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"Gah!!! Purple!!!" was the outcry heard around our house the past few days. Somehow I got infested with a blob of dioxazine purple artist oil paint which made itself known by showing up as huge streaks on my arm and hands. No sooner did I wash thoroughly than all of a sudden my thumb was stamping purple on everything it touched.
It was like a Dr Seuss story line…purple showing up on towels, countertops, keyboards. My hands would look totally clean one minute and the next be streaked with PURPLE! This went on for days! I thought I found the mother-lode, a blob of paint on my shirt, but even after meticulously taking care of the culprit MORE purple would suddenly appear on my arm or fingers. This went on for days. Finally, I thought the episode was over. No more purple apparitions; no more surprise paintings on unplanned surfaces and then, while washing a window, what should appear but long streaks of dioxazine purple artist oil paint, now a permanent feature of our white window sill. Gah!!!!
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Easter Blessings to you all!! Bless the Lord, O My Soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. I've been anxious to share the final outcome of my second commission…a portrait, not of a human or pet (which I doubt I will ever want to do), but of a car! Not just any car, an Aston Martin!! My brother in law is a proud owner of an amazing Aston Martin DB9, a beautiful and very fast car with a colorful history, which I probably can't share except to say it's previous owner might be in prison. I had so much fun doing this painting, using a mosaic technique to capture all the colors mirrored in the shiny finish. It's a burgundy-wine hue, but there were reflections of blue sky, gray ground, green hillside that gave so much interest to the eye-candy vehicle. Even the background was fun as I made an attempt to paint with a palette knife, rather than a brush. It came out with an abstract feel to it and by using grayed blues and greens, the background receded, letting the Aston Martin be the star of the show. 
I would love to do a commission for you! My standard size is 11x14 on a high quality gallery wrapped canvas, meaning it measures 11/2 deep and does not need to be framed. I paint around the edges with a continuation of the colors on the front. At this stage of my art business I only charge $200 and spend 15-20 hours on each painting. My favorite subjects are special places, houses, gardens, flowers. All you need to do is give me a good photo or two and tell me what it is you love about the subject and I'll do my best to capture it. I'm only taking two commissions at a time so let me know if yours is next!
(This is my last blog post of our Mexico trip; I hope you enjoyed the little adventure!)
"Why are you painting that?!"…my very first derogatory remark! On my scouting missions I was drawn to this old, rather scruffy building toward the back of the resort. In fact, it was in back and out of the way…except, of course, for the walkway to the ever-popular tennis courts. (There are a LOT of physically active people!) I just loved the way the path curved and was edged with peachy concrete, echoing the orangey-peach of the building. Again, with the shadows! Even lovelier because of the warmth of the walkway. The building is being used for storage and a work area, but I thought it looked like it belonged in a rural Mexican village so that's how I painted it. Don't you love that roof?-bent metal, like an accordion. The shrub on the right was blooming out of its mind a very bright pink, which I downplayed so the corner of the building grabs the eye. Little spots of sunlight hit the edging, creating sparks of bright. We were well into our second week, so this would be my final painting. I was much more confident now and set out with a completely blank canvas…planning to go from start to finish without "pre painting." I can't even begin to express the peaceful joy I feel standing there with paint and panel watching this all come to life. Sometime I will share my painting story, but for now all I can say is I am as surprised as anybody that I am doing this. So there I am, painting away, and two ladies, finished with tennis, come walking up. Since I'm totally blocking the path, they kind of have to acknowledge me, right? The Nice Lady effused compliments, which I accepted graciously. She seemed sincere and I was happy enough with how my canvas looked and appreciated that someone else thought so too. The Other Lady (bless her heart) looked from canvas to building to canvas to building and then, straight up, said "WHY are you painting THAT??" You know those moments that seem outside of time? I had one of those right then…in my mind I recalled an instructor sharing some of the choice remarks he got when painting in public. I thought, hey this is my first wise-crack! And then something marvelous happened: from somewhere came... kindness, understanding, graciousness and I heard myself saying, "I know, right? It looks like some run-down, old storage shed, but don't you just love the color and the way this path goes right to it and if I just add a door and maybe some chickens it might look like it's in a remote little village somewhere" I think she sort of nodded blankly and her friend led her away, with a few more parting compliments. But I lingered in that moment of achievement: realizing that loving what I do brings goodness even in awkward encounters. And for the record, the rooster and chickens? Artistic license. THANK YOU! for reading my blog:)) 
A palapa (a Spanish word of Mayan origin, meaning "pulpous leaf") is an open-sided dwelling with a thatched roof made of dried palm leaves. It is very useful in hot weather and, therefore, very common in Mexican beaches, such as in Acapulco. It is perhaps one of the most important architectural contributions of Philippine culture to Mexican West cultures.
Thank you, Wikipedia. Torres Mazatlan is littered with palapas…in a good way. There's one for dining, one for the bar, one for beach towels, one for tour arranging, one for painting ceramics and a very special one for 30 or 60 minute heavenly massages. As a matter of fact, it's where I had my first-ever massage 11 years ago! Aaaaanyway. The grounds of the resort are lush with tropical foliage of all shapes and sizes. Pathways of peachy concrete tile link the various locales. Someone familiar with it would know right away I took some liberties here, but that's all part of composing a compelling story with paint. Like my other paintings, the shadows play a starring role. appearing cool and green-blue on the warm grass and walkway. The path and shadow draw the eye to the lightest, though not brightest, element: the breeze-brushed curtains of the Massage Palapa. |