Pink Chair: "Grief Work"

Pink Chair: "Grief Work": Rockport, MA is a very special place for me and has always nourished my art. I used to say my car went there all by itself! So it naturally...

"Grief Work"

Rockport, MA is a very special place for me and has always nourished my art. I used to say my car went there all by itself!  So it naturally came to pass that I had to take "Mom" there too. I set up right on the T wharf but instead of doing "Motif #1", the building that has inspired so many artists, I placed the chair on the pier high over the water, looking out to sea, through the jetties on either side. It was a gray day, cloudy, but comfortable. As often happens, many people stopped and enjoyed the work, and heard the story of the pink chair paintings. It was a 4 hour session, longer than usual because of the interruptions. I left the water empty until almost the last minute, when all of a sudden, a children's sailing school with small sailboats came tacking back home after their lesson. Without thinking, I quickly painted them into the piece, and it was almost done. The sky was pretty boring, all grey and kind of flat and I said kiddingly, "Mom, can you do something about that?" Within 15 minutes, the sky took on a interesting pattern of clouds with tiny bits of blue, which I gladly painted in......Later, after packing up the car, an extreme tiredness came over me. I could barely make it to the bench, where I laid down for a while. Ravenous, I finally got up, and still tired, barely made it to the restaurant. I ate quietly and again, barely made it back to the car. I have never been so tired after painting, and had felt none of it during the painting process. Later, showing the painting to my friend Teresa, a therapist, I told her the story. She said: Lynne, you are doing grief work. You need to plan a nap after every painting. I said I didn't actively feel sad or grief; I had just been painting. She said "Lynne, look at it! That is grief work if I ever saw it!" Then I saw the powerful message of that small (14x14) piece. I instantly knew the title.

"Lessons Learned, Sailing Home"

Pink Chair: Comments Welcome

Pink Chair: Comments Welcome: I found buttons to change the comments so that anyone can comment! You don't need to join anything. I will be approving comments so this sho...

Comments Welcome

I found buttons to change the comments so that anyone can comment! You don't need to join anything. I will be approving comments so this should work. Comment away! Please! Let's see if it works!

Pink Chair: Seashore Painting trip

Pink Chair: Seashore Painting trip: Mia and I traveled to painting spots and galleries in Cape Cod, Maine and Cape Ann last week. It was a whirlwind tour, complete with pink ch...

Seashore Painting trip

Mia and I traveled to painting spots and galleries in Cape Cod, Maine and Cape Ann last week. It was a whirlwind tour, complete with pink chair, overnight items, and two artist's supplies and wet paintings. We painted in Yarmouthport, Chatham, Wellfleet, and Sandwich and took photos at many more spots.

Mia and Lynne at the Nubble Lighthouse

Near the end of our time together, Mia and I spent a day touring galleries in Maine and then a finale at the Nubble Lighthouse. Ahh, the perfect spot! Beauty, admirers, restroom and gift shop, and even a seafood restaurant!

One wonderful Cape Cod stop was at the Chatham Fish Pier. There is a observation deck above the fishermen bringing in their catch. We had a great view of the flats and houses, boats, and buildings. But the best part was watching the seals try to get the fishermen to throw them some fish pieces!

Another great stop was Wellfleet. We found a perfect spot next to a building with shade and a great view! I found myself carefully positioning "Mom" exactly under the church steeple in the center of the picture. Later looking at it, I realized that this painting empahasizes Mom's central love in life besides her family: her church. The art I create is always zeroing in on the truth and I can usually only read it later.

Lynne Painting  at Wellfleet

Pink Chair: A Beautiful Garden

Pink Chair: A Beautiful Garden: I have painted many times at the beautiful Sedgwick Gardens at Long Hill in Beverly, MA. It is the headquarters of the Trustees of Reservati...

A Beautiful Garden

I have painted many times at the beautiful Sedgwick Gardens at Long Hill in Beverly, MA. It is the headquarters of the Trustees of Reservations, a wonderful group dedicated to the preservation and stewardship of our state's lands. Here's their website:

http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/northeast-ma/long-hill.html

I decided that I would take the pink chair there and set up next to a beautiful water feature with lilies and lotuses. As I set up, I was told that I was lucky - that the lotus had just opened for the first time. It was just gorgeous in it's delicacy and I was taken by the sense of being in the presence of an ancient and exotic flower. I knew Mom would love it, so I set her chair up close to it so that she could get a good look.

 

I painted for several hours, always receding further away so I could have the benefit of the shade. I do like shade when I paint! I managed to stay in the same relationship to the chair so I could paint the same view. The painting came out a very rich green, and becaue of the oriental flower, I deceided that it looked like Mom was meditating quietly behind the blooms. I like the way the leaves come in and out of focus and the way they arch over the chair like they are protecting it.

Meditation (First Lotus)

There will be more to the story of this little pond and flowers. While I was there, I took a lot of photos from every angle, including my goal: to get some with the chair reflecting in the water. I am now working on the third one in this mini-series, so stay tuned!

Pink Chair: Traveling Again

Pink Chair: Traveling Again: A plein air bunch of paintings coming up! I've been working in the studio for a while, but next week, I'm getting out. Mia Lane is coming...

Traveling Again

A plein air bunch of paintings coming up!

I've been working in the studio for a while, but next week, I'm getting out. Mia Lane is coming to paint with me and we are going to go plein air on the North Shore of Boston and down to Cape Cod. Mia is a Canadian artist who is known for her awesome animal paintigs and who recently has moved in some different directions. She took one plein air painting and created a whole show from it, gathering new ideas. Check out her website @   http://www.mialane.on.ca/
I met Mia this summer when we visited my cousin Bill and his wife Marnie in Canada. Mia ia Marnie's sister-in-law. Bill and Marnie started the very popular and wonderful campground, Desert Lake Resort, now run by their daughter. Visit the campground site at http://www.desertlakeresort.on.ca/ and see just how cool it is, and beautiful, too.

We had a wonderful time there taking "Mom" on the pontoon boat when we toured around, looking for loons.

I will be putting my pink chair in the car and taking it on-site again as we paint together. I'll let you in on what is happening later in the week!

A Question for my Readers

I am perplexed about this piece. I absolutely love it as is. For me it says all that I went to Maine for. It has fabulous color and a I felt a strength that I didn't know I had on the day I finished it. Coincidently, I finished it the day before I had the awakening that I was going to be doing Pink Chair paintings. (see post for August 27) I had to leave because of a storm before it was finished and came back  to finish. I had an incredible feeling of intensity when I was painting, like I had to do it fast - strong - NOW!  It is part of what put the power in that tree.

Now, There are some lovely spots of pink here and there that go with the pink chair. I could easily paint a pink chair, maybe back there under the back tree, and make it part of the series. Somehow I feel it is already a part of the series. Maybe the strength I felt had come from Mom and was just waiting inside to be named on the next day when I would be doing the first transformative painting, the one in which I felt her presence.

What do you think? Should it be part of the series without the chair? Should I paint the pink chair in? Any thoughts?

Climb Every Mountain

View over Camden

After doing a two pink chair paintings at the cabin, I realized that I was looking at my new series. The bottom line was that I just didn't want to do anything else and I felt that this process would help me in my grieving. I had sat for a long time with Mom's book, reading again all she wrote about her life. What a gift that was! But now I was ready to move ahead in public and I had a whole day ahead of me. I decided that because it was a rare good weather day, to go up the auto road at Mount Battie. 

It really caught some eyes as I put the pink chair out on the edge. Tourists enjoying the view were saying "Boy, you really want to be comfortable up here". But as I spread out my paints and sat a distance away, my purpose became clear. Throughout the afternoon, people stopped and talked. I used a combination of transparent watercolor under opaque gouache, a new thing for me this summer, which I like better than transparent watercolor alone. I told the story of my mother and the chair over and over, and gave out the business cards that seemed to please people. Telling it over and over seemed to help me. The afternoon wore on and the crowd thinned. I slowed down as I got near the end, very reluctant to go. But finally, with the sun setting and the chill coming in, I finally picked up my paints and headed home. I really love this piece. I am transported back there instantly when I look at it..