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