John 'n Lucy

This portrait of John Pickens and his faithful dog, Lucy enjoying a summer day by playing some tunes spoke to me of pure bliss. This is living in the moment. John is concentrating hard on his playing and Lucy is his appreciative audience.

Elemental Pia

During a yoga-pilates class, Pia struck this pose. I had her reproduce it in my studio, and painted her stretching meditatively. Next to her, I placed the Chinese characters for, from the top down, shui (water), Tu (earth), Huo (fire), and Mu (wood). I couldn’t help myself, I added a little yellow to the traditional blue and red to honor Pia’s Swedish heritage. The circles above the banner and behind her head represent eternity and the cycles of life and death. We are made from the simple elements and we will eventually return to them. Pia has come face to face with eternity several times. I hope this portrait celebrates the fact that she is still here with us.

Steelhead Season

My husband is out steelhead fishing on this gorgeous spring day. I don't have the patience to catch this elusive fish, although I caught a few in the early years. The rewards are great if you do have the patience and skill because they are big and fight hard. We do all catch and release from flyrods here because almost all the legal ones are hens with eggs. This watercolor is titled "Steelhead Emerging."

Tea Party

My mother, sister and I decided to have an art show with a tea cup theme. Mum, Olga Neal, was inspired by spring flowers despite spring being late to her Nova Scotia home this year. This warm watercolor is titled "Tea and Daffodils."












I borrowed a tea cup from my neighbor which was originally light peach. As I painted with my usual strong pallet, the tea cup got redder and redder. The inspiration for the piece is my oft forgotten cup of tea. I don't know how many times I have ruined a cup of tea by dipping my brush into it instead of medium or turp. My piece is called "Forgotten Cuppa" and is oil on canvas.









Sadie painted the light shining on her morning cup of herbal Redbush tea. This watercolor is titled "Redbush Tea."

Dr. Beatty's Pear

This is the first of a series of paintings I am doing of pears in organic spaces with non organic shapes in proximity. "Dr. Beatty's Pear" was painted for my surgical oncologist who not only performed life saving surgery, but also provided patient and detailed information and advice after I got my initial cancer diagnosis and then after I got a devastating pathology report from the surgery. He took the time to answer all of our questions and along with my medical oncologist outlined a battle plan that has, so far, proved to be successful.

The following is a section of the letter that will accompany the painting when I send it to him in a couple of days.

I thought long and hard about a thank you gift. Nothing seemed adequate so I am giving you a part of me in exchange for the part you took from me. Since my double mastectomy, pears have become my symbol. It’s the perfect shape, especially the Bosc pear in the painting. Pears are sensual and curvaceous with a lower center of gravity, like the new me. This one has the double meaning of having had a slice removed. “Dr. Beatty’s Pear” exists in an idealistic organic environment with blue skies and green grasses (I painted this during the longest winter in our history that included 224 inches of snow). The vagaries of life are close by, compartmentalized in non-organic shapes. It is meant to be a happy, hopeful painting tempered by a bit of reality.