Absorbing "La Vie en Rose"

 Absorbing "La Vie en Rose"

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Back to SF MOMA where I soaked in the magnificence of Joan Mitchell's unbridled energy.  To be in a room, with a few good friends, surrounded by art is enough to make the future seem plausible.

Looking and Being Seen

Looking and Being Seen

Oil on Wood

8"X6"

It turned cold and grey this morning. No more sitting outside pretending it's still summer. So I took myself to the de Young Museum to look at some of my favorite paintings in one of my favorite places, and to look at people looking at paintings which is one of my favorite things to do. I saw the Picasso show first as I had been urged to do by friends. It was vast and varied and certainly worth the trip. But as usual, the prize was hanging around my old favorites and watching people coming and going and sometimes stopping and looking and seeing and being seen. David Park's "Couple" is particularly enlivened by the presence of a person. Art augments Life augments Art.

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.

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.

At the Museum with Mary

At the Museum with Mary

Oil on Wood

8"X8"

SOLD

Friday morning in yet another rain storm my neighbor, Mary, and I fled to the Legion of Honor to see the fabulous paper art of Isabelle de Borchgrave. Amazing and fun and beautiful and anything but gray, it was a good antidote to everything going on in and around my studio. I am still struggling with painting large. After taking a few days off from that endeavor, and then relishing the process of painting this little moment with my friend at the museum, I wonder why I don't just stick with what I love.

Man Admires Superman

Man Admires Superman
Oil on Wood Panel
8"X6"
I just love this Mel Ramos painting. (Superman, 1961-62) I visit it every time I go to the De Young. And almost always, if I am patient, a wonderful man ambles over for a long, loving look.
I don't know much about Ramos. But I wonder if he questioned himself and his art. I wonder if it was enough to just do it. I wonder if he has any idea how much pleasure this image spreads around to random people. I wonder if it would mean a lot to him to know.

Kitchen Bouquet 3

Kitchen Bouquet 3
Oil on Wood
8"X6"
The sweet smell of summer on the first day of Spring.

Laundry Blowing in the Afternoon Breeze

Laundry Hanging in the Afternoon Breeze
Oil on Canvas
12"X16"
There is so much beauty in world. In the simplest of things. Deeds. Gestures. Makes life worth living.

August Afternoon

August Afternoon
Oil on Canvas
16"X12"

Jan's Poppies and Fruit

Jan's Poppies and Fruit
Oil on Canvas
16"X12"
SOLD

Rosie's Good Friend, Google

Rosie's Good Friend, Google
Oil on Wood Panel
6"X8"

Cows on the Loose

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

Old Law

Old Law
Oil on Canvas
6"X12"

SusanLandor.com

Aunt Bee's Bible

Aunt Bee's Bible
Oil on Wood Panel
6"X6"
She wasn't my Aunt. She came to me through marriage. A prize. To be cherished. This Bible is inscribed, "To my dear Bee from Mother, Aug. 27, 1940." In it she kept a well worn piece of paper titled, "Ten Rules for Happiness." Here they are:

1. Make up your mind to be happy.
2. Make the best of your lot.
3. Don't take yourself too seriously. Don't think that everything that happens to you is world-shaking importance and that somehow you should have been protected against the misfortunes that befall other people.
4. Don't take other people too seriously. They are not much of a muchness either. Don't let their criticisms worry you.
5. Don't borrow trouble. You have to pay compound interest on that and it will bankrupt you in the end if you do.
6. Don't cherish enmities and grudges. Don't remember all the mean things people have done to you. Forget them.
7. Keep in circulation. Go around and meet people.
8. Don't hold postmortems. Don't spend your life brooding over the mistakes you have made, or the sorrows that have befallen you.
9. Do something for somebody less fortunate than yourself. Happiness is a coin that we keep only when we give it away.
10. Keep busy. That is a sovereign remedy for unhappiness.

Time Out at the Farnsworth

Time Out at the Farnsworth
Oil on Wood Panel
8"X6"
A big part of the museum experience for me is the juxtaposition of figures in motion with the paintings on the walls. Like dance. One figure plays off the other. Changing the effect of the painting every time a new figure appears.

susanlandor.com • susan@susanlandor.com

Ron and Superman

Ron and Superman
Oil on Canvas
8"X6"

Captivating Women

Captivating Women
Oil on Canvas
8"X8"

Still in the Marsh 3

Still in the Marsh 3
Oil on Canvas
12"X6"
Still stalking the egrets who are still stalking the little morsels they find in the Mill Valley marsh. Am off the the framer with all the recent paintings. And then back to business of painting.
Yes. These paintings are all for sale. Contact me for prices. susan@susanlandor.com

Flying Over Sausalito

Flying Over Sausalito
4"X4"
Oil on Wood

susanlandor.com

Matisse Music

Matisse Music
8"X6"
Oil on Wood Panel
Oh boy, does it ever feel good to be painting! After days of technological snafus of grand proportions all in the name of trying to improve my online presence, I am back where I belong. In the studio. Painting. Music volume way up. And while I'm at it, may I suggest "Bright Star." Beautifully filmed. Every frame a painting. Sad. Oh so sad. Love while you can. And create a little something wonderful every day.