Emma

Some images just don't need words...

How Do You Spell Adorable?

S-O-P-H-I-A!

I recently had the pleasure of photographing this sweet little one-year-old and her family.  Just look at those beautiful blue eyes!
 

We postponed this session hoping for warmer weather, and I was glad we did!  I knew her parents wanted some outdoor portraits in addition to the indoor ones, and I learned long ago that it's much easier to keep a toddler happy when they're not shivering!  We ended up with a gorgeous day that was absolutely worth waiting for.

New Beginnings

I have not posted here in a L-O-O-O-NG time.  I don't think I've painted since my last post.  My boys keep me running -- all of them, including my husband! 

I have not lost my creative spirit, however!  Lucky for me, I still have photography, and that has really blossomed in the last year.  I've continued to photograph all kinds of things that inspire me, but have found myself doing some portrait work, and have found that to be inspiring as well!

The portrait work was kind of accidental...sort of.  I've always loved capturing kids and families with my camera.  I've always found myself striving to push my technical limits in order to create better portraits.  I had decided I'd like to make it my career path as my kids got older, but did not have a definite time frame in mind. 

Then, last summer, a friend of mine wanted a portrait done of her children with all their cousins.  I am delighted to say that I have been getting calls through word of mouth ever since!  It has been so much fun!

Here are a couple photographs from the session that got me started: 

I am so grateful to my friend for giving me the push that got me started moving down this path...

...and I'm sure I'll find time to paint again eventually!

Jurista Road

"Jurista Road"

12" x 9"

Pastel

While visiting their grandmother, we took the boys up to a neighboring farm to pick sweet corn. It was a sunny, clear, beautiful day. When we turned around to leave, this is the scene that greeted me...I have not been able to get that beautiful view out of my head since.

At Summer's End

Can it be that summer is nearly over? I apologize for neglecting this blog over the summer months. It seems that when you are busiest and have the most to say, you have the least amount of time to write.

Between visits from relatives, a long roadtrip with my boys, home renovations and soccer season starting, I have been consumed by an abundance of activity...unfortunately, most of it has NOT involved painting.

I have, however, taken many, many photographs over this busy, busy summer, and things should begin settling down enough for me to pick up my pastels and watercolors once again.

So, I'm back! Here are some of my favorite photographs from the summer...I hope you will enjoy them!

Work In Progress: Newton

This painting is still in progress, but it's getting close to finished. I think I need to add some more darks in a few places so it doesn't look quite so much like he's "floating" above the moss. This will be a birthday present for my son's 6th birthday. He has asked for more "real" paintings to hang in his room.

This is a salamander (actually a red-spotted newt) which we found in our yard last summer. We kept him for about 2 weeks, and then let him go where we found him. I don't know if it was his vibrant color, or the surprise at how rough his skin felt (he didn't LOOK rough!), but he really captured the imaginations of my boys. They still talk about him!

I haven't done much in the way of painting animals, but I am having SO much fun with this one, I may have to do more!

Fiery Reds

12" x 18"

Pastel

These brilliant red tulips were crying out to be captured forever! I preserved them in a photograph, but they really wanted to be painted, as well. I hope I've done them justice!

Vacations and Kitchen Renovations, Oh My!

We just recently got back from a fun family trip to Chicago. There is so much cool stuff to see there! Here are a couple of my favorite "public art" works there, both from Millenium Park along the lake.


This fountain is sometimes a face just looking serious and it looks simply like an electronic "sculpture" of sorts. Then, the eyes close, the lips pucker up, and suddenly, it's spitting a large stream of water out onto the walkway, much to the delight of any children (including grown-up children!) who run and splash barefoot in the water.





Another really cool public sculpture is also found in Millenium Park...its official name is "Cloud Gate," but many Chicagoans simply call it "The Bean."

Here's a fun photo I took standing underneath "Cloud Gate."

I know I do lots of floral paintings and photography, so for those of you who enjoy that, here's a Chicago flower for you!

Anyway, we loved visiting Chicago, my home for 14 years (and my husband's for most of his life), and sharing it with our kids. It was great fun!

Now that we are back, we are in the midst of a kitchen renovation. I've had very little time to post to my blog, or get much painting done, for that matter! Things should start to settle back into some kind of routine after this next week...at least I HOPE so!

How We Celebrated Earth Day

Photographing the beauty Earth is offering at the moment, of course! The world is coming alive with color once again, and I felt compelled to get out my camera and capture as much of it as I could! I collected a lot of painting inspiration...but I think some of the photos really stood on their own merits, too. Here are a few of my favorites:

My sons wanted to get in on the action, too. Here is one of my junior photographers at work:

And, I can't leave the other one out, can I?

Exhibition Entries

What a busy month this has been! I have been framing and

framing some more, and not painting nearly enough.

All with good reason, of course. I've been delighted that
my paintings, "Color Therapy" and "Avery" have been on display for the past month at the Dietrich Theater / Wyoming County Cultural Center in Tunkhannock, PA.

In addition, I just this past weekend got my entries completed and submitted for the annual Wilkes Barre Fine Arts Fiesta Adult Juried Exhibition.

Here are the five paintings I decided to submit...I'll find out in about a week whether or not any of them were accepted into the show.

I had a hard time deciding which five to submit. The final two came down to the "Quince" (below) and my "Gold Leaf" painting. I thought about posting a poll here on my blog to help me decide, but in the end, I simply e-mailed a few of my very good friends and supportive family members. The leaf and the quince were about tied, so I framed them both. Suddenly, the decision was really easy! The quince actually seemed to move once it was framed. It was quite dramatic!

The leaf looks really cool in its frame, too. My husband, who is a pretty good woodworker, made a custom frame for it out of some beautiful figured ash, which swirls around the outside of the mat like an extension of the water the leaf is floating in. It adds to the tranquil, watery feeling of that particular painting. I'll post a photo of the framed painting soon.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on the results of my entries. Please keep your fingers crossed for me! Thanks!!