Missing In Action

Sorry that I haven't been posting these last few weeks.  The world has been heavy and I have been in my cave painting and trying to tune out the ills around me.  This week I received news from some of my painter friends about the gallery in Ormond Beach that closed without warning to their artists who had work hanging in the gallery.  Jessie Cook (in the photo) and Peggy Landeen are hoping to get their work back but so far have not had much success.  Hard times seems to be all around me and I'm trying not to let it get me down.  One of my galleries damaged a painting and returned it to me after keeping it for over a year.  Prior to that, it had been in another gallery and wouldn't you know, someone came in looking for that painting.  Since I wouldn't send the damaged painting to them for consideration, I painted another one very similar to the first.  There is no guarantee that they will buy it, but my fingers are crossed.  David and I will be starting the art show circuit again this fall.  I'm trying to stay positive so that it won't effect my work.  Tomorrow is a new day with  wonderful possibilities!

The Uniqueness of One

                      
                                               Majestic  48"x60"
                    
Since my last posting, I have been putting in long hours at the easel.  Here is my next finished shell painting.  Ann Morrow Lindbergh’s words from Gift from the Sea keep me focusing on the one beautiful specimen and looking at all the nuances of color and form.  In her words not mine,  “One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach.  One can only collect a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.   Since the format and design is quite a bit different than my traditional still life paintings, I have had to refocus on creating a strong pattern, eye path, focal point, and above all strong compositional elements that require careful pre-planning.  What has helped me more than anything else is creating a Notan in three different values-white, gray, and black.  I’ve been reading everything I can to understand this planning tool and feel like it has been worth the effort.  More information on this planning strategy on my next entry with examples of what I am talking about.  Sorry for the font change in the middle.  Part of the text was done in Word and the other here on the blog page.  I can't seem to get them both the same size.