Jean Bradbury

Ribbon Seals

2012-02-03T12:20:00.000-08:00

A ribbon seal was spotted in Seattle last month. They usually live in Alaska so I had never heard of them.

A little Photoshopping put them into a landscape. Some day I'll do a series about animals of the arctic, though I'm afraid it might be sad. I worry about climate change. (I know I should stop flying) Here is something I painted a couple of years ago about how the melting arctic weighs on my mind. It's called Polar Ice Cap. I try to laugh at myself...

Two Workshops in Eastern Washington

2012-01-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

In February I'll be teaching two workshops at Confluence Gallery in Twisp, WA. On Friday, 17th February, I'll do a session called "Sketch Your Pet" where we'll learn how to sketch our pets using pencil, pen and ink and a lighthearted watercolor wash. We'll work from photographs showing several different action poses.

Then I'll do a two day weekend workshop called "Fantastic Fur. Expressive Eyes. Paint a Portrait of Your Pet in Oils." We'll learn basic oil painting techniques including how to mix colors and control our brush work to paint fluffy and clumpy fur and to capture the shine in our pet's eyes. Please contact the folks at Confluence if you are interested in joining us.

I'm going to buy chains for my car to make sure I can get over the mountain pass!

Teaching Landscapes

2012-01-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

I taught some beginner landscape classes while I was in Jordan. Here we are using my laptop to look at pictures of date palms. Some of the women in the group like to work at a table while others are happy on the floor with me. Since meals are eaten on the floor everyone is comfortable sitting like this. No yoga mats required!

Not too bad for first try protoptypes! We'll keep working on our landscape painting when I go back in April. And eventually we'll be good enough to paint en plein air in the beautiful landscape surrounding the town.

Teaching Art in Jordan

2012-01-05T07:54:00.000-08:00

The women's society building in Jordan where I teach art has been painted pink! You can't miss it.

We chose to work outside in the garden while we used oil paints.

Here are the self portraits we painted.

We made out paintings into bags. The women in the project have been sewing for years and can turn a painting into a bag very quickly. For the lining of the bags we used our own naturally dyed cotton. We have been dyeing for years too, experimenting with local sources of colour - usually mud and iron based.

We looked at the work of the painter Mark Rothko for inspiration. Also the work of Helen Frankenthaler who sadly passed away the same week.

Plein Air in Jordan

2011-12-31T09:17:00.000-08:00

After teaching art every day in Jordan I had a couple of hours before sunset to take my paints outside and work on these landscapes. The biggest challenge was finding places to hide from friendly children who would surround me. So I sought out deep ditches and remote wasteland behind giant boulders to crouch in hopeful seclusion. Inevitably I was found and ended up painting under the interested gaze of shepherds, farmers and sometimes whole families. I can't blame them. I love to watch people paint too! And the concept of being happy while being alone doesn't really exist in Jordan's people oriented culture. My friends would ask in amazement if I was really going painting "al hally' - alone. They really think I'm crazy now.

These paintings, and the one in the previous post both show Wadi Hasa. The giant sandstone cliffs are the same geology as Petra, which is a few miles to the south.

The haze in the air is partly clouds but mostly dust from a windy day in the mountains to the north.

Happy Christmas from the Holy Land

2011-12-24T04:50:00.000-08:00

I have just returned from teaching art workshops in Jordan. While there I was so lucky to be able to take the time to do some plein air painting. This is Wadi al-Hasa which is the large and beautiful canyon that bisects the small town where I stay.

While I painted this young shepherd and his flock walked by. Surprisingly he asked me what time it was and then hurried off. Somehow I always thought of shepherds as being timeless. The sun was setting and by the time I finished my painting the stars had appeared in the purple dust stained sky - and glory shone around. Happy Christmas everyone.

Milk White

2011-12-04T08:16:00.002-08:00

I haven't painted any dairy farms yet but I was so tempted by these beautiful white cows I saw photos of. They are called British White. This painting measures 9x12 inches and is painted with a little more bravado - and paint - than my usual detailed style. I have been influenced by my plein air adventures!

Lucia Douglas Gallery

2011-11-30T09:28:00.000-08:00

I'll be part of a group show at the beautiful Lucia Douglas Gallery in Bellingham from Dec 2-22 and Jan 4-14. There is a reception on Friday night from 6-8 and I'll be there. I'm looking forward to seeing art from my friends Susan Melrath and Jennifer Phillips and for the first time I'll see work by Emily Peck, Alison O'Donoghue and Kim Murton.

So if you live in Seattle but are driving up past Bellingham for the holidays, why not stop in! It's right off the Fairhaven Parkway.

The Old Apple Tree

2011-11-26T15:52:00.000-08:00

I met these goats in the Methow Valley this spring. The tree is an old apple from Piper's Creek Orchard here in Seattle.

Landscapes!

2011-11-26T08:28:00.000-08:00

This year's Turner Prize may go to an landscape painter, George Shaw. A landscape painter! There is a nice video about him here.

He reminds me of Seattle's wonderful Christopher Martin Hoff.

Swans not Turkeys

2011-11-24T21:57:00.000-08:00

A wet and beautiful Thanksgiving Day in the Snoqualmie Valley. The river is rising.

A tree farm.

Trumpeter swans resting on their migration south. I painted one of these amazing birds here a couple of years ago.

Weird and wonderful plants. I think it is kale but it was pouring so hard I ran back into the car without checking.

Cathedral

2011-11-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

I heard a while ago the idea that many secularist people are treating environmentalism and conscious food consumption as a new sort of religion. Maybe this is so and maybe I am a believer.

I think about this when I wonder why I am drawn to the organic farms I have been painting. Wild nature, not arable land, is the traditional subject of nineteenth and twentieth century American and Canadian landscape painters. But for me there is something brutal about nature. I walk in a forest to be filled with awe, but not to find comfort. If one of the functions of religion is to bring solace to the human condition, then I look for this solace in the gently managed landscapes of sustainable farms. They remind me of all that is positive in being human. They are places of nurturing.

For much of human history art has been used to express ideas of religion. Giotto did not paint still lifes. Raphael did not paint abstracts. The study of European art history is frequently the study of religious expression. (Music of course followed the same journey) Some think that the greatest European art of the pre Renaissance was the cathedral - a celebration of art, science and community, drawn together under the flying buttress of religion.

When I am alone in a farm field, surrounded by the extraordinarily harmonious combination of nature and civilization, I am consoled as my medieval great great grandmother must have been when visiting her church. And maybe she also felt this when tending her crops at the end of a long day.

This painting is 36x48 inches and is oil on canvas. It is a reworking of a painting I started a couple of years ago.

Cabbages for Kings

2011-11-16T14:23:00.000-08:00

The rich golden light of the November afternoon saturated all the colors in this Full Circle Farm field. The cabbages were dazzling against the green grass and the shadows were deep with the sun so low. Wow. I felt like a queen surveying a palace of jewels.

This painting is 9x12 inches.

November Trees with Leeks and Parsnips

2011-11-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

I was so lucky to enjoy yesterday's glorious weather at Full Circle Farm. A couple of paintings were made, many little airborne spiders were lifted gently off my sweater and my boots were dignified with farm mud.

This painting is 5"x7" and is oil on canvas. The parsnips are the bright green leaves on either side of the leek bed.

Full Circle posted this wonderful link on their web site about the root systems of vegetables. It blows my mind! A carrot root system running 7.5 feet down. Really makes you wonder what your veggies have been eating down there.

Price List for My Exhibition in Wallingford

2011-11-08T15:33:00.000-08:00

An Announcement!

2011-11-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

I you are on my mailing list you can expect to get this email invitation some time soon. If you would like to be on my mailing list just ask! It's nice to keep in touch.

Chickadee on a Swing

2011-11-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

The chickadees are very active in my garden right now eating sunflower seeds. Their call makes me think of winter.

I have called this "Chickadee on a Swing" in reference to a favorite Fragonard painting "The Swing". The style of the background is similar.

This painting measures 5"x7".

Friendly

2011-11-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

I visited this friendly goat with a sweet face on a farm in the Methow Valley. This painting is small. 5"x7" and is oil on canvas. It will be part of a show I am hanging on Wednesday at Fuel Coffee in Wallingford and will be priced at $250.

Small is Beautiful

2011-10-31T07:26:00.000-07:00

This small plein air study from Full Circle farm shows the wonderful different colors of mixed farming. Each bed contains different plants. I have learned that brassicas like cabbage are usually blue-ish in color. So are alliums like onions. Green lettuce and escarole have a florescent lime green appearance. And red lettuce is a lovely crimson and brown. Some of the kales are dark purple. I was also interested in the clouds this day. Each one had an aura of light around it.

This is post card sized (5"x7") and is part of the show at Cafe Fiore in Sunset Hill. I have priced it at $150. Now my friends can lecture me again that I should put my prices up. I love them.

Nourish - Plein Air Studies of the Farms of the Snoqualmie Valley

2011-10-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I'll hang a show of my plein air studies of Full Circle and Oxbow Farms. The show will run through November and December at Cafe Fiore in Sunset Hill, just north of Ballard. (3125 NW 85th St)

The 9"x12" landscapes are $350 each and the 5"x7"landscapes are $150. The food paintings vary in price. Zucchinis on a cupcake stand called "Cupcakes for the Twenty First Century" and the Radicchio plant are $500. "Blackberries" and the "Zucchinis in Sunshine" are $350.

You can contact me to purchase by emailing me at jean@patchworkplanet.com or calling me at 206 217 0031.

Update November 18: I have added red dots to the paintings that have sold. And an 'NFS' to the one painting that is not for sale.

Grabbing a Moment

2011-10-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

Today was sunny. A rarity on Seattle in October. Some moments we need to stop and turn our faces to the sun and treasure its wimpy warmth.

This painting is on canvas and measures 5x7 inches.

Super Model Chicken

2011-10-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

Super model chicken says "Work it baby!" to all those participating in the Seattle Farm Sanctuary Walk for Animals this Sunday. This little painting measures 5x7 inches.

Gorgeous, Amazing, Beautiful Day

2011-10-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago we had such a sunny warm unexpectedly gorgeous day and I was so lucky to spend it painting in the field at Oxbow Farm.

My friend Tina and I had some fun taking pictures to help me find a portrait photo for the Artist Trust website. Here I am with the children's play tractor.

Megan came out of the barn to warn us that there was a bear on the farm that afternoon. Eventually we were lucky enough to see it on the other side of the lake eating snowberries. The lake area of the farm is a restored wetland with native planting managed with the help of Stewardship Partners.

I hadn't brought a hat so when it was time to paint I had to use a Washington State road map to keep the glare out of my eyes. I love maps!

Here's the finished study. Mount Rainier was 'out' and I couldn't resist putting it in the painting, (in the upper left) along with Cougar Mountain (in the upper right). What a wonderful day.

There are red lettuces in the foreground. Then green lettuce and the dark purply stuff is kale.

Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation

2011-10-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

I have donated this painting of a sleeping kitten the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation who are holding a fundraising auction on 22 October. It is painted on a stretcher I made years ago and have used for various paintings. So there is a rich texture of history adding to the soft monochrome.

Upcoming Shows

2011-10-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

I am showing my work in four different places this fall. The first show, at ArtsWest in West Seattle, opens on Thursday, 13th October. I'll be there starting at 6pm so stop by and say hello! Here is a list of paintings that will be there and their prices.

Through the month of November I will be returning to Fuel Coffee in Wallingford.

And for November and December at Fiore Coffee in Sunset Hill, just north of Ballard.

Finally from Dec 1 - 14th January I will have some new pieces at a group show at Lucia Douglas Gallery in Bellingham.

I'll keep posting these events here, but you can also sign up to 'like' my Facebook page at Jean Bradbury Art and I'll make sure you are up to speed.

Cupcakes for the Twenty First Century

2011-10-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

Summer vegetables are so pretty that I have been storing them under glass on cake stands on the kitchen counter. So many people are eating more thoughtfully these days, whether for their own health or the health of the planet. I like to think of these as the cupcakes of the 21st Century. Look out Wayne Thiebaud.

This is 12 inches square. The squashes are from Full Circle Farm and Boistfort Valley Farm.

A Grant from Artist Trust!

2011-10-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

I have received a grant from the AMAZING Artist Trust to help with my series about the sustainable farms of the Snoqalmie Valley. Thanks Artist Trust. I am so excited!

Under the Plum Tree

2011-10-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

This morning I put aside my series of farm paintings to finish a piece that I started in the last week of August. It was the week my daughter left for college for the first time. The end of summer always makes me wistful but there was extra thoughtfulness this year in the dried grasses, fallen fruit and cloudy weather.

A couple of years ago I painted a small piece with similar feelings called "August Breaks My Heart".

"Under the Plum Tree" measures 18x24 inches.

Radicchio

2011-09-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

The field at Full Circle Farm with, from left to right, green cabbage, radicchio, escarole, red cabbage, a single row of red lettuce and green lettuce. Maybe another brassica like cabbage on the far right. I wanted to show the mixed farming that is healthier for land and crops than massive mono cultures of big ag. It also produces a beautiful patchwork of delicious colors. This is 12 inches and was painted outside.

While we were down in the field Jessica picked this young radicchio for me and I took it home to my studio to paint. I can eat it now that it has been recorded!

Tractor Tracks

2011-09-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Jessica at Full Circle Farm for showing me around and letting me hitch a ride on the pick up. The roads are a bit bumpy. And thanks to Christina for welcoming me each morning.

Farm Skies

2011-09-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

I have been looking so hard at the land but a farm sky is an amazing thing.

Two Studies from Full Circle Farm

2011-09-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

A small study of the berry field at Full Circle Farm. I think of it as "August Sun and September Shadows" There is also something about it that reminds me of the art on those cheesy calendars we used to find hanging in abandoned farm houses in New Brunswick.

A little sketch of Griffin Creek which is the salmon stream that runs through the farm. The shade and overhanging branches create important habitat. I sat on a narrow wooden foot bridge while I painted this and was scared of dropping any brushes or leaning back suddenly and falling into the water. Despite this it was such a treat to paint on a sunny hot day in September in such a magical place!

A Painting for Snoqualmie Valley Tilth

2011-09-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

I am donating this little painting to an auction to support Sno Valley Tilth. The auction will be held at Jubilee Farm near Carnation on September 24 and you can read about it here. Tilth organizations in the area support sustainable farming and gardening. The painting measures 5x7 inches.

This landscape sketch of beautiful Oxbow Farm shows some radicchio that has gone to flower . And the golden yellow leaves of the cranberry shelling beans from the upper painting! It measures 9x12 inches.

Thanks to Luke, Sarah, Adam, Megan and everyone for letting me sit in their fields at Oxbow while they worked.

Sitting in Farm Fields

2011-09-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

I started my new series painting the sustainable organic farms of the Snoqualmie Valley! While the weather is good I have been sitting in the fields painting out of doors and it has been dreamy. This is a 12 inch sketch of the lake at Oxbow Farm which has a restored wetland.

It is a challenge to paint quickly "en plein air" as opposed to my usual studio style and I have been toying with approaching it in various styles but this one is a basic impressionist study. I'll take my little studies into the studio soon and make some large and detailed pieces in my usual style.

Plein Air

2011-09-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for a while because we finally got some real summer weather and I have been outside. I've been taking the easel up to the roof deck to paint "en plein air" with the sun on my shoulders. Here are zuccinis from my farm box (with a cucumber I grew myself!) And blackberries from the alley.

The light shifts so quickly that a very fast, sloppier painting style is necessary than my usual. It suits the relaxed feeling of summer. These paintings are 12 inches square.

Rush Hour in the Jordan Valley

2011-08-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

This painting is based on the goat herds that I saw coming home every night when I was in the Jordan Valley this spring. Patient, timeless animals. So much history in their faces and the sound of their shuffling feet.

Goat herds remind me of water flowing over the landscape. They appear to be almost one organism but in this painting I remind myself that each creature has it's own life, story and character. Similarly I try to remember not to generalize groups of people. Everyone has a specific story.

I was playing here with all the browns in my pallete. Burnt umber, raw umber , Van Dyck and blues, black and my Naples yellow light.

You can see what this painting looked like a month ago here. I like the white but it made the goats look like ghost goats.

And here it was a little while ago with an apple of Sodom plant that I didn't like.

Indigo and Woad Update

2011-07-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I planted indigo and woad in my garden. You can see the seeds here. These plants are both traditional sources of blue dye. As predicted the woad, which is suited to our cool damp climate in Seattle, is thriving and I'll harvest it later in the summer to try vat dyeing with it.

The indigo, which likes temperatures above 80 degress farenheit, is struggling to hold on and is barely an inch tall. This despite my coddling it by carrying it around the garden to catch the elusive morning sun and differently situated afternoon sun. Poor little things. But at least I can see the leaf structure.

Finished Mural!

2011-07-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen! The mural for Cancan nightclub is finished! Step right up to see the weird and wonderful creatures!

Click on it to see it in more detail.

These are absinthe spoons. The fish with breasts? - well it is a burlesque club. The curtained door to the bar is modeled on the entrance to the Paris Metro. The plants are wormwood and anise - the ingredients of absinthe.

My Work at Frame Up Studios

2011-07-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

I'll be at the Fremont Art Walk tonight, Friday 1 July, at Frame Up Studios. 3515 Fremont Ave N. Near Dubliner Pub. Here is the web site for the art walk. I'll be there from 6 - 8ish. See you tonight!

They will show my work through the month of July.

Sneak Peek

2011-06-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of sneak peeks at a new mural I am doing for CanCan Night Club here in Seattle. It measures 15x10 feet so the ostrich is five feet tall! It is fun to paint but is taking a while. I'll post the whole thing as soon as its done.

For the Birds

2011-06-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

I'll be gathering signatures today on a petition to ban battery confinement of egg laying hens in Washington State. If you see nice people with clip boards at your local event today please sign the petition to stop this cruel practice. We'll be at Pride in Seattle and Hands Across the Sand (against off shore drilling) in Alki. Here is the web site explaining this important cause. We have until July 4 to get all our petitions filled.

Getting Organized

2011-06-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

I recently sold a number of paintings and currently have three shows under way so my studio is feeling empty. People have been asking me what I have available to sell and I shrug.

It is time to get organized! I have updated my mailing list, updated Quickbooks, and for the first time ever I did an inventory of available paintings. I am happy to say that there are more than I thought! Also I get a kick out of seeing all these tiny thumbnails gathered together.

I suppose I could put some kind of indicator on my web site to tell people if a painting is for sale or not but I think that would clash with the intimate and emotional nature of my work. Thinking about business is so hard for me.

Enough book keeping. It is time to get back into the studio to do what I really love.

Update 25 July. The white chicken and white rabbit at the top center of these thumbnails have sold.

A Show in the Methow Valley

2011-06-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

These four paintings are in a show that opens tonight in the lovely town of Twisp, in Eastern Washington. They will be at Confluence Gallery until the 23rd of July. (The large moose painting has already sold and may be replace shortly with something else). If you in the area why not drop by tonight from 4 -8 pm tonight, Saturday. Say hi to Laura who curated this show.

Jump for Spring and Jump for Joy

2011-06-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

Here are two versions of the same little lamb. The first, called "Jump For Spring" is a small six inches across and the second, called "Jump For Joy" is ten inches across. I painted the second one as part of my current interest in modeling simple shapes with shadow and light. I've chosen to leave out the curly wool in favor of the basic shape.

I would have called him a "Gamboling Lamb" but I don't know if anyone says that any more.

Peaceful Little Show

2011-06-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

You can see these five paintings at Macrina Bakery in Queen Anne, Seattle, for the month of June. It is a small show and I chose only some of my "white" paintings for it. They have a calm and peaceful effect hung on that huge wall, which has recently been painted a soft grey. Perfect.

They are all for sale and range in price from $300 - $700. I may not be able to part with the chicken which is starting to feel like my mascot lately. I am quite fond of it. Also the rabbit. And the goat. And all of them, in fact.

The Kids

2011-06-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the kids with their art. I don't know which I love more - the pictures they drew or their messy little faces!

Isn't this gorgeous? It is a drawing of Megan's new dog Stellar.

A Very Special Dog

2011-05-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

I recently spent some time in the Methow Valley of Washington, with the help of the Methow Arts Alliance. What wonderful scenery and so many fruit orchards in that area around Wenatchee. I'll go back in peach season.

I went to Twisp to deliver this painting to my new friend Megan who is a councilor at the elementary school. This is her dog, Snags, who helped her to work with the children. I think that Snags' snaggle tooth sideways smile helped the kids to feel that being different is still being lovable. Very sadly Snags died recently and Megan asked me to paint her wonderful friend to help her and the kids remember Snags in a happy way.

We also did some art workshops with the kids and got fabulously messy with chalk pastels. It was such an intimate experience helping the kids to draw their own animal friends. Megan and the kids have a new dog - Stellar - and some of the kids made pictures of her during our workshops. I don't know if it helped them with their grief but I do know that we had a lot of fun. I hope to visit again soon.

Last Chance in Sodo

2011-05-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

My show at Macrina Bakery headquarters in Sodo was wonderful fun. I got such a positive response and some very touching letters. But I'll take it down tomorrow, Tuesday 31 May. Not to worry! Some of the paintings that didn't sell will be rehung at Macrina in Queen Anne for the month of June. Yay!

Web Site Update!

2011-05-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

My talented friend Chris Munson has updated my website for me. You can see it here. It is quite exciting to see so many little pictures of my work gathered together and I still left out many paintings. I think I've been busy!
If you would like to contact Chris for your own exciting web work why not visit his web site.

Dreaming of Blue

2011-05-20T07:56:00.000-07:00

As part of my experiments with natural colour sources I planted Indigo and Woad yesterday. Here are Indigo seeds looking like lentils. I think they are the same family or some kind of pea.

Its a bit crazy since they need 75 degrees to germinate and even hotter to grow. But they are sitting beside my gas fire with their little pots wrapped in plastic. I'll feel pleased even if all I manage to do is germinate them

Imagine all the history contained in these seeds! Indigo has been cultivated for centuries and exported around the world. Probably on donkeys and camels and all kinds of wooden sailing ships. Once the intense blue dye was available in Northern Europe it displaced woad as a source of blue. Poor woad farmers! I like to think of all the rich and exotic stories these seeds suggest to me.

This is woad and I planted it outside since it is more suited to the Seattle climate. I think it can become invasive so it is growing in pots and I won't let it go to seed. It will be fun if it grows well enough to produce blue dye.

Drapery

2011-05-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

I started a painting of a donkey being ridden by a child yesterday. And remembered that painting people often requires painting the folds of their clothing. Some old masters' studios employed people who painted only clothing, leaving the faces and bodies up to the master or someone else. This was called drapery painting, and is more complex and fascinating than one might think. Art schools used to offer courses in it. I wonder if they still do.

I laughed at this clip from the BBC about the new Frank Gehry building in Manhattan. "Do you know the difference between Michelangelo folds and Bernini folds? Of course!" Well I did not and had to look them up.

Bernini on the left. Michelangelo on the right. I am still not sure I see that Bernini's fold are sharp and Michelangelo's are rounded. But if Frank Gehry says so...

Here's a sneak peak of the donkey painting. First with a large woman wearing black. Next without the woman. But the child is too small... And I need to find a model for an older child to stand behind the donkey. Does anyone have a ten year old kid who will pose for a photo?

More work is needed today. I am also still working on the herd of goats and a couple of other pieces too. Too many ideas and not enough time!

Kitten

2011-05-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

A little study using an old canvas with lots of texture. It is about 8x10 inches.

Lots of Goats

2011-05-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what direction this painting will take. I wanted a frieze since it is so wide and narrow. I think I'll get rid of the dark parts and add some more goats and maybe some plants. It is three feet wide and quite fun to paint so big.

This is a frieze from the Elgin Marbles.

A New Show!

2011-05-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

I have a show at Macrina Bakery in Sodo for the month of May. You'll find it at 1943 First Avenue South in Seattle.

Here are some of the pieces you can see there. They range in price from $350 - $700.

Don't forget to buy some potato bread! And some rosemary raisin buns...

Goat

2011-04-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

The sculptural shapes and date palms make this painting look like a travel poster from the 1930s. I am still working on the plants but am happy with the calm dignity of the goat. They are such wonderful creatures.

Here is the most recent version of the goat. The new plants I added grow wild in the Jordan Valley and I am working from photos taken by the some of the women in the photography workshop we did there.

My wild flower guide book says the plant is Calotropis procera and it grows in tropical and central Africa but I found them as roadside weeds in the farms of Dead Sea. They can grow to fifteen feet tall. They are also known as Apple of Sodom, which is appropriate for the region where I found them. In Arabic they are called "ashir". I have noticed them before with their poisonous grapefruit-like fruit later in the season and would like to try using the sap as a glue or pigment binder. I like how the leaves are similar in shape to the ears of the goat.

I can't decide if I like the palm tree or if I shall change it into a procera too. Trees are so hard for me!

Animals in Jordan

2011-04-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

I loved all the goat herds wandering the hills of Jordan. This family are my favourite colour to paint - white!

What wonderful faces they have - and ears which I suppose may help to keep them cool.

A sleepy donkey waits for a customer in Petra.

Petra is also home to many working Arabian horses and the Brook Horse Hospital that ensures they are well cared for. This horse got away from it's owner and enjoyed a spirited gallop for about ten minutes. It was beautiful to watch.

Another gorgeous white animal. There may be a painting waiting in this one.

Baby camel and it's mum.

I love this picture.

So many camels.

Plants in Jordan

2011-04-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

I didn't take many pictures of the plants in Jordan but here is one of my friends and me standing in front of some bouganvillia. It must need very little water to grow as it hardly ever rains in the Jordan Valley.

Geraniums are grown in olive oil cans just like in Greece. These were odd because they were soy oil. I wonder where the soy is grown.

This is a date palm flower.

I was warned not to get the sap of this plant in my eyes.

This is the tree outside the Women's Society building. In Arabic it is called something like "dom" and the berries are edible though pasty and bland.

After I taught some botanical illustration we cut a stencil from recycled x ray plastic and stenciled it with mud.

Here is the result!

A Crazy Fun Time Teaching Art

2011-04-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Jordan where I organized two weeks of art workshops with the women of Safi Crafts Women's Society. We tried silk screen printing which was a disaster. Our light sensitive screens fried in the intense sun of the Jordan Valley. Stenciling and mud dyeing were much more successful and fun. I taught digital photography, botanical illustraion and drawing both from life and from photographs that we took.

What a crazy and wonderful time. I am having a hard time coming back down to earth. The snow here in Seattle yesterday didn't help!

Fatmeh holds a stencil cut from recylced x ray plastic.

Here are the mud dyed bags we made. We used tea and iron to get the grey.

You can read about the project at our new web site. http://web.mac.com/jeanbradbury/iWeb/Site/safi%20crafts.html

A Break in Spring

2011-03-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

I'll be away from the studio for the next month, teaching art. If I get a chance I'll post some of the things we make. I'm going to refresh my silkscreen skills and try looking at the world in flat shapes for a change.

Hiding in White

2011-03-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

How strange to carry on with daily life with one part of my brain while another part tries to come to terms with the things happening around the world this week. The heartbreaking news from Japan. The bravery and suffering in Libya. And I hide away in my studio taking solace in the peace of white paint and gentle shadows.

This painting is two feet square and is on canvas, so it is softly textured.

High Winds. Heavy Rain.

2011-03-10T08:04:00.000-08:00

There is a high wind warning today. And continued heavy rain. For those in Seattle who are fed up, like me, you can look at the cherry blossom from my post on February 26th last year. I could use some of those right now. Hurry up please spring.
At least I am not tempted to get out into the garden and can spend my time painting.

Rabbit Study

2011-03-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

I am so pleased with this little study. It is painted on clayboard so it is very shiny and smooth and I painted many layers of glaze to get the white super white and the shading very delicate. I don't think this glowing look translated to the computer. In real life it almost has the look of egg tempera. It is eight inches square. I'll hang it at Homegrown for sale though I will be sad to part with it. It has no narrative. Just pretty.

The Great Divide

2011-03-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

I'm still working on chickens and I enjoy their round shapes. The rabbits are sweet but they are looking at the chicken as though she doesn't belong in their garden. I think she is wondering the same thing.

I indulged myself by painting some peonies, even though they aren't in season. I need them right now.

I'm a Winner. I'm a Loser.

2011-02-21T07:02:00.000-08:00

Part of struggling with the winter blues is wanting to sleep a lot. It feels like I am surrounded by people who have more energy and ambition than me. They flutter around achieving things while I just want to curl up and wait for the spring bulbs to flower.

I have such empathy for chickens who try to fly and can't - but they try anyway. I think this painting is about that too. I'm not really sure what the narrative is. I will probably do more work on this but for now it sits in my studio while I work on other paintings. Slowly. I am a tortoise not a hare right now. Or a chicken.

This painting measures 18"x24" and is oil on panel.

Monumental Chicken

2011-02-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

Another chicken. This one has a monumental quality, even though the painting is only 10 inches wide. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I think I was influenced by the recent Picasso show here in Seattle. So many of his shapes had strong shading and modeling, which surprised me. They were like paintings of sculptures.

This chicken ended up reminding me of art deco paintings like this Lawren Harris from 1929.

And this relief sculpture by Robert Garrison at Rockefeller Center.

More Colour in Winter!!!

2011-02-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

Here is another inspiring video of art in Seattle. I have a hard time driving past this without causing an accident. You can see this mural by Weirdo at 2nd and Yesler in Pioneer Square. We're so lucky to have this in our city. Someone from the Aquarium hire this guy fast!

Playing With Change

2011-02-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

Some winter days feel like a crawl on hands and knees through murky cold. I find my energy for painting very low. So this little movie about Seattle painter Fay Jones was like a tonic. There are so many inspiring images here.

I hurried up to the studio and painted these chickens who think they can fly. In a style that is more care free or "care less" than my usual. It turned out to be quite cheerful looking, but chickens are tragic figures for me too. I am thinking of this as a study for another painting that I am working on. And it is called "Things Are Going to Change. I Can Feel It", which is from a Beck song. Also not as cheerful as it might seem.

Thinking About Chickens

2011-02-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

This little picture is only six inches wide. You can see it at Homegrown Sandwich Shop in Fremont. I wonder if it will quietly encourage folks to choose the vegetarian options. Sorry Ben!

See My Work in Enumclaw!

2011-02-04T07:54:00.000-08:00

I hung a small show yesterday at the City Hall Gallery in Enumclaw. What a charming town to visit on a sunny day with Mount Rainier so close and beautiful. People there were very sweet. My work will be there through the month of February though I think the space is closed to the public on Tuesdays when court is in session. How strange it would feel to be on trial and have bunnies and weasels looking at you from the walls.

Bread and Roses

2011-01-30T10:05:00.000-08:00

This is a difficult time of year for those of us who need warmth and light. I have been painting with reds and pinks lately to help to satisfy my craving for colour. I have enough warmth and food and light to function - but need something dazzling to give me energy. "Give us bread but give us roses". I was so excited to find these roses hiding in the sedum plants of an otherwise dormant garden.

I pull aside the browns and a treasure garden of pink roses waits for me.

And sometimes, when minature roses aren't enough to cheer my heart, the muffling clouds depart and reveal an evening like we had two days ago. As Henry and I stood on the roof deck, wrapped in blankets, I noticed neighbours coming out of their houses too, drawn by the extraordinary sunset.

Absinthe Dreams

2011-01-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

I have finished my mural surrounding the projection screen at Cancan night club. I wish these pictures could convey the size. I didn't measure and am poor at guessing. I suppose it is about fifteen feet high. The plants are wormwood and anise.

Are these animals the visions of someone drinking absinthe? Emile Zola said that everything is a dream. (Tout n'est qu'un rêve)

I painted a quotation from Zola along the bottom of the screen "Je n'ai guere de soucis de beaute ni de perfection... Je n'ai souci que de vie, de lutte, de fievre. (I am little concerned with beauty or perfection. All I care about is life, struggle, intensity.) No wonder he needed a drink!

Still Untitled

2011-01-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

This painting started with a trip to the Burke Museum to photograph their taxidermy collection. The moose head was so wonderful, mounted high up on the wall, as tall as a moose. I remember when I was a kid in rural New Brunswick, Canada, my school bus had to stop to let a moose cross the road. It sauntered past and had a good look at us sitting up high in our yellow school bus and it was so big that it looked DOWN at us. They are giants. (and much more thrilling alive than stuffed. So sad)

Once I had painted the moose I started painting other things that caught my fancy with no rhyme or reason. Love-in-the-mist seed pods. Beauty berry. Black moths. And finally I wanted to be part of this strange twilight landscape so I painted a rabbit as my representative.

Usually I have a narrative to go with each painting I make. This painting has suggested many different narratives. They are all about relationships. Moose to bunny. Moths to moose. Animals to plants. Living things to the twilight.

I hope that it speaks to some relationships in your own life.

I can't decide on a name for this painting. "Moths to a Flame" maybe or "Moths to a Moose". Some creatures are so charismatic. And little bunnies sit and watch.

This painting is oil on panel and measures 36"x24". You can click on it to see the details I think.

Treasures in a January garden

2011-01-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

Though I am suffering from the dark and wet weather I made the most of the warmth today by getting into the garden where, as well as a little vitamin D, I found this treasure. It is a half rotted poppy seed pod. I used the photographs of the amazing Karl Blossfeldt as inspiration for these snap shots. If you like plants or photography or wrought iron you'd enjoy his work.

I also photographed this Magnolia grandiflora found on the ground after a wind storm.

A sycamore pom pom.

And the plants I am painting at the moment, Love-in-a-mist.

Group Show Opening

2011-01-13T08:43:00.000-08:00

I will be part of a new group show at Woodside Braseth with my painting "Time Flies" It's a pretty one that I painted this summer showing Isobel on a swing with hollyhocks and the suggestion of time passing quickly. I was in quite a serious mood! You can see it here. The show opens tonight and I will be there from 6 - 8:30. Drop by and see the gallery. It's a wonderful space full of inspiring art.

Wormwood and Anise

2011-01-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

While I usually paint small tender images of thoughtful moments and gentle animals from the solitude of my cosy studio I have started the new year by doing something nearly opposite. I am painting murals on the wall of a burlesque and absinthe club in Seattle called Cancan.

Balanced on a very tall ladder and surrounded by dancers, carpenters and electritians I have been trying to adjust to the chaos. This mural surrounds a silver screen onto which images of historic burlesque acts will be projected. I am painting the plants used in the making of absinthe; wormwood and anise - and some crazy animals that one might see after drinking a little too much absinthe - or maybe just the right amount! Happy New Year!

Izzy and Georgie

2010-12-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

This is Izzy and Georgie. I loved painting their little hands and feet. This painting was also a nice excuse to imagine the magnolias blossoming again. I see the buds forming on the trees in Lower Queen Anne already even though we'll have to wait three or four more months for this kind of splendor.

This painting is oil on panel and measures 12x16 inches.

Sydney

2010-12-23T09:59:00.000-08:00

This is Sydney surveying the garden in an early winter snow. His beautiful fur keeps him warm and he looks like the king of the forest. This is a commission and Sydney's people live in a woodland setting much like this.

I'll be spending Christmas with family in West Vancouver where my Mum and Dad's woodland garden looks a bit like this. I doubt we'll have snow but we will have some holiday laughter thanks partly, I hope, to the pogo sticks I bought for the kids. Either laughter or injury. I can't wait to give it a try.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas if you celebrate it and for those who struggle through this time of year I wish I wish a speedy and joy filled New Year. Eat lots of butter!

Winds of Change

2010-12-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

These two mice are huddled together against the cold Autumn wind. This painting is a commission and shows how love gets us through hard times. The mice are looking toward the winds of change and their tails are entwined.

Autumn is a great time for painting the garden with all the seed pods and twisted leaves. I love berries too. Part of the commission was to paint milkweed and black eyes susans but I have never seen milkweed before so I enjoyed researching it. What complicated seed pod structure it has! I took me ages to figure out what was going on in the photographs.

wet wet wet

2010-12-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

So much rain lately! It is weather for moss. One of these days I'll paint a mossy painting but for now I just take my camera out on my walks in the neighbourhood. Sometimes I stop just to touch these wonderful little puffs of green.

Christmas is Coming

2010-12-13T09:05:00.000-08:00

This month I have the pleasure of working on several animal portraits. This is Whiskers.

And this is Bennie.

These pets are loved so much it is a delight talking to the owners and hearing the stories. What a great job I have. Kind of funny. Very heart warming. I feel lucky.

A New Show!

2010-12-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

These four paintings are part of Arts West's new show of kitsch miniatures. There is an opening reception on Thursday, 9 December, from 6-7:30 and I'll be there. Why not drop by and say hello. You can meet a skipping lamb, a snowy mountain beaver, a poor little dead bee and a watchful rabbit. Plus all the other great and strange art that is in the show. Read about the show and get directions here. Arts West is in West Seattle.

2010-12-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

Love in the Mist is a beautiful little flower that grows as a volunteer outside my studio door. This time of year it leaves seed pods like this.

It can take me most of a day just to paint one seed pod. The structure is so complex. I haven't even put the fun mottled dots on these yet. I am still working on the shape. You can see my finger prints on the leg of the moose. My baby finger is the stablizer for painting detailed work like this.

The whole painting is four feet tall - large for me. And is very unfinished still. I am obviously being influenced by the perpetual twilight of early December. So often the sun breaks through just before it sets.

First Snow

2010-11-14T11:51:00.000-08:00

This is another version of the mountain beaver I painted last month. This one is albino and is enjoying the anticipation of the first snowy day of the winter. She is like a fat little snowball herself.

This painting is oil on panel and is ten inches square.

A Boy and His Dog

2010-11-10T17:29:00.000-08:00

This painting started as an image of my son Henry and the dog he always wanted. But then I saw a picture of a llama and its shape was so much more interesting than a dog's. So it was going to be Henry and a llama. And then, for some reason, I wanted to contrast the rather serious looking llama with a flying chicken. But, in the spirit of the poet Frank O'Hara I may still call this "A Boy and His Dog".

Why I Am Not a Painter

I am not a painter, I am a poet.
Why? I think I would rather be
a painter, but I am not. Well,

for instance, Mike Goldberg
is starting a painting. I drop in.
“Sit down and have a drink” he
says. I drink; we drink. I look
up. “You have SARDINES in it.”
“Yes, it needed something there.”
“Oh.” I go and the days go by
and I drop in again. The painting
is going on, and I go, and the days
go by. I drop in. The painting is
finished. “Where’s SARDINES?”
All that’s left is just
letters, “It was too much,” Mike says.

But me? One day I am thinking of
a color: orange. I write a line
about orange. Pretty soon it is a
whole page of words, not lines.
Then another page. There should be
so much more, not of orange, of
words, of how terrible orange is
and life. Days go by. It is even in
prose, I am a real poet. My poem
is finished and I haven’t mentioned
orange yet. It’s twelve poems, I call
it ORANGES. And one day in a gallery
I see Mike’s painting, called SARDINES.

I feel "A Boy and His Dog" is about things happening all around us that we aren't aware of. Many of them are quite funny. It is also about letting go of ideas and lightening up, just like the chicken is doing.

You can see "A Boy and His Dog" at Homegrown in Fremont. (where I think I called it, brilliantly, "Llama and Chicken" on the label). I still want to paint more "love in a mist" seed pods at the bottom but will give it a break for now. The painting measures 12"x24" and is oil on panel.

Here is the Mike Goldberg painting named "Sardines".

Where to see my work

2010-11-10T15:12:00.000-08:00

I am hanging some new pieces today at Homegrown in Fremont. There are also some new pieces at the new Homegrown cafe in Queen Anne that opened last week. They have wonderful food that is locally sourced for those of us who like to support the locavore movement.

Of course I still have some large pieces at Woodside Braseth Gallery in South Lake Union too. Here is the link.

The Day We Met Was Long Ago

2010-11-01T20:04:00.001-07:00

This is another painting about relationships. As I painted it I was thinking about so many different people in my life. Old friends, new friends, mothers and children, boyfriends and, of course, cats.

Oh little mountain beaver. How I love your whiskers.

You may notice that the painting was reversed in the previous post. This is another trick I use in Photoshop to see the painting with fresh eyes, after staring at it all day long. I also hold paintings up to the mirror for the same effect.

The painting is oil on panel and measures four feet across.

Using Photoshop to compose a painting

2010-10-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

I am at the nail biting stage of this painting. It is almost finished so I am scared of ruining it. Because of the clean background on this one (it took a couple of weeks and six or eight coats of paint to get the smooth gradient) I can't paint over any mistakes. So Photoshop comes in handy for trying new ideas. I want to add more branches to the tree.

Maybe some more branches on the top.

Or some branches on the sides.

The animal is a mountain beaver which is native to Washington State. It is about cat sized and has a stubby furry tail, not a beaver tail. I'll post more about it later but for now I have to choose how to position the branches and then get to the studio. Each twig takes such a long time to paint.

This painting is four feet wide. I love all the empty space.

Luna

2010-10-26T07:37:00.001-07:00

This is a portrait of my friend's dog Luna. I feel very clever to have paired her with Lunaria seed pods, which grow as weeds in my garden. There is also a day time moon.

I copied the sky from this 1670 painting by Jacob van Ruisdael.

My daughter pointed out to me recently that many of my favorite painters are dutch. I love the Seventeenth Century landscapes with their flat friendly land and huge skies. There is Van Gogh of course. And Willem de Kooning. Fabulous. And recently I have been enjoying some local shows by Dutch painter Chris Berens, who paints two of my favorite things - clouds and white animals. He has a show here in Seattle at Roq la Rue of his more colorful recent work. You can see it here.

"Luna" is oil on canvas and measures about two feet across.

The Watcher

2010-10-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

This painting is six inches square and is oil on birch panel.

Don't forget that you can see this and many of my new paintings at Cafe Fiore in Queen Anne until the end of October. They are for sale! This one is $190.

The Friends We Make

2010-10-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

Usually I paint images of solitude. I spend a lot of time alone and often the presence of others can feel invasive. There are other times, though, when I need company.

This painting is about my desire for connection and the subjectivity of relationships. I love this poem by Billy Collins.

Le Chien

I remember late one night in Paris
speaking at length to a dog in English
about the future of American culture

No wonder she kept cocking her head
as I went on about "summer movies"
and the intolerable poetry of my compatriots.

I was standing and she was sitting
on a dim street in front of a butcher shop,
and come to think of it, she could have been waiting

for the early morning return of the lambs
and the bleeding sides of beef
to their hooks in the window.

For my part, I had mixed my drinks,
trading in the tulip of wine
for the sharp nettles of whiskey.

Why else would I be wasting my time
and hers trying to explain "corn dog,"
"white walls," and "the March of Dimes"?

She showed such patience for a dog
without breeding while I went on-
in a whisper now after shouts from a window-

about "helmet laws" and "tag sale"
wishing I only had my camera
so I could carry a picture of her home with me.

On the loopy way back to my hotel-
after some long and formal goodbyes-
I kept thinking how I would have loved

to hang her picture over the mantel
where my maternal grandmother
now looks down from her height as always,

silently complaining about the choice of frame.
Then, before dinner each evening
I could stand before the image of that very dog,

a glass of wine in hand,
submitting all of my troubles and petitions
to the court of her dark-brown, adoring eyes.

I could throw a lot of words at this painting. Validation (which always makes me think of parking). Stimulation. Shelter. Witnessed. There is also something beautiful in the shiny purple seed heads of this giant lily. Maybe that is enough, for now.

This painting is oil on clayboard and measures 18"x48".

Looking Back

2010-09-26T15:38:00.001-07:00

The other day, while driving back from Canada, we passed through the flat marshlands of the Skagit Valley at twilight. The sky was large because the land was flat. And it glowed with that strange green that happens when the yellow of the vanished sun mixes with the blue of the night. And trees were just losing their colors and becoming silhouettes. It is such an emotional time of day. I always seem to be going home from somewhere at twilight. But this time, as I drove away from the country of my childhood I wasn't sure if I was going to my home or going away from my home.

I always felt badly for Lot's wife in the bible who looked back at her home being destroyed and was subsequently punished by God. This seems to be inexplicably unjust. Surely we are allowed to look for home wherever we choose, whether it is back to where our sentimental hearts yearn or forward where our adventures propel us.

This painting is oil on clayboard and measures 9"x12".

Plenty

2010-09-18T08:26:00.001-07:00

The recent rains have clobbered the garden but a visit to the farmer's market yesterday showed what a bountiful time of year this is. I also see apples, plums and pears scattered all over the roads in the neighborhood from untended trees. It is always so startling.

I like to think of all the creatures outside eating their fill of all the wild treasures out there. They still have their pick of the best berries and tastiest grass seeds.

This painting measures 6 inches square and is oil on panel.

Two Spiders

2010-09-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when I came home from my walk, my arms and ankles tangled with spider webs, I shook my hair and a spider fell out and onto the kitchen floor. I chased her around and gently caught her and carried her back outside to make another web for me to blunder into tomorrow.

Her cousin, a larger brown spider, has built a web outside my kitchen window and I have been watching her every morning with interest. Today, though, I see my window spider lying dead on the ground. Is it that time of the fall when spiders die? Already? Or was the end of her life violent? I am an incompetent god.

Show

2010-09-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that I have paintings for sale at Cafe Fiore in Queen Anne (Galer Street)through September and October. 'Absence' and 'Treasure' have aleady sold but I hung 'Surprise Lily' yesterday, still wet, and 'Snuggle' is there too as well as a lot of pieces with bunnies from earlier in the summer. The small ones like 'Snuggle' are only $190 and the larger ones sell for $500 and $700. I am working on another mouse today.

Surprise Lily

2010-09-14T22:42:00.001-07:00

Surprise lilies are one of my favorite garden treats. In the summer they crowd the already crowded garden with their tall gangly leaves and no flowers. I can't wait for them to die back so I can cut them away and tidy up. But then, when summer's exuberance has passed and I am feeling melancholy in my September garden the buds of these strange flowers erupt naked from the ground. I feel like they have been waiting in reserve to cheer me up. They are so weird in their September incarnation without any leaves. I love odd things and odd people too. They look out of place and out of time but that makes them so welcome.

This painting measures 6"x8" and is oil on panel.

Ducks

2010-09-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

I love to paint white animals. With winter coming I am looking forward to thinking about snow and white fur. But for now these ducks reflect the autumn sunshine.

Treasure

2010-09-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Blackberries grow outside my studio door. In the evening the air is warm and summery still with their scent. I paint them every year. Who could resist such abundance and treasure?

Last summer's posts about blackberries are here and here.

I hung a show tonight, including this little painting, at Cafe Fiore in Queen Anne. (It's on Galer St near Trader Joe's) and it will be there until November.

This painting is oil on panel and measures 6"x8".

Salaam

2010-08-31T08:45:00.000-07:00

Though this is a blog about the paintings I make of my garden I want to mention the withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq today. 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died so far in this shameful war. More than 4400 American troops will also never come home. As I sit and paint in my quiet studio pretty pictures of my own emotional ups and downs I know how lucky I am to have the peace and safety to do so. A salaam waleikum to all the people in Iraq. I wish and worry for a more peaceful future.

Absence

2010-08-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

Usually, when I paint a landscape, I inhabit it with some small creature - a bunny, a mouse, or a weasel. This landscape though is a picture of absence.

Or at least that is how it started. As I painted this piece of gravelled ground, inspired by the alley outside my studio door, I found that what appeared to be an empty space was in fact filled with beauty and complexity. Each trampled blade of grass casts its own shadow. Each speck of gravel catches the light.

The flowers I added are from Ophelia's 'crazy' speech known as Ophelia's garland. Rosemary, pansies, fennel, columbines, daisies and, of course, rue.

This painting is oil on clay board and measures twelve inches square.

Snuggle

2010-08-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

The peaches are ripe! These two are having a snuggle. You can see how they looked a couple of months ago here.

This little study is oil on birch panel and measures 6"x8".