Summer Fog

 Summer Fog

Oil on Wood

20"X16"

Its that time of year again.

Ebb and Flow

Ebb and Flow

Oil on Wood

24"X12"

Available for sale online from SusanLandor.com 

 Is it the time of year, or the time of life?  Or is it reading Susan Orlean's beautiful, "The Library Book" that has me swimming in memories of the past?

Her thoughts on memory and the meaning of life on page 92 and 93 are a reason to read the book, not to mention the bright red cover with gold lettering that beckons from the night stand at bedtime. 

"Our minds and souls contain volumes inscribed by our experiences and emotions; each individual's consciousness is a collection of memories we've cataloged and stored inside us, a private library of a life lived.  It is something that no one else can entirely share, one that burns down and disappears when we die.  But if you can take something from that internal collection and share it – with one person or with the larger world, on the page or in a story recited – it takes on a life of its own."

I am holding that thought as the days come and go like the ebb and flow of the tide that shifts the sands ever so slightly making what was, new again.

Maine

Maine

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Available for sale online HERE.

There is something reassuring about a house with a history. 

Last to Go

Last to Go

Oil on Wood

20"x16"

Coming and going. Going and coming. From coast to coast and sea to shining sea. My mother always said, "never leave home without a jacket and a swimming suit." Doing as I was told.

End of Another Road

End of Another Road

Oil on Wood

24"X24"

Moments, conversations, chance encounters, memories all getting packed away and taken home until next year. We are the lucky ones to have this place in our lives, and the people that go with it even more so.

Into the Wind

Into the Wind

Oil on Wood

9"X12"

"Into the Wind" was the lead-in to today's New York Time's frothy article on fashion, "Airy Enough to Take Flight," by Cathy Horyn. I don't understand fashion,  but these concoctions, the way they are presented, and the words used to describe them is a delicious soup of visual and written extravaganza. Beautiful and evocative and as entertaining as a good theater production. Be sure to see the slide show online. What does this have to do with a memory of the sea and the wind and beach from last summer? Nothing. Except this: Inspiration is around every corner, hidden in nooks and crannies where one least expects to find it. Be on the lookout.

Daydreaming in January

Daydreaming in January

Oil on Canvas

14"X11"

I don't know about you, but I have been procrastinating more than usual lately. I have not made a dent in the list of things that need doing, and I continue to find plenty to do that isn't on the list of "shoulds." There is something about long nights and short days that makes me want to curl up with a book and call it all off. But then, I can make a case for that scenario in the summer too. And then there's spring fever, which is just around the corner threatening to take me away from the business at hand.  Maybe imagining summer is a cure for what ails me. Or maybe this is the stuff that gives life to Life. Daydreaming. 

40 Years

40 Years

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

September One, 1973. Time Flies.

August Still

August Still

Oil on Wood

12"X24"
SOLD

Wednesday afternoon time stood still. There being not a breath of wind, big boats from the New York Yacht club floated by the ledge in slow motion reflecting our mood. Going nowhere, getting nowhere in particular. Just being here. 

August Race Day

August Race Day

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

August is all about the end. Hurry up. Time is fleeting. That summer would last forever was an illusion. We are already starting to pack and think about what comes next. 

August Glow

August Glow

Oil on Wood

12"X12"
SOLD
Available from Serena and Lily.com

I've been trying new things this week. This painting has been covered over and covered over again. This is where it was left today. But tomorrow is another day. With it will come a better idea.

August Island Tennis

 August Island Tennis 2

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

August Island Tennis

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

One court. In the woods. Surrounded by dark green evergreens on three sides,  bright sky above, and the sound of the sea and fog horns waft up from the Western Way. Generations have learned to play, taught, and played here and the competition can be fierce. Or. Some come for the camaraderie of drop in doubles and to absorb the green and warm light of the island.

August Fog

August Fog

Oil on Wood

12"X24"

After a brief visit from the sailors and a frenzy of activity, they are off again. As they left, the fog settled in, silencing all the busyness, returning me to myself and the beach, and the sweet sound of stillness.

August Rain

August Rain

Oil on Wood

22"X10"
SOLD

So much for August bringing dry air. Today it rained in fits and starts accompanied by the most beautiful charcoal grey sky and water. 

August Comes Ashore

August Comes Ashore

Oil on Wood

14"X14"
SOLD

It's now or never for Summer. July was too hot, then it was too cold. It rained, and the fog lingered for days. Life unfolded in slow motion. August has brought dry air and with it frantic activity. There is a constant parade of boats in the harbor, lots of people coming and going. Fast forward, Fall is on the horizon. Soaking it all in before time is up.  

August Air

August Air

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

A big breeze blew the sailors on their way this morning. I retrieved the car from the boatyard and went to the postoffice to mail a painting to Ohio. Then the car wouldn't start, so Rosie and I had a nice walk home, arriving just in time to watch the ICs race right off our beach. It is evening now. The house is quiet and sweet solitude fills every room. The wind has died down, leaving August in the air. 

Dry. Crisp. Clean. And full of possibility.

Island Evening

Island Evening

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Friendship, food, and fine wine happen here. 

Remnants of a North Wind Roughs up the Shore

Remnants of a North Wind Roughs up the Shore

Oil on Wood

12"X24"

SOLD

Drying Out

Drying Out

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

After a lot of rain, out came my neighbor's sheets and one blue dish towel this morning. Blowing in the breeze adding an air of celebration to our shared back yard.

Sea Glass Sunday

Sea Glass Sunday

Oil on Wood

6"X8"
SOLD

A young family came over from the mainland Sunday morning to collect sea glass on our beach.  It turned cold and the fog rolled in, but their sweet enthusiasm was not dampened. They walked away with a bright orange bucket full of treasures as well as a beached lobster buoy that had come ashore. And I was reminded of the good old days when our children were young, and why we are here on an island. Having it all. Away from it all.