October 14, 2008
September 30, 2008
Almost an Island
Almost an Island, oil on canvas, 28″ x 38″
There is a spot down Dauphin Island Parkway, just before the Dog River bridge that I’ve wanted to make a painting about for some time now. It’s a modest bit of land, no spectacular trees or flowers. I populated this not-quite-island with a scattering of Ibises. I’ve been looking at 17th century Dutch landscape painters a lot lately, studying the glow to their skies and the technique of painting trees, particularly leaves. The brushwork of the leaves is quite individual in style–some clumps look like a toddler’s gloved fingers and some leave me astounded at the sheer numbers and the attention to detail–how each leaf is turned and placed. Painting in a cold climate with short days (as well as slower drying time for the paint) and no electricity to lengthen the studio hours, I am always stunned by how prolific some of these painters were. Part of it comes down to adopting a system for constructing a painting, one of the benefits of an apprentice system. The rest is discipline and hard work–and the encouragement of a good market for paintings, true of the Netherlands at that time.
Update on the Summer Group Show at Buchanan Gallery in Galveston: sad news all around after Hurricane Ike. Many feet of water flooded the gallery and the artwork, my own as well, was not moved to higher ground. At the moment I’m waiting for the mail to bring back what remains of my poor babies. After Katrina, I saw miracles because of quick intervention by Richard White (the New Orleans conservator and my former husband.) I am hoping for the best, though the paintings will never be in exactly the same condition as before.
August 12, 2008
Recent Paintings
Places East of Here Series, 11, 12 & 13
It occurs to me that it’s time for a new title. My next paintings will be more horizontal, sizes like 20″ x 30″, 12″ x 24″. I love painting in series and using one title to group them, though all the numbers can get confusing. I’ll have to look over my books and maybe a quote will provide some inspiration.
At the end of this month, I will make a trip to Galveston Island. It’s the first vacation I’ve taken in almost a year–and true to form, it will be combined with the business of attending a gallery reception. I will be participating in a group show which opens the 22nd of August at the Buchanan Gallery. I’m looking forward to comparing the clouds and wetland areas there with those here in Alabama. I’ll take photographs for reference for new paintings and hopefully find time to read a beach novel or two.
June 19, 2008
June 16, 2008
afternoon thunderstorms
Albatross, oil on canvas & wood, 15″ x 15″
I wonder if I dare hope the daily rains are back. The afternoon storms set up my day, force me to begin painting earlier so that when the light dims, I can take time for reading.
I’ve had Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ autobiography on my bookshelf for years; I finally read it last month. It led me on to her short stories, and “Everglades: River of Grass.” That title came to my attention when Carl Hiassen’s immortal character, Skink, quizzed a poor fellow about the name of its author–that was in the book “Stormy Weather,” I think. The character mixed up Ms. Douglas with Marjorie Rawlings and received a serious zap for his error.
Florida always leads me to think of Martin Johnson Heade, so I pulled out a catalog of his paintings and started to read the essay. I’ve been starting it for years–then I get enchanted by the images of marshes and hummingbirds and so much for the words. But this year I got far enough to want to find a biography of Heade, which led me to amazon.com. There I found (and promptly ordered) “A Summer of Hummingbirds: Love, Art & Scandal in the Intersecting Worlds of Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Martin Johnson Heade.” It has just arrived–its cover is charming, but it needs illustrations! But given my habit of skipping to the pictures, perhaps that’s a good thing.
June 10, 2008
Galveston
I’ve just sent new work to Kathi Buchanan at the Buchanan Gallery on Galveston Island, TX.
The Good Life, oil on canvas & wood, 15″x15″
Fireflies Map the Marsh, oil on canvas & wood 15″x 15″
June 9, 2008
new painting
This is the most recent in my “Places East of Here” series, a commissioned painting for a collector here in Mobile. It’s number ten. I began to use this title in 2003, when I’d promised to do a show of paintings set in New Orleans for the Cole Pratt Gallery. Of course, these weren’t city paintings, so I used the title to refer to the city, thus “Here”. These days, “Here” is Mobile, and I am a few miles closer to the bay and the delta.
Places East of Here, no. 10/Dorothy’s Morning oil on canvas, 20″ x 30″
New Orleans Museum of Art
In April, my friend, mentor and long-time dealer, Cole Pratt, died of a heart attack. It was a terrible shock; he was only fifty-four. The gallery will continue under Cole’s name with Erika Schroeter Ollinger as its owner and I will continue to show my paintings there. There are lessons to learn about cherishing friendships, taking time to enjoy life and exercise more often, not to mention making hay while the sun shines. I know this, but for now it’s a dull knowledge that will take time to absorb.
One of my paintings, “If You Are Lost Turn Right Here” will be included in the exhibit at NOMA. It isn’t a typical painting for me–it has a big sky, but under it is a small kudzu-covered cinder block building with a copy of “The Last Supper” painted on its side. It’s 60″ x 60″ which is a large painting to anyone who knows my work. The title is from a notice painted on the building. I worked from a photograph I made driving on 1-65 south of Mobile. The building has a new use and a fresh paint job now; it’s appropriate for this show for the symbolism and also because Cole particularly liked it.