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Good ol’ Honest Abe.  It is interesting how artists over the years have fixated on certain historic or iconic figures as subject for many creative pieces.  I have a few that I come back to over and over again. Abraham Lincoln is one of them.  Presidents who get assassinated seem to really “stick” with us, but that is not the allure.  He was not a handsome man by any standards, but there is something about his eyes, nose and long face that just says “calm assertiveness”.  And that is sexy!  His features were very prominent and strong which also has appeal.  Lots of contrast to work with. A perfect playground for an artist!  I know when I watch movies, I am always most attracted to strong men with “presence” regardless of their looks….that is what Abe had….”A presence”…..And that alone is enough to get the temperature up a degree…

Stopped at the bird blinds in Pendernales Falls State Park, Texas. The area around the blinds was planted as a butterfly garden and was filled with butterflies, most of them were Queens as seen in this image.

Image Captured with a Nikon D300S Camera, Nikon 80-400 mm f/4.5-5.6G lens, focal Length 370 mm, ISO 400, 1/125 sec at f/5.6, hand held. Noise removed using Nik Dfine 2.0

Friends, this foliage is gone for now, but a little reminder of the wonderful fall that has now passed us by.  The maples are the highlight of my fall, they seem to turn every shade of yellow, orange and red before they pass into winter snow.  til Tomorrow MJ

Working on some new pieces for my upcoming show.  My love of dogs makes painting them a natural to me.  It’s interesting as I am painting more on canvas again and scanning these…the canvas texture makes the image look a little blurry, but then I realized that I am comparing them to the ultra smooth perfect background of digital work.  See like I mentioned in a post a few days ago….it is VERY DIFFERENT!  But both are beautiful. 🙂  I hope you enjoy my dog art paintings as much as I enjoy making them.

Feeling At Home With Uncertainty Abstract Healing Art

A very gloomy Monday morning brings me to the idea of uncertainty. Yes a very uncomfortable subject in a cold place. What joy this brings me 🙂 I know it probably sounds funny but I am struck by how much I am going to choose to be at peace with not knowing what will happen next. I truly have no control over future events and I think that I might finally be OK with that fact. My artwork today is displaying my hesitation and eventual acceptance. There are so many colorful events that will shape lives and they are constantly being mixed and tested. No one shade is certain to occur when all of them are undecided. The beauty is again in the mystery. Does it matter exactly what color will prevail or can you sit back and enjoy the display. Take…

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I am creating new original paintings for my upcoming show.  I do a lot more digital work these days, so it is a nice change to go back to more visceral creativity.  I am recreating some of my pieces from 9 years ago, but with a different twist.  Unfortunately the camera I had back then didn’t capture my work well enough for large prints.  But these can go as large as 48×60!  Now that is big and definitely “Standing Tall”!  Happy Sunday all…..

Both of these towns are in Eastern France.  Annecy is known for a boat shaped building.  It is so well known that you will not see it here because I always want to do something different.  The final three photos are from Colmar which has a very German flavor to it.  All are from a 2009 visit.  It’s actually faster to drive through Switzerland to get from one of these towns to the other.

This near full frame image was captured from the deck of the boat we were on while visiting the Galapagos Islands. The angle of the image is unusual for me since it was captured from the side and slightly above the bird in flight not the underside.

Image Captured with a Nikon D300S Camera, Nikon 80-400 mm f/4.5-5.6G lens, focal Length 400 mm, ISO 200, 1/640 sec at f/6.3. Noise removed using Nik Dfine 2.0.

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It can be difficult to find balance in your life when you have so many demands pulling you in different directions.  Family, friends, work, health, etc. all need a place.  I create and list a lot of work and many have asked me things like “Do you sleep?”  I get 8 hours a night. I also market my work heavily and some have wondered how on earth I do it.  With experience, I have become extremely efficient at marketing.  I am also pretty handy with the camera and scanner.  I do most things quickly….I always have.  Patience is not one of my virtues!  I not only run a thriving successful art business, I also grow an organic garden, care for my daughter, care for animals and cook/prepare 95% of my own meals (Celiac).  I shop for my family, clean house and exercise every single day.  I go to dinner…

Finding My Happy Place Abstract Healing Art

Where is it that I find joy. For me it is not in anything external. My true joy is found deep within. At the very center of who I am is my “happy place”. Here is where I go to heal and to refresh. The essence is calm and blue, harmonious and peaceful. I will go here when I need to and this will be my path back to joy. The outside world is just that and really has no bearing on who I want to be and how I want to live my life. So I pay homage to this idea in my artwork today. I see life in all of its amazing colors and with many attachments. I am grounded in my life and I can allow myself to see this riot of vibrancy and not feel overwhelmed by it. I…