Pink Chair: Incoming Tide to Solo Exhibit

Pink Chair: Incoming Tide to Solo Exhibit: This is the very first pink chair piece that I painted. It was before I had the revelation that happened in the next one. It was a lovely da...

Incoming Tide to Solo Exhibit

This is the very first pink chair piece that I painted. It was before I had the revelation that happened in the next one. It was a lovely day and the tide was coming in, making the water glow green over the rocks that were often exposed. This painting was later reworked in the studio, making it more dramatic than initially. It was a foretelling omen, yet I could not see what would be happening. The repainting in the studio would be part of a loosening up of my abilities to compose away from the subject matter,and this has resulted in an ability to produce large dynamic work, like the poppy piece you saw last week. 

Incoming Tide 8x8 Oil on Canvas

That day, after painting away from the cottage, I decided to paint off of the back deck. But first, I enjoyed the view for a while, sitting in the pink Adirondack chair in the back yard. It matched the shutters of the house. As I rested and, I thought of how much Mom would have loved that chair because of the color. Not thinking much more about it I painted it into the small piece. The chair looked good there, adding a touch of color. Little did I realize that the title I gave it was was foreshadowing what was about to happen. It was, indeed, an incoming tide of art work, all on the pink chair theme, that morphed from a few pieces done as grief work into a glorious celebration of my mother's life. Eighteen pieces of artwork hung in the Topsfield library and brought joy to many people, who responded to the images and the stories. The show will now hang in the Scala Art Center in January, and then travel to the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. I have not stopped, as there are now three new pieces that will be shown in the January show. The waves continue to lap higher on the shore.

The exhibit beginning area with my mother's autobiography 

and explanation of the exhibit

The chair itself at the exhibit!

The end wall with the three large pieces

The entry/hall wall

the board where people left notes for their loved ones

Pink Chair: Garden by the Sea

Pink Chair: Garden by the Sea: This painting will really grab you when you first see it. It is the biggest one in the series and has 25 bright red poppies in it! And like a...

Garden by the Sea

This panting will really grab you when you first see it. It is the biggest one in the series and has 25 bright red poppies in it! And like all of the others, it has its own story.

Garden by the Sea 36x48 Oil on Canvas

When I was in Rockland I was very taken with a pretty town park by the edge of the sea and took pictures there three times. I watched these beautiful poppies open and expand and start to flop a bit during the time I was there. There was also a small gazebo. While I was there, I met a woman, an artist also, who arrived on a bike, and who maintained the garden. She said she was not part of a garden club, she just did it because she wanted to, including putting plants in and maintenance. This painting was not working until I put her in and later I realized why and the connection to Mom. Mom was above all, committed to people around her. In each of her areas of connection, she had many friends and she was always contributing to some aspect of making her community better. Not only is there a community of 25 poppies in this piece, but when I put the gardener in the piece came together. Its not about the poppies, its about community, another surprise. My art always knows where I am going and it always gets there first.

Gardener by the Sea