Morning in June

Morning in June

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Just getting started. More to come next week.

Lily and the Man

Lily and the Man

Oil on Wood

8"X6"

I waited a good long time for this man to come along to stand in awe of the two ever so still lives on this wall just as you enter the SF MOMA Permanent Collection.  The Marsden Hartley "Still Life (The Lily)" on the left as well as the Giorgio Morandi "Still Life" that you can't see is on its right. They stopped me in my tracks when I first entered the space. Quiet, simple, small. And color that is deep and rich and earthy. A parade of people came and went, few stopping even for a moment here. But when this man walked in and found his spot, I knew he was the one. Tall and straight. Wearing the colors of the paintings and firmly planted right in front. Big man. Small paintings. Simple shapes all in sync. Worth waiting for.

Ashley Bryan Books

Ashley Bryan Books

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

A colorful array of words and pictures waiting to teach and delight.

Double Take

Double Take

Oil on Wood

8"X6"

The sculpture is Manuel Neri's, "Mary and Julia." The painting is just a little corner of Joan Brown's, "Noel in the Kitchen," one of my all time favorites. The passer-by is soaking it all in. As was I after seeing "The Steins Collect Mastisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant Guard" at S.F. MOMA on a rainy day at the end of last week. The show was wonderful. Full of light and discovery. Nothing pompous or dark. I left recommitted to do with gusto whatever it is that I do, which is in essence what the artists and collectors of the show were all about.  I couldn't leave without perusing the permanent collection where I could move freely, photograph, and take in the flow of figures filing past cherished artworks. A never ending revelation and source of inspiration.

What A Wonderful World

What A Wonderful World

 Ashley Bryan Books

Oil on Wood

6"X8"

Ashley Bryan books beckon, brimming with optimism.