mann, Marc Dalessio, Quang Ho, Charles Movalli

At Home on Saturday

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I spent half the day looking through blogs and websites of all the totally awesome loose house painters you guys suggested!! And am completely inspired. For some reason I felt my options were somewhat limited, but seeing all the great stuff these other people have done gives me all kinds of ideas. Tomorrow I am going to put together a list of my favorites to share since not all were left as comments. Meanwhile, thank you all SO much!!!

Up the Walk

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I was really captivated by the walk up to this relatively plain and unkempt house. I am finding painting this kind of stuff not quite the same as still life (duh), and so I am being challenged, which is probably exactly what I am needing right now. So I am researching other artists who paint houses and architecture. One of my favorites is Colin Page. If anyone has any other suggestions of good, loose painters (that sounds funny - next I'll be hearing from Colin's wife...) I would love to hear them. Thanks!

Blue Shadows

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The sun came out the other day after months of mostly overcast and rain, so I grabbed my camera and wandered around taking pictures. I think I am going to make this a regular thing. I am going to explore with an open mind and see what jumps out at me.

I had some issues with my email yesterday and might have lost a few. If I don't respond to something important, please email me again. Thanks!

Spoon Over Two

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Next I will be posting some non-still life things. I haven't posted much about my "break" because it has turned into something I didn't expect, and because it's been hard. "Ha," you think, "how could a break be hard?" It's hard because as soon as I got back to still life I found myself very quickly back in the same rut I was in before, and still not truly enthusiastic about what I was doing. At first I wracked my brain for how to "fix" this problem, and/or what else I could do. But I am finding that trying to think my way out of a creative jam is fruitless. So my new approach is to calm down, wait, get bored, and be open to new things. And keep painting, but only when and what I feel like. I have also realized that this is very personal process. I've gotten a lot of advice and suggestions from others, and while I appreciate the intention, I've realized that I'm the only one who can help me. That said, I want to thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for all the support over the years, and especially now! You all have been so patient with me and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Thank you.