Friday, February 25, 2011

in the mirror

hair white as snow
hips still sway
shoulders move
feet tap and legs go
dancing to the beat
my body feels the rhythm
and I’m young again


 copyright 2011 Linda H. Feinberg

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Red Rock Canyon (acrylic)



This is an acrylic painting on Richeson's uncradled painting panel (8" X 10"). I put on 2 coats of gesso. I found it easier to paint on this surface than on canvas. The painting is from a photo I took in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada last spring. I'm not sure if it's done yet so I'll wait awhile before I put varnish on it. Obviously I'm not trying to be realistic, but I thought it was a good impression of what I saw while we were hiking there. I think the plants are called "Yucca".

Here are two earlier versions as I was working on it. I thought it would be interesting to keep a record for myself.  I had a hard time with the red rocks which are not really red or orange. I finally dulled them down a bit with a blue glaze.
This is my beginning. The one below is a bit further along.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

cross country skiing (poem)

 

colors sing to me
the whiteness of snow like Chopin
an etude in shades of gray, blue and brown
a glissando on my skis to warm up
the angels watching over me
so I don’t fall

the sound of the snowmobiles
breaks the serenity of the moment
hiding the winter warblers song
but the machines pass by quickly
leaving behind a nasty gassy smell

soon we reach a bridge
the snow beside it
covered with animal tracks
mostly dog, some deer
and moose too
the other side has open water
reflecting trees, evergreens,
birches and oaks
all at peace in winter

I stop to take photos
then look up to see
my love waiting for me
at the bottom of a big hill
and decide to turn back
wimp that I am
but we’ve both had
enough exercise this day
our hearts warmed up
no matter how cold the air

the bard compares his love
to a summer’s day
but my love is beautiful
as this frosty winter’s day

 
copyright 2011 Linda H. Feinberg

Shakespeare, Sonnet 18, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Sketching

No time to start a real project, but I've been doing a little sketching. I had a very small notebook with me when we were at a recital. I'm not used to drawing from live models (especially one that keeps moving), but I took my little sketch and made a bigger one on old sheet music.  I found an old children's piano book that was falling apart, but I like the music and was able to buy a new book, so now I'm using the old sheet music for art. A good way of recycling.

This pen and ink sketch was done from a photo of the horses running around the arena last spring. The dog was herding them. I couldn't quite get the sense of movement with the pen and ink. Will have to practice more. The foreshortening on the black horse (at right) was very challenging.