Laundry Day 2021

 

Laundry Day 2021

Oil on Wood

16"X20"

I'm back! Back from Maine and back to painting. 

More to come.

Little Laundry Left on the Line

Little Laundry Left on the Line

Oil on Wood

20"X16"

A squall blew through fast and furiously about an hour ago, just as I was finishing this painting of the Little's laundry left on the line. It's been so hot, all the doors and windows were wide open. Water was everywhere before I had a chance to close them all. Oh what a relief it is. Everything is drying out including the air.  It was a welcome reminder that things change fast around here, and we are not in charge.

Laundry on the Line

Laundry on the Line

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

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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.

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.

Fresh Start

Fresh Start

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

It's summer on the island again.  My neighbor's laundry is blowing in a gentle breeze and the clouds are putting on a show. We've seen it all before but it feels new each year. Exploring what I know and seeing it in a new light never gets old.

London Laundry

London Laundry

Oil on Wood

10"X10"

Sheets to the wind. Good in any light.

Drying Out

Drying Out

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

After a lot of rain, out came my neighbor's sheets and one blue dish towel this morning. Blowing in the breeze adding an air of celebration to our shared back yard.

Afternoon on the Line - Maine Island Painting

Afternoon on the Line

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Windows give the illusion of giving us access to the unknown, but in reality we only get a tantalizing glimpse of the interior. As much is reflected from where we are standing as is revealed deep inside. And if we aren't careful, we just see ourself reflected back at us. Kind of like a lot of people we think we know. There is always more to be discovered.

Green Sheet

Green Sheet on the Line

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

Like my friend said, "Find one new wonderful thing every day." I hope she knew how those words, spoken without great to do at the end of a long life, would continue to resound with me. It is indeed the little wondrous moments that punctuate the day and give Life meaning.

I am pleased to let you know that five paintings from the series "My Mother's Last Purse," were selected for an online exhibit sponsored by the Still Point Art Gallery. Thirty artists were selected for this national juried exhibition. Still Point Art Gallery, in Maine, also produces a printed quarterly journal, which is distributed across the country.

Lavender Laundry

Lavender Laundry

Oil on Wood

12"X12"

It was so hot this morning I didn't feel like moving. But after a lazy morning at home, Rosie and I did manage a long walk to the post office followed by a new short cut through a neighbor's woods where I came upon a few ripe blueberries to keep me going. The first I've seen. 

Lavender laundry was blowing in an ever so slight breeze. Laundry is a personal matter until it becomes an object of art, at which time it becomes an island treasure. 

Dinner with friends followed by a bike ride on a moonless night, fireflies in all the meadows.  Summer on an island. There's nothing like it.

Summer is Slipping Away

Hanging Out

Oil on Wood

8"X6"

Summer is slipping away. I am hanging on to long days, warm nights, breezy afternoons, and all that goes with it. Friends. Family. Books. And staring at the sea. If you want permission to stare, read Ann Patchett's, "What Now." And if you need permission to learn in unconvential ways listen to Philip Schultz talk about "My Dyslexia." Bottom line. Transition. It never ends.

Laundry Left Behind

Laundry Left Behind

Oil on Wood

10"X8"

Labor Day is all about leaving. Being left. And what is left behind.  I am looking forward to a weekend of warmth and reflection. Of all the Love we gathered up from June to September filling us up to overflowing for all the months to come.

The Breeze is Back

The Breeze is Back

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Last week was hot. Too hot to do much of anything other than dip feet in the cold sea and hope for rain. 

What a difference a cool breeze makes. Yesterday laundry was hanging again and it felt like what our family calls "a typical Maine day," the hallmark of which is bright, blue, and breezy. It's a joke, of course, because it so rarely what we get. But in the midst of winter when we dream of Maine, it is always a "typical Maine day." 

Not much is how we imagine it to be. In the studio I have been trying again to loosen up, try new things,  not worry about making mistakes. Not much is getting finished, but it feels like progress. We'll see.

July 5th

July 5th

Oil on Wood

10"X8"

There's a certain sadness when the July 4th weekend ends and friends leave the island. Back to real life that hasn't actually started yet. There are still things to fix and work routines haven't taken hold. Summer is about starting and stopping. And not knowing the plan. Seeing Sam's laundry blowing the breeze set a good course for getting a little something done. Finally.

Airing Out

Airing Out
Oil on Wood Panel
10"X10"
This morning began early with an errand. I needed to bring new paintings to the gallery on Islesford, a short boat ride away. That meant first digging out the rowboat outhaul which had been buried by the last high tide. Next there was seaweed sewn onto the line to remove. Then a nice row on smooth water to the whaler which started after several tries and I was off to the neighboring island. After a short visit with Dan and Cynthia Lief at the Islesford Dock I headed back to pick up my mail and get a few things at the store where half the town was standing around chatting about nothing in particular. By the time I rowed home and put the boats back on their moorings, it was lunch time. People always ask what we do here. There's your answer. Not much. Takes all day.

Across the Line

Across the Line
Oil on Canvas
8"X6"

A walk to the town office on the neighboring island of Islesford took us right past this perfect display of color and form. Art is everywhere I look, just blowing in the breeze, waiting to be discovered. Like the ladies who turned up at a friend's for lunch today. They all had a lot to say and each was special in her own way. Usually we are riding by each other on our bikes, in a hurry to catch a boat, or hoping to beat the weather home. We got way beyond the standard, "when did you get here and how long are you staying?" And it was good to get out and talk to someone other than myself or Rosie for a change.

Back on the Line

Back on the Line
Oil on Canvas
16"X20"

A 30th birthday visit to our daughter in New York plunked us right into the heart of Brooklyn on a steamy summer day. We swooped in. Surprised, Celebrated, and Reminisced into the night on her roof overlooking all of Manhattan, with family and a few good friends. The next day we swooped out, away from the hubbub and back to our little island life. Another momentous family occasion carried forever within.

Laundry Blowing in the Breeze

Laundry Blowing in the Breeze
Oil on Canvas
12"X12"

Yesterday morning the sun came out, the breeze picked up, and a lot of laundry got hung out to dry. The weekend's rain was pumped out of the boats and with it went all the soggy thoughts we had been having. Nothing lifts spirits like a little sunshine, a row to town, and a basket full of clean clothes to start off the week.

Lavender Laundry

Lavender Laundry
Oil on Canvas
12"X12"
Yesterday I rode my bike to the dock to pick up the mail. It was a warm sunny day so I was pretty sure I'd see some colorful laundry blowing in the breeze at Sam's house. I wasn't disappointed. Next time I probably should ask first before boldly prowling around in her garden which is one of the prettiest on the island, not just because of the colorful laundry but because of the lovingly tended flower garden blooming against the backdrop of blue chairs and bright white house.

Where There's Laundry There's Life

Where There's Laundry There's Life
Oil on Canvas
12"X12"
It's as simple as that.
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