Step Three, Finally

It’s been a challenging year and my energy for painting was in short supply, so I was thrilled when the urge hit me, strongly, this month. Here’s how it goes. First I sort through my photos thinking about what to paint. Next I have a phase where I try a few thumbnail sketches to test […]

It’s There Again!

It seems I have a thing for old cities with quaint, human-scaled buildings. As my husband would say, “you just love arches, lampposts and umbrellas.”  If we’re talking the cafe variety, not the rain variety, he’s right. And I’d add balconies. There’s something about those architectural features and streetscapes that feel inviting to me. Any […]

Opportunities or Outcomes?

My friend Mark writes a very thoughtful, mostly data-driven blog about Hartford, regionalism, racism and more. He made this point recently, which resonated with me: “I’m okay with the outcomes being unequal. I’m not okay with the opportunities being unequal.” I couldn’t agree more. The fact is, some people have more or different abilities than […]

Truth Through Lies

You’ll be relieved to know this post isn’t about politics, current events, liars, or anything criminal. Instead, it was inspired by a quote from Albert Camus. He said “fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.” My immediate thought was that his statement applies to painting, too. Think about it. A painting is […]

Birth Announcement

The fraternal twins are finally ready to face the world! A few months back I began a series of two paintings (yes, with my boredom threshold, two constitutes a series) of sunsets, a favorite subject. A shoulder injury, a trip to Portugal and an art opening (you can see my travel paintings in the gallery […]

Making Lemonade

Our recent bout with COVID had me realizing how lucky we are to rarely get sick, to have flexibility in our work, and to have healthy food readily available. I am grateful for the vaccines that made our cases relatively mild and for the masks that prevented my unknowingly infecting others. I’m especially thankful for […]

Serendipity Strikes

Several weeks ago, I received an email from an acquaintance. We had worked together a few years back. I was a consultant for the CT State Office of the Arts when she headed a local arts agency and requested my help on a project. Turns out she now works for the University of Connecticut in […]

Miss Traveling?

Until we can travel widely and safely again, many of us have had to be satisfied with memories of Europe, Asia and Latin America. My current exhibit, at The Space Gallery in charming Chester, CT, recognizes this and is, for now, a great substitute for the real thing. It runs through the end of the […]

Seatbelts, Bras and Neckties

In the interests of a much happier 2021… Yes, we all know masks are uncomfortable, and that a ventilator would be even more so. Think of masks as a courtesy, akin to not sneezing in someone’s face, so that we can get COVID under control and not have another year like 2020. It’s just part […]

Catch 22

For those who remember the book, Catch 22 is a self-explanatory term for any situation that is basically an endless loop. These days, it’s frequently encountered when trying to deal with technology (which is why you haven’t seen a blog post in a while) and automated systems. I’ve found that painting, mystery novels, or chocolate […]