May 21 is Cuba Solidarity Day

I imagine the date for Cuba Solidarity Day was chosen because it's preceded by two important dates in Cuban history this week. I am joining this world-wide day of support for the cause of liberty for Cuba and its political prisoners by sharing family stories that tie us to Cuba and the cause of freedom.

On this day, May 19, we commemorate the 113 th anniversary of the death of Jose Marti, known to Cubans as "The Apostle of Liberty." For those who do not know Cuban history, on this day Marti was wounded in a minor skirmish with the Spaniards near Dos Rios, a small village in Oriente, in the eastern part of Cuba, and died hours later as a result of his wounds. Marti had spearheaded this last Cuban Independence movement and was its undisputed leader--his loss was a harsh blow for the new military campaign for independence from Spain that had just begun in February of 1895.

My maternal grandfather, Othon Caturla, who was quite a character, had a number of fascinating stories to tell. Pa, as my sisters and I fondly called him, liked to relate how when the news of Marti's death made its way to his home town of Remedios in Las Villas (as the central province was called before Castro changed its name), the immediate reaction from all the young men in the town was to want to join the liberation army of Cuban fighters in the countryside. Marti would not die in vain, his death would be avenged by freedom!

Othon was a few months shy of his fifteenth birthday, so he and his older brother Marcelo agreed to wait until he had turned fifteen before joining up. They made their arrangements through the widow of Urrutia (mother of the man who would later have the singular honor of being interim President of Cuba for six months in 1959 after Castro's take-over), and she put them in touch with conspirators who had ties to the troops. Many of the conspirators were women, brave and willing to sacrifice along with their men.

In late July, Othon and his brother boarded a train to a near-by town, then got off at one of the intermediate stops, where they were met by someone who led them to a safe house. From there they rode on horseback to meet General Carrillo's men. Together the Caturla brothers would survive as part of Carrillo's troops for three years, until the Americans joined the fight and beat Spain in a scant three months of the Spanish-American War.

This photo, published in a Collier's Magazine issue in May of 1898, shows General Carrillo (on chair) and his senior staff: my grandpa is the skinny lad seated first from the left, still too young to grow a beard. What an impoverished troop they appear, and yet these men were tough: they hung on valiantly for three years, fighting the better-equipped Spanish army with little more than machetes and sticks. The photo was taken by an intrepid American journalist, James Ware, who had been sent on an expedition to meet with General Maximo Gomez, Commander-in Chief of the Republic in Arms.

Ware's story makes for amazing reading from start to finish: his ship running aground attempting to run the Spanish blockade, losing all of his gear to save his heavy camera from the surf, making his way through the Cuban "manigua" (the bush) from Cardenas out to Oriente to find Gomez. His photo was reproduced in the 1950's in El Diario de la Marina, one of the leading newspapers in the Havana of my childhood, and my mother recognized her father in the photo. Otherwise, I would not have known the original source. Many years later in exile, I was able to take this photograph from an original issue of the magazine at the Library of Congress.

I have confidence that today's dissidents and political prisoners are every bit as tough and determined as my grandfather's generation to bring freedom once again to our beloved island. I salute each and every one of them with heartfelt thanks for their brave example. Let us all work until we have once again a Cuba Libre!

The Scent of Roses at Giverny

Roses at Giverny, watercolor, 10" x 14" - $125

May is the month of flowers, when nature is profligate with her gifts, and there is nothing like the scent of roses in the air... except perhaps the delicate perfume of irises. Why has no one created an iris-scented perfume?

My climbing rose, an old-fashioned pink cabbage-type twining around the deck railing, is about to burst into bloom. This spring has been so rainy, my irises have flopped over, but the neighborhood azaleas and rhododendrons are loving the extra water.

Longing for sunny days, I remembered this small watercolor painted during a visit to Giverny, Monet's home in the French countryside. Two friends and I visited on a Monday, when Giverny is closed to tourists but artists are allowed in to paint, if you don't mind an army of gardeners bustling all around you. Monet was a great artist through and through: his house and garden as much a work of art as his paintings.

The big pink house with its green shutters was trellised with thousands of roses of many colors sparkling in the sun. My friend Marguerite (with hat) appears in the foreground, painting from a nearby bench. It was a day to treasure, as I hope someone will treasure my little painting. Send me an E-mail at elemaza@verizon.net if you are interested in buying it. I can accept PayPal, or a check if I know you or you are recommended by a friend.

Sky Meadows

Last weekend Linda and I visited a friend in Virginia, on the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Jane lives very close to the Thompson Wildlife Management area, where trilliums and other wild flowers are so spectacular in early May. Consulting my books, I'd learned that another state park, Sky Meadows, adjoins the Thompson tract, and though the drivable roads don't go through, one can walk from one to the other via the Appalachian Trail.

It was pouring on Friday as I drove west on I-66 through a slow rush-hour slog, but with increasing distance from the Beltway the traffic cleared, it stopped raining and the clouds began to lift. By the time I reached Sky Meadows, the clouds were opening and the sun was flitting through in patches. Linda and I took a short walk on a loop trail that led up to this grassy meadow. The pastoral beauty of this part of Virginia seems like a movie set, I feel blessed to be able to enjoy it in its spring-time splendor.

It rained heavily during the night, and was still raining next morning, but the weather predictions assured us it would clear up in the afternoon, so we prepared for the hike. We held off starting our until the rain had stopped, drove out to Sky Meadows to leave my car in the parking lot, then drive up to the Thompson area in Linda's.

We started out at one o'clock with the mountain mist still heavy, but within an hour the sun was out. There weren't as many trilliums on this part of the mountain as on the slopes below, just patches here and there. A small native orchid, Showy Orchis, was blooming all over the woods (in photo above); we saw one yellow Lady Slipper orchid, but the pink Lady Slipper orchids I'd hoped to find eluded us. There were many other by-now familiar wildflowers like rue anemone, a few new to me (wild comfrey), and one quite rare.

The hike proved to be longer than I'd anticipated, but the woods in spring are so lovely, the spirit feels refreshed at every turn. No paintings to bring back this weekend--just a few photos and my old quite muddy and tired self.

Plein Air

Last weekend's plein air workshop in Cambridge, Md was wonderful in every respect. It's so rare to have a marvelous instructor like Sara Poly, a congenial group of painters and perfect weather all at the same time! Covey Point Farm is a lovely place on the water, with fabulous views all around, the converted barn comfy.

Painting in the sun (or shade) for five to six hours a day is hard work, though others in the group said this was a relaxed pace as far as painting workshops go. Sara had us do exercises such as 50-stroke paintings, that were beneficial. Making every stroke count was hard, but great discipline. My art leaped light years ahead in just a couple of days, and I feel much closer now to being able to paint oils the way I want to: looser, and full of luminous natural color.

This is my last painting at the workshop, not quite finished, but my best by far. I'm hooked on painting plein air; it's one of the most challenging yet satisfying things an artist can engage. How I wish I could spend more time painting and taking workshops. I'll have to work on that some more.

Oregon Ridge Park

                                Oregon Ridge, watercolor, 14" x 10"

Yesterday my friend Linda and I went on one of our wildflower walks/painting/photo excursions. We'd chosen Oregon Ridge Park to the north of Baltimore because one of my plant guidebooks lists several rare plants that grow here, and neither of us had ever explored this park. The day was beautiful, a bit hot for late April when we started our hike. The terrain rises from the visitor center to a sizable hill where a century ago there used to be a ski area, and the main trail is an old logging road.

The unusual plants are found in an area called Ivy Hill, where the land drops off steeply towards a stream. It is presumed that these rare specimens were planted here long ago and have naturalized, since woods with mixed deciduous and evergreens such as hemlock and pine are rare in our area, specially growing with tree-sized rhododendrons more typical of the southern Appalachian mountains.


We found a clump of Yellow Trillium blooming near the stream, where we had our picnic lunch, but we were unable to find any of the Oconee bells (Shortia genus), so we finally settled by a pond with some enormous rock formations perfect for sketching. This painting of the rocks covered with ferns and the rhododendrons is the result of our pleasant afternoon, and I'm selling it for $100 as is, (not matted or framed); shipping costs to be paid by the buyer. If you are interested in buying, please contact Elena.

On the hike back we found some dog-tooth violets, a species which I'd not seen before, along with blue birdsfoot violets. White and yellow violets were also to be found, the white ones in profusion.

A Sketch Portrait

A Sketch Portrait, vine charcoal, 9" x 12"

I've been studying portraiture for about three years now at the Columbia Arts Center. This is a quick sketch of a friend I visited recently. It was hard to get her to pose, but I believe my sketch in delicate, nervous lines, captures something of her skittish, introspective personality. Underneath, there is a strong-will, and one very resilient woman. She remarked that "her looks were changing," which I took to mean that she thought I'd made her look too old. I sympathize: last year a friend sketched me while I painted, and I was surprised to see myself as a little old lady with reading glasses. It's difficult to accept aging and do so gracefully, being aware that I too have a double chin (mine is much more pronounced) and my flesh is starting to hang down a bit in incipient jowls. Yet as an artist, I refuse to compromise too much, and feel compelled to draw what I see.

Cherry Blossoms and the Moon

Cherry Blossoms and the Moon, oils on board, 14" x 11."

It was only five days ago that the cherry blossoms in our neighborhood were in their glory. Herb and I went out for a walk that evening and lo, the waxing moon was rising as the sun was setting. The flowering cherries in conjunction with the rising moon seemed a special omen, so I took photos for a painting. Today the flowers are fading and the emerging leaves begin to overtake them... Sakura: such brief and evanescent beauty!

The painting is selling for $100, shipping and handling are extra. Please E-mail Elena if you are interested in buying.

Spring is here!

Finally, the weather is glorious and our cherry trees are in full blossom! In this photo you can see the lovely cherry trees at the entrance to my neighborhood. Today it's really warm. I'd better get started on my painting of the cherry blossoms, so I can post it tomorrow or the day after.

Bluebells at Chapman Forest

Bluebells at Chapman Forest, watercolor, 10" x 14"

My dear friends Patrise and Linda live in southern Maryland, very close to Chapman Forest, a large estate on the Potomac riverfront established in colonial times. The old estate has been preserved by a local group and contains many acres of old-growth forest, among which are several large upland patches of Virginia Bluebells, an unusual occurrence. Most large bluebell patches are found along riverbanks where the spring floods help the plants propagate in sandy loam. I wonder just how many years it takes for bluebells to form a patch this big... fifty, eighty or a hundred years undisturbed?

The weather looked pretty chancy for the weekend, but I decided to risk it, since the blooming season for these beautiful flowers is so short, and it had been a couple of years since I'd been down there in the spring. I drove through several showers on my way south from Columbia, and we encountered one more downpour as we were getting underway for our hike, but we got lucky and it didn't rain during the afternoon. We saw other wildflowers during our hike: Dutchman's breeches, tiny white violets, smooth yellow violets, and Jack-in-the-pulpit.

The storm clouds make a dramatic backdrop for this hill covered with bluebells, and the purple-pink color of the redbud flowers is the perfect complement to the tender greens of the emerging foliage. I'm selling it for $100, shipping and handling is additional. If you are interested in buying please drop me an E-mail.

More On Flores

Poca do Bacalhau, watercolor, 14" x 10"

One of the loveliest things about Flores is the number of waterfalls and pools that can be found on the island, particularly on the west coast where the central volcanic mass drops precipitously towards the ocean. Several very deep crater lakes store the plentiful rainfall, which drains slowly as a series of long, thin waterfalls dropping down thousands of feet along the western cliffs, and creating scenic pools like the Poca do Bacalhau (which translates to Cod's Pool).

This watercolor was painted on location when I was there last year as artist in residence. The walk toward the pool was through a small cow pasture, and I had to climb over a fence to get to the end of the trail. Yellow flowers bloomed along the banks of the stream, and there was an abandoned stone house for some romantic ruins. The dried stalks of flowers identified blooming ginger plants growing on the steep rocks above the small cascades dripping into the pool. It got very chilly sitting on a rock while the breeze wafted spray from the falls over me, so it was all I could do to stay and finish the piece, but I stuck to it.

I think the painting conveys an accurate sense of the place with its dramatic waterfall and the dark volcanic cliffs. I'm selling it for $175, because Flores is such an unusual location--so difficult and expensive to get to-- and the hardships I endured to paint it. Shipping is additional, and there is a $5.00 handling charge. If you are interested in buying, please send an E-mail.

Nearly Abstract

The topography of Flores with Lagoa Funda (lower lake) and Lagoa Rasa (high, on the right). The road runs between the two lagoas, the Atlantic Ocean can be seen beyond as a patch of blue below the clouds.
Storm in Flores, watercolor, 5-1/2" x 9-1/2"

This small watercolor was painted last year in Flores from memory after an incredibly scary drive in a raging storm. I was supposed to be flying out of Santa Cruz on my return trip to the U.S. that day, and despite the storm, a call to the airline informed me they were flying, so I had to get to the airport. It seemed like an exercise in futility, but there was no choice. The flights direct to Boston were scheduled only twice a week.

My house-mate Marylee was so brave to drive me from Lajes over the narrow, winding roads in visibility of perhaps 5 feet. Torrents of water ran down the steep grades, making the stories we'd heard about small children being swept down seem quite plausible. The cows in the pastures lined up side by side, instinctively closing ranks against the wind and lashing rain.

My painting shows what we saw of the road that runs between two of the lagoas (small crater lakes) in the central massif of the island. Beyond the hydrangea bushes bordering the road, white froth was the only sign of the location of a very steep drop into Lagoa Funda, while on the other side of the hydrangeas the shallower Lagoa Rasa was erased by the churning rain. There weren't any other cars in sight (only dire necessity would force anyone to drive in a storm like this), so at least we didn't have to worry about a collision.

After waiting at the airport for a couple of hours, they finally told us the plane could not take off from Sao Miguel in the storm, and would not be coming to Flores. So we had to do it all over again driving back to Lajes, although by this time the wind and rain had slackened.

I ended up having to fly the next day and spend two nights in Lisbon to get back to the good ol' USA. This unexpected detour led me to explore a lovely city I would otherwise not have seen.

The painting is priced at $100, shipping cost is additional, and there is a $5.00 handling charge. I hope you enjoyed the story; thanks for looking.

Links: http://www.azores.com/azores/flores.php

Moonrise

Moonrise, oils on gessobord, 9" x 12"

The full moon was rising one breezy spring evening a couple of years ago, and I don't know what it was about the light or atmosphere that made the dissipating clouds glow with an amazing burnt-orange color, but it was so unusual, I took some photos.

I painted this small oil yesterday based on those photos. My palette is unusual because I mixed indigo with ultramarine for the sky. Indigo is not a pigment I use often, but it works here. The painting is selling for $100 as is. Shipping is additional and there is a $5.00 handling charge. If you are interested, please send me an E-mail.

* * *

On a completely unrelated but personal note, today happens to be the 47th anniversary of the fateful day of my departure from Cuba and my arrival in Miami. It's hard for me to believe so much time has passed since my sisters and I, three very frightened young girls who had never spent so much as one night away from home, were put on a plane by our parents to escape the disaster overtaking our beloved island. We didn't know then that we were among the 14,000 Cuban children who would leave Cuba under what later became known as Operation Pedro Pan.

By 1961 Cuba was rapidly being transformed into Castro's gulag, but the signs were still unclear for many. Two weeks later, during the ill-fated Bay of Pigs Invasion, mass arrests would take place all over the island, with hundreds of thousands of innocent people detained in makeshift prisons.

Since then Castro's gulag has increased the eleven provincial prisons we had during Batista's time, to over 200 Dantesque prisons scattered throughout the island. The Castro regime has not managed to invest one dime in building or maintaining a civilian infrastructure, but they sure have perfected a system of total repression and control. About a hundred thousand people have perished in the Florida Straits trying to escape from the tropical gulag on rafts. Another two million of us live in exile, scattered all over the world. When will it all end? When will the Cuban people finally be free?

More onTangier Island

Tangier Island Waterfront, watercolor, 11" x 15"

This view of the buildings and structures along the Tangier Island waterfront was painted from a photo taken on a luminous summer evening. The painting is matted and framed with a simple copper-color wood frame and sells for $350. Shipping and handling is additional. Drop me an E-mail if you are interested. Thanks for looking.

Tangier Island Crab Shacks

Tangier Island Crabs Shacks, watercolor, 12"h x 14"w

Last Summer my friend Linda and I spent a weekend on Tangier Island. Tangier is one of the two islands in the Chesapeake Bay that are still inhabited (the other is Smith Island). In all the years I've lived in Maryland, I'd never been to either island. The locals have developed a curious accent which has a hint of Shakespearean or perhaps just a British diction in it, and they make their living as they have for hundreds of years: fishing and crabbing. There are only a few choices for a weekend stay and for meals, and a simple life with golf carts and bicycles as the main mode of transportation.

We were there during molting season, when soft shell crabs can be eaten. Since the crabs undergoing molting show a specific progression and must be harvested before the shell begins to harden, the owners of the crab shacks check on their crabs every 6 hours or so, even in the middle of the night.

This watercolor was painted in late afternoon by the main dock where the ferry boat from Crisfield stops on the daily trip. It was quite hot, and there was a lone bench in the shade where I sat to paint. I wanted to capture the colorful crab shacks so typical of the Tangier waterfront.

As I painted, I could hear a conversation going on directly above me--my shade was a small shack with a sign for a boat for hire, and the occupant was obviously talking on the phone to someone. An older man on a golf cart driven by a teen-age boy who appeared to be his grandson, drew up to the shack right in front of me and the boat captain came out and chatted with them for a while as I continued to paint.

After they left, the gentleman came out of his shop and sat on the bench with me, and watched me silently. When I was about done, I started to put my kit away and he was all questions. We had a wonderful conversation which gave me ample time to appreciate the flavor of the local dialect. He wanted to know whether I sold my paintings and for how much. He then commented that my gallery prices were about what he could get for a bushel of crabs theses days.

The paintings is matted and framed and is going for $300. Shipping is additional and there is a $10.00 handling charge. If you are interested, please drop me an E-mail.

A Little Light, Please

I'm having a hard time painting today, what with having a shiner and swollen face as a result of the dental surgery a few days ago. So, this photo is just for fun.

I've been taking a class in the fundamentals of outdoor lighting for my engineering job, and last week our instructor brought in an assortment of different light bulbs (technically known as lamps) for us to appreciate the large variation in sizes and shapes, as well as different sources of light. We all know incandescent bulbs are on their way out, since in today's energy-conscious world, incandescents use up too much energy for the amount of light they give.

The photo shows an unusual item: a 3000-watt incandescent lamp once used in the lighthouse at Lajes das Flores, in the Azores Islands. This lamp was used from the mid 1940's through the 1960's. The current lamp is a 1000-watt halogen lamp, amplified by the original set of Fresnel lenses.

Jose, the Lighthouse keeper in Lajes, gave me a tour of the lighthouse when I was there last spring as Artist in Residence. His father had been the lighthouse keeper before him, and now he keeps an immaculate lighthouse. You could eat off the floor of his machine shop, and every bit of brass in the tower shines like new. Most fascinating of all, he has kept a collection of old equipment which was used in the lighthouse since its inception sometime in the early 1900's and is in mint condition. I imagine someday all this will make a wonderful museum for both the children of Flores and visitors, and I commend him for his foresight in keeping these artifacts.

Summertime

Summertime, pastel on Wallis paper, 9" x 12"

There is an old farmhouse on the other side of our main road where I like to walk. This is an older and more rural neighborhood, and the white clapboard house seems iconic of everything I associate with the classic rural Maryland life: the big expanse of lawn, the front porch, the flowerbeds decorated with old carriage wheels, and a tire swing under a tree.

There is something timeless about the image of this yard with the children playing on the tire swing that evokes everyone's childhood, when summer seemed to stretch on for such a long time, and one could linger in the yard after dinner as the fireflies rose in the twilight. I didn't grow up in such a house (Cuban houses are very different in style), but if I had been born in the US, I would have loved to live in a house like this.

This painting is now framed and going to RiverView Gallery in Havre de Grace where it is priced at $300. Send me an E-mail if you are interested.

Blueridge Mountain Fog

Blueridge Mountain Fog, 11" x 14" oils on Gessobord

A rainy, gray Friday last week inspired me to paint this oil from photos taken along Skyline Drive one spring evening a couple of years ago as the fog enveloped the mountains. I'm not sure I've captured the subtle colors of the fog, or the density of the cloud vapor amid the greens of the young leaves in the dusk.

After the painting dried, it took on more of what I was looking for, a certain depth and mystery. It's now been framed and will be going to Gallery 1683 in Annapolis tomorrow, where it is priced at $450. Please stop by and see it in real life, it's unusual and beautiful.

Another View of the Chama

The Chama River in the Spring, watercolor, 9" x 12"
SOLD

Another rainy day here in Columbia... all the better to daydream about sunnier places for the time being. Not that I mind the rain, which we need for our spring flowers, but it's hard to see well enough to paint on a gloomy day. This little watercolor was painted on location in New Mexico, on the same stretch of the Chama River where I painted last September.

Early spring in northern New Mexico is announced by the apple and cherry tree blossoms in the orchards, but on this dry stretch of O'Keefe country, the cottonwoods don't open their dark buds until later in April. This was painted during the first week of April, when earth colors predominate below the turquoise sky. The river runs less muddy at this time of the year, the water a milky green that is hard to capture in paint but blends beautifully with the colors of the mountains.

Thanks for looking.

Presage of Spring

Old Barn in the Spring, oils on Gessobord, 16" x 20"

Last night it was raining and for the first time this year one could hear the spring peepers starting their nightly chorus...a presage of the coming spring. Perhaps it was just a wishful delusion on my part, but it seemed the grass looked a little greener this morning. The temperatures are not exactly balmy yet, but it's not as chilly as last week.

This oil painting was done from a photo taken during a spring walk with my friends a couple of years ago at Chapman's Forest in southern Maryland. The upland forests were carpeted with Bluebells and Dutchman's Breeches, and the ancient tobacco barn looked so picturesque framed in Redbud and Dogwood blossoms, it just begged to be painted. This one will cost you a bit more, because it's larger than my usual blog offerings, but it's worth the extra amount; it's going for $350, a fraction of my usual price for an oil this size. Hurry up, don't pass it by, send me an E-mail.

Millions of Trilliums

Millions of Trilliums, oil on gessobord, 14" x 11" - SOLD

Last May I spent a weekend with two friends out in Virginia, at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and we hiked at a wildlife preserve known for its botanical richness. This area is home to the largest concentration of trilliums (Trillium grandiflora) known in the US, and covers this entire mountainside. There are literally millions of trilliums here. The flowers open white and gradually turn pink, but there are many natural hybrids across several species too, so the flowers vary from snowy white to deep cerise. Tucked along the paths, many other wildflowers bloom: Yellow Lady's Slipper, Showy Orchis, several types of violets, and many others... nature's perfect wild garden.

This was painted from my photos; I started last weekend and just finished it today (it's still wet). The rocks and trees invite you into the painting to "walk" among the flowers.

The painting is now framed with a nice gold plein air frame; it looks wonderful. I'm selling it for $450, at the moment it's at Gallery 1683 in Annapolis. Please stop by and see it--it looks better in real life.

The Chama River

Chama River in the Fall, watercolor, 10" x 14"
SOLD

February 29

On this odd day that comes only once every four years, I was remembering last September's painting trip to New Mexico, and dug up this watercolor done in one of my favorite places there. This stretch of the Chama River on the way to the Monastery of Christ in the Desert has some of the most amazing rock formations in fabulous colors. It's a rugged dirt road to get there, but by this time of the year, it has been re-graded to make it drivable after the summer rains. Two dear friends painted with me here; the day was perfect, neither hot nor cold, a gentle breeze stirring the cottonwood trees above as we ate our sandwiches and painted. What a wonderful way to spend one's time!

A Cactus Flower

Opuntia, watercolor, 5" x 9".
SOLD

This is a sketch done on location a few years ago, on the grounds of the Randall Davey house in Santa Fe. I love the delicacy of watercolors for rendering the creamy petals against the blue shadows, the way the shape of the flower is suggested.

More Spring Dreams

Raquel's Garden

Today's painting is a view of my friend Raquel's garden in the spring. I was staying overnight, and when I woke up early the next morning, I looked out the window of my bedroom as the mist was lifting from the hillside with the first rays of the sun. The cool shades of bugle and other wild ground covers made a vibrant carpet for the pinks of the bleeding hearts and a lilac.

This pastel painting on Wallis paper is approximately 9" by 11," matted and framed in an antique-look gold frame (finished size is 14" x 18") and sells for $300. Drop me an E-mail if you are interested. If you can't afford the original but like the image, you can order a giclee (digital print) by clicking on Imagekind.

A Snowy Lunar Eclipse

SOLD

Last Wednesday we had a light dusting of snow here in Maryland. Later that night the sky began to clear... my husband came in after taking the recyclables out and said, "You should take a look at the moon, it looks very unusual." Neither of us had any idea that there was a lunar eclipse taking place (we rarely listen to the weather channel), but when I went out on our frozen deck to take a peek, I knew it had to be an eclipse. The full moon was quite dark, with a deep rosy glow and stars winking around it. With the ice glinting on the trees behind our house, it was magical.

In my painting I put in a little bit more snow for a deep winter effect.

The Golden Hour

Here's another little painting from last year. It depicts what many of us painters like to call "the golden hour"--that first or last hour of the day when the sun is low on the horizon and its color tilts toward the red spectrum. This is my favorite time of the day to go outside to paint or take photos. The wondrous light brings out a quality of fullness and profound mystery to everything it touches.

The Golden Hour is an oil on Gessobord, 9" x 12," going for $100. Contact me by E-mail if you are interested in buying.

The Blue Gate

Today's painting is also last year's from the Santa Fe show, a 12" x 9" original oil on Gessobord. I loved the red geraniums on the window box against the blues of the woodwork of this old adobe house on Canyon Road. It's going for $125 and that includes shipping anywhere in the continental USA, more if outside. Drop me an E-mail if you are interested in buying.

A delightful suprise

This morning when I went down to water my tropical houseplants in the basement, lo and behold, a delightful surprise awaited me: my Brugmansia had two lovely angel trumpets! Considering how big they are, how could I have missed the emerging buds? I'd just been down there the day before and yet I hadn't noticed. By the looks of the buds, there will be at least a few more blooms. I couldn't resist sharing this photo.

I've had this plant for four years and it has only flowered once before, while it was outdoors. I had thought it would only bloom in the late summer/early fall because it needed a lot more light to set buds. I love it when nature has a nice surprise...it's like a present when you least expect it.

My Mother's Garden

SOLD

My Mother's Garden

I was looking over my old photos and found one of my mother's garden in Falls Church. My mother lived in this little house long enough to pay off the mortgage, the last twenty-two years alone after my father passed away. A published poet and artist, to me her garden was her greatest masterpiece (after us children) among many outstanding accomplishments.

I painted her as I like to remember her: puttering in her garden at its most glorious. In May, when dozens of azaleas burst into a riot of bloom, the modest brick house became the showpiece of the neighborhood, and strangers driving by would stop to admire her handiwork. At the back, under her bedroom window were the orange-red bunches of "Gibraltar," by the entry steps the apricot-colored Exbury I had given her as a present. The reds, pinks and whites blended seamlessly with other flowers in bold combinations: orange-red poppies with purple iris along the front walk. Hers was a garden for all seasons, with bloom from early March through, at times, late roses in December.

Alas, she is gone to a better place now, and so is her garden. But it will always live on in my memory, as does our home and garden in Cuba. Today's painting is for all of us whose mothers loved gardens, and were much loved. It's a pastel on Wallis paper (see Feb 14 entry), approximately 9-1/2" x 11".

Santa Fe's Famous Pink Flamingos

SOLD

Santa Fe's Famous Pink Flamingos

Today's painting is actually last year's, an 8" x 10" oil on gessobord painted for a group show in Santa Fe. It was painted from a photo taken during a stay as Artist in Residence at the Mill Atelier Gallery a few years back. Walking around Santa Fe is always a pleasure because of the way the residents decorate their places; this facade was so amusing I just had to paint it.

I'm old enough to remember a time in the 1980's when those tacky plastic flamingos so ubiquitous in Florida became the height of fashion in D.C. Some congressman woke up one morning to find a bunch of them in the front yard of his home in Capitol Hill--a humorous prank by a rival or critic, everyone surmised...no culprit ever found...anyway, the flamingos became the height of tacky chic overnight. Imagine my surprise to see the phenomenom transposed decades later so far away!

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Dreaming of Spring

Feb. 14, 2008

Valentine's Day seems like a propitious day to start a new painting blog. This will be a place to post my paintings and random ravings. Of course, my "daily paintings" are actually weekenders. It's hard to do one painting a day when you have to work ten hours a day (sometimes more) four days a week. That still leaves me with a three-day weekend to work on art.

This is a small pastel I did this past weekend, dreaming about spring...last year my friend Linda and I went for a hike along the Potomac River in early spring, and found masses of wild blue phlox and Virginia bluebells growing along the path by the river at Carderock. It was such a lovely scene, it instantly cheered me to revisit my photos and create this painting. Anything to get over the winter blahs!

Dreaming of Spring is about 9" high by 11-1/2" wide, on Wallis paper (a sanded paper made specially for pastels), and it's at Gallery 1683 in Annapolis at the moment. Please stop by if you are interested, for more information visit the gallery's website by clicking on the link in the Links column.