Resolute

First, I just have to say that it is January 12, 2013 and it is 65 degrees. No, that's not the temperature inside. That is the temperature outside and I love it. The snow has melted and the daffodils have been fooled because they are poking up out of the ground. I am pretending that spring is right around the corner, rather than more winter weather.

But alas, it is still more like New Year's resolution time. Every morning I ask God for help with the more serious resolutions and to prep me for the day by granting me patience, wisdom, empathy and productivity. I guess that is probably more like asking for pwep for the day.  Unfortunately, I am sad to say that by nightfall I have usually fallen short with each one but always hope that I have another day to try again and do better.

So, I also like to fool around by coming up with really silly resolutions. Like, trying to get better at doing the wobble dance. You'll have to google that because I can't quite find the words to describe it well. I also figure that I may get better at the wobble if I practice every time for 2 minutes while brushing my teeth. Now that's time management. I'll have to look for that egg timer I misplaced.

Lots of people make that traditional resolution of eating healthier. Fish is good for you so I am thinking of trying Sushi for the first time. And while I am at it, I guess I can throw jello into that category as well. They are both good for you and challenging to swallow because of that squiggly quality. I'll try to get "high school skinny" but for me that goal should probably be more like "junior high skinny." Have to go further back in time for me to get to that "skinny era." So, its time cupcake, to get back into the yoga routine. Taking the recycling to the curb does not count as exercise.

"Gray butterfly! Have you a dream for going. Or are you the blind wind's blowing?" ~Dana Burnet

Around new year's, I had a moment when I just picked up the paintbrush and felt like painting on the wall...freestyle. No planning, no thinking, just enjoying the feel of the paint sliding, sloshing and dripping around on the wall. Well, actually I did have a little bit of an idea in mind. I wanted to give the butterflies a home by starting a butterfly garden. It was fun but if the flowers and leaves look a little stilted and tense, it's probably because I was wearing beige paints while painting. This was such a spontaneous moment, that I didn't even put on a paint smock. Maybe, I'll tend to the garden and add more flowers to keep it growing, but for right now, it will have to do.

First Snowfall

So, I am really not much of a snow person, especially when I have to drive in it. Well, for me that usually means sitting in gridlock, in the dark, trying to slide my way home from work.

This year's first snowfall, however was kinda different. The meteorologists were suiting up as usual and were for days calling for 2 to 4 inches of snow. This depending on when and how fast it comes, might be a tad problematic. But with the warm temperatures we've been having, the final outcome was a beautiful light covering and it didn't happen during rush hour.



It still seems like a hit and miss trying to photograph watercolors.
They get so washed out and you can't see the details.
Still experimenting with the photography.



I just slipped into my sexy furry leopard print slippers which accompanied my weekend sexy drawstring sweat pants and floppy paint splattered tee shirt, scrunched my weekend hair into a ponytail, refused to look into the mirror at the fashion statement results (it's better not knowing that way) and plunged onto the front porch to see if my parsley had survived. I snipped some off for my pot of home made chicken soup that was simmering on the stove. The brisk crisp air was exhilarating and the fresh white snow was breathtaking. Made me think of a painting of course. I snuck a peak to make sure that the evergreens and Christmas red bow on my lamppost were still secured after the gusty winds that we have been experiencing. All in all, everything was looking okie dokie and feeling pretty cozy. I paused to count my blessings in light of the recent tragedy that our nation experienced last Friday. It will be so very hard for some to experience the holiday season this year and probably for years to come.



Here it is framed. Still can't figure out how to eliminate the glare.



This is one of my most recent paintings. For some reason, I decided to try to paint an ocean scene in the middle of a snowfall. Perhaps this one could be the onset of a winter storm. It started out as calm waters but then something seemed to happen. The colors changed and the crashing waves became much more powerful. If you notice though, the 2 sea birds soaring high remain undistressed and continue their peaceful flight.

I wish you a safe entrance into the new year as well!

Peace of the Seasons

When I thought about what I wanted the style and composition for this year's Christmas card to be, I was still whetted to the idea of creating it in traditional watercolors. I wanted however, to try my hand this time at a more cartoon like, light hearted expression while simultaneously seriously capturing the essence of the season. And of course, I definitely wanted it to be Another Original. So I pondered a lot about what the spirit of the season means to me. Here's the story...

Christmas Kitty has returned for this year’s Holiday Season card and this time she is joined by Christmas Mouse. Unwittingly, they work together to figure out a way to get the star to the top of the Christmas tree. And so I call this little painting "Peace of the Seasons." Each element of this scene has a special personalized meaning for me… from the snoozing cat that always found its way under the tree or that would bat around the ornaments on the tree to the snowflakes falling outside of the window.

If you think about it, I am sure that you will find many of your holiday memories in this tiny painting as well.

"Everything you can imagine is real." -Pablo Picasso

What Dads Do

The other day I went on what started as a nice, simple, relaxing walk. However, I soon began to discover a variety of dainty wildflowers in the woods. I thought that I could control myself and only pick a few. The air was warm and I felt as content as a cat sleeping in its favorite spot in the sun. Nature was helping me de-stress and my mind began to wander to good memories. I remembered the funny things that we did as kids and wondered what it would feel like to do a few of those things again. We climbed trees, picked blackberries, and caught grasshoppers. My Siamese cat Siam also caught them with us. But he always ate his. Yum.

Much of my child summer was spent in the mountains where our boat was docked. This was way back in the day before cable TV. Rarely, was our little TV ever able to pick up a channel. At nite, if we were lucky, we could get a radio station. So, I took walks and picked wildflowers. Sound familiar?

Presently, as my thoughts continue to wander, the miniature bouquet in my hand has somehow started to grow and I know that my Dad would like this little floral arrangement. I start to smile as I remember the things that we did together. Like the 2 of us launching our 22 foot Signa. How do Dads know how to do these things? He changed the flat tires on my bike (that seemed to happen weekly), kept me stocked in art supplies, and got out the crow bar to lift the grate when my baton inevitably rolled down the sewer. Now that's a dad for ya. I never gave it a second thought when I yelled "Daaaaaad!" There didn't seem to be anything that he didn't know how to do or wouldn't do for me. Happy Father's Dav. One Love and Peace from your Quirky Artiste!

Rennaisance 2012

I took a whirl through Phipps Conservatory over the holidays and thought you might like to join me in a brief pictorial tour. The Rain Forest was still on display, juxtaposed against pointsettas and sparkly Christmas Trees.

Rain Forest Art



Walk with me & tour the Rain Forest

It's kinda an end of the year tradition for me. I like to go through drawers, closets, and filing cabinets... cleaning, organizing, and tossing out items. It's a good feeling for me and sometimes I even make really good discoveries. Usually about long forgotten treasures that were stowed away in a forgotten place.I guess it sets the right frame of mind for me in order to usher in new beginnings. A time to take inventory perhaps, just like the stores do. Assess what you wish to hold onto in the hopes that it prospers or maybe you wish to discard something because it is taking up precious space or no longer holds any promise.

I also do that resolution thing I guess. But this time with a twist...They are a blend of the serious, quirky, and wistful. 

Holidays at Phipps Conservatory



1. Find and interview a garden nymph about their experiences as a tiny creature living in nature. Will make a great blog post.
2. Capture and bottle the essence of laughter, bliss, friendship, and love.
3. Fall into the income bracket when I have to pay the IRS taxes on my Art sales.
4. Particpate in "Affair in the Park"  or maybe in "Art All Night" (both local art festivals).
5. Be kind and soothe the aching soul.
6. Paint a symphony.
7. Nourish the spirit.
8. Move into my new imaginary third floor loft art studio.
9. Go green greener.
10. Of course, no list would be complete without achieving World Peace or finding a cure for cancer.

Bloomin' Christmas

Beary Merry New Year!!!

Dale Chilully

Going Green for Christmas

During the hot summer months, when I am masterminding my pruning plan attack, my strategy must include finding a concealed spot of evergreens to secure my Christmas cache. Always hard to imagine (though I have finally caught on after experiencing many years of season changes) that yes – 90 degree weather eventually yields to sub freezing temperatures. So, my stash must be somewhere that I can get to easily should we have two feet of snow - but not so evident that should I not get to it, another year’s growth will not matter.

You have to understand that someone had outlined my entire backyard with evergreen trees. Planted about ten feet apart…if they all were allowed to grow freely, you would not be able to find the house, let alone any other living creature.

Sadly, one by one, I had to cut many of them down before I was swallowed up into the enchanted forest. But then I discovered something I thought was amazing and which I wish I knew before so many of my green friends became mulch. If they were simply “topped,” their growth was stunted and their underbrush filled in, becoming thick and lush. Great boughs of fur (ha ha Jerry Lee Lewis) for my floral arrangements.

I’ve been thinking about this whole “going green” phenomenon. Gram, was doing it way before it was fashionable. The Great Depression and the paucity of resources had that effect on many folks. For me, in grade school, it was called the ecology movement. I remember bringing in the empty carton of 8 pack glass coca-cola bottles in exchange for a baby pine tree to plant. Hmmmm. And you wonder where all those evergreen trees came from?

Today, going green has a way more mandatory ring to it. Our consumption of resources continues to grow and our output of disposable, non biodegradable products has exponentially grown. I worry about running out of space and not just in my filing cabinet drawers or wardrobe closet. So, I do my small part by making holiday decorations from my backyard rather than polyurethanervinylchlorateresin…Artists today chicly call these items “found treasure objects” and this inventory fits nicely into the starving artist’s budget.

“Necessity is the mother of invention.”-Ben Franklin. Artists have always known this for a very long time.