Sonoma Summer Sunset

"Sonoma Summer Sunset"

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Peace and quiet and beauty beyond words.

Old Vines Spring to Life

Old Vines Spring to Life

Oil on Wood

16"X12"
SOLD

Available from Serena and Lily.com

I have been listening non stop to "Morimur J.S. Bach." Nothing inspires deep down like Bach. The combination of violin and voice is sublime. And just in time for Spring cleaning of the soul is a new collection of Lydia Davis' short stories. The title, "Can't and Won't" promises to inspire doing our own thing and breaking the rules. We can all use a push in that direction. I can hardly wait to get my hands on a copy. 

Sonoma After the Rain - Yellow Light

Sonoma after the Rain - Yellow Light

Oil on Wood

12"X12"
SOLD

A theme has emerged. This really belongs next to yesterday's post, "Sonoma in the Rain - Red Light" and last week's "Sonoma in the Rain - Green Light." Seeing the light between bouts of rain. This is the corner of Warm Springs Road and Highway 12 where our weekends end and we head for home. Kenwood Vineyards has claimed this corner since it belonged to the Pagani Brothers who began growing grapes in 1906.

Sonoma in the Rain - Red Light

Sonoma in the Rain - Red Light

Oil on Wood

12"X12"
SOLD

Wet and soggy is what we are. Happily. Stop. Look. Listen. 

Sonoma in the Rain

Green Light

Oil on Wood

12"X9"

Sonoma is still soaking in the rain that gushed through the valley last weekend. Beautiful to behold.

Two Rock Road

Two Rock Road

Heading Home

Oil on Wood

16"X20"
The truth is, Rosie probably prefers being at Two Rock Dog Ranch to hanging around the studio with me all day. Outside with other dogs all day just being a dog must be a welcome relief. But when I come home from a trip, I can't get there fast enough to pick her up.

It's a beautiful drive.  Last week particularly. Grey skies clearing from a week of storms, bright yellow mustard filling the fields, and cows on every hillside. Dog by my side. Heading Home. Again.

The Day Begins

Weekend Morning

Oil on Wood

6"X8"

My man and my dog, two of my very best friends. Seeing them there, first thing in the morning. Makes my heart swell.

Family Blend Cigar Box

Family Blend When the Cows Come Home Cigar Box
Oil on Wood Cigar Box
6"X6"X3"
"Cows are notoriously languid creatures and make their way home at their own unhurried pace." (Thank you "The Phrase Finder") Family Blend starts around here next week and I, for one, can't wait. The days will start getting longer on the same day they arrive.

Sonoma Vineyards

Sonoma Vineyards
Oil on Wood
12"X12"
SOLD

The skies have been putting on quite a show the last few days. Sonoma was all yellows and shades of grey this weekend. And back in Sausalito, the sky is changing by the minute. Mesmerizing.
Last night I watched "Herb and Dorothy" a documentary about the Vogels, two ordinary people who built a world class art collection and then gave it all to The National Gallery. I love that they just did it. Without rules or anyone telling them what was good. And that they only bought what they loved and could afford, which wasn't much on meager salaries, and that they didn't care about making money. They GAVE it all away. Not only is the film thoroughly entertaining, but the underlying message about art being accessible to the likes of you and me was just what I needed at this moment when I am a little dispirited about the elusive nature of art promotion. One could spend all one's time trying to get attention. Or. One could hunker down and paint.

California Cows 2

California Cows 2
Oil on Wood
6"X6"
Like the squirrels gathering nuts, when Fall comes, I want to store up ideas. Searching for inspiration anywhere I can find it. Last night I went to hear Jonathan Safran Foer at City Arts and Lectures. Not only did I love his first two books, but he's married to Nicole Krauss who wrote my all time favorite, "The History of Love." Read it. And then read it again.
He said he writes to "create an emotional/aesthetic atmosphere." He's interested in "what's visible, what's invisable, what's lost." That struck a chord. To keep in mind while painting. My next assignment.
Then he quoted someone who commented upon the birth of his baby, "Everything is possible again." Oh my. Does that ever touch my heart.

Moment in the Meadow

Moment in the Meadow
Oil on Canvas
18"X24"
Bigger isn't necessarily better. But I am intent on trying. This painting may not be finished. It's been a week in the making. But I am used to finishing one and moving to another. I'm not long on patience. Maybe I'll go back and forth between canvases that develop over time.
This morning I picked all the roses blooming in profusion in pots on the deck. Vases everywhere that beckon to be painted. Flowers aren't usually my subject, but maybe I'll just have to do that. Something different. For a change.

Sonoma Road

Sonoma Road
Oil on Wood Panel
8"X10"
Feels like summer coming on. Around here fog is spilling over the headlands. Sonoma is heating up. Birds have taken up residence in both birdhouses. And the turkeys are strutting their stuff.
I am wading through a sea of papers on my desk and having the urge to just throw everything away. Everything in the back room. Everything in the files. Everything that needs filing. Everything from the past. Might be a relief to start over fresh.

May Cow

May Cow
Oil on Wood Panel
4"X4"
The truth is, I never made it to the easel today. We had a meeting in the morning and then it was lunch time and such a glorious warm day that we went to Fish and sat outside and marveled at how lucky we are to live right here where we could go on vacation without leaving home. Feeling Spring fever setting in, I came home and wrapped a few presents for friends and set off to deliver them, stopping for tea with one for a spur of the moment high octane visit. When I got home, there was e-mail to read, the dog to pet, roses to smell and well...Here we are. This painting was actually made yesterday. Or maybe the day before. I've been pouring on the color. And steering clear of blue.

Single Flower in the Meadow

Single Flower in the Meadow
Oil on Wood
6"X6"
I woke up Saturday to the unlikely brilliance of this single flower blooming in the meadow. Defying the deer (how do they know to resist?), rabbits, birds, gophers, not to mention wind and rainfall. So far. So much life coming and going lately it feels like emotional whiplash. The only option is to celebrate everyday, weep with abandon, and spread the love.

Cow Amongst The Mustard 2

Cow Amongst the Mustard
Oil on Canvas
8"X8"
SOLD
A word about music. I would be completely adrift without it. This morning, Edward Aldwell playing J.S. Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II. Calming, complex, deep, energizing all at once. Like a good, strong cup of aromatic coffee with sugar and heavy cream. Or a big blue/black cow in a soggy Spring Sonoma field surrounded by bright yellow mustard.

Cow Amongst the Mustard

Cow Amongst the Mustard
Oil on Wood Panel
6"X8"
Spring in Sonoma. There's nothing like it.

Cows on the Loose

Cows on the Loose
Oil on Canvas
8"X6"
As I said...loosening up with a few cows.