Shelf Accessory

16 x 20 Oil on Canvas

Here she is, my little princess, Sophie.  When I was little we played a game called Statue Maker, one person twirled the other person around and let go. You froze in place and then the others had to guess what you were.  Sophie is playing her own little game of Statue Maker. She wants to lure you into thinking she is one of the accessories that sits on our baker's rack that is situated next to the back door.  Once the deception is in place she can make a run for it when the door opens, oh that sneeky little bugger! Just gotta love her.

Steve

10 x 20 Oil on Canvas

Meet Steve. Isn't he cute? I bet he loves to stick his head out the car window, can't you just see him? In my mind's eye he has on goggles and a scraf just like Snoopie used to have.  I have such fun painting when I like the subject matter and every time I looked at this little guy I just have to laugh.  I think my Sophie is getting a little jealous of all the dog paintings I have painted lately so now I am working on one of the little princess. 

Happy Feet

14 x 18 Oil on Canvas

I discovered something the other day that made me smile.  I love to finish a painting, it gives me a great feeling of satisfaction to have done it and completed it. Back in the day when I did commercial interiors, my projects could take anywhere from 8-9 months to 2 years or more.  That is a long time to wait for the feeling of accomplishment and completion, now it is 3-8 hours wha-hoo! The Happy Feet painting you see above took me 3 days working on it 2-3 hours at a time and I thought that was long.  When I was having a wee moment of complaining on this 3 day time span, my friend, Kelley, said well, of course, it takes a little longer each pair of shoes... it's like a mini little still life on it's own.  I took this in and realized that it was fun to see each pair of shoes come alive with paint and therefore felt the sense of accomplishment after each pair.

Painting Reunion

The Gang

Day 1 Painting, The Glass was really hard

didn't get to finish

Day 2 Painting, I was much happier with this

They came from far and wide to the 2nd annual Santa Fe Workshop in Austin, Texas.  We had all met each other at a workshop held by Carol Marine in Santa Fe in the fall of 2008.  We recaptured the magic this past week right here in my home town of Austin. We started with a day of gallery hopping, stopping to eat at some great Austin restuarants, (including the fine dining experience at Debbi's Westslope Bistro and fine art gallery), and of course painted ala prima with one of my mentors Laural Daniel. I also had the honor and pleasure to have the famous artist and blogger Kelley MacDonald stay at my home during the workshop. I think it is safe to say, fun was had by all.

Joy Ride

No painting today, but I wanted to give you an update.  When I started out my blogging journey I started with the idea that the commitment was going to be a problem.  It has been quite fun to observe the changes that have occured within myself. I thought it would be so hard and so scary and all that rig-a-ma-roll jibberish.  I guess when something is right you feel pulled to do it but, I did need to get over that initial hump. So I got in my metaphorical car, started it up, gave it some juice, got over the hump and have been enjoying the ride.  I think I am getting ready to go off-roading soon, but not quite there yet.  I will let you know when I'm getting close though.  So if there is anything you want to do but you are scared to do I highly recommend stepping on the gas and going for it, you won't be sorry. I loved this quote:

I had trouble making a commitment to songwriting until I was thirty-two, even after I'd won fifteen or twenty BMI awards. (Gerry Goffin)

I wonder if he had fun along the way?  Stayed tuned.  I am in the middle of a fun painting, can't wait to show it to you...    

Chair Presence

14 x 18 Oil on Canvas

In my last post, if you recall, I said I was going to STOP the hurry up, hurry up self talk and I am proud to report that I did.  Well that made my painting experience totally different it was so much more fun!! And if life is about the process or journey, I certainly would rather have fun in the process.

Bernie goes Green

8 x 10 Oil Painting

Not sure what kind of dog this is, maybe he is a mut, but boy he is cute. Would love to have a little cutie like this, but don't know what my little assistant would say about that.

 In the back of my mind I still have the commitment that I am going to paint 100 paintings by September.  My Christmas break was quite long, I didn't intend to take a break at all, it just happened. I have to say I did have the passing thought well maybe that was a silly commitment.  Those little voices are so cleaver aren't they. So anyway the commitment is in the back of my mind and I feel it caused me to rush through this painting. Needless to say it did not turn out the way I saw it in my mind. Well, "they" say that awareness is the biggest step, right? So now I am aware and the plan for tomorrow is to STOP IT, good plan, right?

Lounging in White

8 x 10 Oil on Canvas

Holie Schomlie, its 2010, can you believe it!! Boy, I've had a rough time getting back to painting after the holidays and there was a trip to the Carribean thrown in there too.  It felt very much like falling of the exercise wagon, once I'm in the groove and in the exercise habit,  my day doesn't feel complete without it.  But then there is an interuption and it's tough to get back into it and maybe even there's a little fear. Totally unfounded and completely ridiculous fear.  So the best way I have found to move past the fear is to take action, it works everytime (not always easy to do).  I started this painting yesterday and felt really rusty, but when I went back to it today it felt much better and the joy of painting was stirred.  My little painting assistant was so excited to be back in the studio she stepped in my palette in a moment of glee, see below:

Holiday Attire

14 x 20 Oil on Canvas

In this season of Thanksgiving, I am so thankful for the time to paint.  It has such a snowball affect...I paint and it makes me happy, then the painting gets happy and hopefully all who view them get happy and then when the viewers are happy (thank you everyone for those nice comments) it makes me even happier and the paintings get happier and so on and so on.  I just love those kind of snowballs...they make me warm and tingly all over. And these little dogs, with their cute little dresses, sitting on their cute little stools it makes me want to laugh.  Thankful Happy Days

Peeking Sophie

8 x 10 Oil on Canvas

I have heard other artist say they shy away from painting family members because it is hard not to  become to hyper sensitive to the painting. Worrying the end result will not capture the likeness of the family member, since you know them so well and see their faces everyday.  I took this picutre of my little sleeping muse who was in the chair next to me one day as I was writing a post for my blog.  She just looked so cute it was hard to resist.  So on I went and started my painting, I hated it, it didn't look like her. I now know what those artists were talking about. I put it away for several weeks until I worked up the munster to try to make it look like her.  I took another stab at it and am fairly happy with the result. You will see my little miniture model again, since they other day I caught her posing really cute again and just had to snap a picture. Ta ta till next time.

Sophisticated Slumber

10 x 20 Oil on Canvas

It is almost comical how my life keeps geting in the way of painting. Ugh! Last week it was something, this week it is another big something else.  I almost want to create a time sheet of where all my time goes, but that sounds way too much like work. Yucky...  But really, where does it go?  I'm not going to complain,  though today I saw a report on a TV morning show of the woman who got her faced chewed off by the chimp, remember that?  and when the reporter asked what the familly is hoping for when she  goes home, her brother replied , well we really hope she gets to the place where she can bathe herself, put her clothes on herself and feed herself so she can have some independence.  Boy that puts things into perspective, doesn't it? No more complaining.

Ralph

9 x 12 Oil on Canvas

I recently attended a big conference and one of the really successful presentors told a story of her recent book triumph.  The success of her book was extremely satisfying to her because when she was young she was told she had absolutely no talent for writing and had shied away from it ever since. I can so relate!  I had a similar experience when I was in 7th grade and Mr. Saeger (See, I still vividly remember him) had turned my writing assignment blood red with his vicious red pen and brutal criticism of my prose.  I was deeply scarred....obviously for more decades than I want to admit.  But more recently, people have shared that they are enjoying reading my blog along with viewing my paintings.  Thank you to all that have shared their opinions with me, I really appreciate it. Maybe now I can put Mr. Saeger and his red pen in my mind's recyle bin and hit delete.

Sofa Sublime

12 x 12 Oil on Canvas

Okay so I know I said on one post that painting is like exercise, but now I want to add to that and say it is like golf.  If my mind is too active while I'm trying to hit the ball, bad news, I wiff it or it veers off  to the left or even sometimes right in the water.  When I started this yesterday, my mind was whirling. I am going on a trip on Wednesday so I was thinking about all the things I had to do before I leave, boy thinking just doesn't work when your trying to paint, it wasn't pretty. So I told myself, "self, stop stessing, it's not helping your painting."   It works out best if I just go in la la land and don't do any thinking at all. Perhaps I could even call it a zen state.  It sure is a good way to be totally present in the moment.

In Progress

In Progress

Boo! this is a finished painting playing Halloween, see he is dressing up like an unfinished painting. I hope to be posting the finished verision tomorrow, but it is time to go trick or treating. I must stop myself from putting the first strokes of paint on because then I would want to keep going and going.  I made myself clean my desk today (or otherwise I would go cuckoo).  A cluttered desk in a cluttered mind, so I did not want my mind to be cluttered as I go about my painting. You know those signs that say I would rather be fishing (painting), that is definitly how I felt, but again I was almost ready to go cuckoo  Anyway... I came across a quote by Johann Wolfgang from 1749.  Interesting to think they had commitment issues back then.  It goes like this:  "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness."  There is more to it, so I will fill you in tomorrow.  Happy Halloween

Chicken Stoop

12 x 12 Oil on Canvas

I haven't commented about the commitment thing lately, so here is the latest.  Before I began this little 100 painting quest I so worried about it, fearing the worst,  like I would have to force myself to do it (oh how I hate to be told what to do, don't you?) and so I thought this terrible little voice in me would be constantly scolding me, cracking the whip, brow beating me to get my "work" done ~ au contraire ~  it is so not like that at all.  Instead of feeling pushed and forced to paint, I feel pulled and inspired to paint, even a little bummed if I don't get to it some days.  Someone once said , probably someone famous (I'm not good with names) "the way to get over fear is by taking action", it is so, so true.

Pretty in Pink

12 x 12 Oil on Canvas 

Well this may be titled Pretty in Pink,but I feel quite green or is the saying I feel blue. I feel green because something decided to take up residence in my intestines this week. Painting usually does help for what ever is ailing me but it is no match for this, what ever this is, is it the dreaded swine flu?  Don't think so because they say that occurs in the upper respitory right? not in the southern hempispher.  Oh well hope it passes soon because I am still behind schedule.

Morning Light

12 x12 Oil on Canvas

Painting is like exercise for me.  Exercise makes me feel so wonderful, makes me feel more awake, more energetic, more peaceful, more accomplished and  whole bunch of other things that I'm not thinking of right now. I have such a better outlook on life when I do my daily exercise so, why on some days, do I not want to do it, that is just not logical. All these same ideas applies to when I paint, it makes me feel so wonderful, happy, in love with life, so why on sme days do I just not want to do it.  But just like exercise if I can just get started, I love it and all is right with the world once again.

Gourd-geous

11 x 14 Oil on Canvas

Have you figured out by now that I am focusing on Interior Landscapes or should they be called still-lifes. Not sure, and as my byline says A Look Inside-The Journey to find the creative in me, my subject matter is actually a look inside interiors. But anyhoo...my background is Interior Design. Back in the day I received a degree in Interior Design and part of the reason I chose to go into Interior Design was because I appreciated all different styles and shapes that interiors come in. By going into the field, I would have the opportunity to work with them all.  So now by painting them I get to play with them again with the added bonus that I can move on quicker to the next style. It is great fun and satisfying to mix two things I love. I love in the scene above how rustic cabin meets style. I guess I would  suffer through it if someone wanted to bequeath me with this comfy cabin in the woods. P.S. I think I will probably sneak some critter paintings in every now and then.

Open Door

8x10 Oil on Canvas

 I'm having a little problem. I know I am a little behind on my goal so while I've been painting I've been hearing this little voice just chattering away  in my head, just a constant little annoying dialong "you better hurry up, your behind, you better hurry up, your behind, hurry up, hurry up"  and on and on it drones.  Well then of course the opposite occurs- my paintings are feeling very forced and then I'm not having very much fun and then I don't want to do it and then I'm worried is this the commitment phobic bearing her ugly little head? I'm not going to let her get the better of me, I did settle down the other day, I put on my classical music  that my husband just hates and went into the zone. It is the journey not the destination that matters anyway. Poor little commitment phobic girl I think she's met her match. Ha!

A New Diet

Picture in Progress

Did you know that painting is the latest diet fad?  Me either, who knew?  Yep, I stepped on the scale today and I'm down 4.8 pounds (love those digital scales).  So for reasons unknown to me, I have this time of day that I am compelled to paint, 3:00 p.m. It really feels like an uncontrolable pull to paint, it comes from inside me some where.  I've tried painting at different times of day and it just doesn't work out as good.  So what does this have to do with weight loss you ask? Well... in the past when 3:00 would roll around I wanted to have a snack and my desire was not for carrots and celery sticks; it was for something surgary and carby, i.e. a cookie or piece of chocolate.  Now I'm painting and when I get in the zone, food does not come to mind, isn't that cool?   The above painting is a fun one, almost done, but not quite.