Happy New Year!

Big Rose tries again, she didn't like my criticism. Now she looks hurt. The paintings are talking back, this might be a rough year.

Big Rose wishes you the happiest most blessed of New Years even though this is 2012 and no one has any idea what's going to happen. The world could end, ya know.  Rose looks a little oblivious doesn't she with those superficially bright colors. Pink, Blue, Pink, Blue.

Pink, Blue

Pink, Blue, Pink, Blue, Pink, Blue, Pink, Blue, Pink, Blue. Compassion and serenity, the spiral remembers.

Rose Spiral

This is a far cry from the last image, and I'm not overly attached to roses as a flower but when I saw they had a spiral inside it made a difference. Pink, Blue, Pink, Blue. There's something there or is it just me?

Pink and Blue With Grit

This is my first posted large drawing about 3'x 3'. Pink and blue in the last image was soothing, uplifting. Not this one. Much more intense but still plant forms. I didn't post a small painting today thinking it might be nice to just post the big ones instead as I get them done.  I am hoping for 2 big drawings a week.



Large drawing about 31/2' x 4'.

Pink and Blue

Pink is the color of love. Blue is serene and calm. Put those together and they uplift and soothe usually. The flowers help too. You can't really go wrong with this combination.

Spiral Vision

It seems like I keep coming back to this. What is it like to have spiral vision? I think the yard knows.

Merry Christmas Spiral

A really nice day alone. No TV, no visitors, and a bottle of New York wine. I am grateful and hope for all a peaceful day with friends and family.

Christmas Flowers

A gift from my daughter. I am falling into Christmas, and as long as there is silence I am OK. For me silence is Christmas.

Last Poinsettia

The last Poinsettia, I think I am ready for a new series and some bigger drawings. That will be what the New Year brings to the blog. Thanks to all of you who have followed what I have done for the last few months.

Poinsettia After Mall Visit

This one is really self explanatory.

Poinsettia Stress

Anxiety even in the plants. Whatever we feel everything around us feels too.

Christmas Dread

It's almost more work to opt out of Christmas than it is to just go buy the presents. Either way I have come to dread what I used to love.

Orange Poinsettia

I like it when it seems the ink is burned into the paper. An orange engraving.

Leering Poinsettia

I'm not really sure why this Poinsettia is so confrontational. I think he is scoffing at our Christmas insanity. Anyway I hope that's it.

Anxiety

I'm not sure this is exactly the feeling but it must be close. I have to drop off my computer today so right now I am not sure if I will be able to post for a few days. Going back to a busy mall in the middle of the Christmas season is not an appealing prospect. I feel some anxiety even if the Poinsettia doesn't.

Tilted Poinsettia

The Poinsettias are playing with me. They do whatever they want in my imagination. Maybe they think I'm too serious. I am not sure I can last until Christmas.

Fade Christmas

My computer will be down for a few days. I will try to find another way to post but in case I don't I will be back on line with a week.

I feel Christmas unraveling around me. No one this year seems very happy about it.

Christmas Fade

I had to venture out of the house today. The traffic was bad, the stores crowded and all I wanted was to be on the porch. I have become a Christmas porch sitter. I really recommend it.

Florida Poinsettia

Its been damp all day and I've been thoughtful. This Poinsettia looks like a palm tree in soft rain. There is smoke hanging in the air from brush fires.

Chinese Poinsettia

The Chinese paint the world as a living force, not dead matter. I would love to paint like that. But to paint like that you would have to live believing that.

Blood Red

Poinsettias have the strongest color, it pierces vision and makes an impact. I have gotten to know my flowers. They are intense and not really friendly. Their beauty is superficial. It's their visual aggression I like.

Dark Center

 A huge black hole sits in the middle of our galaxy. A certain darkness may lie at the center of all things. I wonder if the Buddhists would agree.

Olive's Flower

Olive's spirit is in the bottom right hand corner looking into the darkness and peace that is her death.

Dragonfly Poinsettia

Today, I saw the rare and beautiful Dragonfly Poinsettia take off with its red wings to fly around the yard. After a few minutes it came to light back on its stem as if it had never left. Being lucky to see it, I was reminded that we too readily believe that the world conforms to human expectations.  In spite of us, Gaia has her own energy and life. The mystery is in that negative space of our understanding.

Background

The background is difficult with the flowers. I don't want it to look filled in and left over. Too dark and its overpowering, too light and all one sees is empty space next to a strong flower shape. Finding the right color is hard too. Good design dictates that negative and positive spaces interact and complement each other.
Here, the dark background feels sinister and a bit ominous.

Bloom

Because I painted her, the flower and I have a relationship. The image is the picture of that interaction. The painting is not me and is certainly not the Poinsettia, it is something else, but what exactly?

Twirl

They like me better than Walmart.

Rejected

I bought the rejected half-priced Poinsettias at Walmart because I thought they looked slightly crippled but more interesting. These seem to be trying to move in rhythm to some imaginary beat.

Where Have All The Poinsettias Gone?

The Poinsettias are all in Walmart. I saw them yesterday.

Christmas is an up and down time. It's over in the blink of an eye, and yet never ending. My flowers will tell the tale of this Holiday Season and how I really feel about it.

Poinsettias

Its the Christmas season whether we like it or not and the start of a new month and a little different direction for me. I am going to paint Poinsettias until I can't stand to paint them anymore. I want to work from life while I start my bigger drawings which I'll post in addition to my small daily sketches.
This looks a lot like open heart surgery.