It would be nice if we could keep the purest parts of ourselves uncontaminated. It would be nice if love always lasted forever. It would be nice if it never hurt. We could keep it in a bottle I guess – pure, and perfect. But what good is it in a bottle? It’s only valuable if we open it, and drink it. Then it’s gone, and we need some more.
As Janis used to say…get it while you can.
We all fall. Hopefully there are a few nuts nearby to keep us smiling through it. Cheers to the little nuts in my life.
2 Responses to Fall – Simple Pleasures. #27 of 30
Hi Ginny, they are all pretty small – 5″ x 7″. I thought this one would be a simple quicky – I only had a bit of time – I had plans with the kids. I thought I could just whip it out. It was so hard to simplify – I kept going to far and having to pull it back. It was a challenging exercise for such a simple piece. This has been a great little lesson, though I am looking forward to some longer more complex studies and some figurative work. I would also LOVE to paint outside in the sun and figure out the landscape thing – but I may have to get on a plane to make that happen. I hope you are well my old friend. I miss your smiling face. Say hello to Bruce. Cheers.
Remember Your Info
Check this box if you want email updates when people comment on this post
| To help us prevent spam, Please enter the code in the box: |
|
Waiting on the frost and counting on the cold. There is only one way to the other side. There will be no bloom without the bury, no sun without the blackness. But they work their way up, no matter what direction you point them – they know where they’re going. And they’ll get there.
2 Responses to Autumn Bulbs – Simple Pleasures, #26 of 30
Kelly, I just came over to your blog from FASO and have to tell you, you are a brilliant painter! I can tell you enjoy writing too because there’s a real voice in your words.
Hi Lisa. Thanks so much. I’m definitely working hard on the paint thing. This daily study has been a big push in the right direction. They are coming faster and stronger from the get go – not sure if you can see it, but I can really feel it. And thanks for the good words about my writing -it eases me some how – happy you enjoy it. Cheers.
Remember Your Info
Check this box if you want email updates when people comment on this post
| To help us prevent spam, Please enter the code in the box: |
|
For days I’ve been looking for a pine cone. There is one in my back yard, but no ladder made could reach it.
I climbed into my car after a quickie at the gym. I had parked there 50 times. I turned the key and looked forward – there they were – eye level – small and pretty. It was not the giant from the forests of California, or the Poconos of my childhood, but it represented the same thing to me. A quite place void of man made things – except me and someone I loved.
Great, busy, day today. Happy to have had it.
Remember Your Info
Check this box if you want email updates when people comment on this post
| To help us prevent spam, Please enter the code in the box: |
|
Generally we can’t fix our mistakes. They live, whether we like it or not. Regret is useless, but we entertain it on occasion anyway.
I’ve looked over this series many times. I’ve noticed issues that I wished I had done differently. I work to remember and correct them the next time around. I wish every piece was a brilliant study, but if I were capable of that – they would not be called studies and there would be no need for this exercise.
I’m excited to produce a show from this series. I’ve worked hard –but what do I do with the ugly ducklings?? There are only a few, but they exist. I considered the ‘tune up’ but thought it might compromise the ‘integrity’ of the exercise. Then I thought again.
When I arrived at the studio today a friend and fellow artist was unloading the few painting left from his Philadelphia show. He knew about my little project and inquired if I was on track. He came into my studio to peruse the work. When I asked for his thoughts, he obliged. One by one he addressed the pieces that I already knew were weak. He offered reasoning in plain terms. I heard every word. Then he moved on to a few stronger pieces. Paintings that pleased me but haunted my intellect for reasons I could not pinpoint. “One small shift here, one small shift there – you will see it as soon as you do it” he said as he motioned his fingers across the piece. I could ‘see’ it immediately.
I looked at my big orange jar of brushes and felt an incredible power to change the world. Well…my little world. These brushes will be the star of my “follow-up project” – EDITS, based on what I’ve learned. They are truly one of my most engaging pleasures, AND they have the ability to fix all of the mistakes they make. Magic. No wonder I lose myself there.
5 Responses to My Orange Jar of Brushes – Simple Pleasures, #24 of 30
I certainly look forward to all your paintings but equally look forward to your words. I love how you express your feelings. Hope you have a wonderful day. I love you, Mom
I like the jar of brushes. See my website and my paintings of Artists Tools.
I am often looking in my studio for things to paint.You can see me on youtube.
Arton!!!!
Bob
Hi Kelly,
I wish Phillie was just a little bit closer so I could see you and tell you in pesrson how impressed I am with your work. Thank you for the inspiration to look for the simple pleasures and know that every painting does not have to be a masterpiece. Thank you also for your words – you are an artist as a writer as well! Joan
Hello Joan Mudge!! How are you? How did you come across me after years? Where are you in Phillie? That’s pretty close. We need to get Kelly up here for a paint out – or a paint is as I prefer.
Thanks for the nice words. I’m working at it. Life seems to be moving in the right direction. Cheers.
Remember Your Info
Check this box if you want email updates when people comment on this post
| To help us prevent spam, Please enter the code in the box: |
|
“There must be something in there”, I thought to myself. I turned it all around and admired it. It was simple. It was beautiful. I was intrigued by the thing I could not see; that beautiful thing inside. The one that I was sure existed, but could never see without breaking it apart.
Mystery is a powerful thing. It can motivate us toward an outcome, or it can consume us, thirsty for an answer. How far we go to quench it is what separates us.
Some will bust it open demanding satisfaction. They may reach their goal of knowing, but will likely leave a lot of broken pieces.
Others may pick at it slowly, after careful deliberation and study, until a softening occurs and they can see what has been hiding. Hopefully they find sweetness; something worthy of their effort.
There are also those that would prefer to leave a beautiful thing undisturbed and just appreciate it from a comfortable distance, maintaining its beauty, keeping the mystery folded. This is the safe spot. They will never really know what’s in there, and they will never be disappointed by its content.
In the Buddhist religion, the seeds of the Chinese Lantern are used is an offering to celebrate the greatest mystery of all. This offering is made to honor our ancestors and thank them for their sacrifices. It is intended to guide them through death.
Perhaps we can use a seed or two in life. Just knowing that “there is something in there”, makes me want to see it. Will I bust it open, or pick at it slowly, or just keep it folded?
For now, I will paint.
RELATED POSTS
The Ginger Pear -Simple Pleasures – #9 of 30
The Bittersweet Vine- Simple Pleasures, #22 of 30
Loving the stillness of a still life – Simple Pleasures #17 & #18 of 30
The Sugar Jar -Simple Pleasures #2 of 30
Far from pleasure, and nothing simple about it – Simple Pleasures #6 of 30
Lemon – Simple Pleasures #4 of 30
My Darlin’ Clementine – Simple Pleasures, #21 of 30
Cotton – Simple Pleasures, #15 of 30
Natures Course – simple pleasures #3 of 30
Sunrise on the Hill – Simple Pleasures #5 of 30
Garlic – Simple Pleasures, #14 of 30
Cynthia’s Cup – Simple Pleasures #7 of 30
Green Grapes – Simple Pleasures, #10 of 30
A Warm Hat – Simple Pleasures, #19 of 30
Rose – Simple Pleasures #8 of 30
Freshly Grated – Simple Pleasures, #16 of 30
The Boxer – Simple Pleasures #11 of 30
Green Apples – Simple Pleasures, #20 of 30
River Bank – Simple Pleasures #12 of 30
Remember Your Info
Check this box if you want email updates when people comment on this post
| To help us prevent spam, Please enter the code in the box: |
|
Bittersweet is defined as “arousing pleasure tinged with sadness or pain”… I could go on but my sweet husband returns to Idaho tomorrow, so I’ll close and spend the time I have.
Remember Your Info
Check this box if you want email updates when people comment on this post
| To help us prevent spam, Please enter the code in the box: |
|
It was nice to paint with light today! My sweet little nieces are coming to our house to trick-or-treat, so there is no time for the brush to babble anymore today. Pumpkin soup, a hearty salad, crunchy bread with smelly cheese – followed by a bag of candy. Yum.
1 Response to My Darlin’ Clementine – Simple Pleasures, #21 of 30
Remember Your Info
Check this box if you want email updates when people comment on this post
| To help us prevent spam, Please enter the code in the box: |
|
The power went out 10 minutes into this painting. I also used a bristle brush on a smooth panel which tends to pick up paint as much as it puts it down. That alone was an interesting exercise in patience. Apart from the texture the brush created, I tried to keep it as simple as possible, considering the lack of light.
Remember Your Info
Check this box if you want email updates when people comment on this post
| To help us prevent spam, Please enter the code in the box: |
|
“This is the first year that we will not have snow before Halloween” Aidan and Liam looked at each other with desperation, “I bet there is afoot in Idaho already”. I sympathized. The coming of winter is a reason to celebrate in the Tetons. People there pray for the powder like the drunkard aches for a drink. It’s a way of life. It feeds the spirit and the economy of the entire valley. The only nuisance is that eventually, in the spring, it all melts away.
We woke to rain this morning. I have always liked the sound of it from a warm bed. I had paint and soup-making planned for the day, so it was well suited for my agenda.
By the time I finished my coffee, it had turned to snow and it was coming fast and hard. I headed to the market with giddy excitement to secure my soup-fixin. I was not the only one. By the time I got home, it seemed most of the city was in panic mode. Homecoming dances were canceled, streets closed, everyone bracing for the storm. Still, inside, I was secretly wishing for the mega dump that would leave us stranded at home for days on end, like the ones we had in Idaho.
I was shortly reminded of a few very distinguishable differences between NJ and Idaho. First and foremost, the east coast doesn’t get “powder”. The poor trees were bent over with the weight of the world and many had snapped. Next, there is no bathtub in this house so when the chill hits your bones, it’s hard to shake. There is no extra freezer here, let alone a pantry built to accommodate three years’ worth of food (the Mormon religion requires it apparently, and our Idaho home was built to those specifications by a believer. We converted half of it to a wine cellar – but there was still plenty of food). And, when it does dump – Grand Targhee is not right up the road.
This is the season that we will miss. This is the time that always seemed special there – because it was – it is – it always will be. We still did a jig for the snow gods, and we are excited for the coming of the season, but when the power went out halfway through my painting, and the streets turned to slush, we knew it would be a different kind of dance. And that is ok – for now.
2 Responses to A Warm Hat – Simple Pleasures, #19 of 30
This is a wonderful little painting…so simple, direct and honest! Enjoyed your blog on FASO…share many of the same feelings.
Hi Nancy! Thanks so much for the comment. I checked out your site. You do beautiful work. Strong, I like that. We likely do think along the same lines. Cheers, Kelly
Remember Your Info
Check this box if you want email updates when people comment on this post
| To help us prevent spam, Please enter the code in the box: |
|
Comments
Leave a Comment
Remember Your Info
Check this box if you want email updates when people comment on this post