The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #22

The story behind this painting is rather unique - never mind that it's one of the very few works I've done where the subject is an animal. My youngest daughter, Catherine, absolutely LOVES horses. The last part of that sentence may even be an understatement. She has been involved with them, in one way or another, since she first laid eyes on one as a young child of seven.

After moving to Maine in the mid-90's, we searched out local farms as well as 4-H groups / clubs in order to find opportunities for Catherine to continue riding and learning about horses. One such place was then-called Hidden River - a large farm and horse boarding facility that, ironically, was nowhere near a "hidden" river. The facility was actually in Warren right on Route 1, which is the major thoroughfare in Mid-coast Maine. A wonderful woman named Marcy was the owner and riding instructor.

In 2003, Marcy purchased a 17-hand high horse named Extabi (pronounced Ex-tobby - rhymes with "hobby). The horse, from what I understood, was larger than the average in the breed, as they usually stand 12 hands high. Being the first and only horse painting I have ever done, I needed Catherine's help in drawing the legs, as she knew (by that time) a horses anatomy by heart.

The finished work was almost as big as the horse, comparatively speaking to other sized paintings. It measured 48"x48" on masonite board. My husband had to photograph it on the floor of our farmhouse due to the size and weight. This painting was given to Marcy in 2004 and is still in her possession.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #21

Throughout my Gallery Wall Talk series of blogs, I've mentioned several times that a major part of my art mission statement is the concept of beauty and capturing it on canvas or whichever material I happen to be painting on during any given day. Another love I've mused about is sunflowers. Certain aspects have always struck me about this particular plant. I love the colors, their boldness, and their uniqueness. Put the first two together and you can see why I love painting them!

Today's featured work is a watercolor on canvas, 11"x14" in size. Remember what I wrote about in regards to inspiration in yesterday's blog? That it can come from almost anywhere? This painting was no exception. I happen to me thumbing through a Woman's Day magazine (this was back in 2007) and came across a picture similar to my finished painting.

The bench in the painting was my personal one I had near one of my gardens. The watering cans were a combination of what was featured in the magazine as well as ones that a neighbor of mine had. I totally improvised in regards to the flowers.

I liked how the texture of the canvas could manipulate the run of the water below the red can onto the bench, then flowing onto the ground. Since the medium was watercolor, I had to be extremely careful not to use too much water for the effect, or the entire painting (or at least the bottom third) would have been ruined.

This pleasant, calming art work has a permanent place on my kitchen wall.

Until next time,
The Happy Artist,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #20

As I've written before, every painting - whether it be on canvas, paper, or masonite; watercolor, acrylic, or oil - is unique and different. Even if I produce a series of works, all created in the same medium on the same materials, no two are the same.

Some works highlight a subject that is readily identifiable, like a floral or seascape. Some not so much like my numerous abstracts. Some are a combination of both like my abstract "Hidden Words" series, some of which were featured in a gallery showing back in 2012.

The inspiration for these works can be a simple, basic concept - whether that inspiration is in front of me in real life or from a photograph. Others come from the deeper levels of my consciousness - in other words, I can explain the end result much better than the original thoughts. At times, there is no thinking process; the paint and brush just flow where they will.

The work featured today is called "Chinese Squares". The work is a watercolor on canvas, 11"x14" in size. I gave this painting as a gift to a co-worker and friend at a time when she was getting prepared to leave for China. She had been there before and had an opportunity to go back. She asked what my inspiration for this painting was. She then discussed parts of the Chinese language such as pictograms as well as simple and complex ideograms.

I told her the symbols in the painting represent all I wished for her to have in her life - hope, peace, love, and prosperity. I then told her I saw something similar in a magazine and was inspired by it. See what I mean? Plain and simple inspiration. No digging through history or complex choices. I saw something, I liked it, it inspired me - I painted it. She absolutely loved the painting and still has it to this day.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #19

I believe there are several stages that every human being goes through during their lifetime. Some are wonder-filled and joyous - some can be rather painful. The end of 2005 until late 2006, was a pain filled time for me. My left knee, which I was already having difficulties with for several years, finally gave out one day while I was at work. I made a doctors appointment, had my knee x-rayed, and was scheduled to have a total (upper and lower) knee replacement. That surgery occurred in June of 2006.

To deal with the sometimes incredible pain, I was prescribed Vicadin (a powerful pain medication). Due to the nature of the drug, I was unable to focus or relax. I existed in a drug induced fog.

Just before the surgery, we sold our 9-room farmhouse, packed everything up, and moved to a smaller, but spacious, two bedroom apartment, since both our daughters would be in college full time by that upcoming fall. This apartment was on the first floor of another old farmhouse and even had room for a small art studio.

After the surgery and while recuperating, I saw a vision on a blank section of my living room wall. I had begun a spiritual program that year, was researching numerous world religions, so my mind was filled with various images.

When I was able to move around more comfortably, I painted the vision I saw. While from a distance, it may look like one huge eye, but upon closer inspection, it represents my God who is all seeing and all love; caring for every need.

We are all on a journey. This work called "The All-Seeing Eye" has several key parts to it. The eyelashes represent humanity through life stages - birth on the left and death on the right. Somewhere in life hopefully everyone has a spiritual awakening and learns to live in peace and harmony in close contact with others as well as God.This painting is 30x40 inches on stretched canvas and is still in my possession. It has also been used for certain abstract designs in clothing and textiles.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #18

This painting was inspired by something that didn't exist yet. I had a grandiose garden plan for my half acre back yard / property. Fairly ambitious or downright crazy? You can decide and hold the comments please. In a nutshell, I wanted a Japanese pagoda with a dining area, a fish pond of some type, and a long circular garden path that wrapped around the perimeter.

While the plan never came to fruition, I thoroughly enjoyed the dream as well as creating the design. However, I received the most enjoyment from painting it. Painting the concept was also far easier than executing the idea. Looking back, I feel it had something to do with not necessarily using a shovel, but the fact that the entire back yard would have to be excavated.

2005 was a tumultuous year at our house; our oldest daughter was away at her first year of college (and all that entailed with that event) and our second daughter was in the full throngs of teenage-hood at age sixteen... need I say more?

I started reading books on Japanese tea ceremonies and long desperately for a serene escape. Like all things in life - whether a garden, teenagers, college, or what-have-you, "this too shall pass". I embrace the same concept with my paintings - even if I'm enjoying the process to the fullest, I know this moment will indeed pass. I can embrace it... and enjoy it... now.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #17

I have blogged this before - those who know me realize that I am, without a doubt, a flower lover! One of my favorite pastimes is to create gardens. Whether they are little (or not so little), I love creating an oasis of beauty in a sea of green grass. My gardens also provide me with inspiration to paint. I grow daises, irises, daffodils, roses, crocuses, hyacinths, columbines, hibiscus, tulips, and a myriad more.

I once had a garden of 100 daffodils while living in Massachusetts. My first garden was a circle of chrysanthemums. I patiently waited all summer for that garden to grow, not realizing that the mums were a fall blooming flower. Slight oversight, but what a burst of color when every other garden in the neighborhood was done for the year.

The following year, I re-dug the circle into a unique half moon shape and filled it with flowers that would bloom at different times during the spring, summer, and fall. With careful planning and a floral creative process, I achieved growth and color for approximately six months.

I must do the same with my paintings - have a loose plan and an effective creative process. The painting is more than just the paint. It's the canvas (or whatever material I'm painting on), the paint, the brushes, the thickness of the paint, the color mixing, etc. If I'm true to myself as well as my process, the work will be a success - whether in sale, or inspiration, or educational.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #16

And so the conversation began - "... This painting was difficult to do." This particular work drove me almost to the brink on several fronts. Everything from contemplating to painting over it and creating something else, to making it more abstract, to putting the unfinished work away for several months and then tackling it again. One particular aspect that drove me crazy were the details. For example, painting in small windows using fairly large brushes.

I also learned what not to do. Even though I find the small town villages of Maine's picturesque and historic ports - I will not paint them ever again. Through my creative process, I have also learned my limits. One of those limits is when I realize that painting is no longer fun and it becomes a chore.

One of the allures of these ocean-side towns is that they have character. Many people fall in love with the "romance" as well as the history. We are one of the few areas left in the United States where these historic buildings and quaint houses still reside along the shore, and haven't been overtaken by condos and hotels.

I feel that the long, sometimes harsh winters, have preserved this area and these buildings from corporation take-overs. Local citizens, who also embrace the history and character of the area, help in this preservation.

Like the apple tree painting that was highlighted in yesterdays blog, this work was also done on canvas paper, measures 18x24 inches in size, and is still in my collection.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #15

Some people have a certain affinity for different aspects of nature. There are some who are bird watchers, while others like to scale mountains. Some of my friends are avid beach combers. Myself personally, I have an affinity for apple trees, especially in the spring.

My fondness of this tree at this particular time of year stems back to my childhood. There was one in the side yard of my home - one that I could climb when I had abundant energy, one that I could sit under and be shaded from the hot sun. I loved watching the changes as the seasons past. Mostly however, I loved the crisp white blossoms in the spring. To me, that was incredible beauty.

The art work featured below was inspired by a huge apple tree I happened upon in Thomaston Maine while babysitting a friends two young children. Far from being a tree expert, I could easily imagine this specimen being over 200 years old as it stood majestically in a field behind my friends house. Spring was represented fully in the sheer snowy white brilliance. I was astonished at the beauty I saw as I tried to recapture it.

This painting is 18' x 24" on canvas paper. It was part of an experiment to see the difference between stretched canvas and canvas paper. I did about six paintings over several weeks on this particular paper, but in the end, I did prefer the stretched canvas or even textured masonite board to paint on.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #14

There was only one thing I truly wanted to see when we moved to Maine... a moose.  My wish was granted - twice.  The first moose was just a baby.  It was 7 ft. tall and a gangly youth.  It hung out in our back yard when we lived in Thomaston and in the neighborhood for about a week.  Everyone speculated that the poor thing was sick as its mother abandoned it.

The first day I saw it, I grabbed my camera and ran outside to shoot it.  I ran up behind the closest tree, aimed my camera and shot a couple of photographs.  Then realizing how big and wild this creature is, I quickly retreated back to the safety of my house. (This was not one of my smartest moments.) Later on in the week, the moose began attacking cars and the police had to put it down.

The other moose was seen on one of my early morning walks near the Mill River with my walking buddy. It was out in a field near the railroad tracks that parallels the river.  He was a full grown one with antlers.  I didn't have my camera with me that day and was furious. My walking buddy thought I was crazy.

When I finally went to paint my picture, I incorporated the photo for the body and had to imagine the rest for the antlers.  The background is also a creation of my imagination.

The painting is titled: Reflection.  This painting won second place at the Union Fair. The painting is now hung in a fine automotive garage in Jacksonville North Carolina. It was used as payment for repair work on our camper on the way to Georgia in the fall of 2014. Even though I "bartered" my work, the owner of the shop absolutely loved it.

And there's another bottom line - my work being appreciated and shared.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #13

Oddly enough, one of my favorite subjects to paint is barns. I love the concept of the nostalgia of an era gone by. Even though barns may still be commonplace in the Midwest as well as in the South, here in New England, they are becoming as scarce as working farms. The barns that are still standing, they are huge, odd shaped and perform many functions that they weren't originally created for. They are usually no longer homes for animals as in the past.  They have become storage facilities for junk, boats, cars, and even planes.

I honed my skill on how to paint in perspective during an Adult Education class doing a barn. Taking that class was one of the smartest things I did in order to improve my take on perspective.  When the student is ready, the right teacher comes along.  Perspective is a skill in making a building look 3D.  If the perspective is off, the building looks as if it is slanted or falling over.

This triangular barn is the only oil painted one left from this series. It's my husband, Dave's, favorite.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #12

One day a fellow painter and I planned an excursion to Waterman's Beach, in South Thomaston, Maine. She set up her easel down by the wharf and painted a boat that was upside-down on the shore. I set up my easel near the parking lot where I had an over-all view in every direction.

I took several pictures in a panoramic style beginning to my left with the cove and a barn, then panning to include the islands and boats, the wharf, and finally the other cove. I was in the mood to paint rocks, so I faced the right side and painted the second cove with an outcropping of rocks.

The other paintings I did back in my studio once the pictures were developed (I used a film camera on location at that time - my husband cataloged all my works digitally back at my studio). My daughter, Margarette, commented that, "You have a way of doing your skies that make every painting special. People will know your paintings from your skies."

Tom's Island was sold from this series. Like times before, the other paintings were painted over. However, I still have the digital photos of them and, like all my works, are available through reprints.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum- Gallery Wall Talks #11

Here in Rockland, Maine, life - for the most part - revolves around the tides for many of the fishermen (and the associated industries) that live here. It is very fitting that I paint the ocean.  I was still somewhat imitating Van Gogh and made four ocean scenes using thick paint and soft edges.

The four paintings I created utilize my theory of using contrasting colors to make the paintings pop.  The soft muted colors seem to tone down the paintings just enough to be pleasing to the eye. The term "muted", or color that's been softened with white, usually function as if they were a gray, bland, color...it fades into the background.

These paintings were done in my studio while I was having a play session.  I experimented with the colors, the application of those colors, and pushed myself in many new ways with the form and texture.  I didn't allow any other painter or techniques to interfere with my creative process.

I began with my favorite color - a yellow-orange, then proceeded with orange, and finally maroon.  I blended when I could and tried to keep the edges soft without having the colors turn muddy.

I know my favorite painting in this series was sold and I do believe (unfortunately) I painted over the other three. Such is the life of an artist at times.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks # 10

Sunflowers in Milk Jug is one of my favorite paintings.  I set out to imitate Vincent Van Gogh's style as his method was to paint with a great deal of paint and to blend edges between the object and space.  I found that I totally enjoyed pushing the paint around on the canvas and a sense of freedom enveloped me. This is one reason why the background uses different colors.

While I was at a friends' house, I found the pitcher in her potting shed and commented on how fun it would be to paint it.  She then went out into her garden and picked the sunflowers to go with it and sent me home with this bouquet.

This painting has a permanent place in my collection. I have used this work on business cards, websites, and in social media.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #9

Lilacs in Blue Vase is currently hanging on my gallery wall.  It measures 2 ft. by 3ft. and was done from real life in the late spring of 2005 when the lilacs were in full bloom. I remember the joy from that painting session as if it were right now. From seeing their beauty, to drinking in their fragrance, I had so much pleasure arranging the flowers in a glass vase as I did from painting them. All my senses as well as the arranging, were part of my creative process.

Spring takes its time coming to Maine and I remember that it had been an incredibly long winter.  There were too many days of snow and getting outside was at a premium.  When the time finally came, I was full of energy and raring to go.

The  background color was chosen on purpose to contrast with the violet lilacs for balance in temperature of the over all painting.  The table color was also a warm neutral color for that same reason.  When contrasting colors are placed side by side, they have a tendency to make each other pop for visual eye candy.

The blue vase was totally improvised as the actual vase was made of glass.  I liked its height and width and overall shape.  The blue was made by mixing colors and seeing what would be the final result.  The blue was inspired from a kitchen towel. This painting ushered in the 2005 painting season for me.

Until nest time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #8

Every summer there is the Union Fair - one of Maine's largest agricultural events held during the 3rd week in August. It is best known for its blueberry pies and other farm delights. I have participated in the fairs juried show for a number of years. I displayed Altar Piece, a large floral, the second year I entered, with French Iris's being displayed during my inaugural year. In the years that followed, I displayed The Moose, Driftwood, and Rockland Breakwater. The last year I participated I showed The Schooner and The Wedding.

Altar Piece was a ribbon winner placing at second overall. (A lighthouse painting done by my teacher placed first that year.) Moose received a second place ribbon, as did Rockland Breakwater along with The Schooner. The Wedding and Driftwood placed at an Honorable Mention.

I have read in certain articles or web forum threads, that artists who put a price on their art or enter their works in "contests" either sell themselves out or, in some way or fashion, "dirty" the profession of art. At times, there is this myth that artists are supposed to struggle or starve, in order to stay focused or "true to themselves".

I'm glad the profession, as a whole, have been calling out these myths. In my opinion, it is perfectly fine for an artist to make an income, and a comfortable one at that. As an artist, I must be able to feel good about myself, my process, as well as my work. I had a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that other people respected my work and thought it was good enough for ribbons.

The pictures below are my ribbon winning works.
Note: Driftwood and The Wedding were not available at press time.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #7

The Rockland Breakwater

This painting, as well as one of a Schooner, is hanging on our youngest daughter's wall. The Breakwater was photographed some years ago from a boat trip I took to see the over 20 lighthouses that are located in Penobscot Bay. Quite a few of them out by the islands are small remote beacons and do not having an actual house with them. All of them are automated.

I found that very few of them were not beautiful to paint. The little ones appeared awkward and too mechanical against the rocky background for my liking where Rockland's lighthouse is situated at the end of a 6/10th of a mile long granite sea breaker or wall - hence the name "Breakwater".  The breaker helps keep the ocean waves from getting too rough inside the harbor.  The house itself, was built in the 1800's and is now uninhabited. Usually during the summer, the lighthouse is open to the public to see the light and walk around the top deck, but the house remains closed.

Once again I was challenged in painting the reflection of my subject in the ocean. I didn't think painting water would be that difficult but it is always moving. My quest was to paint it with the flow it had going. I prayed and then painted - what will be will be....and so it is.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks # 6

Rockland Harbor

This painting measures 30in x40in and was painted in my studio using a photo reference.  I have one set of colors that I prefer using on my palette and can mix any other color I need from them.  I have great confidence mixing colors in order to have the shade I want.  Painting is an intuitive act for me.

I like working large areas.  The water color proved challenging as it set the mood for this whole painting. I searched a variety of mixes of blues before selecting the one I thought best for this painting.

Painting the reflection of the masts were challenging as this was my first attempt at such a thing.  I had to make sure the blue water was mostly dry before attempting to glaze on the white of the masks. This was quite a tricky matter.

This painting holds a prominent place on my wall today at it reminds me of summer even in the depth of winter.  There is an overall warmth that radiates from it.  The rouge of the evening sky compensates for the cool water giving an overall balance to the hot and cool colors.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum- Gallery Wall Talks #4

College Days...

This was a time for me to learn new things, make mistakes, and try again.  There were many first attempts of various works of art that have not survived from this period. For example, all my figure paintings.  The human anatomy is one subject I have yet to master.  Thus all my renditions of Picasso-like nature have been duly painted over.

What does remain, however, are a couple of florals.  One is of Parrot Tulips which has found a home for itself at a friends' house, and the other floral, one of my multiple award winners, of Siberian Irises in a green vase was also given to good friends in Georgia.  It went perfectly with their newly remodeled kitchen wall colors.

One professor, who I had for a drawing as well as a painting class, asked me - "How is it that you can't draw, but you can paint?"  I replied, "I didn't care for the junk you put out in the studio."  I paint beauty...whatever strikes me as beautiful I try to render it in paint.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #5

The next batch of surviving paintings were done in Mid-coast Maine containing backyard dreams, ocean fantasies, to actual onsite locations, florals and an animal portrait.  The one unifying element in all my paintings is the use of bright color.  Vibrant color evokes the happiness I feel while painting.

Most of the color is intense - bright sunsets over the ocean and on Waterman's Beach in South Thomaston, Maine.  One painting is cold, and dreary - The Olson House, in the neighboring town of Cushing.  Maine's winters can be harsh on the psyche.  I did another winter painting of blue and white entitled Fantasy Pond that my daughter, Margarette, now has. This painting was of a happier feel to it as the blue was vibrant even though it still contained the cold of winter within it.

The Pier painting was done in Thomaston, Maine before Hurricane Katrina took it out.  A new pier has been built there since.  I especially likes the geometric pattern on the pilings that hold it up.  The wispy clouds in the background done in texture adds interest to the overall design.

In 2003, I attended an Adult Educatiuon painting class.  We began the eight weeks doing a barn painting.  Another session was the Olson House. The last session I did, I volunteered my daughter Catherine as a model for a portrait painting session.  She was 15 at the time and gorgeous.  I will treasure this painting (pictured below) until the day I die.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #3

I'd love to say that all the paintings between 1987-1993 have been sold, but they haven't. While I was in search of a book I wrote called, Soul Colors, I unearthed five paintings from this time period. There were two portraits, one of my daughter and the other of myself at the age of 21. There was also a still life of a fruit bowl and two woods landscapes.

We learned how to paint the woods in En Plein Air (which is French for "in the open air") and the art work is created outdoors instead of in the studio where natural light is a key element. I developed a palette of colors that I particularly liked to use that has remained with me. I learned about the bugs and the heat verses painting in the shade and that I had a lot to learn about being prepared for the weather while being out in it for any length of time.

I also painted three 8ft. x 4ft. murals. One is still hanging in the Athol Massachusetts High School.  The other two have been cut up and painted over. They were done on Masonite board and were too heavy, too big, and too bulky to move from place to place with us all the time.

Another painting done during this time period is called, Peace. It, too, was a view out my window at dusk when a full moon was rising...my neighbors' house was conveniently left out of the painting to make the composition stand with the focal point being the moon. That's also the beauty of artistic license!

I feel calm when I see it and will always treasure this painting.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #2

"Rainy Day Irises"

This oil painting is still one of my personal favorites and will be part of my collection for as long as it survives - it holds a special place in my heart as well as on my wall.  It was painted at our first home back in 1995 on a rainy day. I was overcome with sadness as I gazed out my front window and observed my Irises being plummeted by the rain.

I began with a wet canvas of white medium, then added a mixture of pink, light blue and then green.  I made fierce downward strokes with a large brush (about 1 inch wide) to create the rain image.  Next I took a painters' knife and danced in the purple waves of the petals.

The painting was completed within an half an hour and I was feeling let down that the fun was over so fast! Looking back, while I consider it a floral art work, it has an abstract look and feel to it.

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill

The Daily Spectrum - Gallery Wall Talks #1

This painting was one of three that made it into my first showing that was held at a bank in Athol, Massachusetts. It was also my very first "semi-professional"painting.  It was painted in Auburn, Mass. back in 1987.  It's called Winter Sun. It was painted using the then-popular wet-on-wet technique - although wet-on-wet, or alla prima (which is Italian for "at first attempt") - had been used for hundreds of years.

The wet-on-wet technique was popularized in the general public's eye primarily by a man named William Alexander - a.k.a. "the Happy Painter".  He had a weekly show that was featured on PBS and was televised for years.  He made this technique seem so easy to master that I had to try it when the opportunity arose.  A class was being given by one of his students using this technique.

It was a fall day and the weather was balmy.  Our oldest daughter was 18 months old then and my husband David promised to watch her so I could do this seminar.  I was an excited child given a new toy.  I had trouble following directions and wanted to explore what I could do with the paints.  It took every ounce of prudence I could muster to stay on task and do what I was told.  The result was a winter sunset with birch trees extending from the oval.

The wet-on-wet technique, although it can be done quickly, is sometimes rather difficult to execute.  The paint can easily turn into a muddy mess if one color too many is added. Basically, the process involves painting in the background first, then layering other paint on top - all before the first layer dries. The convenience of this technique is that is doesn't take days or weeks for layers of paint to dry and thus a painting can be done in "one sitting".

I was told when I went to college for fine art that this technique isn't "real painting". Looking back, I feel this opinion was solely the belief of a biased professor with the strong possibility he meant the TV show didn't teach real painting. As I researched the wet-on-wet technique, I found that numerous oil painting masters from Jan van Eyck, to Diego Velazquez, to Monet and Van Gogh, either used or experimented with wet-on-wet.

My daughter, Margarette, was given this painting on her first wedding anniversary as it is her favorite.

Until next time,
Another Happy Painter,
Jill

Back To The Drawing Board!

The Daily Spectrum hasn't been quite as "daily" as I had hoped or envisioned. My life experiences have radically changed once again - once again for the better.

My husband and I recently moved into an apartment in the downtown area, which will serve as a "home base". Our new digs are spacious, but fairly warm since we're on the 4th floor. To compensate for all this "free" heat, we have to open the living room windows - yes, in January - and we now hear the squeal of brakes, the whim and whir of various engines as well as the occasional crash when motor vehicles collide at the busy intersection we reside at. This was especially the case during the "epic" blizzard of 2015 (named Juno) which we experienced earlier this week.

I am in the process of settling in. Most of my stuff is either unpacked or somewhat organized (read: shoved) into the huge hall closet. Some of my stuff isn't even here yet - it's in storage at my youngest daughters house. After living and traveling in our RV for over 15 months, it does feel good to spread out. Each item seems new and many feel as if they have been my long lost friends with news to share.

We humans can be funny that way - our stuff telling the story of our life and where we've been. With this in mind, I've decided to take a trip down memory lane to revisit with my past work. To remember why I painted it and to hear its story.

Folks say you have to know where you've been in order to know where you are going. I will embrace this concept with my gallery wall that is pictured below. I will begin at one end and discuss one work at a time, then change it up until all my surviving and unsold art has been featured.

The end result? Sharing my passion and the hope that I will get a clue where to paint next...

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill