Perplexed by Love

Perplexed by Love

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

SOLD

Aren't we all.

Picasso's "Lovers" at the Picasso Museum in Paris. 

Lost in the Louvre

Lost in the Louvre

(With Provence Le Retable de Thouzon)

Oil on Wood

14"X11"

One wanders through the labyrinth that is the Louvre, in awe of its vast collection of ancient art.  

I was lost in more ways than one. 

Jean-Luc Martinez, the museum's new president, plans on "Revamping the Louvre to Lose that Lost Feeling," according to the New York Time's Article this week. I look forward to finding my way. But being lost in the 15th century and stumbling upon these travelers with their big bags, fur hat, and bright blue shoes in a quiet corner contemplating the story of Saint Sebastian and Saint Andrew isn't all bad.

Picasso's Olga Pensive Ponders Young Boy

Picasso's "Olga Pensive" Ponders Young Boy

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

And vice versa.

At the newly renovated Picasso Museum in Paris where one could spend hours reliving the past in the present.

Autumn at the Palais Royal

Autumn at the Palais Royal

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Beautiful in every season, any time of day, and especially so when the noon day sun snuck out from behind a cloud to cast shadows across the allée.
My own private light show.

Golden State

Golden State

Oil on Wood

16"X12"

In the midst of a world besieged, here sits our Beautiful and bountiful golden state. Appreciating that and so many small moments of grace that rain down around us every day. 

 Laura McBride said it all in her engaging, optimistic book, "We Are Called to Rise:"

"It all matters. That someone turns out the lamp, picks up the windblown wrapper, says hello to the invalid, pays at the unattended lot, listens to the repeated talk, folds the abandoned laundry, plays the game fairly, tells the story honestly, acknowledges help, gives credit, says good night, resists temptation, wipes the counter, waits at the yellow, makes the bed, tips the maid, remembers the illness, congratulates the victor, accepts the consequences, takes a stand, steps up, offers a hand, goes first, goes last, chooses the small portion, teaches the child, tends to the dying, comforts the grieving, removes the splinter, wipes the tear, directs the lost, touches the lonely, is the whole thing.

What is the most beautiful is least acknowledged.

What is worth dying for is barely noticed."

Words to remember.

Morning Over Angel

Morning Over Angel

Oil on Wood

20"X16"

SOLD

Nothing like a few clouds to bring out the best in morning light.

Old Books New Life

Old Books New Life

Oil on Wood

 14"X14"

Welcome to the world of books, Max. 

Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon

Oil on Wood

20"X16
SOLD

Sausalito. Looking east. Angel Island and Raccoon Straits setting the stage for October's Harvest moon to rise and shine and warm the evening sky. It never gets old.

Sonoma Crush

Sonoma Crush

Oil on Wood

14"X11"

Fall has arrived. Warm.  Yellow and Orange. A blanket of beauty spread across the Valley of the Moon.

Sausalito Sunrise

Sausalito Sunrise

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Nothing like a little weather to stir the creative juices.

Warming to Rothko

Warming to Rothko

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

"...a dynamic combination of warmth, sunshine and lightning." Those were words used to describe Marjorie Claire Fox in a lovingly written New York Times obituary this week. It was her picture that caught my eye. An engaging, open, compelling face. I would have liked to have known this person. Reading about her enlivened a morning clouded with a world gone mad, in the same way these women in orange and yellow brought life to Rothko's "Untitled, 1969" at the De Young Museum's Modernism exhibit last week. Warmth, sunshine, and lightning. We could all use more of that.

Being With Be II

Being with Be II

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Being. Just being in the embrace of Barnett Newman's "Stations of the Cross." Soaking it all in.

At the De Young Museum, Meyerhoff Collection.

Dressed for Ellsworth Kelly

Dressed for Ellsworth Kelly (Orange Green)

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Optimism. We could all use more of it to catapult us to better lived lives. So says David Brooks in today's NY Times piece, "Snap out of It." I love the title and also the views expressed. We all have ways of snapping ourselves out of downward spirals. Orange and Green does it for me. Especially when augmented by the lady in her orange scarf carrying an orange purse standing in awe of Kelly's audacity of color at the De Young Museum "Modernism" Exhibit of the Meyerhoff Collection.

Pondering Pollock (No. 31, 1950)

Pondering Pollock (No 31, 1950)

Oil on Wood

10"X8"

Ponder ponder ponder. The wonder of it all.

Recurring Theme

Recurring Theme

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

First thing I did this morning was read David Brooks' thoughtful article, Startling Adult Friendships in today's New York Times. Then I went to the De Young Museum to see the Meyerhoff Collection again, this time experiencing it with my friend and neighbor which was like seeing it for the very first time. She discovered Burgoyne Diller's "First Theme," and I noticed things I had completely missed when alone --the special pleasure of friendship revealed for the umpteenth time.

Becoming One with Rothko 13

Becoming One with Rothko 13

Oil on Wood

8"X10"

It's no surprise that we are drawn to art that reflects our aesthetic. Art imitates Life imitates Art.

Island Breakfast

Island Breakfast

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Island eggshells too pretty to discard placed in my friend's discarded glass candy dish, reminding me of her and the time we shared this summer. That's August.

Spinnaker Run

Spinnaker Run

Oil on Wood

8"X10"
SOLD

Dry air, gentle breeze, warm afternoon.  All the boats parading past the beach. That's August.

Where's Seth?

Where's Seth?

Oil on Wood

8"X6"

Dog at the boatyard dock. Waiting for Seth. Watching everything that goes by. That's August.
This one's for the Grays.

August Eggs

August Eggs

Oil on Wood

8"X6"

More fresh eggs. That's August.

Fresh from Fishbowl Farm

Fresh from Fishbowl Farm

Oil on Canvas

10"X10"

A walk along the beach to our island post office netted a few insignificant pieces of mail and a dozen beautiful farm fresh eggs. That's August.

Morning in August

Morning in August

Oil on Wood

20"X16"

To encounter a bright yellow 12 1/2 in the harbor on a warm calm morning in Maine - that's August.

Red, Yellow and Richter

Red Yellow and Richter

Oil on Wood

10"X10"
SOLD

I've never appreciated Gerhard Richter's "Meadowlands" more than in the presence of the redhead with the bright yellow purse. Only in New York. 

Last Light

Last Light

Oil on Wood

12"X12"
SOLD

My neighbors did one last laundry before leaving the island today. Beautiful choreography on an August afternoon.

Winter Harbor Knockabouts Sail to the Starting Line

Winter Harbor Knockabouts Sail to the Starting Line

Oil on Wood

24"X12"

SOLD

Happening upon Winter Harbor's Knockabout fleet setting off for a race, one could imagine having catapulted back to yesteryear. Not a bad place to be on a Sunday afternoon in August.

Island Eggs for Breakfast

Island Eggs for Breakfast

Oil on Wood

10"X8"
Available from Studio Gallery SF Delicious Show
September 25 - October 20
1641 Pacific Avenue (between Polk & Van Ness)

There is nothing like an egg in the morning. Poached. On toast. Served on Ann's bright orange plates. Carrie's eggs. Fresh from the island. The shells in jewel tones, too pretty to discard. The stuff that paintings are made of.

Red Sails Before Sunset

Red Sails Before Sunset

12"X12"

Oil on Wood
SOLD

Burgundy Barn

Burgundy Barn

Oil on Canvas

36"X18"
Available from Serena and Lily.com

In the Summer When it Sizzles

In the Summer When it Sizzles

Oil on Wood

14"X14"
Available from Serena and Lily.com

 Paris. What's not to love?

Burgundy Harvest

Burgundy Harvest

Oil on Wood

12"X12"
SOLD

Burgundy is both bountiful and beautiful. 

Coming and Going

Coming and Going

Oil on Wood

22"X12

And going again. I'll be back.

Stormy Weather

Stormy Weather

Oil on Wood

24"X12"
Weather comes and goes. Wrecks havoc, churns the sea, leaving beauty in its wake, making its mark on the island. It's the talk of the town. 

Endlessly fascinating.

Jan's Peony Before Arthur

Jan's Peony Before Arthur

Oil on Canvas

12"X9"

In anticipation of Hurricane Arthur's arrival on the island, Jan cut all her peonies and gave me one in a cobalt blue bottle. Jan's gifting of bouquets from her spectacular island garden has become a tradition. She gardens. I paint. Summer. Simple beauty. With power and water restored we can get on with it.

Arthur's Aftermath

Arthur's Aftermath

Oil on Wood

12"X12"
SOLD

It rained, it poured, a fierce wind tore through the island. Trees fell, power lines snapped, plans changed, and then ... this. No exaggeration.

Good Eggs

Good Eggs

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Overnight the fog rolled in. Coming and going several times during the day, it has settled in for good now, blanketing our little world in muffled sound and muted colors. Quiet and calm are all around despite talk of a hurricane offshore threatening wind and rain on the weekend. Here and now, a surfeit of island eggs continue to capture my attention. Tomorrow they will be made into deviled eggs for July 4th festivities. Maybe, if I can bear to part with them, that is.

Island Eggs

Island Eggs

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

You never know what you might find at the island post office. Turns out our Saturday post mistress has chickens, which I knew from Facebook. I ordered up two dozen which were delivered to the shed on our dock this afternoon. Bonanza! A whole extra dozen of "Pretty Eggs" just begging to be subjects of a painting. They are all pretty, and those that don't end up in tomorrow's dessert just might become the subject of many more paintings this summer. You never know.

4 Sheets to the Wind

4 Sheets to the Wind

Oil on Wood

12"X12"
SOLD

Summer is in full swing.

At the Start

At the Start

Oil on Wood

16"X12"
SOLD

And so it begins. Summer has arrived.

All Quiet in the Straits

All Quiet in the Straits

Oil on Wood

10"X10"
SOLD

I may be agitated from days filled with too many errands, but the calm in Raccoon Straits of late brings me right back where I want to be. Here and now. 

Absorbing Rothko

Absorbing Rothko (Untitled 1969)

Oil on Wood

10"X8"

Reverence for Rothko

Reverence for Rothko (Untitled 1969)

Oil on Wood

10"X8"
SOLD

At the DeYoung Museum.  "Modernism from the National Gallery of Art: The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection.  "Plenty of breathing space for the works," Robert Taylor said in the San Jose Mercury News. Breathtaking to see people taking time to take in the time gone by. 

Still - On San Francisco Bay

Still - On San Francisco Bay

oil on Wood

8"X8"
SOLD

Word of the week. Still. Being still. Standing still. Still here. Still standing. 

Fresh Northerly

Fresh Northerly

Oil on Wood

22"X10"

I've been thinking a lot about what really matters.

Health. Family. Friends. That would be it in a nutshell.

Then comes Love, Loyalty, Humor.

Summer Reading

Summer Reading

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

It's that time of year. A lot to look forward to. 

Down East

Down East

Oil on Wood

14"X14"
SOLD
Available from Serena and Lily.com

Last week the word, "flourish" grabbed my attention. This week it's "pool." Tide pool, swimming pool, pool of clear, cold water. Everyone into the pool. It's got the essence of summer written all over it. 

Morning at the Headlands

Morning at the Headlands

Oil on Wood

20"X16"
SOLD
Available from Serena and Lily.com

Waiting for Wind

Waiting for Wind

Oil on Wood

14"X14"
SOLD

The word "flourish" came to me in the middle of last night and with it a sense of well being. I am not sure whether I was awake or in the midst of a dream, but there followed the realization that some words trigger powerful emotions deep seated in our complicated selves. Flourish. Magnificent in all its meanings. I have been thinking of it all day. 

Spinnaker Run to the Leeward Mark

Spinnaker Run to the Leeward Mark

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Summer is on the horizon.
Available from Gleason Fine Art.

Sweet Spring

Sweet Spring

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Celebrate Spring this weekend.

May 10 & 11 • Open Studio  •  11-4  • 26 Miller Ave, Sausalito

Summer Sea

Summer Sea

Oil on Wood

12"X12"