AutumnYellow the bracken,Golden the sheaves,Rosy the apples,Crimson the leaves;Mist on the hillside,Clouds grey and white.Autumn, good morning!Summer, good night!by Florence Hoatson It has been about three weeks since my last post and felt that it was time to update you on what’s going on in my studio. It was fairly uneventful until a few weeks…
“August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.” Sylvia Plath I relate with these words by Sylvia Plath on the month of August. It is my birth month. I am a true sun worshipper, but the August humidity and temps run me inside more…
Greetings from my studio! It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to get these posts in on a regular basis and I do apologize for this, yet another lapse. I am making art. More personal art and in various ways. Summertime usually inspires a little selfishness in my time and art. However, my canvas is…
I have a thing for borrowing song lyrics and using them as titles. What can I say, I listen to music often. While this has absolutely nothing to do with my art, we purchased a new Bose sound bar and sub woofer and I gotta say that it really ups your sound experience. (No this…
Tuesday Greetings,I have finished with the mural project. (Well my part is over anyway!) Now the owner (my son Shaun) needs to wipe off the chalk lines and apply the clear coat. The project was on hold awaiting the family name sticker. I don’t do letters. Nor did I want to purchase stencils that would…
I know, I know…no excuse for the lengthy gap in posting. Not that I have not been working, because I have. In fact I am working on illustrations for over a month now for a children’s book. I’ll talk more about that more later. I am close to finishing. So, yay! But spring is here…
is probably the hardest requirement for creating my art. Whether you are a painter, a writer or whatever, it is hard to let go and allow ‘the muse’ to direct your decisions during the creation process. One, because we like to be in control, or at least to think we are anyway. (We all should…
I have been thinking… (I know, a dangerous pastime). As a immunosuppressive individual my art business has suffered in the last year along with everyone else. It is looking like this year will be a repeat. I am not one to sit around and feel sorry for myself (not very long anyway). So, I have…
I threatened on my Facebook Art Page to talk about this series I am talking about today. I have been working on what I am calling the Madame Butterfly series (this is subject to change). I have seven installations now and am working on an eighth. They are taking on a life of their own….
Greetings: Hello and thank you for following/subscribing to the blog. Please send me your addresses and I will send you a little thank you. Also, to any of my other followers, if you read this and send me a comment or email with your address, I will send you a gift too. Also, don’t worry,…
…I think. Art and Poetry: My Gift I am alone with my thoughts. it is early. I sip my coffee, I drink in the silence. We awake to her light. The sun glides silently, From behind the mountains. I sit, Breathing deeply, All is quiet, Except the birds. They sing her praises. I listen and…
The Kingfishers Mistress was painted this past year and blogged about here. During December this piece kept drawing my attention. So I pulled it off my studio wall and planned to cover it and repaint something different. It was propped near my easel and as I worked on holiday commissions I had more time to…
As I began this New Years post I’ve tried to think of the right words that could express all, or at least express some, of the things we’ve battled as a people, living in the historical time of a world wide pandemic. It actually still perplexes me to say and write those words… And as…
And what have you done? Another year older and a new year is almost begun…it’s that time of the year. Time to reflect. Time to plan and begin anew. Let’s talk about art: I have a bigger commission piece that came in late, but after a sucky 2020 it is hard not to find time…
Late Blogging Greetings on this cold Wednesday morning-here in Central Virginia anyway. I needed a little break from blogging, if you’re still there, thank you for respecting and understanding this. However, taking a break from attempting to write does not mean I have been breaking from Art. Indeed, just the opposite! Fortunately art commissions began…
Greetings, After the really personal share, I sort of got nervous about having shared something so personal. I needed some time to process the fact that I did in fact do that and you’ll be happy to know I’ve dug out an old journal for writing down the private stuff. You’re welcome. Now let’s get…
Warning: If you’re not up for some personal reality then you might want to skip this blog. I don’t know about you guys but 2020 has been super tough on me. So many things have happened that if I start listing them all I might have a meltdown, so I won’t (you’re welcome). But what…
Finished…. As a native plant of North American no other plant has such global significance as the sunflower. From its beginning as a prairie weed, the sunflower is now one of the world’s leading oil seed crops, second only to soybeans. Early American natives used the sunflower long before corn and beans were brought to…
Art: There’s an old expression I’ve heard applied to writers who are struggling with block. It says the best way to break through a block is the application of the ass to the seat and writing/working. I seem to be guilty of that myself lately. I am unable to find my way into the studio…
…A Story of Angst & Frustration Begins There was this artist who also blogged. She had just enough digital/technical knowledge to be dangerous in most cases. She created a blog post two times only to give up on them and not finish. Then one days she made this fabulous post with all this positivity and…
August seems to have slipped up on me in these days of hermit-like conditions. We are all struggling as we adopt and adjust to new normals in our life. We struggle. We laugh. We cry. Some of us, even garden (me) as we try to cope. But time keeps rolling along and here we are…
Someone commented that inside this painting remindEd them of dancers and commented I should title it Full Of Grace. I like the symbology connection they made between the stamen and dancers. A lot actually. But I am not sure I am sold on the title. But, this got me to thinking about dancers, ballets, (…
Lately, I had lain aside my surreal self portrait to curb an urge to paint this piece that’s rather traditional in subject matter, but hopefully a more contemporary perspective. At first i was going to call this piece Wine & Flowers but have second guess myself and given it a generic title that states the…
Greetings! I disappeared again-and I am back! this time it was not my fault. Well, it actually was my fault because I didn’t catch a problem with the WordPress theme I was using until it was so convoluted (thanks theme maker for abandoning your theme and NOT telling me) that it was a total FUBAR….
It is the start of another week, and at a current drizzly 58F degrees we (Bernie and I) have accepted that today is our first truly yucky day in a series of long hot dry days. It is not ideal for working conditions. Especially when you are a get down and crawl around in the…
Hello my friends. I hope this blog reaches each of you in safety and good health. I’ve been trying to think about words I could possibly say in this blog that are worthy of your time and simply am drawing a blank. So much divisiveness. So much anger, hurt betrayal, loss, and disgust have overwhelmed…
On A Personal & Artistic Note: While I was under the weather, I needed to retrieve art from a group show. I had participated never expecting to suddenly get laid low with bronchitis/pneumonia. When it came time to pick up my work, we were having trouble making arrangements and a kind artist friend picked up…
A Personal Note: I can’t seem to keep to my blogging routine lately. I’d like to blame it on the imposed quarantine lifestyle. But I have to admit, in part it is my distraction (obsession) with spring and flowers. My art almost always hits a lull during this time of the year. I experience cabin…
On A Personal Note: I am at the point in my recovery where I am still sick enough that focussing is difficult, I get tired just from taking a shower, and really want to resume some of my idea of normalcy again. But for whatever reasons my brain is muddled, and mush. It happens every…
Art Update: I have been holding on to this image because I was not sure I was finished with the piece. But as I’m struggling to keep up social media posts while being under the weather, I thought I’d share it today. There is something about this piece that really draws me in and i…
Of being sick. My asthma went sideways, turned into bronchitis. Now it’s progressed into pneumonia. I’ve been fighting this for a month now and I’m worn out with it. So yeah, I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired. In light of the virus scare, you should see me clear an area when I…
On A Personal Note: In fall 2018 I wrote a blog about fall and how I was feeling/reacting to the weather decline. I came across some wisdom in this post that I’d shared. It was meant to uplift myself but hopefully it will others too. I spoke so eloquently that I’m surprised it is from…
On A Personal Note: It seems that my surrealist leanings are being highly influenced with nature, flowers, women, pearls, vines and other natural and highly symbolic imagery. In a world that’s working so hard to end more gender bias, and encourage neutral environments, it seems I am choosing to follow a different path. But then,…
Friday Greeting 1: Some unrelated art sharing-After we moved to Central Virginia, sold our house back home, then moved yet again into our permanent home a year later and in between sold and emptied our place back home, my back & hips, which are not the strongest, took a beating. I find myself almost three…
Addendum: this post was supposed to have published yesterday but for whatever reason failed. Art News: First my sad news: After sixteen years of existence of the riverviews co op, and gallery space of over 2500 sq feet has officially dissolved. We met earlier this week to make it official with maintenance decisions. I joined…
Popped in (he he) to put this poster on my blog as a reminder, and to re-invite you Downtown (Commerce Street) this coming Saturday. December 14, 10-2pm 11 Artists in varying fields and styles Mission House coffee & local goodies available 100% of Booth fees are going to a local charity for grieving children in…
Every fall as I watch the leaves begin to change and feel the coolness in the air, I remember it is time for the monarchs to migrate to the mountains of Mexico . A Journey that takes them up to 8,000 feet above sea level, and nearly two months to complete. For more on them:…
