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   “Keep your face always toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind you.” - Walt Whitman

The Journey
This journey of discovery is always exciting and often frustrating.   Did you read my last blog post?  If so, you know the challenge I've given myself to use more paint and to get outside to paint more often.

Do you ever set challenges for yourself?

I'd really like to hear from you... especially if you do set challenges for yourself.   Why do you do it?  What are those challenges?  Do you think it helps you grow?

Challenges like this represent to me a way to grow and stretch.  They keep me interested and away from the noise of what is happening around us all.  Challenges focus energy, thought and emotion and hopefully will lead to a happier outlook on life.

Joy of the moment

Two years ago I discovered a huge field of sunflowers not far from where I live.  It was a huge surprise to find this wonderful field of flowers so close to my home and I went back the next day to paint it right away.  I called that painting "Field Of Flowers".  It is a true "on the spotter" ... I think it shows the joy of the moment.

Can a flower smile?

As my husband and I have gotten older, he has begun to ask that I don't do as much far away traveling as I used to.  He has even gone with me on some of my paint-out locations that are not necessarily in our close neighborhood, like Leo Carrillo State Beach near Malibu and the Carpenteria Bluffs up near Santa Barbara. 

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September unfolded this year and I began to search for closer outdoor spots which would make me smile and feel the joy of being.  I remembered the sunflower field and went back to see if the sunflowers had returned for another season.   They had!!

Those sunflowers were there!   The field wasn't as lush and vast as it had been previously but the happy flowers were there - dancing on the breezes!!  They were smiling at me and I smiled back!!

What do you think??  Do sunflowers smile?  Do they make YOU smile?

Use more paint

In order to use more paint, I decided to try using my palette knife more.  Since I was trying not to be uptight about how I put down the paint, I thought the knife would help me do some visual mixing of like-valued color and at the same time loosen up my "brushwork".  I focused on some of the "smiling faces" of the closer flowers and hope that viewers would interpret the color and strokes of color fading back as the field of flowers.  I didn't try to paint lots of individual flowers.

I was happy with my efforts.

Yes, I know I need to continue practicing and growing and learning and hopefully that will always be my goal - my challenge.

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Best words to hear

My 25 year old son/grandson recently told me that he has discovered that he loves learning.  After all of the struggles to get him to study and continue on with his education - even earning a Masters of Engineering degree with distinction - those words were the best words to hear!

Do you love learning?   Isn't that a great way to live your life?

Now tell me can a flower smile?

  "My Neighbor's Roses" 

When I go to art shows I often become enamored with the work of my fellow artists.  It's interesting though...  The artwork which attracts me the most doesn't have any consistent feel or genre or whatever.   I like all different kinds of art -- ....   mostly.

I admire artists who are nearly photographic in their skills, but I would never want to paint like them... and actually wouldn't really like to own one of their paintings.  I admire artwork which has strong elements of abstraction, but I don't really like abstract art.   I like art which looks like something...   And I prefer art which isn't photorealistic.

To be fair, I don't have the patience to try to make photorealistic art and I totally don't understand abstract expressionism.  

To get back to the main point, I keep trying to improve my skills and artistic abilities.  I REALLY like to see work with beautiful paint.... not messy paint but beautifully applied paint.  And I really like work that is framed with abstract elements.  I like the surprises and interest that comes with varied textures and/or mosaics of color.   I like paintings with a strong graphic element but which are not simply graphically designed.  Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about:

Floral by David Gallup. ......  Lots of beautiful playful paint

Scenic Viewpoint by Len Chmiel.....    Serious abstract elements yet totally realistic

Sadly I seem to end up continuing to try to paint a scene rather than to reframe it to create a sense of wonder as Len Chmiel does.  I also seem to be unable to "lose control" enough to blur, marble, reapply and simply play with lots of beautiful paint like David Gallup does.  (Dave doesn't lose control....   he just is skillful enough to not "paint within the lines' and he adds emotional interest through a variety of ways of applying and manipulating paint.)

I think the only solution for my conundrum is to keep painting. .. especially getting outdoors to enjoy THAT challenge....  Eventually I'll break out of my current slump.   I need to get outside more often because when I'm outside I can shake off the worries and soak in the wonders of mother nature.   I should let go enough to stop caring whether anyone else is going to like whatever painting I'm working on.    This last is seriously much harder for me than it should be.

I have a few paintings where I DID use lots of paint such as these:

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          Matilija Shadows (Sold)                                            Two Jays.  (Sold)                                           

The painting above is another example of when I allowed myself to use more paint.      "My Neighbor's Roses" is still available.

I CAN do it.... I just don't do it often enough...  

So...  I need to keep telling myself over and over:     "Use More Paint .... Just do it..."

Keep a eye out...  Let's see if you can spot future paintings where I've taken my own advice.