Healing Art

 

 I was contacted by a company, Healthcare Art Consulting, asking if I was interested in submitting artwork for a new Cancer Treatment Center, being built by Charleston Area Medical Center in West Virginia...   Well, I almost didn't do it, because just applying would be a lot of work, and I had no way of knowing if my application would be accepted. At the last minute, I decided to apply, and I really had to hustle to get everything turned in on time. As part of the application, they asked for samples, so I painted the 12 x 12" painting above. This is a WV landscape that I had been wanting to paint for several years.

 

Well, I sent everything in, and waited, hoping for a commission...   When the news arrived, they had approved me for two commissions! Two oil paintings of West Virginia landscapes, each 40 x 40!"  I can't show you the other one, because it doesn't exist yet!

 

As you probably know, I live in California now, but I grew up in WV, and have lived there for most of my life. In fact, I used to kayak on the river in this painting. This is very exciting and challenging! And I feel honored to have this opportunity to offer some measure of beauty and hope to people undergoing treatment for cancer.

 

That kind of art is "healing?' I always thought my art was peaceful and harmonious... Is that healing? These scenes will be familiar to people in WV, and, I hope, arouse pleasant memories. What do you think?

 

 

Toot's Tavern

Toot's Tavern - 8x6"- oil on canvas panel

I really like this neon sign with the naked lady in a martini glass. So retro! So politically incorrect! (So hard to paint!) The only way to have it show up in a painting was to do it at night--and even then, it wasn't all that dark, because there was a street light in front of the building. You can see the shadow of the light pole on the left.

When I delivered my work to the gallery, one of the other artists asked if I had fun. I said, "Yes, but I sweat blood over them." He laughed, and said, "Yes, we all do!"

This is another painting for the Valona Paint-out in Crockett, CA. It can be seen at Epperson Gallery

Valona Paint-out 2014

St. Mark's - 8x10"- oil on linen panel

I have always admired this little church, in Crockett, set back among the tall pines. Now, during the Valona Paintout, I decided to paint it. When I started, there was bright sun on the church and the flowers--looking good. Passers-by were very nice and complementary. But the light changed... so I had to pack it in and return the next day.

Well, by the next day, someone had cut all the flowers! And the light was overcast. So, I tried to go with what I remembered and photos. I had left white spots on the canvas where the flowers were supposed to be. I think it turned out really successful!

Framed in gold. Shipped free.

Alone on the Mountain

Papoose Pass Vista - oil on linen - 12x9"
 

Here, again, a ranger at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, took me to Papoose Pass, an area that would have been inaccessible to me otherwise. It's always scary, going to a new place and starting a new painting, I guess because it's out of my comfort zone. I spent a lot of time walking back and forth trying to get a different view and thinking, "How am I going to compose this? What am I doing here?" I actually saw that I had cell service and tried to call a friend, but she wasn't home. Finally, I just got to it and started putting paint on the canvas! It was so quiet, even birds weren't singing. Very hypnotic, really.

This is what the painting looked like by the time I had to pack up and meet the ranger for the trip back:

 

I am really happy with the end results! And the painting is SOLD!!!

 

If you like this, please share it with others. I love to have people enjoying my work! (Notice the little like and share buttons at the bottom of the page...)

 

Shimmering Water

"Fetch" - oil on panel - 6 x 6"

So many streams flow into Whiskeytown Lake, and they flow year-round. Here I was really drawn to the beautiful shimmering reflections in the water, and to the whole mood: people out enjoying a beautiful day with their dog. It makes me feel good just looking at it. And that's how I want my viewers to feel when they look at it.

This painting is SOLD!! Yay! And that makes me feel good!

More Paintings...

 

Sunlit Falls - 8 x 8" oil on panel

 I seemed to be "on a roll" with waterfalls, so I decided to try Crystal Creek Falls. This is a smaller painting, and was harder to do--I don't know why. The sunlight was changing fast. It is easy to walk to this falls. Here is how it looks in a frame--

 

Afterwards, I went down to the marina with my (now dry) horrible painting from the first day; trying to see if I could rescue it. Well, just then, a sailboat came along, so I turned the whole thing around, from horizontal to vertical, and put the boat in!


Sailing the Lake - oil on linen panel - 10 x 8"



I know this is more hard-edged than most of my work. The reason is that I had to lay the paint on so thickly to cover the painting beneath. Those colorful things floating on the water are called wave attenuators.

Here are some more photos of Whiskeytown, which sadly, is closed now, due to the government shutdown. Enjoy!

I Forgot to Take a Picture!!!

Morning at Oak Bottom (in progress) - 9 x 12 - oil on linen

I'm totally enchanted by the way the sunlight rolls over the hills in the morning, when everything is soft and dewy, hitting the tops of the tallest trees first. Here I was trying to remember to take pictures of my work at different stages, so I could show how the painting developed. Well, that's a good idea, except I forgot to take a picture when the painting was finished!

You can see how I started here, wiping out the lights and creating paths for the eye to follow around the painting. There is more detail in the finished painting. The two little vertical lines on the right are markers to remind me where to put the two white sailboats.

It turned out that this painting (the completed version), was the one the park superintendent chose as my donation to the National Park Service! (Well, we all have moments like this...)