Afternoon Visit With Joan

"Afternoon Visit with Joan"

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

The warm yellow walls and rich red rug. The Dorothy Eisner painting of Maine. The inviting chairs and art everywhere. Conversation flows freely on subjects old and new. An hour with Joan in her Washington world. Friendship, greatest gift of all.

Crosswalk in the Rain

"Crosswalk in the Rain"

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

SOLD

It feels good to be wet for a change. I am grateful for the rain and the rainbow it spawned as I visited my neighbor this morning. We both wondered whether it was his wife's signal from The Great Beyond. Not just one, but two big, bold rainbows arose from the Sausalito hills up to the clouds just as we were talking about her. Our dogs romped in her garden, as if nothing had changed. Her presence was everywhere. 

Wine Country Rain

"Wine Country Rain"

Oil on Wood

12"X12"
SOLD

A gentle rain has been falling all day. One could fall into a melancholy mood if it weren't for the small tree in the living room all lit up, sparking sweet memories of my family gathered around. We need the rain, and there is more to come. We are the lucky ones who have a warm place to be, choosing to drown out the darkness with a reservoir of goodness and gratitude. 

Welcome Rain

"Welcome Rain"

Oil on Wood

12"X12"
SOLD

Wet. And Wonderful.

Thanksgiving Moon

"Thanksgiving Moon"

Oil on Wood

12"X12"
Available for sale on my website.

Amidst avalanches of bad news, there was the moon, rising over Angel Island, spreading its soft light across the water and lighting up a lavender sky. It was a small moment that stayed with me all weekend as we bathed ourselves in Thanksgiving, just the two of us, savoring our quiet time together in the natural world. 

Sonoma Glow

"Sonoma Glow"

Oil on Wood

20"X16"
Available for sale here.

I kid you not. Highway 12, Sunday late afternoon, just as the sun was setting, passing by Kunde vineyards. A sight to behold and to hold onto for a generous dose of natural beauty.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Sonoma November Sunset

"Sonoma November Sunset"

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

The return of a crescent moon to the Sonoma sky last weekend was a welcome relief from the woes of life on earth. Peace and calm and quiet beauty filled the air as it did some months ago inspiring "Sonoma Summer Sunset."

"Sonoma Sunset Diptych"

Oil on Wood

24"X12"

Together belong together.

Self Portrait 11-18-15

"Self Portrait 11-18-15"

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Your comments regarding "Self Portrait 11-12-15" have been duly noted. (Bobby, Lindy, Lee, Sisi, Judy) This is a little more me, but like everything else about me, it is still a work in progress.  

My mood was elevated today by Janet Cardiff's "The Forty Part Motet - A Sound Installation at Fort Mason Center," which I attended with a friend preceded by lunch at Greens.The setting, on a glorious, sun drenched day by the Bay would in itself have warranted the trip. But the music experience is sublime, and to share it with a friend amplified the pleasure no end. Don't miss it.

Olive Branch Bouquet

"Olive Branch Bouquet"

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Available for sale at Susanlandor.com

An olive branch is a powerful symbol. At this moment we need a whole bouquet to quell the fear and anger and sadness that has descended on the world. Gathered from wild olive trees in Sonoma, these branches grow across our meadow, helter-skelter, all on their own, bearing fruit despite the odds. Life goes on. 

Love Lives

"Love Lives"

Oil on Wood

8"X8"

The Promise of Love. Forever.

It was the best possible antidote to the darkness that shrouded the world this weekend.

They light the way back to optimism.

Self Portrait 11-12-15

"Self Portrait 11-12-15"

Oil on Wood

8"X10"

This is headed for the Biography section of my new website which has been a long time coming and is not yet complete but is at least up and running, words which could also be applied to me. 

I ventured out into the world this week, meeting an old friend at Paul Thiebaud Gallery where Wayne Thiebaud's recent and less well known paintings inspired the daylights out of me. I am still thinking about the beauty and haunting quality of "The Ballroom Couple" and "Blue Bottle." Then there is the simplicity of "Orange Flower" painted this year. The man is 94 years old! Dedication and spirit and doing is everything. 

Back To Health with a Yellow Bouquet

"Yellow Bouquet"

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

After a little hiatus, I am back.
Available for sale here.

Immersed in Motherwell

"Immersed in Motherwell"

Oil on Wood

10"X8"

SOLD

To be in a room full of Motherwells with a favorite friend on an October afternoon is deeply satisfying.  "Between Life and Death: Robert Motherwell's Elegies in Bay Area Collections" is perfectly presented in Gallery 11 at the de Young Museum. Apt title, "Between Life and Death." Pretty much sums up where we all are.

September Sky

"September Sky"

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Our sky has been putting on a light show these last weeks, only slightly mitigating the sadness that comes with seeing summer slip away.

Enthralled By Frankenthaler

"Enthralled By Frankenthaler"

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

SOLD

Visiting the De Young Museum never fails to reveal something new. This time it was Helen Frankenthaler's, "Crusades" holding its own in a room full of Diebenkorns.  The orange, the green, and all that is unseen just below the surface drew me in, as did the man with his bright blue bag slung across his back, who stood transfixed for a long time taking it all in.

Less is more. 

John McPhee's New Yorker masterpiece, "Omissions" is all about editing. He writes about writing, but what he says could be applied to all art, and to life, for that matter.  What is essential? We all have a lot to learn. Read to the end. 

Between Sea and Sky

"Between Sea and Sky"

Oil on Wood

24"X24"

This is a better photograph of yesterday's painting. And for those of you to whom this is delivered directly into your e-mail, it should arrive without ads.  Little improvements make big differences.
I reached an actual person by telephone at Feedblitz, the blog delivery people. There is nothing like old technology to get things right.

Between Sea and Sky

"Between Sea and Sky"

Oil on Wood

24"X24"

Calm resides somewhere in between, where words don't tread. 

Sonoma Summer Sunset

"Sonoma Summer Sunset"

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Peace and quiet and beauty beyond words.

August Still

"August Still"

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Not a breath of air on an August afternoon. The world stood still as boats floated by in slow motion going nowhere. I was exactly where I wanted to be. In my rowboat, party of one watching the day unfold.

Summer Surf

"Summer Surf"

Oil on Wood

20"X16"

Antidote to the heat wave. 

Sailing Still

Sailing Still

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Granite Surf

"Granite Surf"

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

SOLD

Not letting go of summer.

Splash

Oil on Wood

16"X20"

SOLD

Water water rock rock. A match made in heaven.

August Surf

"August Surf"

Oil on Canvas

18"X24"

It was a cobalt kind of a day. Warm sun, deep blue water, and never ending waves crashing on the rocks. 

Island Surf

Island Surf

Oil on Canvas

24"X30"

SOLD

The sound, the spray, the coming, the going, the rocks, reflection,  warmth, and cool. Can't get enough of it.

A Walk to the Wild Side

"A Walk to the Wild Side"

Oil on Canvas

30"X30"

A walk to the ocean side of the island with a good friend, a chance encounter with artist,  Kathi Smith who is a lovely person and whose paintings are hugely inspiring, followed by leftover lobster for lunch, on the deck, in the fog, followed by a discarded old painting on a large canvas begging to be covered up. It was a perfect storm sparking the creativity I've been waiting for all summer.

Eastward

"Eastward"

Oil on Canvas

12"X24"

August is here. Breeze, beauty, drama in the sky, and silver seas.  The islands are full of life. Time is fleeting. A reminder to savor just sitting and taking it all in.

Race Against A Storm

"Race Against A Storm"

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

SOLD

After the chores were done today, all our plans went out the window, preferring to spend the afternoon on the deck watching weather come and go.  

Islesford for Lunch in the Fog

Islesford for Lunch in the Fog

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Grey has never looked so bright as at Sue and Jeff's corner of the world yesterday at noon.

To the End of the Island and Beyond

To the End of the Island and Beyond

Oil on Wood

20"X16"

A walk to the end of the island at low tide on a Monday morning with friends warded off the doldrums that were settling in with grey skies.  

Time for a Shower

Time for a Shower

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

It took all day to gather up all the clouds and then it rained. Finally. A dramatic show.

Tidal

Tidal

Oil on Wood

24"X12"

There is an upside to cold foggy days. Even the rocks look soft, and color is hard to come by.

Light comes and goes behind an invisible scrim. And sound is muffled except for an occasional gull flying by or the resident osprey calling attention to her offspring in the nest lodged into the spindle on Long Ledge.

Jan's July Bouquet 2015

Jan's July Bouquet 2015
("Summer Bouquet)

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

SOLD

Jan came to dinner last night. It wasn't the first time she arrived with a beautiful bouquet from her garden at the head of the harbor. Last year it was peonies in a blue bottle, just before Hurricane Arthur blew through. This time she arranged a symphony of purple, magenta, orange, and rust flowers in a San Pellegrino Orange soda can, which has brought all kinds of optimism and exuberance into our house on this grey, foggy day.                                                                                   

Settling Into Summer

Settling Into Summer

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

It takes time to settle in. To adjust to the light, color, air, and time. Starting over. Again. 

August Afternoon in Southwest Harbor

August Afternoon in Southwest Harbor

Oil on Canvas

36"X24"
$2900

Looking forward. And back.

Silence is Golden

Silence is Golden

Oil on Wood

12"X12"
$850

SOLD

In Sonoma. In California. In the summertime. When the living is easy.

Sonoma Summer Morning

Sonoma Summer Morning

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

So much to celebrate. Family, friends, years gone by, and a sprinkling of good news popping up here and there in the world. June has been a flurry of activity. In the midst of it all, a morning walk with the dog brought me back to me. Walking down the road under the hot Sonoma sun and then into the refreshing cool of firs and old oaks, I felt in tune with what it is to be alive. Glorious.

Greening Ledge

Greening Ledge

Oil on Wood

14"X14"

Peonies in the Afternoon

Peonies in the Afternoon

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Just in the nick of time, my neighbor stopped by with a bunch of peonies,  saving me from a day full of doing and changing the whole trajectory of the afternoon.

Morning in Maine

"Morning in Maine"

Oil on Wood

24"X12"

Light. It's all about Light.

Admiring Mondrian 'Compostion in White, Black, Red'

"Admiring Mondrian 'Composition in White, Black, Red'"

Oil on Wood

10"X8"

SOLD

Art inspires, there's no doubt about it. 

The Joy of Cooking

The Joy of Cooking

Oil on Wood

22"X10"

"The Joy of Cooking" goes way back. It belonged to my mother's friend whose notes written in the margins flag the best recipes and more importantly bring her memory back into our lives. Well used pages are splattered with flour and eggs, little reminders of years of family gatherings and celebrations big and small. Although I dial up recipes online on occasion, it is not as deeply satisfying as the history unearthed every time I delve into one of these old books.

Man Superman and Three Machines

"Man, Superman, and Three Machines"

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

SOLD

A word about reconnecting with old friends.

It does wonders for the soul.

A few words about 

Wayne Thiebaud's "Three Machines" and Mel Ramos' "Superman" greeting visitors at the de Young Museum. Art imitates life imitates art and spirits soar. 

Once Upon A Time

Once Upon a Time

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

$850

Feeling nostalgic. 

Back in the Stacks

"Back in the Stacks"

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

$750

Back to books with their promise of knowledge and insight and maybe a touch of entertainment. Never too much of a good thing.

Way Beyond Words - Diptych

"Way Beyond Words"
Diptych

Oil on Wood

24"X48"

$3900

To feel well, calm, comfortable, loved, and whole in a complicated world is way beyond words. 

Light Laundry

Light Laundry

Oil on Wood

16"X20"

$1250

Nothing says summer like laundry on the line. Billowing sheets enliven the landscape, telegraph who's in town, and harken back to times gone by.

Calm in the Straits

Calm in the Straits

Oil on Canvas

24"X24"

94109 - Yellow at Green and Larkin

Yellow at Green and Larkin

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

See this and more at STUDIO Gallery's "94109 - Local Artists Picture the Neighborhood" through May 11.
STUDIO Gallery
1641 Pacific Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94109
Mon.,Thurs., Fri., - 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sat., Sun., 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thanks to Studio Gallery's ongoing inspiration to open our eyes and see what's right in front of us.