Pink Shoes Step Up to Vija Celmins' "Flying Fortress"

Pink Shoes Step Up to Vija Celmins' "Flying Fortress"

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

The interesting thing was that many people came dressed in black, white, and grey. And then there were these bright pink shoes that punctuated the mostly monochrome masterful works of art.  Vija Celmins' retrospective at SF MOMA, "To Fix the Image in Memory," is so aptly named. The experience has stayed with me, a constant calming companion, even through these busy days and nights. I will be mulling it all over and over and will go back for more. 

"If you really look at an image...it stays in your memory. So then memory does other things to it. Sometimes a work fades...Sometimes you have to run back and see if you remember it correctly...It's an alive experience...a give and take." Celmins

Gift

Gift

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

SOLD

We met on the first Friday as we have been doing for years now, for waffles, hilarity, and to remember our friend who gave us each other. 

Susan brought each of us a small plant to ensure we have a succulent season. Mine sits on the kitchen window, a daily reminder of the great gift of friendship and that every day is cause for celebration.

San Francisco Singing in the Rain

San Francisco Singing in the Rain

Oil on Wood

12"x12"

San Francisco in the rain. Can't get enough of it.

November Glow

November Glow

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Never again will I take any of it for granted; The lush greens, bright yellows, deep reds, and oranges; The clear air; Water running in the creeks;  Sonoma is showing off. We are still here. 

Splish Splash

 Splish Splash

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Available for sale online HERE.

We woke up to the sweet sound of rain this morning, clearing the air, tamping down the fires, and lifting everyone's spirits. As my neighbor reminded me, "it's amazing what we take for granted." Clean air tops the list. 

Celebrating Friendship

Celebrating Friendship

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Available for sale online HERE.

We gathered around our table, talking, laughing, and reminiscing. They brought a Princess Cake, my favorite, not that I did anything to deserve it.

With the world in turmoil, California engulfed in smoke, and news from Washington more bizarre every day, thank goodness for friends and family. 

Remember When

Remember When

Oil on Wood

8"X10"

VOTE!

Still in the Mood for Monet

Still in the Mood for Monet

Oil on Wood

10"X8"

SOLD

Never gets old. 

Red and Blue Meet Mondrian's 'Composition in Red, Blue, & White II'

Red and Blue Meet Mondrian's 'Composition in Red, Blue & White II'

Oil on Wood

8"X10"

Moments like these are the highlight of any museum visit. These boots were made for Mondrian. Not to mention the purse. 

Green Dream

Green Dream

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Joan Brown's "Green Bowl" welcomes you to "Wayne Thiebaud's Artist's Choice" show at SF MOMA.  "Thiebaud’s own work is featured alongside paintings by others that he personally selected from SFMOMA’s collection." (Read about it HERE.) And the best part is Thiebaud's unpretentious words explaining his reason for choosing each of the paintings. He is the master of demystifying art. No mumbo jumbo. Just heartfelt admiration and sheer delight in it all.  And for me, moments like these where green meets green lift me right out of the doldrums. Art inspires art.

Mesmerized by Magritte

"Mesmerized by Magritte's 'Le Retour'"

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Available for sale online HERE.

I returned to SF MOMA for more Magritte this week, this time the guest of a friend who had arranged a tour with a gifted guide. Usually I just want to look and see and absorb, but it was illuminating to hear about his response to those times of terrible turmoil.  Here we are again in a troubled world all trying to make sense of it, and trying to find ways to make our voices heard. Art imitates life imitates art. And art inspires art. 

Man Meets Magritte's 'Son of Man' at SF MOMA

Man Meets Magritte's 'Son of Man'

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Last week  when the news from Washington was more than I could bear, I took myself to SF MOMA to see the Magritte show.  As usual, the paintings were greatly enhanced by the parade of people gliding by, stopping along the way to soak in Magritte's magic. Being there in the presence of the past, and seeing all the people appreciating art lifted the gloom for a time. 

Black, White, and Shades of Grey

Black, White, and Shades of Grey

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Available for sale HERE.

It is that kind of day.

Dark. And grey. With little glimmers of hope tucked away here and there.

Sharing a Moment of Silence with Hopper

Sharing a Moment of Silence with Hopper

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Hopper's 'Intermission' says it all. Still. No words. 

In the Mood for Monet

In the Mood for Monet

Oil on Wood

10"X8"

Away from it all is where I would like to be.

Moment of Silence

Moment of Silence

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

I. Have. No. Words.

Becoming One with Ellsworth Kelly

Becoming One with Ellsworth Kelly

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Trying hard to turn my attention away from the greed and lack of compassion that surrounds us, and focus instead on Art and the humanity that comes with it. 

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.

End of the Road

End of the Road

Oil on Canvas

24"X30"

SOLD

Finally finished after many iterations over many years. It's already hanging in my neighbor's house, where it belongs. This is their house, and the view we share when riding a bike down the road at the end of the day in August. Summer. On an island in Maine.

Friendship in the Fog

Friendship in the Fog

Oil on Wood

12"X12"
SOLD

Yesterday afternoon the fog suddenly moved in without warning. Everything changed around us; the temperature, the color, the landscape, the sound, the activity, and everyone's mood.  It's as if we were transported to a different place without having to move an inch.

The Day's Laundry

The Day's Laundry 

Oil on Canvas

30"X24"

Laundry blowing in the breeze. Summer. On an island in Maine.

Dreamland

Dreamland

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Available for Sale Online HERE.

 A wisp of fog, sunshine, light breeze, boats from yesteryear. August is here.

Laundry on the Line

Laundry on the Line

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

SOLD

There's a lot to love about my island neighbors, not the least of which is their superb laundry. Always a visual treat on a sunny afternoon at the end of July.

Bella at the Wheel

Bella at the Wheel

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Our neighbor, Hal is long gone, but his old Plymouth lives on as do memories of our shared time on the island.

The paint color went with his wardrobe which was bright and joyful and full of pizazz, a perfect match for his personality. It was always a welcome sight to see him meandering across our lawn.

Hal's family has lovingly cared for the car and today their dog, Bella, was at the wheel, a welcome moment of memory and levity in the neighborhood.

Gabriel Sails By

Gabriel Sails By

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

SOLD

It was too nice a day this morning to do anything other than sit on the deck and watch the world go by. So we did, and were there when Gabriel sailed by in our old Rhodes 19, finding just enough breeze here and there to sail back and forth in and out of view for a good long time. A lovely sight, unfolding in slow motion, on a sunny Saturday in July.

Morning at Heliker-LaHotan

Morning at Heliker - LaHotan

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

SOLD

Artists Victoria Rees and Peter Lloyd-Jones are resident artists this month at The Heliker - LaHotan Foundation on the island. They both gave inspired presentations on Sunday, which included an invitation from Tory to all of us on the island to sit for a 45 minute portrait in the LaHotan studio where she is working. I signed right up right away and and rode my bike over Wednesday morning. She painted while I sketched her painting me. We talked, and I soaked in the history and beauty of Bob LaHotan's studio overlooking the Pool and everything about the experience has filled me with awe and inspiration and deep down gratitude ever since.

Island Runner

Island Runner

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Warm sun. Cool shade. The stuff that Maine is made of.

Island Afternoon

Island Afternoon

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Available for sale online from SusanLandor.com

After watching ribbons of fog come and go and come again, I walked with friends to the end of the island and back in time to meet the men folk for lunch at the cafe.  

By then it was mid afternoon. The fog had cleared, the air was warm, and my neighbor's laundry blew kisses in the breeze, as I rode by on my bicycle. 

That's what we call a perfect day.

Ann and Avery at the Farnsworth

Ann and Avery at the Farnsworth

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Everything is enhanced by Ann's presence. Milton Avery's "The Typist" at the Farnsworth was no exception on our outing with friends last week to Rockland to fill up on friendship and art.

I love this quote from Rothko:

"What was Avery's repertoire? His living room, Central Park, his wife Sally, his daughter March, the beaches and mountains where they summered; cows, fish heads, the flight of birds; his friends and whatever world strayed through his studio: a domestic, unheroic cast."

My kind of guy.

July Sky

July Sky

Oil on Wood

24"X24"

Available for sale online from SusanLandor.com

Maine is showing its colors again. We are stunned and surprised, as if seeing it for the first time. 

Island Path

Island Path

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Finding my way back onto the island. It doesn't change, but I do. Starting over. Again. 

Beyond Words

Beyond Words

Oil on Wood

16"X20"

"Art and the Written Word"

Work inspired by text and books.

August 2-27

Studio Gallery

1641 Pacific Ave. - San Francisco

Sweet Spring 2

Sweet Spring 2

Oil on Wood

 12"X12"

I have been listening to Bach's "Well Tempered Clavier" non-stop in recent weeks.

It is so beautiful it makes me weep, and certain passages continue to play in my mind when I am doing daily life away from the studio. That and seeing our Sonoma wild land roaring back to life after having been turned to ash in October is almost overwhelming. There is a carpet of California poppies, and the grasses are taller than we are.

 The genius of Bach and the tenacity of Mother Nature, a two year old's birthday, and frequent gatherings with family, seeing my favorite people for lunch, a walk, or dinner -- that's what I call "Living it Up."

Two Years Ago Today

Birth Day

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Two Years Ago today.

Time Flies.

Sweet Spring

Sweet Spring

Oil on Wood

20"X16"

Available for Sale Online from SusanLandor.com

 Grasses and delicate wildflowers spring from the burnt earth in Sonoma. Each week there are more, and baby oaks are showing up everywhere. I don't like change, but I am learning to love the new landscape. 

VOTE

Barack Obama You Are Missed

VOTE

Oil on Wood

8"X10"

Your grace. Your integrity. Your humanity. Your sincerity. Your modesty. Your humor. Your intelligence. Your smile. Your family. Your optimism. Your cool.

Barack Obama, you are missed.

I am giving this painting to The Indivisible Marin Benefit Auction. Indivisible is keeping hope alive, inspiring each of us to take action in our communities to return civility to our politics.

 Indivisible Marin Benefit Auction, Corte Madera Community Center, June 3, 3-5 p.m.

Turning the Page

Turning the Page

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

I am back in the studio after Life intervened in a big way. 

A little solitude and a lot of sleep go a long way to restoring health, both physical, and psychological.
And being in the company of books always brings me back to where I want to be.

A selection of my paintings are available this month from Mulberry's Home, 160 41st Street, Oakland, where they are beautifully displayed amongst the store's lovely collection of home furnishings. Stop by if you are in the vicinity.

In Awe of Authors - Lydia Davis

In Awe of Authors

Oil on Wood

20"X16"

Authors paint pictures with words. And in the case of Lydia Davis, sometimes with just a sentence or two she writes a whole story that hits one right between the eyes.  

"Varieties of Disturbance," an inspired title in itself, has a fly on its white on white cover, perhaps referencing the twelve word story, "Collaboration with Fly." Or maybe it's meant to be just a fly on the wall of life, which is all any of us are in the end. Just seeing it on my bookshelf reminds me to pay attention.

Weathering the Storm with Words

Weathering the Storm with Words

Oil on Wood

20"X16"

Rain has been falling for days, and despite the advent of daylight savings time, it has been dark and cold inside and out.  Nothing like encouraging words to lift the spirit and warm the chill. 

First Friday - Daffodils at the Dipsea

First Friday - Daffodils at the Dipsea 

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Our friend Pam gathered us up, one by one, over her last years, a bouquet of women whom she loved and who loved her. First Friday breakfasts at the Dipsea Diner. We laugh, we cry, we tell stories. She is with us in her absence. Epic. Today was no exception. 

Boy and His Ball

Boy and His Ball

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Family, friends, flowers, raindrops on the window, and small children -- all that matters is right in front of us.

After Dinner

After Dinner

Oil on Wood

12"X9"

SOLD
Available for sale online from SusanLandor.com

Friends brought flowers from their garden. We talked, laughed, ate well, and relished the moment. The good feeling lingers even now, a welcome ray of light in a dark world. 

Oak Emerges Out of the Ashes

Oak Emerges Out of the Ashes

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

New life where fire raged, 4 months later, with a little rain and a lot of sunshine.
We all could learn a lot from Mother Nature.
Miraculous.
What a world.

Cover Story

Cover Story

Oil on Wood

20"X16"

Red and Pink. The language of LOVE. It's February. Forays with family and friends combined with sunshine and a garden beginning to bloom is almost enough to make me feel hopeful.

E.B. White and A.A. Milne

E.B. White and A.A. Milne

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Comfort Food.

Available for sale online from SusanLandor.com.

Imagining Spring

Imagining Spring

Oil on Wood

16"X20"

Imagining spring in a landscape that is no more. 

A welcome rain is falling, soaking the land where new life is sure to grow.

Mother Nature. Impressive.

Another Year Is In The Books

Another Year Is In The Books

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Graduation, Celebration, Wedding, Love, Family Reunion, Mountain Lion, Fire, book lists, movie recommendations, notes to self, directions, appointments and a million mundane moments. Life in a nutshell.