Posted on by paintandsimple

FS 151

5″x7″ pastel on sanded paper

The road that runs between Christ in the Desert Abbey, and Ghost Ranch is one of my favorite places in the world. I love the canyon, the drive, the Rio Chama, and especially what lies at either end of this forest service road.

After lugging many pounds of heavy painting equipment around all summer, I came home and lightened my load! Check out my new travel set up. It is the smallest Heilman pastel box, which I carefully adapted with the help of my, clever and handy, Spanish exchange student. The box is made to securely hold pastels on one side, and carry paper on the other. As designed, there was no way to hold the support in the top half of the box so it kept sliding down. Second, the paper holder it came with didn’t work very well. After some brainstorming, we removed the stock paper holder and then added the 4 pieces of silver hardware you can see in the top of the photo. We made them adjustable, so they can hold the lid, and paper of varying sizes, in place. The trickiest part was carving out part of the box to allow room for the hardware so that the box will still close.

Today was my test drive, and I am delighted!

Posted on by paintandsimple

Hanging on it’s Stalk

5″x7″ pastel on sanded paper

I passed these sunflowers walking to school with my daughter. They seem to be the last bits of summer hanging on by a thread.

“The gaudy leonine sunflower Hangs black and barren on its stalk And down the windy garden walk The dead leaves scatter – hour by hour”. -Oscar Wilde

Please come see my one woman Walking to School show! Opens September 13th 6-8pm Sunderman Gallery DALLAS,TX.

Posted on by paintandsimple · 2 Comments

Walking Together

24″x48″ mixed media

These are my parents walking my daughter to school. They were crossing an intersection holding her hands, and the light and shadows were so beautiful. The stop signs and construction were not so beautiful. However, no one cared about the clutter, they had the hand of their youngest grand child, and she had their undivided attention, as her three older siblings had gone off to school. They all had two more miles to savor that sweetness of arm swinging, smiles, and stories. The rest of the world had disappeared for the three of them, they were: walking together.

As of TODAY my parents have been walking together 50 years! Congratulations Mom and Dad, HAPPY 50th ANNIVERSARY! I love you both. Thanks for all the support and love over the years.

*This painting is part of my “Walking to School Series”. To see this painting come see my one woman show at the Sunderman Gallery. There will be an opening reception 6-8pm, Thursday, September 13th. 5100 Ross Avenue, DALLAS,TX 75206. (These paintings are so much more interesting to see in real life. Four feet of painting reduced to a computer or Phone screen leaves out a lot of details)

Posted on by paintandsimple · 3 Comments

Rain Dance

42″x36″ mixed media

I simply love to splash and twirl in a good puddle. Give me a rainbow walk, and I will be a happy girl

This is part of my “Walking to School Series”. To see this painting and 100 more in real life come to my one woman show! At the Sunderman Gallery There will be an opening reception 6-8pm, Thursday, September 13th. 5100 Ross Avenue, DALLAS,TX 75206

Posted on by paintandsimple · 3 Comments

Walking to School – SHOW!

24″x36″ oil on canvas

Please come see my show “Walking to School”! It will open at the Sunderman Gallery There will be an opening reception 6-8pm, Thursday, September 13th. 5100 Ross Avenue, DALLAS,TX 75206

I use my art as a way to notice something beautiful everyday. “Walking to School” has been a whimsical fun series chronicaling my second grade daughter’s daily walks to school.   My 3 older children all start school an hour before my youngest. We like to eat breakfast as a family, so that leaves Lydia and I an extra hour every morning. What I am trying to do is not waste our gift of time, the phrase “killing time” is a phrase that makes me so sad. Instead of “killing” that time I have painted it, and all the adventures and beauty that we found in those extra hours. This series is about half landscapes of what we have seen on our daily walks and half mixed media pieces of people walking. It includes: homework, tardy slips and bit and pieces we collected along the way.  In addition to many kinds of media, I have used a bit of magical realism in these paintings. For example, in “Spokes and Shadows” the light was beautiful, the shadows were beautiful, but the backdrop was generic new suburbia. In my mind, I saw a fantastic tree lined drive, with a young girl pumping up a hill onto great things. In the painting, I created the leaves with bits of homework. As the leaves fell, I could imagine the days and years and the entirety of Lydia’s childhood landing on the drive as she confidently rode into the future.

These paintings are about being present: we put away the phone, compose a rhyme or poem, talk about the day, share our hopes and dreams, plan dinner or our next family celebration.  We notice what is in bloom, when the leaves change color, or when someone repainted their front door. We have noted that all those carpoolers don’t have a chance to: meet a new neighbor, pet a kitten, do a cartwheel, twirl a tutu, pick a flower or sneak a fresh fig hanging over the fence.

In painting this series, my hope is you will be reminded of a sweet memory of when you walked with your friends, siblings, or parent to school. Or you will be reminded of when your child walked to school. Perhaps you will be inspired to be present and get out and find the beauty and life that is in YOUR neighborhood waiting for you to just enjoy and discover!  Perhaps you can grab your dog, or kid, or mom, or neighbor and embark in a simple way to really live your life…go for a walk.

Posted on by paintandsimple · 5 Comments

A day at the Beach

24″x18″ pastel on sanded paper

Today I brought the beach to Baylor Hospital in Dallas. The best magic trick I know is making a scene appear from a blank sheet of paper and bits of colored chalk. It was wonderful to share that process with doctors and nurses, patients, and their caregivers. I set up in a wonderfully busy atrium in the heart of the Sammons Cancer center. There is a small stage with lights and an easel. Then…I just made art. People could just walk by, or stop and talk as their schedule and curiosity allowed them. The beach has a universal appeal. My painting reminded many people of trips they had taken to the beach and many shared their stories: a honeymoon to Hawaii, a trip to Mexico in college, family reunions in Florida, and two little girls told me all about their adventures camping on Padre Island. Some people found reason to come back over and over to watch the painting’s progress.

I love that today my daily painting touched so many lives, and for a moment, people could imagine (or remember) a sweet time at the beach instead of their chemo or their busy day at work.

Posted on by paintandsimple · 4 Comments

Walk Beside Me Not Behind Me

36″x24″ Mixed media. I recently got some new toys in my studio: oil paint sticks. They are delightful to work with. If you were ever tempted to draw on the mirror with your mother’s lipstick, you would enjoy these.

Here is the painting before the paint sticks!

I loved making the fat, crayon-like marks, and also found they produced a beautiful warm glow when blended. Delightful!

Posted on by paintandsimple · 1 Comment

Sunrise with Coffee

10″x8″ pastel on sanded paper

Plein air

My sweet husband is a runner, and he spends his runs scouting out fantastic painting spots for me. Today he made coffee in the dark, brought me to a spectacular beach, and even set up my easel.

Posted on by paintandsimple · 1 Comment

Coconut Coast

10″x8″ pastel, wind, and sea mist on sanded paper. Plein air

The wind was a battle. I used my underpainting to do most of the work, just sculpting out the palms with Sky, then adding a few strokes of green. Usually soft pastels are dusty, today they were sticky.