Two Spring Demonstrations

 

Valley Bloom was painted as a demonstration forfor Mercer Isalnd Visual Arts League (MIVAL) on April 2nd 2015 (as a one hour demo).  I put another couple of hours into it at home...I think it still needs work.  But I love the Skagit Valley when it is in bloom, and I think it a worthy subject to get right.

Valley Bloom 36" x 36" acrylic

"Winters End" was painted as a demonstration for Evergreen Associations of the Arts (EAFA) on March 19 2015.  It was started as a one hour demo, and I added another hour of finishing as home.  I did a smaller study of this painting last fall.  I used a photo I took in a back alley in Cle Elum WA.

"Winters End"  36 x 24 Acrylic

An Ordinary Gift

I am always on the lookout for the interesting and unusual locked inside of ordinary experiences. These become extraordinary moments that punctuate my life... a ray of light,  reflections in a table top,  the elegant movement of an arm, a swirl of fabric in a dancer's dress... elements that seem so ordinary on the surface bless me with amazing joy as I focus my attention on them.

It is like unwrapping a gift. At first I am sitting alone waiting for my iced tea, wrapped up in my thoughts, and then I see the reflection of the sky in the tines of the fork and bricks in the blade of a knife and the gift unfolds.

(left) Tea For One 14"x 11"  acrylic            (Right) Service For One 16" x 12" acrylic