Unity

How about a little unity? You may think, like me, that there’s little room for unity at this polarized point in time. And, you would be absolutely accurate and spot on. Which must be why we might want to reverse the trend and go with unity, eh? But before I get ahead of myself, I’ll share some introductory information for new readers (welcome to you!) of this blog.

Favorite Things

This painting, post and blog are a part of a series I call Favorite Things. This means each week I write about a drawing or painting and the process. You are invited to follow along as I share stories about the creative life I lead. To do so, simply sign up here. You’ll receive one email each week and get a first look at my latest drawing or painting. Woot!

Oneness

When I started working on this painting, I immediately thought of wholeness, a circle (right?…I am painting one ;-D). I also confess there is just something absolutely luscious, luminous and beautiful about onions. And, I have a gazillion associations with them. Here’s the first ONE: U2 singing One, that is. Not sure about you dear reader, but the year this song came out was a rugged one for me (1991). Let’s just say cancer s*cks and it is incredibly gratifying to experience life on the other side of it sooo many years later. Do you have a song that you can recall that lifts you up? Music does that doesn’t it?

Sauté One

While I continued to paint and hum, I also thought of one of the best smells ever. You guessed it, sautéing onions. Holy smokes that smell brings back memories of my amazing mother who cooked 3 meals a day for all six of us kids for, um, 25 plus years. October of this year would have been her 100th birthday so hats off to the one and only Peg Dyer. She sure knew how to sauté with the best of them and devoted her life to us and my dad, too.

Process

Onward to the painting process people! I love to paint from life or nature or an actual ‘thing’ in front of me. The first step is to block in that ‘thing’ in an under painting called grisaille. Here’s a photo of that stage.

These days I use two colors for my block-in: Burnt Umber and Cremnitz White. I love the combination of these two and their properties. Such as? Well, they tend to dry quickly. So, I can move to the next stage of the painting with ease. And, this is my first ever painting on an ACM panel and can I just say, I love these panels. Super light weight and easy to handle. I may not ever stretch another canvas in my life. We’ll see.

The Paint

One thing I have been thinking about quite a bit lately is the material I use and, frankly, how much I love it. There is something so luscious about oil paint and I truly love the way it feels as I handle it. But, there is, to me anyway, something that happens, a luminosity, that only time allows. In other words, the time and layering of the paint leads to something more luminous than just the artist and the material. I definitely experienced that with this painting and love it when that happens.

The Light

The light in my new-ish studio continues to amaze. I used the west facing window this time. I usually have that window covered to control the light and the shadows in the studio. But as the light during the day has shifted with the seasons, I am able to use this light now. Here’s a photo of the painting in progress and the beautiful light from that west facing window.

The Other Paint

In last week’s post, I shared that I am starting to try my hand at Gouache paint. And, I also mentioned that I had gotten a desk, for free, for my studio. I love having a desk in the studio now. Why? Well, even though I stand to paint my oil paintings. I now can treat myself and SIT at my desk when I use my Gouache paints later in the day. I even dragged my fancy office chair out there.

Here’s a quick picture of the Gouache set up. I am not sure if you can tell this, but the desk has a nifty pull out drawer. In a previous life, I would have used that for a computer keyboard. But now I can keep my Gouache paints organized and accessible in that drawer. How cool is that?

For Sale – SOLD

This week’s oil painting is SOLD. I am so delighted to think someone has this in a special spot in their kitchen or home now.

Unity and You

How about you dear reader? Are you experiencing unity in your world? I sure hope so and would love to hear more in the comments below.