Spring and April Showers

I've been inspired by the new season to paint some floral paintings.  I'm also working on a new series of figurative works starting with these two with an umbrella:
The first is "Let it Rain". And the next one is "Keep on the Sunny Side of Life".

Thin and Thick of It ... and TJ Maxx has great props!

A couple of additional figurative works.  I enjoyed playing with the texture of the paint, with thick areas and thin scraped off areas. 

This one is Red, in keeping with my latest figurative series.
And Indigo, with a bit more of an abstracted view:

I found a lovely copper pot at TJ Maxx and painted some lemons:

I donated this painting for the High Museum Arts Day fund raiser.  I always think of the great painter, Chardin when I think of paintings of copper pots.  Here is an example of Chardin's work:

Burton Silverman portrait ... Almost

Feeling somewhat nostalgic, and missing photos after a computer catastrophe, I came across some CD's from a workshop that I modeled at some years ago.
Here is Burton Silverman painting me in a collaborative piece: 

The painting was actually Marc Chatov's, but Burton Silverman spent quite a bit of time painting on the canvas.   It was a wonderful experience for me.

And also a good experience over the weekend.  My painting exhibited at DeFoor Center sold and won a prize.  It was displayed along with the Taos Horse.

Saturday Sketch Session and What's New

A new (for me) model at a new location :
the model didn't feel well, perhaps influencing the mood of the painting.

It was a fun experience, nevertheless.

I have some new smaller canvases, 9 x 12 and will try some dailyish still lifes, at least until the tangerines hold up!
Here are two:

Bring Me the Sunset in a Cup

Bring me the sunset in a cup

by Emily Dickinson

128

Bring me the sunset in a cup,
Reckon the morning’s flagons up
And say how many Dew,
Tell me how far the morning leaps—
Tell me what time the weaver sleeps
Who spun the breadth of blue!

Write me how many notes there be
In the new Robin’s ecstasy
Among astonished boughs—
How many trips the Tortoise makes—
How many cups the Bee partakes,
The Debauchee of Dews!

Also, who laid the Rainbow’s piers,
Also, who leads the docile spheres
By withes of supple blue?
Whose fingers string the stalactite—
Who counts the wampum of the night
To see that none is due?

Who built this little Alban House
And shut the windows down so close
My spirit cannot see?
Who’ll let me out some gala day
With implements to fly away,
Passing Pomposity?


I found this wonderful poem and thought it fit well for this painting.  The painting underwent a bit of alterations as I thought it was too structured with divisions across.

Yellow by Nancy Blum

 If you share a love of Emily Dickinson, check out   https://www.facebook.com/SecretLifeOfEmilyDickinson   

Orange by Nancy Blum

Some more redos lately, as I felt these 2 paintings needed a bit more!  (so much for my Less is More post!)

Poised

30 x 20 oil   Poised

Vessel Series

Another Cup painting from the vessel series:  "Life's enchanted cup sparkles near the brim."
Byron                      This is 20 x 30 oil