Lady in Red

Lady in Red

8x6, soft pastel

An abstract that includes the favorite colors of my wonderful family members (in staying with my family theme this month).

I worked on this piece for awhile and after playing with the colors and trying to determine which direction to go with this piece, I suddenly saw...a lady in red.  Can you see her?  I see shoulders and the back of her head...she has long redish hair pulled back into a loose French braid.  She seems to be kneeling (perhaps praying) in a church pew and looking up towards what could be interpreted as a bright green cross near a bright yellow spot...maybe looking out a window.  Hmmm....or, maybe not.  

Maybe it's just my imagination...or the guilty little Catholic girl inside me telling me I really should be going to church more often.  Or, the good Lord sending me a sign that says "Cindy, you really are not an abstract painter".  Or, maybe I just have artist fatigue.  That's probably it.  In any event,  I will take it as a sign that it's done.  I am truly thankful for my family and their contribution to this piece...

(hmmm, maybe she's saying a prayer of thanks).

A Splash of Color 2

A Splash of Color 2

8x8, soft pastel

A busy day...another little splash to match the color theme of the past couple days.

A Splash of Color

A Splash of Color

7.5x7.5, soft pastel

                            

                       

Some days...you just have to give yourself a break. Today I decided to paint a small colorful square with the thought of using it in the end-of-month collage of all the paintings completed during the month.  In fact,  I hope to make a few more if time permits.  It was a little less stressful...and a little less time consuming so I guess I achieved my goal for today.

The Hangout

The Hangout

8x10, soft pastel

Day seven...one week down!

A "Family Matters" theme wouldn't be complete without including our sweet little dog Tubby. He is very attached to me...literally never more than a few feet away. He puts in major hours with me in the studio but in the summertime when we're outside, his favorite hangout is on one of the adirondack chairs...preferably in mine. Here he lays watching me (and occasionally napping) waiting  for me to finish my work in the flower garden and join him.  Life is pretty good for 'ol Tubby.

Backyard Ballet

Backyard Ballet

9x6, soft pastel

Swim lessons, baseball games, picnics, and dance recitals are all things I love about the warm days of summer.  It's foggy, freezing cold and snowy outside...Oh how I miss those summer days!

This is Emily performing in her first ballet recital. I believe she was two years old and so proud of her little pink tutu and sparkly tiara.  Recitals for Maddie and Emily always took place in the spacious backyard of their teacher's home.  It is there that parents, siblings, and grandparents gather to watch the kids' summer performances (I think the grandparents were even more excited than the kids).  It's a perfect way to spend a warm summer evening!

Hide 'n Seek

Hide 'n Seek

11x7, soft pastel

Today's painting is of Zack at the tender age of two.  It's a scene that always makes me laugh because he wanted to play hide and seek.  Not having much experience at it, he hid behind this tree and truly believed that he was well hidden. He must have thought if he snuck a peak to see where I was I wouldn't see him. As a good grandma would do, I played along and looked all over the backyard calling his name "trying" to find him.  I laughed a lot when I painted this one.

Scoop....Dump

Scoop...Dump

8x8, soft pastel

Day four...a break from the snow!

Today's painting is a typical scene that took place whenever my grandsons came to visit.  They always knew where the dump trucks were stored and loved to play "scoop...dump" under the arborvitaes.  Scoop...dump is a name I believe my daughter came up with which describes exactly what they do...nothing more...nothing less...a lot of scooping followed by...(you guessed it) a lot of dumping.