Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Near the Shore, 6x6 Oil Painting

The light, color, and movement of the ocean is different every day, and I never tire of walking on the beach and studying it. I used to live in the Azores, where people would sit by a wall and just stare out at the sea. I thought they were dreaming of escaping their small island and going somewhere else, but maybe they were just doing what I do--watching the ocean.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Aquamarine, 7x5 Acrylic on Canvas

I like color, can you tell? Vivid, deep, inviting color. Painting these abstracts is an adventure, and I look forward to trying different color combinations.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Here Comes the Sun, 6x6 Oil on Canvas

This was a very misty morning. All my photos were so mysterious and peaceful-looking, and some are really asking to be painted large. I will do that one of these days.

I'm not posting as frequently as usual, just because I am frequently off to find new things to paint. Coming soon: the Olympic Peninsula.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Night Flight, 6x6 Acrylic on Canvas Panel

There's a lot going on here, but it all suggests flight to me. I am really enjoying doing these abstracts, it is so freeing and creative. It's like a dance with paint.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Ready For My Closeup, 24x30 Oil on Canvas

This painting is currently displayed in the Pieces of 8 art exhibit at the King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne, Florida. Our exhibit is called "Black and White and Red All Over" and features all different media and quite a variety of styles. This painting comes with a story, and the story just keeps growing.

This is my dad's cousin Florence Chumbecos, who was a chorus girl on Broadway. I had a couple of her publicity shots but didn't know her last name. My cousin Vicki, who lives in Virginia, discovered our side of the family a couple weeks ago. She never knew we existed, and we have been solving genealogical mysteries via emails to each other. Neither of us knew Florence's last name, but Vicki found it through some detective work, and she found an article written by Florence about dancing with Fred Astaire. It was just like the movies: the lead dancer got sick, Florence filled in and danced in the role for a year. Mr. Astaire was just like you'd think--the nicest of men. Here is the article: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/23388711

Vicki found this picture of Florence on eBay and bought it. Next we want to know when and where she died.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Stormy Deep, 6x6 Abstract

I've stepped way outside my comfort zone to do this one, and I'm so excited about it that I'm going to do more. The first thing I thought of was deep water in a storm off Bermuda, where I used to live. What a contrast to the misty grey scene I photographed at our beach in Florida the other day. It was beautiful in its own way too.

I'm happy to announce that I won Best of Show in the Contemporary Fine Art International show (www.cfai.co), "Summer Fun" for my painting Leap of Faith.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Cyberspace, 5x7 Abstract Acrylic Painting

This is poured acrylic over stamped gold gesso, and the title is a nod to the internet, because of the most amazing coincidence this week. In our painting group, when it's someone's birthday, that person brings the cake. This keeps it simple. This week I brought a pineapple upside-down cake for my birthday (more about that later), and Carol Schiff gave me a birthday card that I immediately recognized as being made by my niece, Marta Pelrine-Bacon. Carol's cousin bought a set of the cards on the internet and sent them to Carol, who gave me one for my birthday, having no idea I was related to the artist who made the card. What are the odds?

I wrote to my niece, who has had serious health problems lately, and saw that she was having a big craving the same day for pineapple upside-down cake!  Again, what are the odds?
Here is the very cute card:
 Link to Card




Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Seven Palms, 6x6 Oil on Canvas

This is Satellite Beach, Florida, on a beautiful sunny day. The weather turned interesting later on, a real frog-strangler. We needed the rain, so I don't complain