". . . a brush with nature"

From the very first moment I started work on this painting ("Running Free") I experienced joy in every sense of the word. As I watched this mare gallop with wild abandon through the pasture, I immediately shared her state of being joyful, her sense of exuberance, exhilaration and her celebration of simply being alive. She seemed to radiate inexhaustible joie de vivre.

“She decided to free herself, dance into the wind, create a new language. And birds fluttered around her, writing “yes” in the sky.” 

― Monique Duval.  

Through the years, my husband has graciously (and patiently) served as my model in many of my paintings. He has been a cowboy numerous times, a wilderness hiker, appeared in a kilt for a “period piece” and even stood with me for our own take on American Gothic many years ago. The last two projects were strictly for fun and we both remember them fondly, both in the creation and completion of the comical paintings. Of course, there were many others, as well.

One of my favorites is “Guitar Man”. In this particular painting I wanted to capture my husband doing something he is passionate about . . . playing his guitar. I hoped to express that passion, and the joy he feels each time he plays his music, through the use of color and a much bolder palette than I usually choose. We both think this portrait of him playing one of his favorite guitars achieves that goal successfully. 

“When we find the natural rhythm and strike a perfect cord, we can sing our “own” song that will tune the signature of our life.

(“The final decision”)”― Erik Pevernagie