Painting All Things "INTERIOR"

Happy Blues

5/20/2021 4:01:00 PM

An Artist "writes" all of life into her paintings.

So this week, as I strolled through my yard, I spied the only thing I envy from my neighbors, their blue Hydrangeas. I have tried to make them grow on my side with little or no luck. 

Love, love Hydrangeas, specially in the Cobalt Blue hue. Where I grew up, in a small town called "Petropolis", in the moutains above the beautiful, bustling city of Rio, Brazil, these bloomed profusely. The climate, milder than that of Rio's, lent itself to this variety. They like sun but not overmuch.

As I admired the blooms a few days ago, my heart was heavy with the knowledge of a brother battling Covid on the other side of the Atlantic. He is a priest missionary in Gabon, Africa, a strapping, strong fellow who built a beautiful mission in that country. Through the years there, he contracted and survived Malaria several times but is now in a medically induced coma fighting for his life...

I needed to paint something to ease the heartache. So my neighbors who are also the best of friends, generously offered me to cut all I needed.

As I painted, I prayed that, like these beauties, he thrives again.

So, here they are, "Happy Blues", "Happy" for the blooms, "Blues" for my heart.

Gift Outside My Window

5/4/2021 3:40:43 PM

Perhaps artists should be called "admirators". I know the word doesn't exist. As I type, the spell checker just underlined the word in red.

But that is what we are as all of life/nature is fascinating to us. And then we get out our paints and try to immitate.

I like to think this admiring soul stance is a type of prayer of praise to the Creator. Admiration is certainly complimentary, and immitation the best flattery, right?

So, when a few days ago in this early May I checked the Gardenia bushes outside my studio window, there wasn't a bloom in sight. Today it is star studded. I marveled as if seeing the blooms for the first time. The profusion of snowy white flowers takes my breath away every year and the perfume as well.

And immediately I saw a painting.

So, for once, I didn't have to drag my plein-air parapharnalia outside but got to paint an outside subject from the comfort of my studio.

So here it is, "Gardenias Outside My Window" a few of those hundreds cascading down the ackward spindly stalks.

I treated this painting in a lose, impressionistic style, allowing the underpainting to show for a fresh, unfussy look.