Teaching Mondrian

I have been teaching Mondrian to preschoolers this week and have been truly inspired by their creations. I love it when a plan comes together.

New Paintings

With these I was trying to limit my colors and think more about playing with the consistency of the paint. I am also still working with organic shapes.


I have a new proposition brewing about using my images on home apparel. Would you like to see this in your home on a placemat? Mirror imaged for two pillow cases?

Open Air Arts is coming

Spring is fast approaching and that means lots of outdoor art activities in Florida. I will be participating in the Tioga Art Festival this weekend. The burst of beautiful weather this past weekend makes a very exciting start to the Spring Arts season.

I have also been working on designing the Melrose Open Air Arts poster this week. I feel like it is a work of art because I have been going through many delicate balances of color combinations.

I also designed a postcard on dark blue:

For the Dogs?

This painting really made me crazy. I kept going back to it and thinking it was going to really change as I altered the colors over and over. But it virtually remained the same. Not a free and fun painting experience. I like the composition of the close up view, perhaps I can make a print of that.

New Paintings in 2010

I'm trying to get into a rhythm of painting after being on a break for the holidays. I really enjoyed painting the palm trees in the frame. It is the fourth painting in recent months that I have painted over an old painting. Each one, I have really enjoyed the painting experience and been pleased with the results. Currently I am trying to figure out how to recreate that painting experience and layering without having to paint over another painting.

Homemade Christmas

Here are a few of my Christmas efforts. No wonder I want to add patterns to my current easel painting. I also painted another wooden sign with a bear theme.

My husband led many family projects including the making of soap and lotion, chocolate candy, fleece sewing and soup and cookie mixes.

Christmas Ventures

We began a tradition of exchanging homemade Christmas gifts with our extended family last year. I have been wanting to transfer some of my imagery into cloth and sewing so I figured this was a good opportunity to give that a try. This is my first attempt and I think I gained some good experience from it. I would like the stitching to be more organic so that the mistakes didn't matter. Not sure how to go about that.

Small Works Show

Weekends through Dec. 20, 2009
"Small Works, Big Ideas, Thinking Inside the Box"
Melrose Bay Art Gallery

These two paintings are new small works for the show at the Melrose Bay Art Gallery. I hung them this morning. There are so many really good art works still available at reasonable prices. It really is a mystery to me what sells and what doesn't.

Paddiwhack Event

I am happy to be included in this event. I love their new location next to Fresh Market what a fun place to be. Thursday, November 19 from 6 to 9 pm.

The Paddiwhack annual champagne & chocolate extravaganza Thursday November 19, 2009 6 to 9 pm This holiday season visit Paddiwhack for the largest selection of hand-made gifts in the area. Work from well known national and regional artists ... Barefoot Dreams Department 56 David Marsh Sticks Patience Brewster Patricia Locke Natty B Elizabeth Garvin Ed Levin Gary Rosenthal Yardbirds Tin Woodsman Story People Shoestrings creations Island Cowgirl Kathy Bransfield Eleanor Blair Krinkels Bill Campbell Folkmanis puppets Carol Barber Linda Blondheim Holly Yashi Stacey Breheney Amy Peters' Studio Sharon McGinley Basic Spirit Elements Jill Schwartz Churchill Weaver Chris Roberts -Antieau Heartwood Creations Jan Barboglio Kay Ash Lampe Berger Sid Dickens Join Our Mailing List! Paddiwhack 4128 NW 16th Blvd Gainesville, Florida 32605 352-336-3175 Dear Carol, Please join us for our 6th annual Champagne & Chocolate Extravaganza, it is sure to be our best ever with the added space of our new location. Paddiwhack's new home has over 6,000 Sq of showroom giving you the largest selection of American handmade furniture and craft in North Florida. This holiday season we invite you to preview the wonderful offering from over 300 American artists and craftsmen.. This private event is for our loyal customers and their friends, as a select member of this group you and your guests will have the opportunity to relax and shop with a glass of champagne and scrumptious chocolates. The "Extravagant" part is the wonderful discount, for one night, and one night only take 20% off your entire purchase. We only offer this discount once a year to our most valued customers and their friends so don't miss this opportunity to select from the vast array of unique gifts, jewelry and furniture that Paddiwhack has to offer. Sincerely, Chuck Sapp Paddiwhack Barefoot Dreams Throws 54" X 72" Reg $132.50 This holiday season surround yourself with our BambooChic® throw or robe, and you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. You will lose yourself in its softness as you relive the peace and comfort of your favorite blankie. Barefoot Dreams® BambooChic® throws are also featured at 5-star resorts and spas, a favorite among celebrities and the modern mom on the go! Available in 10 elegant colors, the BambooChic® throw will add style and sophistication to any home. BambooChic® knit is unlike most chenilles in that it is machine washable and dryable. It won't shrink, pill or wrinkle and will always return to its original softness.One of Oprah's favorite gifts. Patience Brewster Dashaway Vixen by Patience Brewster 12" tall Patience Brewster many of you may know as the creator of the Krinkles' line for Department 56. this year she as ventured out on her own with the debut of her new line for the holidays. Dashaway Vixen, one of eight reindeer figures, shows the attention to detail and quality that makes this and instant holiday favorite and family keepsake. Paddiwhack carries the entire line of Patience Brewster ornaments and figures. Linda Blondheim My Yard III 12" X 16" Oil on panel unframed by Linda Blondheim Linda Blondheim is a painter of the south, her work chronicles the fast changing landscape of rural North Florida and South Georgia. Having grown up in the region she is pulled by her connection to the beauty of the real Florida. Each painting documents her travels, of the love of the rural landscape, and it's need for preservation. Paddiwhack is proud to represent regionally know painters like Linda Blondheim, our current show is of recent painting by Linda. 20% off your entire Purchase For One Night Only Take 20% off the regular price of your entire purchase! Yes even on special orders! Offer good November 19, 2009 only. 20% is taken off of the regular price, can not be combined with any other discount

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Success

I had a fun time working on this painting, Decadent Forest, last week. I painted over an older painting and I feel that helped me achieve the delicate balance between intention and discovery. Sometimes I plow right through with my intentions and forget to play and be involved with the process. I have also just played and felt the painting had no structure or intention. It's a tricky balance.
It also felt really good to make some sales this weekend. The prices weren't high but nothing makes an artist feel better than a sale. Thank you to those purchasers, I appreciate you. And those sales also help the Harn Museum of Art and Melrose Bay Art Gallery, places that we love.

Landscapes and figures

David Hockney at 72 is painting landscapes! Is anyone else awe struck by seeing a master from the art history books paint like this or is it just me? See his work at: http://www.colugapictures.com/

These painted landscapes on the blog are mine for the small works show coming up in Melrose.
I have also been working on the figure in a landscape.

Durham, NC

I went to a beautiful wedding this past weekend in Durham, NC. While I was there I encountered some inspiring art also.
One interesting place was the Scrap Exchange. I think if I lived there I would hardly buy paint again. I would just make art from what was available. I bought a packet of materials to make a collage. Sometimes I do my best work when there are some limitations. Just being creative and making what I can from what is available.
Also visited a non-profit organization that provides a foundry for the community and artists. They poured the bronze bull in the town's square. Loved the gates around the fire area.
Visited a ceramics studio and gallery. http://www.claymakers.com/ I had never seen ceramic tiles used as canvases and glazes used as paint in this way. Also looked like some collaged digital transfers on some of the vessels that were interesting.
LabourLove Gallery, Art co-op gallery at Golden Belt, was a great place also. One artist there had done something that I have been thinking about. She had cut out images from felt or cloth and had them sewn to the upholstery of chairs and a sofa. The images were inspired by her paintings. We went to the wedding reception at the Golden Belt and I didn't even know until right now that it had a whole floor of artists' studios. The Golden Belt was once a factory that made bags for raw cotton. I am so excited about this because this is only an hour away from where my parents live in rural Virginia.
Last but not least, saw a Picasso exhibit at the Nasher Museum of Art on the Duke campus. The exhibit was Picasso and the Allure of Language. I didn't even know Picasso wrote poetry which he did. The exhibit drew many different types of connections between his art and the use of language. One that I can use when I teach art to preschoolers this week is the influence of shapes of letters in some of his Cubist style paintings. One thing that inspired me, was Picasso taking one line drawing of a face and exhausting that image by drawing it as many different ways that he could without changing it proportionally. Like embellishing it differently or drawing it with different line qualities.

Contrasting Waters

My family has been going on the rivers more and more on the weekends. I was struck by how contrasting our water in North Central Florida can be. We have the crystal clear water coming from the springs and then the deep black tannin water resulting from the trees.

My work is experiencing some contrast also. I want to incorporate figures into my paintings and it is a bit of a shift in the way I have been working. I enjoy working from my drawings for my landscape paintings but I am not finding the same opportunities to draw figures. So I am using photographs at the moment.

Show at the Thomas Center

Here are some teaser photos of the show at the Thomas Center. Sarah and Sky's Island of Wild Things was a total surprise for me. And it is crazy how it goes with some of my paintings, especially since we didn't collaborate. It makes me wonder what would happen if we did collaborate. I can see doing some drawings and paintings from their island.
Reception is October 1st from 5 to 7 pm.

Thomas Center Show

I took my work to the Thomas Center this morning. I have had that date on my calendar for along time and to get to the other side feels sweet. Now I get to sit back and watch the staff of the Thomas Center work their magic in the hanging of the show.
I was excited about my latest painting but in my haste to deliver, I didn't take its picture. It reflects my love of Odilon Redon's work and I want to keep working with the figure. I will post some pictures after the installation.
The reception is Thursday, October 1st from 5 to 7 pm. The show runs from September 19 - October 18th.

New MT's Chop House

I just installed nine paintings at a restaurant with a new location. I was proud of myself for wielding the measuring tape and cordless drill. I literally had to run around due to limited time and needing to pick up my sons from their schools. I think that helped though: just do and don't think. The paintings look nice in this new location. Wishing them good luck on their opening.

Thin Washes

Warm Wind


Peter Doig, Peter Doig, Peter Doig. I want to be like the contemporary artist Peter Doig. I saw a youtube video of his latest exhibition and the narrator was talking about the thin washes that he used. So I tried these latest palms in thin washes of acrylic. I was surprised that I could paint vertical on the easel with the paint this thin. I liked the process of really moving the brush in this painting. Although it is nothing like Peter Doig.

I have a habit of breaking my subjects into many different colored shapes. I want to try breaking the composition into color blocks and allowing whatever is in that area to stay basically that color. I have observed this method in Odilon Redon's color work. An artist that I love from art's past.


Approaching Storm

One thing that I do like that is happening in my paintings is the staking of layers of shapes. Like is happening on the right side of "Approaching Storm".


I just read a new novel by Samantha Peale entitled "The American Painter Emma Dial". It was a fun book to read and strengthened my desire to be a serious painter. I had already decided to do paintings that I wanted to do and not worry so much about what might sell. I am thinking about getting a job in a print shop part time once my son goes to school. I think it will be more freeing to my art to have a job for income rather than try to rely on it for income.

Summer Work

Dancing Beach Trees

























Reflection in Blue



Wedding present for a couple who like to scuba dive and have a new dog.




My camp studio in the woods. My husband is building an oven out of native stone in the background.

Going with the Flow

I am reminded of my flower bed in the backyard. I started flowers from seed in the Spring in hopes of seeing bursts of color from our windows. I used some soil from our compost pile to strengthen our sandy soil. What I have now is oodles of little tomato plants all around the house that came from the compost and one little sunflower blossom that I can see from the window. Maybe in the Fall when the weather cools the tomato blossoms will set and I can make colorful salsas and sauces. Who knows? I will have to go with the flow and see.
My goal for the Summer is to paint some Florida water inspired paintings for a show I am having in September and October. The water inspiration will go with the glass vessels Sarah Hinds is anticipating for the show. Right now I am on the move with my two young sons who are free from school. We had an active vacation at a Florida Beach where I did some sketches and now we are off to camp on some family land in Pennsylvania. Not an ideal situation for painting Florida water but I am interested in what will result from the "quiet" of the woods. Although I am thankful for all of the fun we have had so far this Summer, I'm eager for some intense painting time. Who knows what exactly will result, I will have to go with the flow and see.

Flying Boy

This painting is not quite what I had in mind for my next work but it was fun to do. There is some drawing and photography research I want to do as preparation for my next painting but I haven't had time yet. It's next on my list.