Sunday, April 25, 2010

Wow, it's the end of April and I guess everyone has given up on me....I am still here and still painting/cooking/exploring. This winter has been long and cold, but the temperature is doing what it usually does in April-fooling the heck out of us. One week, fooled into thinking that summer came early-then the next....snowing and blowing and cold as a polar ice storm. Crap. We spent a long Easter in the mountains getting what we thought was the last of the skiing season in, only to find that it's still snowing and ski season is going to last far into the summer. Actually, the glaciers are going to open for summer skiing May 1st, and the winter ski resorts are just closing down now.
Makes for alot of good painting in the studio without feeling guilty for not basking in the sunshine.
The paintings are more abstract these days, with the feeling of spring breaking through, as usual for this time of year. The odd flower painting forces itself through, although it's not so recognizable as a flower. (Take my word for it!) Now I have started a series of paintings using my childhood home in Sayre as inspiration. It's not obvious, but the forms and colors and emotions are all associations from Pitney St. The sketches are loose, and only suggest shapes that are a jumping off point for what actually works once the painting takes off. I am pleased with the first two paintings, and this coming week I will continue down this inspirational road. I have purchased new canvas, and will be stretching up 5-6 new blank canvases in the week ahead. I am optimistic and feel like a kid on his way to school for the first time. It's frustrating and hard, but challenging and rewarding, so I hang in there for the ride, knowing that I will succeed in the end.