Moody Beauty

Moody Beauty is the name of this week’s painting. Why? I promise to get to that and to a smidge of art history, too. But before I delve into that, here’s some back story on this blog. Whether this is your first or millionth visit here, hiya, hello and a warm welcome! To read about this year’s painting theme, check the description in this link here. To subscribe and get a weekly dose of color and these blog posts, subscribe here. Let’s get to this week’s painting. OK?

Set Up This Week

There’s no place like home sometimes, eh? At least that’s what happened as I let my mind wander and ponder painting ideas. And, the weather was magically cool in the mornings so I decided to venture out to the backyard. As I looked around and up, I thought about reworking an existing painting of a treetop and sky view. But as I did some quick compositional sketches, I could not resist taking time to paint some blue hydrangea blooms.

Here’s a photo of the setup. You can see that there was very little light on this scene. But, I loved the shapes of the blooms against the leaves. And, as usual, the more I looked the more I saw. Luckily, the blue blooms and the two small new blooms offered lighter colors in an otherwise dark and moody scene.

Sounds This Week

As I mixed colors on the palette, I was thrilled to hear so many bird calls including a Carolina Wren, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Common Yellowthroat, and Great Crested Flycatcher. Merlin Bird Sound ID recorded all these calls. By the time I finished the first session of the painting, the mighty Northern Cardinal was my only “sound” companion in the backyard.

The Painting

Here’s the painting. It’s only 4×8 inches on fine linen panel. And, yes, it’s for sale for $88 + $6.38 sales tax + $25 shipping = $119.38 That’s a pretty nifty price for some original art, don’t you think? To purchase and make it your very own, PayPal.Me.

Reflections on Art in Museums

Before I sign off I want to share, as I did in last week’s post, that I am still processing all of the paintings we saw during our recent trip to the Netherlands, France and Spain. Here’s the latest thinking: I’m appalled! Why?

It just amazes me how few women are represented in all of these fantastic art museums. Lucky for me, I found one woman and her painting at the Rijks Museum. Her subject matter may not suit your fancy, especially if you’re not a cat lover. And, if sweet isn’t your thing, it probably won’t appeal to you either. But, I’m here to tell you that this crazy world needs more sweet. And this woman was extremely popular and financially successful with her artwork in the 1800s. Here’s Henriette Ronner-Knip‘s painting entitled “Cat at Play.”

Isn’t it adorable? Come on, don’t ya think? And, how about the cigar with burning embers? Think that’s going to go untouched? Kinda doubt it. Don’t you? Oh and guess what else? Henriette’s birthday is May 31! I cannot tell you how excited I am about that. Pour quoi? Because I share the same birthday! I have been on a quest to find an artist, any artist, who has the same birthday as I. This is a first! Oh and unlike me, this amazing woman had six kids, too. Just reading that made me think “Rock on Henriette!” And, then, of course, I thought how did she do that? You know, have a successful art practice and six kids in the 1800s. Anyway, I’m inspired!

What About You

Now that I have shared some bits of inspiration here, I wonder about you. What has inspired you this week, gentle reader? I would love to hear. Please share in the comments below and thank you as always for reading here today.