One of these things is not like the others.  Three pears hover behind an apple.  I often feel like the apple.  When I am in a room full of people who seem to share the same beliefs and knee-jerk reactions, I sometimes wish to slip out.  It’s hard to hide my true colors.  It happens often in the art world.

In all fairness, there are times when I am very much in fellowship with those around me.  Maybe I’ll make another painting about that.

This piece was done in watercolor about a week ago.  In all fairness to pears, I think they are every bit as beautiful and delicious as apples.

The image links take you to Lenora.Imagekind.com.

A few months ago, our family entered a time of deep sorrow. My nephew suffered an accident at the work site, and died roughly two days later. In the hours immediately after his departure (which was actually a home-going), I spent time with his children, K-Y and K-A and another little niece, J-A. The children were ages 5, 6, and 7. I had brought a bag of art supplies.

We sat at the large coffee table in the den and spread out the supplies. Soon we were all working on one sheet of paper. Everyone just applied whatever they wanted to apply. I think an older nephew walked by and added the word, “dog.” The whole process was like a soothing balm, albeit a small and temporary one. We were deep in grief and in many ways we still are. I have posted the picture below.

A little over a year ago, we went to Mesa Verde in Colorado, and saw Spruce House. This painting represents my take on it. The cliff wall above the dwellings was a dark tone; it looked as if cooking fires had darkened it long ago. Some of you, I’m sure, know more about this than I do. I just don’t have time to research everything that interests me!

In actuality, the ruins don’t look as colorful as I have painted them, at least not in broad daylight. I don’t know how they look in the evening or in the early morning.
Okay, here’s the artwork. It’s 16×20 on stretched canvas, painted in acrylic.

And below are a couple of details.

Right now I’m working on a painting of a passageway in a castle. I’m not used to showing paintings in progress, and I’ll probably delete this post before long. Showing a painting in progress reminds me of going out in my pajamas. This piece is 30×40, acrylic. It looks slightly dark on my monitor, but I’ve seen plenty of monitors, especially in schools, in which my images look light. BUT, they do look great in reproductions, so that’s what matters.

Okay, here is the image. Remember, it is not finished. Feel free to tell me what you think.

A few weeks ago, we went to Arches National Park. I believe I’d go back now if I could. It’s like being on another planet, especially to someone from Louisiana. There is absolutely nothing like seeing it for yourself. Pictures and movies don’t do it justice.

I painted a part of Park Avenue, which is one of the first stops on the road through the park. All over the park, I could see faces, people, monsters, castles, and other things. It was impossible for me to see plain rocks. My mind kept putting life to these giant, colossal structures.

This painting is acrylic. I could not help but put my impressions into the painting. As always, clicking on the picture takes you to Lenora.Imagekind.com, where prints are available.

Below is a detail.

Cows tend to hang out together. They roam the pasture together, they eat together, and sometimes they seem to be gossiping together. Hence the name of this older work: Gossip Session. This is a scene from a Louisiana field. A reproduction is available at Lenora.Imagekind.com.

This is acrylic on stretched canvas, 14×11 inches. The larger flower is really more magenta in “person.” I’m not feeling too well right now, so this will be short. I’m trying to throw off the last gasps of a bout of flu that doesn’t want to let go.

A copy of this can be had at Lenora.Imagekind.com. It sizes up quite nicely also, for a larger copy.

It’s abstract, or, to be more accurate, it’s non-objective.

Okay, here’s a detail or two. Click to see them better:

I feel I want to break loose and paint something else, but I’m not quite sure what it will be. It’s just slightly frustrating.