Evening Sunset 2

Music is a strange thing. I would almost say it is a miracle. For it stands halfway between thought and phenomenon, between spirit and matter.

Heinrich Heine

Mark O'Connor is the best fiddle player I've ever had the pleasure to hear. He started playing at the age of 11 and in less than a year was winning competitions at a national level. My absolute favorite number he does is Jerusalem Ridge. It is bluegrass fiddling at its finest. It's also the song I play when I want to really get moving on a painting. I haven't touched this Evening Sunset in quite a while but I knew that I needed to get more of an underpainting job done on the tree and other greenery. This is the point where its really important to work the whole canvas at once. Although it still doesn't look like much the bones are there. Mark had me flying all over this! Next session will be much slower ~ probably some yoga music ~ time to work on details.

The Window 2

The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I almost titled this painting "Imagination" ~ what is outside of the window? Is that brilliant sunshine streaming in or a raging blizzard? Maybe my mind is focused on weather because my husband is traveling in a snowstorm on business and I am sitting on my porch in bright sunshine surrounded by palm trees. Emerson definitely had it right, though. No matter what the weather, the sky is always magnificent to behold.

As far as the painting goes, it was fun trying to create the look of an old structure. The inexact lines of the window frames coupled with the uneven paint on the wall definitely give the room an aged look. Also keeping the furniture to the bare minimum adds to the simplicity of the composition and helps to lead the eye to the focal point ~ the light from the window. No matter what the temperature is I hope the sun is shining on you.