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