In July 2024 a visitor stopped by my studio during an Art Crawl at Dilworth Artisan Station and recognized a painting of mine depicting the North Toe River in Mitchell County, NC. He shared a photo he'd taken of one of his favorite trout fishing spots in nearby Yancey County along the South Toe River. and gave me permission to paint it. Recently while going through images, the visitor's  photo resurfaced.  I was inspired to go there on canvas and interpreted the scene above. It is painted with oils on Arches Oil paper, 5 x 7 inches - matted and custom framed.

I sure wish I'd gotten the photographer's email address. Maybe he'll see this post and contact me.  Unfortunately, it sold at a recent art crawl.  Hmmm, the "one that got away!"  

My background in art therapy has certainly given me courage to navigate through the rough patches each time I get to the ugly middle of a painting. My own perfectionism has interrupted my work so many times, but I'll put the piece away until I can revisit it with fresh perspective. Teaching this beginning abstract class reminded me of the importance of keeping a journal, doing mini sketches, staying open and curious with no judgments or attachments, and allowing intuition and playful curiosity to take over....a winning combination!

You've heard the idiom: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” I later realized that the true lesson for me had become: “When the Teacher is ready, the student will appear!”

Sometimes, things happen unexpectedly and finally come into clear focus. Yesterday, I went to my studio to rearrange artwork in the hall and clean up the clutter in preparation for the art crawl here at Dilworth Artisan Station. The previous afternoon I'd left a large 36”x48” canvas propped up inside the door, and when I turned on the studio lights it announced:

         “I'm finished...that's it, no more!”

Well, you might be thinking that the painting was suggesting it was time to take it to the dumpster. If you only knew the evolution of this piece, you'd be wondering why I didn't do so months ago!

The truth is, the underlying layers showed a feeble attempt to capture the evening sunset on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Try as I might to stay loose and free, the composition was not balanced, the colors were not pleasing, the clouds were not believable, the mountains and trees came across as flat and lifeless. Putting the canvas aside for several weeks - one day, I just marched into the studio and said “Enough of this!” With a bold move, I took a paint roller and swiped across the entire canvas with lighter colors and wiped out the original image.

Using a limited palette of yellow, magenta and phthalo blue + titanium white, gray and burnt umber – the color combinations become unlimited! After this layer dried, I playfully brushed black paint in marks and swirls across the canvas. A few days later, I switched to another palette of phthalo green, hookers green, and cadmium orange + white/gray/black. True to my background in art therapy, “playing” (the operative word) with color combinations is life-giving for me.

So back to yesterday, when the canvas spoke “I'm finished” - coincidentally, a studio mate walked by and said, “That piece is finished.” I took it outside and photographed it, painted the edges, and wired it for hanging. Today I'll varnish the painting and hang it in my studio, just in time for the art crawl.

Perhaps this piece originally was mirroring something in me that's been flat and lifeless and sorely in need of rejuvenation. The winter months served a larger purpose, a dormant period for ideas and dreams to be incubated.. During this season of Lent we're on the edge of spring, flowers are blossoming and trees are budding. There's "New Life" ahead!

This has been the Year of Transition, 2022....downsizing from our home in the NC mountains; saying farewell to dear friends and comfortable surroundings; relocating to my hometown (now the Big City of Charlotte, NC); living in a hotel for four months while awaiting the completion of our new unit in a Continuing Care Retirement Community; meeting our neighbors and making new friends; getting established in my art studio at Dilworth Artisan Station in South End.

This piece went through similar 'downsizing/relocation/reconstruction/transitioning.' It was one of the ways I purposed to stay calm, grounded, and connected while I figured out how to navigate all the changes in my life. In my art therapy style of processing both mental and emotional thoughts and feelings, this piece went through several stages – the good, bad and ugly parts of a painting transitioned into something pleasing that I could call finished or resolved. Many layers starting with graphite markings to activate the canvas, more layers of paint, swipes of fluorescent pinks and greens, dark lines and shapes being mostly covered over (the term is 'veiling') and peeking through subsequent layers - all culminating in the final rendition.

Intuitive, process-oriented art draws from the subconscious, allowing the expression of feelings and sensations not easily accessed by the spoken language. During the first half of 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic created such fear and uncertainty on a global scale, I was dealing with my own fears and uncertainties following surgery that was taking longer than expected to heal.  Thankfully, in the safety of my art studio, I was able to channel my feelings in productive ways while in 'lockdown' mode.

This painting will appear in the "Full Spectrum" exhibit in September 2020 at Toe River Arts in Spruce Pine, NC as part of the Blue Ridge Fine Arts Guild's show featuring art in different color categories.  I chose the color 'blue' and wasn't really sure where this painting was headed.  Over the course of several months as each layer was applied, the painting has evolved, letting previous layers peek through.  Dark blues and light blues, gray blues and clear blues - primarily ultramarine, cobalt, cerulean, and phthalo blues.  There's something so therapeutic for me in just mixing colors and seeing them on paper or canvas!

Seeking resolution in this type of work involves getting out of my own way and  knowing when to quit. Oftentimes, I'll ask the painting to let me know "what's next?" or "what are you trying to say here?" 

Don't judge this piece.  Let it resonate with the one meant to have it.

 It stands strong, centered, and resolute -- bringing peace, healing, and calmness.

The color BLUE represents resurrection and regeneration - coming back to what's truly essential and important for survival.  It also connotes health and healing; tranquility and sensitivity; freedom and expansiveness; divine inspiration and imagination.  

This image is based on the 'study' (see Study for "On the Marsh") and is a 24" square oil painting done at Butler Studio in Gastonia.  We applied the concept of using the late 1980's abstract expressionistic style using the 'spectrum palette' which adds bold, loud colors in the under painting -- high-key paintings that 'glow' with  risk-taking expressive marks and dashes of color that produce 'wall power.' 

In April 2017 before the leaves started peeking, I took a picture of the N. Toe River from the new bridge at 80 North.  The railroad tracks border the North Toe River Valley and wind through remote areas of this beautiful part of Western North Carolina.  If you come to

Spruce Pine, you can see the river and the railroad tracks from downtown's lower street...and also find them along the old Penland Post Office, or at various landings where one can canoe and kayak.

Used to be that trains came through 26 times a day hauling coal from Kentucky, but now we're lucky if we even see or hear the train once or twice a day.  But the Toe River keeps on tracking along the valley.  It is a valuable resource in our area and has some of the

finest trout fishing and kayaking available.

Stepping outside my studio one morning, I was drawn to the mist and fog -- how the sunlight glanced across the trees and danced up the hill.  I took the picture with my iPad and used it as the subject matter for the 5-week class on 'Trees' at Butler Studio in Gastonia.  I asked the painting each week what it wanted to convey and used a 'working title' of "Standing Tall."  

This became a personal piece for me to stand in my own 'truth' and to allow the Light to reveal the layers underneath.  The overall feeling was 'Serenity' and there were times when I was more involved in the process than the final product.  My main palette  included ultramarine blue, magenta, viridian, lemon yellow, and titanium white in varying hues and combinations.  Each week I recorded its progression with photo's in the classroom, and this was one of the few pieces that felt complete at the end of the course session.

Hope it brings the viewer much pleasure! 

This piece was my first venture into cold wax and oils.   It measures 24" x 24" and the substrate is on 1.5"  'Encausticbord.'  

Building each layer and then scraping through to reveal the underlying colors was fascinating.   Using stencils, marking tools, scrapers and palette knives -  the process to bring the piece to its completion was quite intuitive and very rewarding.  

On the final layer I placed my dog, Maggie, (who had just passed away) in the lower left corner.  She spent a lot of time with me in my studio and her memory garden is just outside under the dogwood tree.  A keyboard appeared in the upper right corner, representing the many years I played the piano (with nothing to show for it currently), and the balloons appeared in the upper left corner which remind me to stay child-like and playful.

Opportunity comes knocking on a giant pink door as if to say,  "Open the door to all opportunities that come your way...there are many delightful surprises awaiting!"