That Time of Year

It’s that time of year! What time of year is that you may wonder? You can surely guess? But! Just in case you’re new to this virtual space, here’s a bit more information about this blog. This is a place where, each week, I share my paintings, process, occasional infuences from art history, and inspiration. Whether this is your first or millionth visit here, hiya, hello and a warm welcome! I choose a theme to guide my paintings each year. To read about this year’s painting theme, check the description in this link here. To subscribe and get a weekly dose of color for yourself, subscribe here. Ready? OK! Here goes!

Time to Reflect

I am going to, first, take time to reflect on all the artistic adventures that happened this year. First, we travelled alot! As I planned a trip to see the Vermeer Exhibit in Amsterdam and at least a dozen other museums in France and Spain, I was a bit hesitant. Why? Mostly I was concerned that my traveling pal aka Mr Studly would not be too thrilled. Don’t get me wrong, he appreciates beautiful paintings, music and all.

But I get to a museum and can get completely transformed by a painting. He typically looks a bit and then moves along. But! Every time I got ready to book a timed reservation, I would say “Are you sure you want to go?” He replied without hesitation “Yes!”

Let’s just say the “museum-a-palooza” experience we had exceeded expectations. In fact, I recall looking at one of Vermeer’s paintings, staring at the gorgeous colors and composition. Numero Uno Traveling Pal noticed something I had completely overlooked: an unfinished part of the painting. I love seeing unfinished parts of paintings. In fact, I seek that out because there’s so much to learn by seeing that. Here’s the painting. It’s called “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” by Vermeer. The colors are absolutely exquisite. The composition is alluring. And having drawn figures, gestures and hands for hours (and hours), the gesture of each figure and their hands are just absolutely gorgeous. I’ll let you see if you can find the unfinished parts! Enjoy!

Time to Look Around

Even though we traveled like mad this year, I realized I had overlooked something. There are beautiful sights right outside our front door. And, now that I have a trusty new ebike, I can travel to nearby paintings spots with ease.

Recently, I rode my new ebike named “Hillie” to Dix Park. All my painting gear is stashed on a backpack on my back and/or the rear shelf behind the bike seat. The light at the end of the day this time of year is fleeting but so beautiful. The only downside is how quickly this light changes. Oh and how quickly the temperature drops as the sun goes down. Brrrr!

Here’s a picture of my set up near Harvey Hill at Dix Park. You can see “Hillie” in the right hand corner. Shazam it’s so fun to ride that bike and to get an extra boost from the ‘pedal assist’ feature.

The Result

Here’s the painting I started on a recent, cool Friday afternoon. I finished it this week in the warmth of my studio. AH! Thank goodness for steam heat and warm tea, eh?

To say it was fun to paint this painting would be an understatement. I love the grays that are leafless trees (in the background) this time of year. And, I love that the tree trunks as they captured the quickly disappearing sunlight with flashes of warm colors.

This painting is 12×6 inches, in oils, on a panel. Yes, it’s for sale for $197 + 14.28 + free shipping till December 31, 2023 = $211.28. Simply tap on the PayPal Button to make it your very own.

Time to Say Thank You

Last but not least, I sure am grateful to you, gentle reader, and to all the people who chose to buy my paintings this year! It warms my heart to hear from you here. And I love knowing the supportive, art collectors who have chosen to have my work in their homes and offices. I promise to keep working away at this delightful and challenging craft.

Looking Ahead

As we head into the new year, I will have some new and interesting ideas and information to share with you. Long time readers know that each year I start the new year with a theme for my paintings. I’ll be doing that next week. And, I also plan to begin a regular (hopefully monthly…fingers and paint brushes crossed ;-D) newsletter with news I hope you’ll be able to use. For now, take care and please share what you enjoy about this time of year. I would love to hear about it in the comments below!