The Stories in a Portrait

 I worked on two portraits this spring and summer. One was of a family and the other was of a woman and her very close friend. The close friend commissioned it for the woman as a gift. The family portrait was commissioned by a husband for his wife. Both sound pretty standard for portrait work on the surface, but each had a story and emotional depth that was far from standard.  

I don't want to tell the stories of the subjects because I respect the privacy of the people who ask me to paint for them. But I will say that the process of making a painting specifically for a family or individual is wonderful in the trust and intimacy it involves and I love that aspect of it. The stories inspire me to try to find that connection to the individual as well as to honor them and their lives and relationships to each other and it also inspires me try to make the environment they choose for the setting resonate and feel familiar to them. I also think about the painting in the future. Who will it live with? Will they understand and know the stories too? Will it hold meaning? 

Both these paintings have a future in future generations. I feel sure that the family portrait will eventually go to grandchildren. And a wonderful thing will transpire with the painting of the two friends- The friend (the woman with the dogs) gifted the painting to her dear friend (the woman on the horse) - but  the woman on the horse has no children, so the painting will go to the granddaughter of the woman who originally gifted it. Sort of a magical arrangement. And that means a lot to me. 

"Every Picture Tells a Story" oil on linen, 36" x 48"

"Friends for Life", oil on linen, 30" x 40"

March comes in like a Lion...or maybe like a Bear oil on linen, 30" x 36"

 I enjoyed painting the bears in "The Baker and the Bear" (see earlier post) so much I decided to do another version of the painting with the baker in profile, facing the light (quoting Vermeer here) and the bear heading toward us head on. I was working on this painting during the month of March and other spring-like things started creeping in-The forest just starting to green up, a Bluebird looking for a place to nest, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak making a rare appearance, and a bullfrog making an unexpected appearance from the open cupboard. He is also making an important compositional maneuver by allowing the viewer to move up through that corner of the painting back to the window. Sometimes many elements influence the direction a painting takes. In this one the season took control. 

Here are some of the preliminary studies

charcoal study

gouache study

underpainting 

Sanctuaries-Capriccio for Coyotes oil on linen, 30" x 36"

 I have always had a fascination for coyotes. They got a bad reputation years ago from a silly cartoon in which they were depicted as homely, wiley villains. Yet they are magnificent creatures. They are smart, beautiful and mysterious. Because of their natural habitat being crowded in on and destroyed, like bears, they have made a habit of treading a little two close to humans looking for food. And the outcome is not in their favor. 

So I decided to make a painting that portrays them as invited guests in a space of acceptance and respect.

Capriccio for Coyotes

One could hear them at night

calling to each other

from the river

to the hills

An eerie sound

mournful yet resolute

So she began to play

to calm her nerves

a light capriccio

And the calling

quieted 

the coyotes

came

and began to sing

softly

tails thumping

like a metronome

* a capriccio is a lively piece of music, typically one that is

short and free in form. It is also defined as a painting or work of art representing a fantasy

or a mixture of real and imaginary features.

"Dance with a Bear"

 Winter seems long right now. The snow is falling hard and fast on top of ice and frozen snow from last week. There is a frigid wind. It's a good time to be in inside physically and metaphorically and dream of the spring bulbs which will appear (they miraculously always do), warm summer evenings (yes they will come) and dancing with bears.  

Dance with a Bear

She was accustomed to eating alone

A simple supper

and a glass of Gamay

One warm summer night

she slipped into her party dress 

opened wide

the doors to the woods

and let her mind wander

into the forest

and dance between the trees

Sanctuaries - An Evolution

This is the first time I have posted on my blog for quite awhile, but I moved into my new studio last week and I felt that it was time to start writing again.  It has been exactly a year since we started digging the foundation. After working underground for a year and a half I now feel like I am in heaven, reveling in the natural light and high ceiling. I can actually work without any electric lights on- this is a first for me as no matter how bright the day was- in my former studios I always had to supplement with electric lights. Natural light is amazing!                                                                                

Hunting Season oil on linen, 20" x 24"

My relationship to the natural world has really deepened with my move to this beautiful part of the country. The Berkshires have a gentle beauty that is lovely to live within and the scale of everything feels right. The mountains are not overbearing, the rivers not to wide, the forests not too dense. The wildlife is abundant and literally right on our doorstep. It snowed recently and the array of paw prints in the fresh powder was fascinating. It is inspiring and makes me want to live here as an observer- to watch the world around me and coexist with it without imprinting on it- to sort of let it wash over me and feel one with it.

"Stories for Foxes", oil on linen, 24" x 30"

 I have been working on a series of paintings titled Sanctuaries which hark back to a few paintings from my work in the past but has a fresh meaning, at least to me, in my new life. Some of the paintings are about coexisting with nature, some about nature inspired dreams and some about protecting the natural world and the vulnerable creatures within it. This series may be ongoing for a long time. I think that my intention will be clearer as each painting evolves. 

    "The Baker and the Bear" , oil on linen, 30" x 36"

Gardeners' Dreams in watercolor and gouache

 While construction is continuing on my new studio in the Massachusetts Berkshires I have found myself working in various spots in the house from the cold basement all winter to the kitchen table, where I find myself now. The new big window in the kitchen gives me a wonderful view of the garden as tiny ephemerals and bulbs of all kinds are emerging from the soil. It is truly magical and inspiring me to once again work on my paintings which I call Gardeners' Dreams. My kitchen table is not very big so I decided to work in gouache and watercolor on a tiny scale. Here are the six I have done so far and each of them is accompanied by an equally tiny gardener's dream scenario. Each one is about 7" x 5". 

She dreamt of pole beans so vigorous that she was tempted to climb up and look for Jack.

When she planted the milkweed the most extraordinary Monarch appeared.

       

She dreamt of an asparagus bed with ferns so soft and airy she could float on it like a cloud.

It was amazing the difference a few days of sun could make.

She dreamt that one tomato grew so large she could sit on it like a pouf. 

On the third year her asparagus was so prolific she could walk between the spears like a forest.

She dreamt she had to play tug of war with that damn crow to save her corn.

In her dream she pulled back the curtain and tulips rode in on a spring breeze.

"Food is Love", oil on linen, 32" x 34"

“Food is Love” is a narrative portrait about one person’s journey through a new chapter in her life. After a successful career in the corporate world she went through a process of self discovery and came to the conclusion that her passion was the soil, growing vegetables and gathering people together to share in the meals that were the product of hard work. She bought some land and along with her son began to farm it. The painting depicts moments and objects that have special meaning to her on this journey, from the goats, pigs and chickens that were part of her day-to-day existence to the produce they grew, and the dishes she made for the people she gathered around her table.

       

                                                                

       the compositional sketch

  watercolor study for the landscape