Burgeoning...
Posted September 06, 2012
Burgeoning, oil on canvas, 12 x 24 inches The rural landscape is a testament to the hand of mankind. Nature may not grow in straight rows, but it does provide the soil, sun, water and the mysterious force that turns seed to burgeoning plants. We work hand in hand with these forces, a part of the magic. Food for thought and food for the plate. Cheers, Laura
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Waiting for a Shooting Star
Posted August 28, 2012
August nights often herald shooting stars. So on a night when this celestial display was predicted to peak, I made my way down to the river to gain a clear view of the sky and get away from the ambient light cast by civilization. I was picking my way carefully through the dark of the woods, only looking up once I was at the rivers edge. Laid out before me was a scene so beautiful, I knew I would have to paint it. The last of the days light was hovering at the horizon of a clear sky and refl...
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Hair Mythology, a Visual Narrative
Posted February 16, 2012
A friend of a friend told me about her mother’s hair, which was long and lustrous and which she (the mother) believed to have properties beyond the ability to keep her head warm. Each evening before laying down her head, she would braid her locks into a single tail and with each overlapping section would say a word quietly to herself. Each word represented a notion and each notion represented a dreamscape. As she dissolved into sleep each night she would enter into this self propelled vision...
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Prescription for the art blahs.
Posted January 18, 2012
I realize that as a professional artist I probably have the best job in the world, but even artists can suffer from being over-serious. The business end of being an artist can, at times, weigh heavily. So after a few days of getting papers together for taxes and submitting work with the hope of finding new gallery representation I found my self with my shoulders up around my ears and feeling downright grumpy. This is not a creative state. What's an artist to do when we find ourselves over ...
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Are traditional landscapes passé?
Posted January 11, 2012
Recently a fellow artist raised a question about the lasting (or not) appeal of the traditional landscape painting. His theory, in part, was that younger art collectors are attracted to larger, more colorful, and abstracted works. Therefore “quiet landscapes” have no appeal for them. While I understand his concern, I believe that the traditional landscape can never be completely out of fashion. There may be trends in art that come and go, but the landscape well executed will always find...
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Annie Blooming, a simmering sensuality
Posted January 11, 2012
My daughter has been posing for me since she was a child and so she is a natural by now. She was just over 18 when we worked on this painting and much to my surprise she consented to pose nude for me. I think that’s a testament to her vibrant personality and self-confidence. I had a very specific idea for what pose I wanted, but as sometimes happens, the model does something that’s so much better and more natural than what I had in mind. So when she paused to pull her long hair away fro...
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Genre paintings with symbolism: The story behind "Anticipation"
Posted January 09, 2012
Once in a while an idea takes hold of me and won't leave me alone until I express it in paint. "Anticipation" is one of those got-me by-the-throat paintings. It took a year and a half for me to find a second-hand wedding dress (that I could afford) to use as a prop, but the time waiting for the right dress to come along allowed me to ruminate over, plan and dream this painting. Consequently I had time to think about what I wanted to say with it, and how I could use symbolism to expand on a centr...
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