February Post

"In Between"

4x4 oil on canvas

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A cactus growing in an unlikely place caught my eye and became the basis for this small painting. This is the first for the year in my painting of the month series. January escaped me. It came and went in such a hurry I didn't have time to catch my breath let alone make a blog entry. What's the line to that old song, "slow down, you move to fast"?. That's the way I feel about life at the moment!

Mother Nature uses red and green often on her palette, and purple is good in any landscape or floral painting. This painting was inspired by one of my photographs which are usually jumping off points for me. I push the color and the image to try to create something interesting. Sometime it works, sometimes it doesn't.

So, here's to a new year. May it bring peace and prosperity to all. Until next month.....JB

November

"Harvest Moon"

8x10 oil on canvas

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It's harvest time. A time of gathering. A time for being thankful. This small painting is entitled, Harvest Moon. It has a warm feeling like we experience when we gather with friends and family this time of year.

I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving. And if you don't happen to celebrate the holiday, just pause and give thanks for all of the many blessings we have as a people and a country. Use the holidays as an excuse to perform random acts of kindness. You never know what impact you will have or the lives you might change. Until next month......JB

Fall

"October"

6x8 oil on canvas

on masonite

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It's Fall again. The mornings have that crisp edge. The days are shorter. The year is winding down. The pumpkins are everywhere.

This is my painting of the month entitled, "October". When I think of Fall, one of the first things I visualize is all of the pumpkins. As kids we couldn't wait to carve one, and then smash it on Halloween night as a trick, after we got the treat of course.

Everyone has a favorite season and Fall is mine. I've tried to capture that feeling in this small painting. Until next month....................JB

September 2008

"A Quiet Place"

9x12 oil on canvas

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"A quiet place." How often I wish I could escape to just such a place. When the daily grind gets to be too much, it is the quiet places such as this that offer rest for our weary souls.

An actual palce in northern Illinois, it is good to know that such places do exist. This is a small work on canvas. The colors attempt to imitate nature although her pallet still escapes me for the most part. Just being out there, away from the hustle and bustle of the everyday is a joy.

Make an effort to find your own quiet place. It may be as near as your own backyard. Give yourself permission to stay for awhile, slow down, reevaluate, let go, and feed your spirit with the joy, hope and peace of things that are yet to be.............Until next month, JB

August Post

"Letting Go"
11x14 oil on canvas

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painting on
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SOLD!

It's August, time for change, children returning to school, a time for letting go. Change is what its all about and letting go is hard. Unfamiliar territory can be daunting no matter what the situation. But in letting go we can experience real freedom. Growth occurs as we spread our wings and test our limits. Sometimes with our kids the testing is the tough part. Some tend to want to push the envelope a lot farther than others. I've found with my own children that these are the ones who will probably be the most successful in life if we can just keep them from falling out of the nest and breaking their little necks early on.

Lets face it. Life is a struggle on a good day. Change is inevidable. One of my grandchildren has decided that he dosen't want to growup because it dosen't look like any fun. I can identify with him. Sometimes its not much fun being grownup! It's a good thing we don't have a choice, or the world might be run by ten year olds....Huh. No, I won't go there.

Letting Go is the title of this painting. Letting go does not come naturally. It is a learned behavior. With freedom comes growth. Growth opens doors to greater understanding and compassion. Understanding and compassion open the door to great joy. Let go, it may be easier than you think if you just let go! Until next month......JB

It's Summer Time

"Emma & the Chickens"

5x5 oil on canvas on masonite

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It's summer time and I have had grandkids running out my ears, which is my excuse, lame as it is, for not posting in June! Summer weather is hot and outdoor chores are usually done early in the morning. This small painting is a reminder of simple times and places. "Emma & the Chickens" reminds me of summers spent on the farm. I was actually terrified of the chickens, being a city girl. They always tried to peck the buttons on my dresses. The old rooster was especially aggressive and much time was spent trying to figure out how to avoid him when gathering eggs. He eventually ended up as dinner after crossing swords with my aunt one to many times!

I sometimes wish my grandchildren could experience the joy of simple things. Kick the can would probably not hold a candle to X-Box 360 though! You can't go back. Just allow time this summer for making memories, not the kind you can buy, but the kind that take a little extra effort and imagination. Memories that will last a lifetime are often those that cost little or nothing monetarily.

Until next month.....JB

May Flowers

"No Vacancy"

11x14 oil on canvas

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This piece is about new beginnings. The end of spring and the beginning of summer. New life in new places. Building nests and fledglings spreading their wings in anticipation of that first flight.

I had the priviledge of watching my grandson graduate from high school last week. What a joy to see him complete 12 years of school successfully. To see one so young and full of life. It gives you faith that things are going to turn out alright. Isn't it amazing how the wheel of time keep on turning. The dreams of one generation really are the reality of the next.

It gives us pause to stop and think about what kind of reality we are dreaming up for the future. Because the buck dosen't stop here. It gets handed down to the next generation and they have to make it stretch a little farther than we did!

That's it! The painting of the month is entitled, "No Vacancy". We're heading to Mexico the first of June so hope to have some southwest flavor for you next month. Until then.......JB