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.

Poetry on display

I entered a church exhibit and surprisingly my poetry was accepted to their exhibit. I won't be able to attend the reception since I will be at my daughter's wedding in Utah, but I encourage readers in Idaho to attend and view the art and poetry on the theme from Psalm 46. This is the Christian translation of Psalm 46:10 (the Jewish one is a little different).

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth"

I felt that some of my poems related to the Psalm as many of my poems reflect on my own spirituality. I have not been in many churches and it was amazing to me to see how big this one was when I went to drop off my binder. They even have their own coffee shop and book store there. 

 

Abstract on brushed aluminum

 

Playing with limited colors on brushed aluminum. This was fun. I might try the other side for another project too. The panels come with 2 sides of aluminum.

This is the panel before painting. A great surface to experiment on. I can also wash off the oil paint and do it over again, but I was just experimenting so it didn't matter what I painted on it.

City of Rocks Climbing area

 City of Rocks again. I'm still working on this one, but I like how it is coming out so far. Oil on stretched canvas, 10" X 20". I'll put the first block in below and the original photo too.  I enjoy painting on these panoramas, but I might switch to something abstract for my next painting. I am having difficulty with my arthritic hands, can't do too much detail now. (This comes with my blessings of living to be an old lady, not everyone gets to do that).

This was my first try at blocking in. I used an undercolor of violet for this painting. That was the first time I tried underpainting with violet.

And my original photo. It was a bit overcast that day so the photo is kind of dark. While we didn't have much time to spend at this park, I did enjoy seeing all the rocks, the cows on the road and even a deer leaping in front of us across the dirt and gravel road. We were going slow and had time to stop and enjoy his athleticism. He was too fast for me to take a photo.

City of Rocks painting

 

City of Rocks, 8 X 10 on canvas board. Since I didn't get to paint plein air, I chose one of my photos to practice on. These rocks were across from "Camp Rock" in the City of Rocks reserve, Almo, Idaho. I don't like painting in the open in the wind. Although I do like plein air painting since it is so challenging and I enjoy the company of the other artists.

I need a better title for this. I was thinking of "Uprising" since the rocks seems to come up from the ground.

Just for Fun

Just for fun I took an acrylic painting class on Learning from the Masters. This one was on Van Gogh. I had fun and did not attempt to make an exact re-creation of Van Gogh's irises. Learned a few new techniques and enjoyed the group class. There is another one in a few months on Georgia O'Keeffe. I might try that one too. This was at the same gallery where I have 2 artworks on exhibit. Avianne Gallery of Fine Art in Boise, Idaho.

City of Rocks, Idaho

 

We took a long drive for a short visit to the City of Rocks reserve. This is on the border between Idaho and Utah. About 225 miles from Boise. My original plan was to paint there with other artists from Plein Air Artists of Idaho.  Unfortunately the wind was blowing so hard I wasn't even tempted to take out my easel and canvas.  My husband and I enjoyed taking photos as we drove through the park on the dirt and gravel roads.  The cows were out in many places (open range land) and we had to wait for them to continue.  This is in an agricultural area. We also had a deer leap and cross in front of us. Even though we only had a short visit, it was worthwhile.

Gallery show

 I'm in my first gallery show in Idaho and happy to report that one art piece sold already. Even though the calligraphy is in Hebrew, the buyer liked it and bought it (for his wife). They cannot read the words, but liked my concept of writing the words as the ladder.

It is easier to read in the unframed view. 

Prints and printed items are still available at my website. Jacob's Ladder  This is the translation: And Jacob awoke from his sleep and said "Surely God is in the place, and I did not know it! Shaken, he said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

Around the corner

 Around the corner from the conservation area near my son's house in Exeter, NH was this nice view of a barn.  11" X 14" oil on canvas. I may work on it some more. I found that my hands are no longer steady enough with a brush to do a good job on straight lines (architecture for example). We were visiting NH and MA for Passover this year and I enjoyed the ocean as well as the early spring scenery.

Atlantic Ocean in Rye, NH. Windy day.

Piscassic River, Wildlife Management Area, Epping, Exeter, Newfields, NH.

I'm not sure the painting is done so I'm not posting it yet to my website. I will think about it for a few more days. Meanwhile, I have signed up for more plein air painting. Still struggling with that, but enjoying the challenge. I only bring very small canvases with me to experiment with.

Looking forward to our synagogue's annual retreat in McCall (Idaho) soon. We missed that the last 2 years because of the pandemic. 

Jenny Lake

 I think this one is finally done. Jenny Lake in the Tetons, 11" X 14", oil on canvas. I kept it on my easel for a while and kept fiddling. 

Spring is finally here and I'll be going out to do more paintings. Meanwhile, I am recovering from getting a Pacemaker and hope to have more energy this year. I'm looking forward to our trip back east for Passover next month. I love the NH scenery and enjoy seeing my northeast family.  I have lots of family in the northwest too so it is hard being so divided.  

More winter plein air

 

 I enjoyed sketching (in oil) with the other artists, but I'm looking forward to the warmer weather when we can be outside again. I miss trying to paint the landscapes.

Meanwhile I put together a puzzle that I had contributed a photo to. "Delightful Idaho". My puzzle is in the middle and has my name on it. The puzzle was difficult but fun.

Two of my landscapes have been accepted to the next Treasure Valley Artist Alliance show in Meridian for March at the Initial Point Gallery in Meridian City Hall.   I will post a link when the show is online.  The theme was "Verdant Discourse".  I did not pick paintings with bright green, but more natural greens of the northwest.

This is the Little Dell Reservoir in Salt Lake City in the fall. Greens were quite dull then. Oil paintings.

Robie Creek (Idaho) in the early spring. Just starting to see better greens. Still had some snow in places. 

Plein air painting in winter

 

I joined the artists from Plein Air Painters of Idaho yesterday at the Edwards Greenhouse in Boise, Idaho. It is too cold to paint outside now, but I wanted a little practice. I focused on the pretty bromeliads. This is bromeliad guzmania.  I didn't have the right shade of yellow with me, but I still painted and had fun.  I will do this again at some time. I had been there before and painted the outside of the greenhouse (it wasn't as cold that day). This was a small 5' X 7" gessoed hardboard panel. It was a nice break, getting out and meeting other artists and the flowers are beautiful in the greenhouse.

Before it got too cold, I painted with the group outside the greenhouse. I started this small one there and finished it in my studio.

Also 5 X 7, oil on canvas board.