Walking in Memphis

Strange Cargo
Beale St Memphis TN
10 x 10 acrylic

I had a lovely day of gallery hopping in Memphis last Wednesday. I have this chance to go out with my cousin Dave, a photographer,  and find new places to visit that might inspire us to do some new work. We will set these art days up and plan what new place we want to visit and look forward to giving a quick critique to the pieces we view.  After visiting several galleries and museums we usually stop to have lunch. While eating we often will discuss the art work we had seen that day, or simply we will talk about life and living, it didn't always matter what we talked about just the idea of being out and looking at art was the business of the day. This time while we were lunching, Dave made a comment about a Friday Night Gallery walk he attended, and how he stood and watched this group of Drawing Society individuals doing work involving the old water tower on that side of town. 

WC Handy Park
 Beale St Memphis TN
10 x 10 acrylic

Something about that particular remark plucked my heart strings and I felt this long lost stirring about painting.
His remark reminded me that I once did a small series of  works titled My Hometown in watercolors. I managed to have a few prints made of that series, and thinking about them again, reminded me how much enjoyment those little watercolors meant to me.......so that brings me to where I am at the moment....actually painting and enjoying it a whole lot.

 I found reference photos of downtown Memphis that I had taken maybe 6 to 8 years ago, and from that point I started composing some new works. I  focused on the idea of SIGN'S for the new pieces and it appears I might have been playing with that thought years ago.  I found that to be fascinating too, that a focus from the past uncompleted, would bring inspiration to me now. From there I made some further plans for the paintings and decided I would try out new painting techniques and colors. I decided to keep myself to a simple palette of limited colors and found that to be the hardest of the plans I had set for myself. I noticed as I worked along I would sometimes get "outside that box" of limited colors and add more and more. That is when I discovered that the paintings were not flowing as well and it reminded me to go back to the limited colors for the next canvas, expecially if I were going to consider this to be a series, not just in subject matter but in painting style and color as well.


Ms Polly's Soul City Cafe 
Beale St Memphis  TN
12 x12 acrylic

     Anyway, here are the first 6 works that I completed

         and the best part....

I feel there are plenty more inside of me

wishing they too could be put on canvas as well.

Rum Boogie Cafe & Bar
 Beale St Memphis TN
12 x 12 acrylic

I am thinking of adding an additional parameter to my lists of how I am going to paint this series and that is to take each new piece into a more Impressionistic style, soften the edges and colors even further than I did in these first six. I look forward to seeing where this challenge is going to lead me.
I have to admit, I am excited and so very very happy for the return of my creativity..



Blues on Beale St Memphis Tennessee
30 x 40 acrylic



another day another field of flowers..... Sunny Fields.

I sit here and think of all the possiblities with flowers...I guess there are more paintings in me after all. ~smiles This one may not be finished after all...appears to have an empty space midcenter...rethinking.

second working.....think it fills out much better....it too me a little while to balance the top flowers and looking at it on the screen there may still need to be a bit more tweaking. Ah, ha, I took out some of the blue green that weaved it's way to the top...and I think that is what is missing...back again to the easel. (the light sure does make a difference the shadowy one at top I like better)

 

now I worry about overworking...better give this one a break and let it rest and come back to it later.

 

Still Painting.....

 

 

...I think I finally got to a place where I like the colors that I am using. I always have felt that my colors were too harsh, too tube, not enough mixing. So working late at night I think I found what I needed...

Along with the new colors I decided to continue on in the frame of impressionistic fields of flowers. I was going through the internet and came across Farm Garden by Kilmet.... thinking great title I will one day do myself a farm garden. Until then I will continue to paint TEXAS POPPIES 2

Painting.....

Painting...Yes, I am painting...not big, not huge but painting. First I started with a tree from down in Texas an Old Oak tree....not much but at least I had a start.

hedge Row 8 x10

Pathway 8 x 10

then I found reference photos and decided to do a few studies of trees. I enjoyed the work for the first time in a long time.

Old Oak  acrylic 12 x 12


It does help to publish the page
after you finish posting
 if you expect anyone to
be able to view.
Guess  learning how to set up the pages and posting will take a bit of time

Beginnings

just a title and nothing else.....let's see if I can't turn it into a new start.

Organized? what....

I go on an on about things I want to do.
I keep piling on more work and never even seem to get anything done any longer.
Is there a secret to putting it all in place?

Well if there is I have no idea when, where, or how.

When time permits

I should do more visiting of blogs.
I was just introduced to a new one this evening and it was delightful to read such poignant words.

BACK AGAIN

wow....things on internet change in a heart beat.....one minute you can get in....next minute it takes days to return.... Ok...Ok....it isn't really the fault of the internet...more likely my fault...I take full blame...mainly my lack of interest, passion, desire...for anything creative. Just when I think I am about to make a break through and get going again.....something in REAL LIFE throws me another lemon and I am off again in my spiral of neglect. I use to stand up against RL problems and just integrate it into my creative processes. I have got to get back there again or RL will simply swallow me up..... My first step was getting back here...it took all day...and man I am mentally tired now. But I am not giving up...nor stopping...I will turn it on and I WILL be posting again.. Life is too short to sit idle and watch the wind blow......it is time now to express that wind blowing in a painting. See you soon....I promise myself.

Long Slow Journey

It has been a long slow journey getting over the passing of my father...in fact it is 1 year for that passing and now we are facing his birthday without him once again. It is still hard to not have him around for counsel, but I am moving on and learning to accept that there will always be an empty place.
For anyone who is following or reading this blog...you may ask what does this have to do with art as I see it....well....actually that is exactly it. I don't seem to see the colors any longer. I first worried about not having the passion to paint, but figured as time passes, the passion would return. Then I worried,yes; I have come to realize that worry is my major job at the moment; but back to the subject of art, I worried that the colors I use to explore just don't excite me any longer. Ok, so this is the way it is going to be, I need to get over it and find ways to handle what I am left. There are great things that can be done with subtlety, I just have to learn how to handle it. My journey now is in learning to live with the quieter side of life, to see things NOW, not as I imagine them. To find beauty in the quiet leaves that are falling, the birds that take to wing, the lazy river that feeds the swamps. Not everything has to be blinding like the sun in your eyes......or rushing so fast that you only have glimpses. So I am going to slow down, I hope, and find something that will get me motivated again to paint. AND...I am going to have to learn how to stop worrying. HA!!!!! that may be my new passion.