Still Life with Red Orchids

Still Life with Red Orchids
Original 18" x 24" x 0.75" painting
Golden, Liquitex, and Chroma acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas

Today's painting is a still life with the red orchids that my lovely daughters picked up for me for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. The colors are so vibrant that I felt compelled to paint them!

Quote of the Day
"If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul." --Rabbi Harold Kushner

Today's Paintings 5.29.09

Having Gratitude
Original 30" x 40" x 0.75" painting
Golden, Liquitex, and Chroma acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas

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Moonrise on the Bay
Original 24" x 30" x 0.75" painting
Golden, Liquitex, and Chroma acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas

Today's work includes two new abstract compositions. Having Gratitude is healthy reminder to me that our time here is finite, and that I need to appreciate and be thankful for the things in my life. Moonrise on the Bay is a more realistic abstract piece celebrating beauty and our connection with all things. We are all part of the world we live in--there is no separation between the observer and the observed.

Quote of the Day
"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." --Marcel Proust

Alaska Commission Update - 2/23/09

Alaska in Early Fall
Original 60" x 60" painting
Golden and Liquitex acrylics

I still have some work to do on the foreground, but my publisher is THRILLED with what I've done so far. I typically save the foreground until last in order to get the atmospheric perspective just right. I worked on this painting today and managed to crank out two others for listing on my sales venues. It feels good to paint--and I'm grateful for my ability to work for myself and be a working artist.

Tall Red Trees VI
Original 66" x 28" x 0.75" painting - Three 22" x 28" canvases
Golden and Liquitex acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas

Here is one of the other paintings I worked on today for listing on my sales venues. The Tall Red Trees composition is one that I've reproduced for many patrons over the past 5+ years. This abstract composition lends itself well to large canvases.

Quote of the day: "As thin as this sheet of paper is, it contains everything in the universe in it." --Thich Nhat Hanh

Red Trees

Red Trees VI
Original 72" x 36" x 0.75" painting
Golden and Liquitex acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas

I've had a couple of requests recently to reproduce this composition--including one from a woman in Toronto who wants this in a large format like this one. This painting is a variation of a composition I used when I started painting for a living almost six years ago.

It's been a wild ride getting started in my own business, and I think often about how far I've come in establishing myself as an artist who can make a living doing what I love to do. I have a lot of gratitude for that.

Quote of the day: "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." --John F. Kennedy