"99 Cents" SOLD

Late night ride in the country snacking on colby cheese, crackers and hot dill pickle chips. Cold soda to to wet it down. An Esperance rose for 99 cents and a beautiful 80 degree fall day. Incredible beauty and peace served up so nonchalant by life. To be mindful of where we find joy...now that is truly art.

Pin It

"Slim Pickin's" SOLD

It has been a day of slim pickin's painting wise--both in flowers hanging on from summer and a dickens of a day at the easel. I am not happy with this painting but thought I would post it anyway. Two reasons come to mind. One so you would know I am working....the other because even though I know you think I am perfect....even I, the great Dreamdino, have crappy easel days........ somedays I am thankful to close the studio door and turn out the light.

...thank God there is chocolate in the house. All I have to do is walk downstairs and eat it. I am pretty sure I can handle that......

Pin It

"The Pansy Polka" SOLD

Click Here to Bid

I have a big fat mug. No, not my face....a coffee mug. Which has big fat polka dots and a big fat handle. And it's in my almost favorite color--blue-- which I pushed a bit further into my favorite color-- periwinkle . Letting the mug be home to the pansies for a bit just makes me happy. It's one of the silly things of life. I have perfectly good, very sedate little vases for the pansies to hug up too, but the big fat mug has lots more personality and I guess that is why I chose it. Perfect is never nearly as interesting as big personality--be it people or big fat mugs. I feel a bit of kindred spirit with the mug.....

May you have a big, fat wonderful day fully of interesting mugs (people)! Pin It

"Lilly Ann" SOLD

Click to Bid

I have loved water lilies for a long time. Way before it was in vogue to have a water garden I was digging the hole myself, lining it with a kids pool liner and being pleased as punch when the little green frog showed up to sit on my lily pad.

I found Lilly Ann floating peacefully at the mission in California. And I felt she should have her own name. I mean, we are human beings, but you don't hear us saying, "Hey Human, over here." So I decided her name was Ann. Ann has lots of personality and has been known to make a smart remark or two---just ask the koi---they would know...!



Note: Any similarity between this Ann and another Ann I know is merely coincidence. The Ann I know is a perfect angel. And she did not pay me any $$$ to say that.

Yet.

Pin It

"The Furry Greeter" SOLD

Click to Bid

This little guy is one vocal cat. When I stopped to photograph the flowers in Gretchen's front yard, he showed up and didn't stop meowing! And he wanted his head rubbed, so this was pretty much my one shot at getting him on the porch before he headed my direction!

It's a cold, rainy day here in Kentucky, so I painted sunshine in the form of black-eyed susans and one very furry greeter.....! I liked the repetition of the curves in the grapevine chair on the front porch down to the arched kitty's back and curly tale.

And I like cats. No point in me trying to justify why I painted this. I like cats. Did I tell you? I like cats. Hopefully Eddie won't go into a tail spin once again because I have painted "out of the family:... Pin It

"King of the Jungle" SOLD

Since Eddie has been in a bit of a snit since I painted "Undercover Angel", Carla's cat, I decided the only way to redeem myself was to paint him in all the splendor that is Eddie. I have a lot of ferns, ivy, and various vining growing green things on the back porch. Eddie positions himself carefully in amongst the palm fronds and I know he is pretending he is hanging out on a limb in South Africa.......I usually just pretend I don't see him. It never pays to make eye contact when he is in the zone. So without further ado----- heeeeeeere's Eddie!
Click Here to Bid


Don't forget to check out my latest art project "30 Days, 30 Paintings" . It's your chance to commission your own painting---an original by me with your favorite subject matter---now it just doesn't get any better than that!

Pin It

"My Newest Art Aquisition!"

There were several reasons I had determined in my heart, long before Hedi arrived, that I wanted to add a piece of Hedi's work to my private collection---all of them equally important to me.

When I first studied with a her a few years back, it was the beginning of another break through in my thinking and approach to art. It was twofold. One was her outlook on the making of art and the other was her use of transparent oils as an initial lay in. Both things opened wide doors for me in my own painting, things which I am currently using in my process.

Hedi is a successful artist having taught at the prestigious Scottsdale School of Art for approximately 15 years...and her workshops are always sold out. She is represented in major galleries from Santa Fe to Martha's Vineyard. And she is a woman artist---an encouraging sign in a field often dominated by the male species (now, don't get irate on me, I have a very successful brother who's an artist and many male artist friends---it is just very good to see and study with a woman who is in those ranks as well!)

And the other reason, just as important, is I now have a "Hedi" lesson to hang on my wall to remind me of....."Soften the edges, keep your focal point the focal point, gray things as they move to the outside edges of your work and away from the focal point, etc. etc"

So maybe the last and perhaps I do have a most important reason after all, is to say, "Thank you Hedi for having the courage to be yourself, paint your heart, and share your gift."

Yeah, it's a Hedi original!

It was a week well spent with many special moments, laughter and funny stories shared, knowledge gained and paintings painted.

Embracing life is a wonderful thing. Go out into this day and say YES to one thing that challenges you, scares you, or makes you squirm a bit. Saying yes to life has its own special brand of power that comes with it.

BIG HUG from me to you.

Pin It

"Day 4 of Hedi Moran Workshop"

Well, you know the routine by now, the beginning and then the almost done phase. I seem to not be able to quite finish it in one day---I find myself getting a bit tired, which leads to wanting a brownie, which leads to sitting down, which leads to ....."think I'll head home and finish this in the morning.."



This was also toned with a really intense orange. Didn't plan it that way, but I am running low on canvas I have been painting so much---so I was happy to find this one loitering behind a basket in my studio and it actually adds a nice glow to the roses.

Hedi let me use her famous "Hedi" brush, a 99cent brush made famous by her use of it. I have concluded Hedi could take a 2 x 4 and paint a painting. Every brush becomes magic in her hands! The beautifully rendered rose on the lower left is a "Hedi" rose--the others are still under construction by moi!

Tomorrow is the last day. This week has flown by--I think everyone is a little tired (they aren't called workshops for nothin'!) but feeling good because we have grown and learned things to add to our understanding of how to make beautiful art.

P.S. Don't you just LOVE silver and its reflections!

Pin It

"Day 3 of Hedi Moran Workshop" SOLD

Eric Iverson shared some of his fall bounty today by bringing in dahlias and white pumpkins (I don't think I realized there were white pumpkins 'til today..) I had intended to paint roses, but this was like a giant magnet---just too hard to resist! So here is my beginning part..

And here is my almost ending---final tweaking will come tomorrow morning.

And I purchased a Hedi original today! It was the demo she did this morning and it is a beauty. That's one of the many things about taking workshops that is so great---as a student, you get great prices on a painting that can sell for lots more once it is placed in the hands of that artist's gallery. Look tomorrow for my newest art acquisition.....!

Pin It

"Day 2 of Hedi Moran Workshop"

My network was down last night, so I couldn't post 'til this morning--sorry for the delay! Hedi did a fantastic demo yesterday and then we all took the plunge into our own work---below is the beginning stages of mine (can you believe I remembered to stop midway and photograph it?!) As you can see, it was done on a canvas with an orange ground.

"Van Gogh Bouquet"

And it here it is, nearly done. It is good to work from a set up that someone else has done. New objects, new flowers, new colors---yummy! Gotta fly for now or I will be late for today's class--don't intend to miss a thing......!

Pin It

"Day 1 of Hedi Moran Workshop"

"Endless Summer"

Today was the first day of the Hedi Moran workshop in Lexington, KY. Above is the yet to be resolved result of my afternoon of painting. Looking at it here, in the photo, I can see some things to be addressed in the morning-----a good night's sleep always improves the objectivity! I am having so much fun--its great to be a kid (student) again and we are already into full swing of having fun......we started the morning with giving Hedi a standing ovation. She is well loved here, it's her 5th trip back to Lexington. Hedi is from Scottsdale, Arizona and is enjoying the reprieve in the temps--it was 108 degrees when she left and today was a beautiful, top ten day in Kentucky with temps in the high 60's! The drive in today was incredibly beautiful--mist and fog rising from verdant pastures dotted with thoroughbreds and flanked by stone fences......almost rivals my coastal drive down I-5 along the blue Pacific when I lived in San Diego...!
If you read my bio on my website you will see that Hedi (along with Kevin Macpherson and Wolf Kahn) is one of the artists who has impacted my work the most. She is a very skilled painter that leads by example of enjoying the process of painting. As she said today, each time she goes in to paint, that is what she is there for--to paint. Not to make a painting. She is exuberant with her approach and it shows in her finished pieces. I so appreciate Hedi and other artists like her, that are willing to share their knowledge and love of painting . Building on what has come before us, allows us to grow much more rapidly, without having to figure out everything through trial and error. Thank you Hedi!

Pin It

"Randy's California Irises" SOLD AND SOLD

This is my third piece since I opened up my blog paintings for folks to commission their own. When Randy told me he'd like me to paint his favorite flower, the iris, I was delighted---for it is one of my favorites as well. Maybe, because like most spring flowers, we get to enjoy them for such a brief time we savour their beauty an extra measure.

Only one problem. I couldn't decide whether to do a close-up of the iris or a bunch of irises. So being the extravagant person that I am, I decided to do both......kind of like when I am shopping and can't decide which outfit to get......the obvious answer would be..... BOTH of them!

"Now dreama that was unfair of you...I had to scroll back and forth, back and forth. I even flipped a coin and decided not to take the result at face value. they are both beautiful in their different ways yet they have your signature richness of color.I picked the second one the one with the arches in the background "........Randy

It seemed fitting that the flowers have their roots in California soil, for that is where Randy is from although he is presently a Kentucky transplant! These "friends" I found blooming at the Mission San Juan Capistrano this past March (as you know by now, one of the places that is a veritable feast of all things lovely). Randy is an artist and friend as well---life just fits together so perfectly when we can open our eyes to see it....I like to think these irises planned their blooming just for me so I could capture them on canvas for Randy to enjoy a few months later.

Life is beautiful. Wake up and smell the irises.......

P.S. Randy decided he had to have them both---Go Randy!

Pin It