Painting of the Month

I am so happy to share the painting of the month with you. Our artist friend Karen Dale allowed us to form a Painting of the Month Club. For a small fee we get to take home one of her oil paintings each month. I wrote about our December painting which was the Three Pears.

We really loved that one. All month I thought about the number three and the symbolism attached to that number. Do you see the smile on the middle ones cheek?

In January the Pears were replaced by the Persimmons and Crockery.

More muted in color, this still life was so refined. A still life has the effect of slowing down my energy so that I feel the moment it is capturing. I try to be more "in the moment" and looking at a painting is like looking at time standing still. (That sounded redundant)

In February, Karen called and asked us to take her newest painting. It was still drying but she needed time away from her "baby" to get perspective.

I photographed it in the natural light, with sun coming in through my front window but not on the painting. I love the narly stuff on the pumpkin.

Here is the same painting photographed with a spotlight. I thought the natural light from the sun deepened the color. Sunlight is so wonderful. I really miss it today. You know, there is a special sunlight moment coming up in April. Twice a year, Spring and Fall, sunlight comes through the small windows of my front door and falls right on a painting above my piano. The angle of the sun frames the picture perfectly for about three days in the afternoon. I will try to get a picture of that this year. Visual art is really important to my soul. When I teach at the piano I often steady my gaze at these lovely paintings, enjoying the color, the mastery of detail, the light and shadow, and the brush strokes which testify that a mere mortal has captured life itself.