ENO RIVER WILL FLOW THROUGH HILLSBOROUGH GALLERY

Rooted on the Eno, by Jude Lobe. 24X48". Click image to visit website.

F L O W . . .

Will fea­ture the work of Gallery artists and local poets. The theme focuses on Nature and the Envi­ron­ment and will be ded­i­cated to the Eno River Asso­ci­a­tion. Orga­ni­za­tion rep­re­sen­ta­tives will be speak­ing. There will be an option
for mak­ing dona­tions to the orga­ni­za­tion.

HGA artists and local poets will be exhibiting their artworks inspired by nature and the Eno River from January 25, 2016 to February 21, 2016. The opening of the show will be on Friday, January 29th, from 6 – 9 pm.
 
Hillsborough Gallery of Arts
121 N. Churton St., Hillsborough, NC 27278.  

The river and nature are my muses and I will be doing several pieces all with the river theme to be displayed when HGA does the next installation in January.
 

FROGS, A SYMBOL OF GOOD LUCK

Toad to Toad, cold wax and oil on birch, 8X18, $375

In many cultures, frogs are a symbol of good luck and abundance, partly due to the very large number of eggs it lays at one time. In Rome, the frog was a mascot believed to bring good luck to the home. In Ireland, the frog is considered a relative of the leprechaun and capable of playing tricks on you when least expected. In Australia, the Aborigines believed that frogs brought the thunder and rain, to help the plants grow. It's easy to understand that idea as in actuality, frogs usually bury beneath the earth and come out in large numbers when it rains to quickly lay their eggs.

In that same vein, the Celts believed the frog represented curative or healing powers because of its connection with water and cleansing rains. 

The three-legged toad from China is the traditional pet of the immortal Liu Hai, who is the Chinese god of wealth. In Japan, sea-farers wore frog amulets when traveling across the river for a safe return. The word for frog in Japanese is 'kaeru' meaning 'return'.

The frogs in our pond inspired the artwork above that I did with cold wax & oil. The symbolism of the frogs could mean all of the above, but I hope from hanging it on a wall it would remind one to swim through rough times and life transitions. Like the egg that grows into a tadpole and eventually a frog, we all go through transitions that change us and make us stronger. 

This piece is hanging at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, 121 N. Churton St., Hillsborough, NC. Click on the image to visit my site to see more paintings.

2013 DESK CALENDARS - Great gift

Every year I make a calendar that shows 12 of my paintings completed throughout the year. Last year I didn't get around to creating a calendar and I had several people mention to me they missed not getting one. So here is the 2013 Desk Calendar. Each month shows a different image. Above are images of the cover, January, February and March, 2013. It is in easel format and is only 3.75" high and 8.75" long. It doesn't take up much room so it is perfect for a desk calendar.

The image on the cover is Cedars Watching Sunset, 20X40 oil on linen, now available at Carolina Creations in New Bern. The image for January is Egret at Marsh, 30X40 acrylic on linen, available at Anthm Gallery in Black Mountain, NC. The painting used in February is Seeking Atlantis, 18X24 oil on linen (sold). An the copy of the painting used in March is Reflections, 18X24, acrylic on linen, sold.

TO ORDER A CALENDAR, you can click on the image of the calendar and my Contact page on my website will pop up. From there you can click the BUY IT button. The price is $10, and includes the shipping and tax. It is secure check-out through PayPal. You do not have to have a Paypal account to pay. You enter your credit/debit card information. There is a slight savings when ordering more than one. If you live in the Mebane, NC, area, you are welcome to stop by my studio and pick up your calendar. Call before coming to make sure I am home. 919-260-9889.

HISTORY OF A PAINTING

ANCIENT PORTAL, Cold Wax & Oil, reclaimed iron and brass, 9X12X1.5, $285  click image to visit website.

Nature is my muse. I'm inspired by its unrelenting qualities of rejuvenation and renewal necessary for survival. As a part of nature, I believe we need to respect the connection we have with the natural environment. In nature things change over time, evolve. Like a forest goes through an ecological succession, so do we as individuals evolve and are, at present, a compilation of bits and pieces of the experiences we have traveled. This idea I want to translate in my art.

Cold wax and oil lends itself perfectly to expressing this idea. It affords the opportunity to show a history of the painting by building up layers, obscuring what's beneath, and removing layers to reveal bits of past layers. It represents the history of a life that becomes an aggregation of our observations and experiences. 

Cold wax was a widely used medium in Greco-Roman art beginning in the 5th century BC. Cold wax can be used to make oil colors thicker and more matte. The wax I use is Gamblin Cold Wax. It is made from naturally white unbleached beeswax, alkyd resin and odorless mineral spirits. It can be thinned to brush on or mixed 1:1 with oil paint and applied with a palette knife, brayer or brush. It can also be used as a wax varnish over a dry oil painting. When I use a 1:1 ratio I use a rigid support. If I used canvas or linen, the stretching and shrinking of the soft supports could cause the wax to crack. However, if you want to use a flexible support, mix the cold wax with a Galkyd Gel 1:1 to add flexibility to the wax. 

A nice advantage to using cold wax with oil, rather than just oil painting, is that you do not have to varnish, so you do not have to wait for the painting to cure, which could take  several months. The cold wax paintings dry to touch within about a week. They would take more time to thoroughly dry, but because they don't have to be varnished you can ship or exhibit them within a week or so. I do buff some of mine with a soft cloth after a week when I want a slight shine. 

I've just begun to put some of my pieces on my website. I also have some pieces exhibited at Hillsborough Gallery of Arts including the image above. You can check out my website by clicking the  image above. Jude Lobe

CEDARS WATCHING SUNSET

Cedars Watching Sunset, Oil on linen, 20X40, $900

This month, Cedars Watching Sunset, was accepted in the national juried show, Dimensions 2012, in Winston-Salem, NC. It will be on display at Associated Artists gallery located on the corner of 4th Street and Cherry St. until the end of May, 2012.

What was the inspiration of Cedars Watching the Sunset? Driving home from Elodie Farm to Hillsborough along St. Mary’s, I was struck by the beautiful sunset. Sunsets are so difficult to paint in plein air as they change every second. One glorious scene moment to moment unveils itself and the best you can do is sit and watch the display and let it pour over you. Which is exactly what I did. 


As I neared Schley Road I noticed a row of cedar trees that appeared to be gazing at the sunset as awestruck as I and I just had to paint the scene. These trees took on an anthropomorphic quality. Their pleasing shapes standing erect and their needles and branches aglow with the glorious colors of the sun screamed out to me. I felt the glow of the sun deep inside my chest. I headed home as the sun dipped beneath the horizon and went straight to the studio to begin mixing colors to replicate the colors that were swimming in my head. The warm orange and pinks with dabs of cerulean that lit up the sky. The deep colors of blues and green that included prussian blue, midnight blue, peacock blue, cerulean, indigo, teals, forest green, olives, even eggplant and magenta. They brought to mind my 64 color crayola box of crayons that was my best friend as a preschooler.  


This is an oil on linen painting of Cedars Watching the Sunset if framed with a North Carolina maple floater frame. I love cedar trees. 

ROCKER: FEELING THE MUSIC

ROCKER, Acrylic 18X24, $500

Sometimes the music moves me. I mostly have music playing when I'm working in the studio and sometimes I hear it consciously and when I have a blank canvas in front of me, the canvas begins to fill with brush strokes of flowing colors. That how the Rocker began. I have quite a few friends that are musicians and many times they become  muses for me. The area around the Triangle is lucky to have so many talented musicians, that you can just about find someone playing music, like the Rocker, in any coffee bar, restaurant or cafe you happen to walk into.

The last musician piece I painted was the Rocker. It's very textural and if you look closely you will notice other interesting things that appear like script.

I'm trying to think of the best place to market my music pieces. If you have any great ideas, please pass them on. I've just contracted with a gallery in Black Mountain and think it might be the place to take these works. If you haven't been to Black Mountain recently, now is the time to go. Check out Anthm Gallery, 100.5 West State St, Black Mountain.

Presently, ROCKER, is at Fine Art Carolina Gallery in historic downtown Mebane, NC.

PRETTY IN PINK

Pretty in Pink, driftwood, copper, enamel

We just love Maine. Every summer we would take 5 weeks off and jump in the van and head north. We had our sleeping bags and tents with us and played it by ear the first couple years. As the sun would begin to set, we'd start looking for campgrounds.

As the years went on, I began suggesting that at least one or two weeks of the vacation be spent in a cozy cabin. We found wonderful cabins in Lubec, Maine, overlooking the water that would rush in and out in the blink of an eye.

We were very fond of collecting rocks and driftwoods those years. Many of those rocks, particularly those found on Jasper Beach not far from Lubec, ended up inspiring and becoming part of my Meditation Rock series.

While hiking in Acadia outside Bar Harbor, Maine, several years ago, my son found this piece of driftwood and held it up shouting out to me, "Mom, what do you see in this wood"? Well, it took a few years, but I finally let the flamingo out of the wood. Without any modifications to the wood itself, I painted with milk paint and added a bit of copper and enameled copper (the beak). It was displayed at Hillsborough Gallery of Arts in Hillsborough, NC. It was sold. I guess it's time to hit the trails again.

CAT NAP

CAT NAP, Acrylic painting on linen, 18X24, $585

You sometimes are quite surprised by what incidents or things that begin percolating through your brain that causes you to rush to the studio and paint, paint, paint.

I don't consider myself a cat person. I've owned only one cat my whole life. That was when I was twenty. It was a small tabby. For about a week after I had received the cat, I suffered with what I thought was a cold. Suddenly, someone from work suggested I may be suffering from an allergy to the cat and offered to cat sit my tabby for a few days. The cold went away. When the tabby returned, so did my cold. That was the one and only Cat with whom I ever shared living space.

The painting, Cat Nap, was inspired by a recent regular visitor to our yard. A while ago  a Cat visitor began greeting us each time we walked out the door of the deck. Mr. Cat was quite the conversationist. The cute male gray cat with white face who happens to be very talkative comes and walks between my legs as I travel to and from the studio. At first I was a bit concerned knowing how cats generally like stalking birds. We have a few bird and suet feeders and my husband and I both enjoy the songbirds that live around us. We will sit out on the screened in deck in the mornings and have breakfast and watch the variety of birds that visit the feeders. Birds like chickadees, catbirds, titmouse, nuthatches, flickers, downy woodpeckers, cardinals, goldfinches and so on. One day while I was sitting on a chair near the feeders, Mr. Cat Nap came up and began talking and talking. Much to my joy neither the birds nor the cat seemed very interested in each other. Thus the Cat Nap painting. My little yellow tabby showed up to stand in for the gray Mr. Cat Nap in the painting.

CATNAP is currently on exhibit at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts.

TABLE LOOM FOR SALE

I've got 4 looms and haven't woven in 15 years. I'm letting go of this table loom.

TABLE LOOM information

Dimensions:

22.5 inches wide, 25" wide including the knobs.

14 inches high.

23" long.

Heddles: String

Reed: Metal 19 inches.

No maker or manufacturer listed on loom.

Email if interested. Art at JudeLobe dot com.

CAMARGUE HORSES

Camargue Horses of Southern France by Jude Lobe Click on image to visit website

This is a new painting at Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. It's acrylic on linen, 30X40 of the ancient breed of horse indigenous to the Camargue area in southern France. They live in the Camargue marshes and are known for their stamina, hardiness and agility. They are quite impressive to watch galloping through the wetlands in that region. The french government had set breeding standards back in the 70's to protect the purity of the breed.

How to EXPAND A SMALL ROOM

Click on image to visit my website.
One easy way to do it? Hang a large landscape painting in the room. Give the illusion of space with a landscape painting that has a distant horizon. It will become your focal point and if you are in the mood to change your environment, you can use the colors in the artwork to determine your wall colors, accent pillows etc.
Art lifts our spirits each time we look at it. Lift your spirits by taking a trip to your local art galleries. Buy local. Support your local economy and your local artists.

CLEVER CATS

Cats are social creatures. Just finished reading The Tribe of Tiger for the 2nd time. If you are not a cat person, I suggest you read it. It's intriguing, riveting and will completely change your opinion about them. I picked it up to read again after I was asked to donate a painting to an animal rescue organization and it got me on a roll to do some cat paintings. This one is presently displayed at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts in Hillsborough, NC. It is 6X6X1.5 , acrylic on linen on sale for the holidays for $38. The regular price is $65. You can contact art@judelobe.com if you have an interest. See others on my website by clicking image.

WITHOUT WETLANDS, NO SEAFOOD

Click to see art.
NO WETLANDS, NO SEAFOOD: Runoff can destroy the quality of our wetlands. Many of our wetlands now contain excess sediment, bacteria, and pollutants which can lead to closures of shellfish waters and degradation of recreational areas. We forget that many of the marine life we cherish on our plates began, not in the ocean, but in the wetlands. Many of the saltwater fish and shellfish live at least part of their live in the saltwater marshes.
Marshes have also been proven to be a flood controller and they protect from wave erosion. There are many more reasons to protect and cherish our wetlands.
Help protect our coast with a NC Coastal Federal specialty license plate. Click on NCCF.

Above painting is a study for a larger 30X30 painting available for sale at Carolina Creations in New Bern, NC. The 6X6, acrylic on linen painting above, framed in NC Maple floater frame, is available at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, 919-732-5001.

YOU TUBING

Just found out about an easy way to make videos. If you've got some pics you'd like to share with friends, check them out. Animoto.com

WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM

Click to visit website.
At one time it is estimated that about 50 million American Buffalo roamed North America. In the 19th century a slaughter of these animals decimated their numbers along with the Plains Indians that relied on them. The buffalo gave them everything they needed; skins became their water bottles, hides became blankets and coats, flesh was their food, horns became spoons, bones became knives and awls, ribs became sleds, hoofs became rattles, sinew became bows and so on.

They once roamed free. When numbers became dangerously low, some wealthy land owners received money from the government to range them. Buffalo numbers grew, but now, no longer free, they survive within fences.

This enamel and copper piece is a gate that opens to see the buffalo.

HELP BUILD A LIBRARY

Spring A'Bustin' Click image to go to online auction

BUY ART and HELP BUILD A LIBRARY.
The above painting, Spring A'Bustin', donated by Jude Lobe is one of many artworks and fine crafts to be in a Silent Auction at Fleet Feet Gallery in Carrboro, this Friday, 6-9pm. The proceeds will be used to build a library in Huaripamapa in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The Peru Project was initiated by mother and daughter team, Renata and Kyla McConnell.

You can get a head start on the auction by going to http://thePeruProject.com and click on 'CLICK HERE' to be taken to the online auction. Items are now on display at the Fleet Feet Gallery (not the store) in Carrboro.

2nd FRIDAY IN CARRBORO, PERU PROJECT auction

Mexican Proverb by Jude Lobe Click image to go to Online Auction
Kyla McConnell, inspired to build a library for the poor, gave up a senior trip last year to Paris to visit the small village of Huaripampa, Peru, in the remote Andes Mountains. She and her mother, Renata, formed a nonprofit organization in Chapel Hill called The Peru Project, to fund the construction of the library and art center for Huaripampa.

Several artists, I included, have donated works to be auctioned off at the Peru Project silent art auction event, Friday, Sept. 10 from 6 to 9 p.m., at Fleet Street Gallery in Carrboro.

My painting above, "Mexican Proverb - A house does not rest upon the ground, but upon a woman", will be in the auction. It is 16X20X1.5 acrylic on linen in black wood floater frame.
My friend, and one of the co-owners of the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, Peg Bachenheimer, has also donated a work.
PS: Unfortunately, there have been some problems with the Online Auction on Idonatetocharity.org. Try back later if you can't connect. But, by all means, come to the Friday night event.

HEARTBROKEN and DISILLUSIONED

This was one of my new enamel necklaces and was in the exhibit, MUSES, that is now at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. The necklace was stolen. I was inspired by Pat Merriman's Hubble series of paintings and called this HUBBA, HUBBA, HUBBLE. If you see it around town, know that it was ill-gotten. It is very sad that someone feels the urge to take something. They have no idea of the time and effort that went into it. I hope they, at least, learn to appreciate it.
Click image to visit my new enamels website.

IF ENAMELING, WEAR A RESPIRATOR NS97

For all those considering or already doing enameling, please take heed. Wear a respirator, and not just any particulate dusk mask. One rated NS-97 or above.

Enamel is ground glass. Yes, ground glass! That means all those tiny "dust" particles are sharp and if they get into your lungs you are in trouble. Most enameling classes do not emphasize this strongly enough. In fact, many instructors don't require students to wear masks and they don't wear masks. WEAR A MASK!

Also, when cleaning up, use a wet disposable towel, even for mopping up the floor.
The above pictured respirator is available at Home Depot for about $25. If you find a better deal, let me know. Click the image to link to the page on Home Depot.

HOW TO EASILY DECORATE A ROOM

INTRO TO DECORATING
Whether you live in a cozy apartment, suburban home, cottage by the sea, or cabin in the mountains, your living room creates a lasting impression for all who enter. More importantly, it makes you comfortable. It sets the mood for the home and should be a reflection of the your personal taste. How to begin?

STEP 1: Visit an art gallery and buy the work of art that speaks to you. Art is literacy of the heart. It is functional. You will use it every single day. Every time you look at it, it will lift your spirits.
COLORS: From that painting, pull your color scheme.
THEME: If that painting moved you, obviously it will make you happy when you live with it.
Accent pillows, rugs, curtains can all reflect colors taken from your painting. Look at these three takes on the same room. See how the art changes the mood.

Locally, a wonderful gallery to view art (and the pieces used above) is the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, 121 N. Churton St., Hillsborough, NC 27278. Click on images to visit website.

HOW MANY TREES ARE ENOUGH

Click image to visit my website.

Ronald Regan once commented, "A tree's a tree. How many more do you need to look at?"
A world full, sir. As Martin Luther stated, "For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. "
My new work, Willow Oak, is now at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. Each time I look at a tree, I'm completely taken by them. And it's a new experience everyday, as they are ever changing.

ARBRES EN HIVER - Trees in Winter enamel art

Click image above to visit website.
This is a new enamel on copper I just placed at Joyful Jewel in Pittsboro, located next door to the General Store. The enamel is 6x6. I think winter is beginning to make an impression on me. Although I love the colors in this piece, I'm eager to get back into the sweet greens and yellows of spring.

Click image to visit website.
FRESH START
12x12x1.5 Acrylic on Linen
$350

The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts is having the opening reception for the Members Group Exhibit, FRESH START, Friday, Jan 29, 6-9 pm (this evening). There will be wine and cheese and munchies. The gallery had a complete reinstallation on Monday, so everything will be new. Our next show is the NC Symphony fundraiser on Thursday, Feb 25, 6-9 pm.

LEAF US BE

Click on image to visit website.
LEAF US BE
Enamel on Copper 11x12
$425

Joni Mitchell wrote, “they paved paradise, and put up a parking lot”. This line has always resonated with me and leaves me to wonder who speaks out for the trees. Every time I walk outside, I’m in awe of the beauty of the trees in every season; their resilience, elegant lines and unique shapes.

AUTUMN UNCONFINED enamel on copper

Click on image to visit website.
Although it's winter, I just completed this enamel on copper piece called:
Autumn Unconfined
8X8 Enamel on Copper
$300
After annealing the copper I placed leaves and enamel and fired in a 1400 degree kiln. I enameled and fired several more times in the kiln and, at the end, torch fired. The attached pieces were hand-cut and hand-forged (hammered) leaves. Some were enameled & kiln fired, some were hand-torched. This will be exhibited at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts which will have an opening January 29, 6-9pm.

LONG LIVE THE TREE

Click on image to visit my website.
I had been working exclusively on enamels the last month, but this week I'll begin to get back to the canvas. This painting, Long Live the Tree, is part of a series, "Trees Inspire", where I choose one tree as the main subject, a secondary subject and text. This one reads:
"Miracle of engineering, home maker, provider, judicious purifier, sustainer of species, healer, nuturer, protector of the earth, hero of the environment. Long live the Tree." It is 30"x30"X1.5" and is available for sale. $950.

BUSY CREATING 4THE HOLIDAY

Click image to visit my website.
The past month I have been busy creating objects d'art for our Holiday Show like the enameled box above. The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts Holiday show will open November 27th, the day after Thanksgiving. We will have a wonderful selection of artworks that will make marvelous gifts.

My friend, Sharon Wheeler, is opening a bookstore in Hillsborough, NC. This is the logo I designed for her. Purple Crow Books is opening Nov. 19, 2009 6-9pm with Michael Malone doing a book signing. FMI click on image.

FISH GOTTA SWIM

The gallery at Associated Artists of Winston-Salem is now exhibiting some of my enamels. One of my favorites, FISH GOTTA SWIM, is there. This is a composite of several pieces of fired enamels on copper. Pieces were manipulated (corrugated look) and impressed with designs. Also the application of Sgrafitto was used. Now I have to get back to the studio. Thanks for visiting. See more of my enamels by clicking on the image above.

ROAD TO LOVE AND PEACE

ROAD TO LOVE AND PEACE
6X6 copper attached to 6X6X2 birch wood Sold
A new enamel on copper, 6X6. Copper annealed then enamel applied through hand-made stencils. Several firings took place to build color. Sgrafitto technique applied to enhance design and copper wire placed in cloisonne fashion. Hand-torch used at the end for enhancing.
Click on image to see more at my website

BACK TO WORK

MARSH STUDY in blue
6X6X1.5
SOLD
After a short hiatus brought on by a medical issue, I'm back in the studio working. I've begun by doing 6X6's as I work on some ideas. Here's the first one. My goal is to try and be more active on this blog and perhaps get to do a daily painting. Click on image to go to my website.

FREE WINE TASTING AND ART EXHIBIT

We're all getting ready for a great opening at the
Benjamin Winery in Saxapahaw. Come join
our cabaret.
Come taste the wine,
Come eat the cheese.
Come blow your horn,
Start celebrating;
Right this way,
Our art is waiting.

PLEIN AIR KEEPS ME GROUNDED

Light in constant movement. Shadows changing minute to minute. No time to contemplate. Paint what you see. Wouldn't it be grand to see through the eyes of the innovators Monet, Van Gogh, Cezanne . . . for a moment I glimpse at the excitement they felt plein air painting.

PROVENCE VISITED

Click on image to get more info at my website. PROVENCE VISITED is a collaborative exhibit of Kathleen Gwinnett and Jude Lobe opening at Harrison's Restaurant in Burlington, NC on Sunday, June 28, 3-5pm. The show runs from June 15 to July 14. Refreshments served including the wonderful Pastis, France's national beverage. Coaster tiles and prints will also be available for sale at the Opening.

EXPLORE THE WOODS Opening

Click on the image at left to see more enamels.This Friday, May 29, 6-9pm is the opening at Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. I will have several new enamels on display. The next show is in June, which is called Provence Visited. I'll be joining Kathy Gwinnett at Harrison's Restaurant for our opening June 28, 3-5 pm.

RIVERS GOTTA FLOW

This month I am working on my enamels on copper. I'm getting ready for my Featured Artist show, with wood-turner Pat Lloyd and visual artist Kim Wheaton. The opening is May 29, 6-9 pm at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. In this show I am introducing a collection of my new enamels on copper. This week I just found out an enamel piece, Rivers Gotta Flow, entered in the Person County ARTfest 2009, won 2nd place. I hope to see many of my friends at the Opening in Hillsborough. Let me know what you think of my latest enamel artworks.

Mandolin and Friend

I'm very excited about my new painting, Mandolin and Friend, being accepted in a National Juried Show. If you are in the area of Winston-Salem, NC on April 2, 5-7pm, please stop in at the Opening of Dimensions 2009. 301 W. Fourth St., Winston-Salem.

March update

This month I've curtailed my Provence paintings. They will, however, be on display at Harrison's Restaurant in Burlington, NC in April. I'll update on the opening. For the opening I will have my paintings on tiles for sale.
I'm now working on the Featured Artist exhibit which I am doing with Wood-turner, Pat Lloyd, and visual artist, Kim Wheaton. Our theme is EXPLORE THE WOODS and will open May 29, 6-9pm. . Most of my work for the exhibit will be enamels on copper but there will be a painting or two. Here's a sample of a small piece that will be there. It's a mini bird nest. Jude

After my trip to France, I couldn't stop painting the beautiful landscapes. I think I have painted all my memories, so until my next trip, my Provence paintings are curtailed. Music is still inspiring me. Two nights ago I saw Jorma Kaukonen, Robben Ford and, new to me, Ruthie Foster. My mind is swirling with new bluesy jazzy images. I'm also working on enameled pieces for an upcoming exhibit with wood-turner Pat Lloyd and visual artist Kim Wheaton in April in Hillsborough, NC. Well, got to get back to the studio.

LAVENDER FIELDS
6X6X1.5
Acrylic on Linen
Sold

A view of fields in Sault, Provence in July.

LAVENDER COUNTY 2
6X6X1.5
Acrylic on Linen
Sold


A recent trip to Provence, France inspired a series of paintings. This is a view on the way to Sault, Provence. In July the fields were aglow with lavender and the air was heavenly scented.

MOCKINGBIRD TREE
30X30X1.5
Sold

One of my favorite books is "To Kill a Mockingbird". This was inspired by a quote from the book.

"Mockingbirds don't do nothing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens or nest in corncribs. They don't do but one thing but sing their heart's out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Miss Maudie Atkinson

Hickory Stick

Welcome to my blog. This is a 12X12 acrylic on linen, $285. It's a painting of an antique putter. I love the patina of the wood and the brass.