". . . a brush with nature"

“When you are young, you live with the face you are given, but when you are old, you live with the face you have made.”   -  Amy Werntz

Just recently I read this quote by artist, Amy Werntz, and, boy, is it powerful. At least it was to me. 

This particular artist chooses to paint older people as they go about their daily lives, experiencing the events that many would consider too “ordinary” to capture in a painting. But choosing to celebrate those mundane moments of day-to-day life, and what she sees on each person’s face, is actually what elevates the ordinary to extraordinary.

Pictured here are three of my own paintings.

"Trail Boss"                                        "A Man of Character"                                            "Looking Back"         

Following is what I wrote as a description for these three portrait paintings of mine where I hoped to convey a strong sense of story in each piece by capturing what I felt was “written” on the face of each of my models who had already experienced some “life” of their own along the way.

The "Trail Boss" has experienced a lot in his lifetime and the stories are written on his face. A fair man, a good leader of men . . . one who can make important decisions as they need to be made. A man others can look up to. Whether on historic cattle drives of the old west or in corporate office settings today, this is the man I want you to meet.

In “A Man of Character” I wanted to capture the essence of a man of great character . . . a quintessential cowboy . . . representing today's modern era or a time long passed. A man you can count on. A man of integrity not afraid of working hard to earn an honest day's pay. Reliable, trustworthy and true to his word. A man who knows how to love and cherish his family deeply . . . knowing how to express that love . . . knowing that expressing emotion does not equate to weakness. This is a man of character.

In “Looking Back” I wanted to celebrate the women who helped build our nation, stood alongside the cowboys of an era long gone by, and are still standing strong today on the farms, ranches and homes of rural America. This is another very personal piece for me and I hope, in the end, the story of this woman and many others like her is written on her face.

I hope you enjoy the stories they each have to tell.

When life throws up a road block, proceed with caution, but raise more dust.

Recently some things came up that took me by surprise. One day I found out something that was very exciting. In fact, I was thrilled about all the new possibilities it held for me as an artist. Then, in the matter of a couple of short hours (I am not exaggerating here) everything changed dramatically. Although the basic concept was still intact all the details had now been drastically altered. I was so surprised at how quickly everything had changed and why.

But that’s life, isn’t it? I mean we really never know how anything on any given day is actually going to turn out, so we just have to adjust our course, make our corrections and then proceed with caution as we move forward.

And I think I will personally continue to raise a little more pastel dust along the way. 

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.”

-Emily Dickinson

I have hope that Spring is just around the corner and will bring with it a “Visiting Trio” such as this . . . perched upon a flowering bough and singing the sweet notes of new beginnings that only tiny birds can share.

How many times have I shared one of my paintings here in my blog and paired it with a verse or piece of poetry that I found especially fitting or connected to that particular work? The answer, of course, is many. That’s because I find inspiration in the written word, as well as the creation of a painting. Writing a verse, a piece of poetry, a short story or epic novel, or even composing a heartfelt letter to someone is certainly an art form. Choosing just the right words to convey to someone else the emotion you feel inside is no different than putting pastel to paper or paint brush to canvas to do the same. In either instance the creator is opening themselves up to others and sharing their most personal and intimate feelings and thoughts about life and their experiences in the hope that the viewer/reader will understand what they are trying to express.

Common threads of emotion are often touched upon in both the written word and the creation of two-dimensional art. I think that is why I so often discover a poem, or perhaps a few short lines in a verse, that perfectly “speaks” to what I was trying to convey, or what I was feeling, as I worked on a particular painting of mine.

Apparently, art as an inspiration is a two-way street. Just recently I was contacted by a creative writing major at a university in Washington State. One of my paintings had inspired her to write a piece of poetry and she wanted to know if I would be interested in reading it. The answer was a very enthusiastic, “Of course, I would be thrilled!” 

I found it quite exciting to know that my painting resonated with her enough that she was inspired to write a creative piece of her own about it.

Creativity sparking creativity! Think of it. Absolutely wonderful! 

There it was. DAMAGE on an extremely expensive frame I had chosen and purchased for a rather large work (at least, for me). It wasn’t the sort of damage that could be covered up, easily hidden or simply repaired. It wasn’t a cosmetic fix. This was pretty major damage and on one of the most expensive frames I had ever purchased at that point in my career. 

As artists, we all dread this happening, but sadly it is an unavoidable part of the art business. We all do our very best to protect our work and the investments we make when it comes to the presentation of our paintings, but unfortunately stuff still happens.

So, there it sat, this large pastel painting, once beautifully matted, framed and under glass, languishing in the basement . . . for years and years and YEARS. 

Because the frame was ruined beyond repair and I didn’t want to bear the expense of reframing the piece (after all, there are always newer paintings to consider), I stopped showing it entirely and even pulled it off my website. So, there it continued to sit unseen.

But something was bothering me. Even though the frame was no longer of any use, I still felt that the painting had some merit. I felt there was potential there, but I just wasn’t sure how I wanted to bring that potential out. What I was certain of was that I did not want to just reframe the pastel as it had originally been painted.

This is the original pastel painting from many years ago.

 Finally, about two weeks ago it hit me. I had an epiphany about the direction I should take after all these years! It would involve massive changes in all respects and quite a lot of reworking, but I absolutely knew it was the right decision to make.

I am so pleased with my new pastel painting, “Training Day” (shown at the top of this blog).  The thought process took years, but the actual repainting only a few days. I think it was well worth the effort and the wait.  I am always going to remember this experience throughout my artistic journey.

The frame might be dead and gone, but the painting it surrounds still deserves a second chance at life.