Friendly Face-Off
So many faces do pansies display. I went large with painting them, because they offer bold color statements along with their expressive designs. Cannot these flowers cheer any one out of a blue day?
Peony Swirl
A tiny ant had to eat away the live, green casing on a bud to release the marvel of the billowy peony–nature’s inter-dependence at its best. How impoverished our Mays would be without the full-skirted, fragrant peony.
Asian Flair
Somewhere I found this small vase that drew me into its hand-painted scenery, and I knew I could use it in many a still life. It may have been the third time I painted it, but I think it was never so gloriously crowned as with these fiery red poppies. And I think these humble American poppies have never looked so elegantly Asian.
Vietnamese Maria
Today, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into heaven, I think about the kind of young woman that she was. She was deeply imbedded in her Jewish culture and exemplified the best in it in her times. When I try to paint images of Mary for the modern world, I think often of how other cultures picture her. Here is a Vietnamese style madonna, lovely, young, and consecrated. Her face mirrors those of the many young women of Vietnam who give themselves to religious life.
Filipina Folk Dancers
Folk dance in the Philippines is rich with tradition and variety. These young women were dressed so beautifully, and my brushes could not resist their flowery prints. Their dark hair is set off by the light waters of the sea behind them. The setting sun puts them in shadow and back-lights their costumes.
