Passover Mini Art: 4 '15

Let's face it; there is always some outside distraction  competing with art for my attention. Holidays are especially distracting, first because they are fun, and secondly because they are an important part of living a full social life,

It is not that I  enjoy the holiday more than painting,  or that I welcome the distraction it offers as an excuse to avoid painting.  The problem is once that I  start sharing my attention with other activities, I seem to fall out of  'the Zone Not only am I no longer able to focus on all the essential elements of a good painting, but I have a really hard time getting started again once the holiday is over.

 My solution to this dilemma,  has been to create  a series of Mini Canvas  paintings  that can bes et out as part of the decor for the holiday.  It doesn't have to be great art, just something fun that keeps me from freezing up.

This month Passover is the BIG Distraction.. It is one of my husbands favorite holidays. The Seder meals are  something he really looks forward to, so I created a little mini canvases showing each of the traditional elements of the meal like:

Kosher matzah,

Fresh horseradish and Romaine lettuce are the bitter herbs..

Hard boiled eggs , salt, and a lamb shank,

Parsley will be served as a vegetable,

And  the dates, an apple, honey and nuts which will be made into a fruit past call Charoset.

By the time the holiday is over, we  will have a completes set of Passover art, and I will not be as anxious about picking up a brush.

Happy New Years Eve 12 '14

Happy New' Year's  Eve Everyone

May  your  2015 be filled with the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.

"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it,
Life is tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is life, fight for it."

Mother Teresa

Passover Seder Mini Series, Continued. 4 '14

As a follow on to yesterday's post, I did in fact finish the two last minis for the Passover Series of the ingredients for a Seder Plate

Charoset ( 5" x 7" Oil

Above is my portrayal of some of the ingredients that go into Charoset ( honey, apple, dates and nuts)

And below is the shank bone(s)

Seder Shank Bones ( 7" x 5" oil)

I am very goal oriented, and sometimes I find it hard to let go.    My head kept telling me that Passover was over, and I should put this project aside until next year, but my heart would not let me do it.  This is one time I am very glad  I followed my heart.

Happy Passover 4 '14

5" x 7" oil

Across the miles... sending you wishes, from our home to yours, for a

 Joyous, Peaceful, & Happy Passover

Happy Anniversary 3 '14

7"x 5" oil on canvas

Happy Anniversary, Bruce.  You're the love of my life.

Happy Valentines Day 2 '14

Happy Valentines Day, Everyone.

I took this photo in Huntington Beach State Park, SC last Spring.,

Pumpkin to Paint 10'13

Bruce bought this gnarly little pumpkin at a farm-stand yesterday. The checkout person asked if we were going to eat it. Bruce answered, " Not before my wife has a chance to paint it"

Happy Father's Day! 6 '13

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads in our lives!

Easter week at CAG 3 "13

It was my turn to Gallery Sit at the Charleston Artists Guild Gallery.  So glad I had refreshed my wall with Spring flowers.  The gallery  was busy busy busy with tourists and locals who were  there to celebrate the start of Spring and Easter weekend.

Another V Day Painting 2 '13

I was browsing a yahoo article about heart shaped natural wonders, when a photo of some swans caught my eye. ... and reminded me of a small painting I had done of some local swans for V Day a few years ago. I started scouting through my archives and sure enough.... I pulled out a 5x7 swan painting . It was of a different species,  but the emotional intent is the same.

Photo above from:

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/amazing-heart-shaped-wonders-slideshow/love-hearts-in-nature-photo--702047975.html

Second is of my painting
  Have a Happy Valentines Day

Happy Chinese New Years 2 '13

Every year we celebrate the Asian Lunar New Years.

The front door has a colorful paper dragon to greet visitors,

and the house is decorated with  my collection of Japanese  Kokeshi dolls.
A couple of them have even become the inspiration for one of my holiday paintings. 

Brookgreen Gardens Night of a Thousand Candles 12 '12

Once again we attended Brookgreen Gardens Annual  "Night of a Thousand Candles" Festival.
I always look forward to this holiday light extravaganza.

 I attend this festival every year in hopes of obtaining some great reference photos to use as the basis for holiday themed Nocturns I did get some good photos of the garden at night,  but this year I was a bit disappointed in the event.

For one thing, the Gardens oversold the event and it took patrons forty five minutes of stop and go driving just to get from the front gate to the parking lot.

Then the  the gardens themselves seemed a lot sparser this year than last. I understand the need for pruning overgrown plants, but why not wait until after their major event of the season is over, or at least fill the barren beds with  some annuals .They had also changed the light displays so that they seemed  quite similar from one garden area to the next.  Bruce liked that, but I thought it monotonous. I liked it better in previous years when there were more areas with colored lights

Of course there were the usual selections of wandering bagpipers, Celtic musicians, bell ringers etc.

and some beautiful  holiday floral displays.But many of those were things I could have enjoyed just as well by daylight. So I am hoping that next year the garden flower beds will be planted  and lit as well as their indoor displays were this year.

CAG Miniature Holiday Art Sale '12

This year CAG put up two Christmas trees in the gallery.  One tree was for CAG members who had been jurried into exhibiting status,  and the other was for exhibiting members who are in the CAG gallery

Exhibitors are  allowed to hang small affordable miniature artwork on their respective tree.  You may remember that last year I put two serious holiday still lifes on the tree, and a playful Surfing Santa. The still lifes sold almost instantly, but the Santa did not find a home. Honestly I was kinda glad that he didn't, as I really would have liked to have him in my own home.

This year caught me short on paintings and Bruce talked me into putting Santa back on the CAG Tree.
Wouldn't you know it.  He sold within two days.  Now I may have to  repaint one for myself.

Brookgreen Night of a Thousand Candles 12 '11

One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to visit Botanical Gardens at night.  Quite a number of them decorate with special holiday light shows and have all kinds of family oriented holiday activities .   We visited the Lewis Ginter Gardens in Richmod on this trip, but Brookgreen Gardens  in Pawleys Island SC  is still  my favorite.

 

Dec 3^rd  was the opening night of Brookgreen Gardens Night of a Thousand Candles.  I and my camera spent the evening documenting the spectacular beauty of the gardens at night.

Every year, for three weekend evenings,,  Brookgreen Gardens come to life  with holiday spirit amid the soft glow of more than 5,500 hand-lit candles and countless sparkling lights.

   

The sculptures are even more beautiful at night than they are by day. They almost seem alive

  The  sculptures in the pools and fountains appear to be dancing

The  heritage oak trees take on an other worldly look and seem even more ancient and massive at night

 

It's a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays while collecting nocturnal  photo references for a local landmark

CAG Miniature Art Sale 11 '11

The Charleston artist Guild has put up a Christmas tree and is allowing its exhibitors to decorate it with miniature  art.  First I painted two serious holiday still lifes oil paintings

  But then the project brought out a playful side in me , and I painted a Surfing Santa  for the tree. It seemed appropriate since everywhere I have ever lived, there have been surfers at the beach on Christmas day.

Veterans Day in Charleston Oct '11

I  was gallery sitting at the Charleston Artist Gallery today when I heard a loud roar of motorcycles.  

 Looking out the front door onto East Bay Street I saw a huge platoon of riders each carrying a flag representing the  branch and division of the military  they had served in.

 These were followed by several blocks of floats carrying  retired military personnel from each of the armed forces and their families

 

As did military support organizations

 Not to be outdone,  active service men and women paraded in formation,

 some with mascots. 

And, of course, there were several military schools represented, and lots of ROTC  units.

Interestingly there was not a single marching band; there was not even a loudspeaker broadcasting marching music..  Instead the different units too glee in trying to outshout one another with their lusty military marching chants.  All told the parade took nearly two hours to pass from first riders to the last motorcade.

But hey!  Waddja expect.  ITS (Its the South)  We love our Armed Forces here.

Night of a Thousand Candles 12 '09

Once again we are  celebrating the holiday season  by attending Brookgreen Garden's spectacular holiday light show:  Night of A Thousand Candles.  Look at the beautiful photos I got  this evening

I firmly believe this is one of the best Holiday light displays in the country

Lollypop trees in Children's Garden

Every inch of the garden is illuminated

  Even the stars and the moon in the heaven are lit more brightly 

The  Dancing Water Nymph Pond is always my favorite out of doors display

But the indoor display of local holidays past is interesting as well