I was thrilled for OPA to ask me to submit a guest blog for November!
On the Oil Painters of America Webpage
A Bright Spot!
11×14 oil
We have been having a LOT of rain lately. Not just rain, but thunder, lightning, wind, dark clouds and hail! Staying inside and waiting for a bright spot in the sky is not my favorite kind of day.
This 11×14 was painted between storms. The sun came out and the light touched the earth with its magical fingers! I went for a walk to breathe and snapped a few spots with my cellphone camera. The Indian Blankets/Firewheels, Bluebonnets, Prickly Poppy, and Milk Thistle were dancing in the short reprieve from stormy weather! Such a look of joy on their little petal faces! I took the photo inside to paint while the clouds returned.
The parallel to nature seems too obvious. We go through some pretty heavy storms, one after another. But, there are “bright spots” in between. I’m not going to say that all you need to do is look for the bright spots. Some storms are longer than others. Some days you have to get out your raincoat or hunker down! But when those bright spots come, when we are in the midst of them, simply remember to bow and be grateful!
I’m grateful for the Bright Spots!
Standing in the Storm
9×12 oil
As I post Day 10 of the 30 Day Challenge, I’m pulling out a painting from last May. All thoughts and prayers are directed to everyone in the path of Hurricane Irma. And just as these palms stand strong in the Florida landscape, we pray that the spirits of Floridians and Georgians will stand strong during this storm.
#30paintingsin30days
Tomorrow is the day I begin Leslie Saeta’s 30 Day Painting Challenge to paint 30 paintings in 30 days! Now, this is not really as difficult as it seems to someone who is normally in her studio at least once a day. But to have 30 paintings ready to post daily … that may be another matter.
So, if you follow me through this, please be kind! Realize some may not be gallery-ready! Some will only be studies. Some may be unfinished pieces of studies. But I plan to paint and post something every day. Look for it. Hold me accountable. Help me grow.
Here is a link to the 30 in 30 Challenge, if you would like to join in! Look at the map of artists from all over the world. And there I am listed in Thomson, GA!!