Chapel of Bliss Barangay
A Barangay is a small neighborhood in the Philippines; it is where families live closely together in communities helping and sustaining one another. In this scene a grandmother, or a “lola” is watching over a child, perhaps a granddaughter. Design of dark and against light and cool against warm was the plan to show off the central figures with their dark hair. Their local place of worship was called “The Chapel of Bliss,” and the name carried over to the barangay.
Spring Awakes
Spring’s first green awakens in the marsh. I took a photo on an overcast day in March many years ago, and recently I decided to paint it’s simplicity. It is moody and muted, but the greening promises hope and new life after the long sleeps of winter.
Table for Two
This welcoming nook greeted me in the hallways of a retreat center in the Philippines. The strong line designs, the colorfully patterned chairs, and the repeating cool lights all drew my attention. A perfect spot for a cup of tea.
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.
