Mundane, Meet Dramatic

Mundane, Meet Dramatic

Oil on Wood

8"X6"

This morning over coffee, it occurred to me to let newspaper headlines inspire the day's painting.  The truth is, this painting of delicious cookies in their cello container was begun yesterday afternoon as an antidote to an otherwise unproductive day. The headline, "Mundane, Meet Dramatic," a rave review of  "Brand New Ancients" starring Kate Tempest  caught my eye. Then I read, "Finding the majesty and mystery in ordinary lives is precisely the aim of “Brand New Ancients...” Precisely the aim of this artist as well.  It's enough to make me want to hop on a plane to Brooklyn to see the show. 

Daydreaming in January

Daydreaming in January

Oil on Canvas

14"X11"

I don't know about you, but I have been procrastinating more than usual lately. I have not made a dent in the list of things that need doing, and I continue to find plenty to do that isn't on the list of "shoulds." There is something about long nights and short days that makes me want to curl up with a book and call it all off. But then, I can make a case for that scenario in the summer too. And then there's spring fever, which is just around the corner threatening to take me away from the business at hand.  Maybe imagining summer is a cure for what ails me. Or maybe this is the stuff that gives life to Life. Daydreaming. 

The Quilters Convene

The Quilters Convene

Oil on Wood

6"X8"

Talk, listen, laugh, cry. We did it all this morning, my friends and I, at our monthly breakfast at the Dipsea Cafe, and later as some assembled a communal quilt. And just like that, my dark mood lifted, replaced by a deep feeling of gratitude for just being in the presence of these wonderful, fun, interesting, imaginative, loving women.  

February Thaw

February Thaw

Oil on Canvas

14"X11"

I know it's not February yet, but it will come. I have been imagining  a 12 month series. This could end up being November for all I know. Warm and cozy inside is a good idea any time of year, so that's where I am. In my mind, in my studio, and in my house.

January

January

Oil on Canvas

14"X11

Chasing the January doldrums away. Or trying to.  I don't make resolutions. But if I did, it would be to give up on preconceived notions of all kinds; to focus on the ordinary good that is right here in our midst and be satisfied. As Mary Oliver expresses in her poem, "Mindful,"

"...It was what I was born for -

to look, to listen,

to lose myself

inside this soft world -

to instruct myself

over and over

in joy,

and acclamation.

Nor am I talking

about the exceptional,

the fearful, the dreadful,

the very extravagant -

but of the ordinary,

the common, the very drab,..."

Cream Puff for Ian

Cream Puff for Ian

Oil on Wood

8"X 10"

I wish I could deliver this right to Ian's bedside. Crusty on the outside, soft on the inside, and just the right amount of sweet through and through. Like him. A confection that would turn an ordinary day into a celebration. To Life, Love, Family. Never enough of a good thing.

Kennedy at Christmas

Kennedy at Christmas

Oil on Wood

 12"X 10"

The East Wing of the White House is surprisingly intimate and graciously presents our history. Photographs and portraits of past presidents line the walls of the elegant rooms. It was especially so this Christmas, filled with live trees and all the trappings of merriment. But coming upon the portrait of Kennedy, in a quiet corner, with a bowl of red roses placed on a table beneath took my breath away. It is restrained and beautiful, soft and sensitive. It is so alive. People fell silent as they stopped to admire it, struck by the heartbreaking loss and enormity of what might have been.