Framed and Sold

 

My abstract painting "Lotus from Tibet" hanging in a customer's house (top painting). I framed it easily with a frame from Quality Art in Boise Idaho and shipped it securely wrapped in bubble wrap to Colorado.  Customer is very happy with it. Prints, mugs, puzzles etc are still available at my website.

3 more abstracts

 

Swimming in circles, Oil on canvas board, 10" X 10". Not totally abstract, but I decided my blobs of paint looked like koi fish. I remember seeing them in the ponds at Kibbutz Ma'agan Michael in Israel along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They raise them for sale at that kibbutz. They also feed the wild birds in some of their ponds too.

Tied up in knots. Oil on canvas board 8" X 10". Sometimes I feel like this as I grow older. I thought those emotions would be resolved when I finished my adolescence, but I guess I deal with them better in my senior age.

Soul afire. 8' X 10" on gessoed hardboard. This was a fun exercise today playing with my free acrylic  samples from the Golden company.  The yellow paint reminded me of the flames from the Chanukah candles.  I see some other images in the abstractions too. 

Happy Holidays.

Happy Chanukah

 

Chanukah starts at sunset on Sunday, December 18th this year (25th of Kislev). The Jewish calendar is a lunar one, following the traditions of the Babylonians when the Israelites were in exile in Babylon many centuries ago.

I decided to use my recent abstract as an image this year instead of the traditional Chanukiah (8 branched candelabra/menorah).  I liked the quote I saw today. I think it is from the Talmud.  Anyway, may we all be blessed with light at this dark time of the year.

Abstract

 Lotus from Tibet, 8" X 10", oil on canvas board.

I decided to play with primary colors, red, blue and yellow, also used some white to mix. I didn't have a plan, and this is what appeared. I enjoyed mixing the colors. Now that I am older and my hands don't work as well, I may do more abstract paintings, although I don't think I'll give up on landscapes. They will just take longer to paint.

I received the lotus stencil from International Campaign for Tibet as a thank you for a donation. It sat on my desk for a while and I decided to use it for my artwork. I have been interested in the Dalai Lama and the issues with Tibet for many years, since I read the book "The Jew in the Lotus" by Rodger Kamenetz. The book is still available on Amazon.  I think I read that book in the 80s. I also met some of the rabbis in the 90s  who were on that trip when I went on a retreat in NY.

City of Rocks revised

 

City of Rocks, Climbing area. Oil painting 10" X 20" on stretched canvas. 

City of Rocks. 8" X 10"

I had intended to paint these plein air with the Plein Air Painters of Idaho, but it was so windy that day that I just took photos.  We stayed overnight at the Almo Inn, but the wind conditions were just as bad the second day.  The park is on the southern border of Idaho (border with Utah). It has interesting rocks and an interesting history.

Canyon Colors in acrylic

 

I decided to practice painting again with acrylics. I had painted this scene years ago in oils.  I had a bigger canvas available so I extended the image a bit. I loved the colors of the rocks at Yellowstone Park.

This one is 12 X 16.  I will add it to my website soon. (Added today) I'm trying to finish up a couple of other paintings today that have been sitting around my studio asking for my attention. I have been ignoring them as I have been busy with my personal life. Today is a good day to work on them.

Winter Wonderland

 

I'm happy to have three paintings in this show.  Although I now live in Boise, Idaho, I submitted paintings from NH. That was my happy place for winter before I became a senior citizen (euphemism for "old lady").

Here are the three that will be up in the gallery.

This is a very small painting, 5" X 5" of Clark's Pond in Hooksett, NH. Sold today at the reception. 

This is a snowmobile trail in Auburn, NH. We shared it with the sled dogs, cross county skiiers and snow shoers.  It was a great trail to walk on in any season.

A winter marsh in Hooksett, NH near Dube's Pond. Also a good trail in any season

All of these images are also available as prints, cards or other printed items through my Fine Art America website.

Happy winter to all. (Winter is mild in Boise, Idaho. Not much of a challenge, but it works well for me now that I am older. I can walk my dog almost every day without any problems.)

Surprise!

 

An artist friend came over last night when I offered him some home made cabbage soup. He browsed in my studio and bought this old painting.  It was one that I had not shown anywhere. I think he liked it because it was totally different from my landscapes and flowers.  Anyway, I signed it and titled it "Surprise".  It reminded me of a Jack in the Box popping up. We had a good time talking and I had just ordered some prints from him so I was really surprised that he wanted to buy something from me.

This was a fun playdate (years ago) with a friend at her studio. She pulled out some panels and some acrylic paint pouring supplies and told me to just have fun.  I did! Looking at the image, I think I might have been thinking about some lizards I had been painting in the past, but this guy reminds me more of a dragon with his big teeth! 

L'Shanah Tovah

 

Wishing all my readers a sweet, healthy and joyous new year 5783. The Jewish new year starts at sunset on Sunday, September 25th. The Jewish calendar is a lunar one and this is also the new moon.  The rabbis picked this from the Torah readings, first day of Tishri. It celebrates the creation of Adam and Eve and our world. The 10 holy days until Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) are a time of reflection and returning to ourselves. We listen to the call of the shofar (ram's horn) as our ancestors did in the past.

There are many videos online about the holiday and the shofar. I liked this one. Shofar blowing

Gallery acceptance

 Three of my paintings have been accepted to this gallery show. They are fall images with fall colors.

I submitted 5 images (the maximum allowed) and I'm happy three were chosen. One oil painting and two acrylic paintings. The Hebrew in the middle one may have a grammatical error. I created this one quite a few years ago and I think I may have missed a word that precedes a direct object. Anyway, the thought is there and I still like the image.