It's been a year to remember--no doubt about it. COVID and its variants still dominate the news, and uncertainty about returning to the (new) normal has many of us feeling on edge. And yet, because of the efficacy of vaccines (leading to fewer hospitalizations), I'm more optimistic than I was at this time a year ago. We've got a long way to go, but my hope is that we'll get there--if we retain our humanity and work towards relying on and supporting one another. 

As we approach the end of the year, I thought I'd share some things that went well in my (art) world and how grateful I am for the people who made my life better in 2021. My interactions with others were mostly by phone (calls and texts), email, and zoom, but they all contributed to my well-being and my sanity, if I'm being honest.

Some highlights:

• Getting texts or emails from fellow artist friends asking me for my opinion on their painting (problem-solving is something I enjoy!)
• Taking a phone call from a novice artist who'd seen my work locally and asked my advice about how to advance his painting skills (we talked for an hour and he took notes--I think I wore him out and gave him much to think about!).
• A thoughtful phone call from a cousin telling me she'd seen my work on facebook, and then her description of WHAT she liked about my emerging new style of painting.
• Monthly ZOOM critiques with trusted artist friends
• Posting a painting on facebook and getting hundreds of likes/comments (and suggestions for titles!). Art is meant to be seen, so this was a good way to put it out there for an audience each day.
• Rekindling friendships via facebook (and then taking time to chat on the phone with old friends from college days); making new art friends via facebook, and getting to see their work.
• Teaching art workshops via ZOOM: once I embraced this way of teaching, I hit upon a mix of slideshows, demos, and critique to come up with a format that benefits the students, and suits my personality.

I am indebted to all the folks who enriched my life this year--personally and professionally. I couldn't have gotten through the year without so many conversations with friends and family members. Art is a calling (at least for me), and I aim to keep at it!. I leave you with a quote from one of my favorite musicals:

For me, painting is all about the art of the possible--what *COULD* be. It's up to the artist to coax out shapes, colors, form using the materials at hand (paint, collage papers, etc) to produce a visually exciting painting (or at least that's the goal).

I used to begin a painting on a blank, white piece of watercolor paper, but when I switched to acrylic painting and acrylic marbling in 2007, I often found it easier to start with blobs of amorphous color and create a painting that had several layers of color peeking through. This method creates depth, mystery, and a bit of happenstance---I don't know what my finished painting is going to look like, but that's part of the excitement. I feel driven, energized, and compelled to keep going as I respond to what is happening on the paper. Some of my best paintings have arisen out of this process because I just LET GO of the outcome and concentrate on PAINTING.

When I marble papers that have been previously painted (in watercolor or acrylic), I layer new colors and patterns over old color. I often start with the back of a watercolor "test" page (blobs or marks of color are on the paper in a random fashion). Several of my artist friends have given me their old "junk" paintings to marble in exchange for one of my finished paintings. I sometimes wipe off some of the watercolor paint with a sponge before preparing the paper for the marbling tray. My aim is to marble in a way that obscures most of the original image, but still gives me a few little random shapes to deal with when I set about to finish the painting.

I've included two examples of this process--one is a finished landscape by artist Alisha Whitman, which I marbled, cropped, and over-painted, turning it into vase of greenery. The other started as a watercolor "test" paper from artist Leslie Dugas (which I turned into a figure). This is one of my favorite ways to paint on my marbled papers and turn old subject matter into something completely different. Obviously, I don't enter these "collaborative" pieces into juried shows (whose rules insist on the work being done by one artist), but these experimental paintings push me to innovate and improvise--what more could an artist ask for?

How do we know when a painting is finished? It's finished when...

• We decide we're tired of working on it
• There's nothing we want to add, change, or remove
• When our critique group says it's done
• When it sells, and it's out of our hands

But what of the paintings that we put aside because we're not quite SURE what to do with them? My stack of "also-rans" are in a corner of the garage where I can easily access them. But why would I *want* to go back to an old incomplete painting after so many years? Because there's *something* there I haven't resolved. Like little sleeping beauties, these abandoned paintings are waiting to be awakened from their deep slumber. I find that the passing of time, and years of painting experience have given me the wisdom to know HOW to finally finish or revive these paintings! It's exhilarating to take these humble "starts" and reshape them into new, fully realized paintings.

My most successful "do-overs" are those in which very little of the original painting is visible in the final version. For whatever reason, I find it less intimidating to cover up an old painting than to face possibly "ruining" a fresh piece of expensive paper. A painting that's already in the junk pile can't get any worse, right? I've revived hundreds of paintings this way, and each one is a triumph of will----sort of like solving the Saturday New York Times crossword puzzle, but with a paintbrush.

Below is one of my recent makeover paintings---I transformed it from figures to flowers in the course of a day. It's all about knowing what to cover up and what to leave alone. And as always, I try to balance the color, shapes, and composition to create a pleasing finished piece. "Floral Trio #3: Blue Flowers on Orange"; acrylic marbling on paper, 13 x 13".

It's a new year, and for me, it's time to update my art record book for 2020. I admit to being a little compulsive about recording every painting I complete in an official looking Record Book. Yes, the old fashioned ledger type book purchased from a "stationery" store has always been my  favorite way to keep track of my paintings. You can see from the image on the left that I cover over the word "RECORD" on the front of the book, and write the Volume number on the front. After 40 years of record keeping, I've just started in on Volume 5.

It all started in college when I was painting big abstract paintings in my Painting class. Somehow I'd gotten hold of a ledger book and began recording the titles, sizes, and dates of all the paintings I completed (maybe 40 or so the year I graduated). For whatever reason, I hung on to that book over the years, and when I resumed painting again at age 30, I continued recording my paintings in that old grey book.

Over the years, I've filled several of these books (each book is 150 pages, so I combine 4 years into one book, separating each year with a post-it note tab). I love the feeling of writing the title of each finished painting, one by one, into a lined notebook.

Each painting is logged in order of completion; I use a red marker to record the painting number (1 is the first painting of the year, etc.), and I write the date, size, medium, and any other notes I want to make about the painting (especially if it immediately sold).

Needless to say, I take a high resolution photo (on my iphone) of every one of my paintings (sometimes while in progress, but especially when I've signed and completed the painting). I put those images into folders on my PC labeled DigitalArt/[year], and I rename each file with the title of the painting--I shun nondescript file names like DSC0700! It is much easier to search for images using words from the title. From my PC, I am able to print out images of my work, or upload an image to a website when I enter a show online, for example.

While I do have a software program (MS Access) that I enter painting titles into when I need to make labels for a show, this hard-copy book allows me to paste things into the pages--such as my favorite paintings of the year. (I print a "contact sheet" so that the images are 1 x 3"). I cut out each small image and glue stick it onto the pages of the book--I sometimes arranged images by technique or theme.

In addition to recording each painting, I do one more important thing. At the end of each year, I assess my artistic progress and I write about:

• Workshops and classes I've taken (and what I learned from each instructor)
• New methods/materials I’ve tried
• Art/artists who have influenced me or showed me how to solve a problem
• A “top ten” list of my own best works—and why they are important
• Shows I’ve entered (accepted or not) and awards received

I haven't included any photos of the pages described in these bullet points because they are almost like a diary--too personal to share online. But they mean the world to me, because they inform my work and I hold myself to the task of writing them each year. Writing about my art in this book is a labor of love, and it shows me where I've been and (maybe) where I'm headed artistically.

Sometimes, we artists say things like "I just got lucky" upon successful completion of a painting. We should give ourselves more credit for the work it took to whip that painting into shape! Is it mere luck when we see an opportunity and seize on it?

My painting "In the Bubble #1" started one way, and finished another--because I saw its potential and refused to give up on it. In one afternoon, I transformed this piece from "potential junk pile fodder" to finished painting.

If you click on each image in the gallery below, you'll see a step by step explanation of my process. Step 5 is the final image of the painting. "In the Bubble #1" is acrylic marbling on paper, 11 x 15".

It's a good art day when I go from thinking “this is not working” to “I think I’ve fixed this!”.

 It is Election Day here in the U.S., and what better time to talk about the importance of art?

Since 2008, I've made a point to buy a piece of original artwork on or close to the November presidential election date. Call it a good luck charm or a declaration of hope and happiness, but I believe in the power of art (not to mention supporting the work of fellow artists). Artwork I purchase prior to a presidential election becomes (for me) a personally meaningful symbol of that election.

My best art picks were in 2008, when I bought several small paintings by Trish Grantham, and again in 2012 when I bought a painting by Carla O'Connor. Obama won both elections, and these paintings are extra special to me for that reason.

Alas, I had high hopes that Ms. Clinton would be elected president in 2016 but we know how *that* turned out. Still, in October  2016, I purchased a painting done by Savannah, GA artist "Panhandle Slim" (real name: Scott Stanton) depicting singer Helen Reddy and quoting her "I Am Woman" song lyrics. Scott misspelled "invincible" but that's part of the charm of this piece. This huge 36 x 24" painting on plywood hung in a prominent place in our house for a year---but then we moved to a smaller house in 2017 and had no big wall on which to hang it. Sadly, I hung it in the garage so I could at least see it when I went in there, but I had to figure out a better way to enjoy my Helen Reddy painting. Looking out my kitchen window, I wondered if I could hang it outside on my back fence so I could see it every day?

I realized the plywood painting would not be able to withstand repeated exposure to the elements (rain, wind, etc). So I went online and found websites that will print high resolution .jpgs on outdoor metal signs. I took a fairly good digital picture of the painting, and uploaded it to a website that offered heavy galvanized steel signs (with pre-drilled holes in the corners) MEANT to hang outside! The whole thing cost under $140 and they even paid for shipping. When the big box arrived, and I opened it, it was PERFECT. Today, I had my handyman come and attach the metal sign to the fence using weatherproof bolts. (I've included the image at the end of this post). The original painting is still in my garage.

We won't know the outcome of the 2020 election until tonight (if then) but, for the record, I did buy an original painting by CA artist Debra Abshear in October. In these uncertain times, keeping up certain traditions are more important to me than ever.

For those of us lucky enough to be "retired" from full-time paid employment (and still have enough to live on), the COVID pandemic has had a weird benefit: the gift of time and solitude. As an artist, this means fewer interruptions and more time to delve into my ongoing conversation with art. I call it that because I do more than JUST paint. I am thinking about and responding to what is on the canvas or paper---each stroke of paint I decide to put down is part of my "conversation" with that painting.

Late last year, I had a creative awakening that started when I placed a black swath of acrylic paint on white paper, which I quickly developed into a figure with auburn hair. I called this piece "Upon Closer Inspection" and it led me to create several other paintings in this series. As an artist friend said when she viewed the painting, "it's about what ISN'T there--the space around the figure is just as important as the figure itself." That's it exactly. It is easy to embellish and add more paint to a painting until we deem it finished, but it is much harder to show restraint from the get-go and let the sparseness of the neutral colors do the work for us. Less is definitely more in the case of these recent paintings (including my "Dispossessed" series, and my more recent "Keep Your Cool" series). In each of these paintings, I use a limited palette of neutral grey/black/white/sepia colors and I let the white of the paper show through (a rarity in most of my other paintings).

Something unexpected and exciting happened to me in September--my painting "Upon Closer Inspection #1" won First Place in the Rocky Mountain Watermedia Exhibit in Evergreen, CO. The juror, Linda Daly Baker, announced the awards in a live ZOOM meeting. I was floored that this simple, elegant painting stood out among the 65 colorful, skillfully executed paintings by nationally recognized artists. Maybe less really is more.