Flamenco Academy

A couple of years ago I read this wonderful book, "The Flamenco Academy" by Sarah Bird, and was totally enthralled.  It was set in Santa Fe and was the story of two young girls who entered the Flamenco Academy.  So rich is the character development and story line of this novel, that you almost can feel the beat of their shoes on the wood dance floor.  Ever since reading that book, I have wanted to paint a flamenco dancer.  I finally created one for my cousin Carol to hang in her new home.

I hope she portrays a sense of power and passion, as well as a little mystery.

Trudy

I'm finally through traveling for a little while.  It seems as if I've been gone forever on one mission or another.  Returning to painting has been a challenge.  You'd think that someone who gets as much out of art as I do would be excited to get back in the groove, but no.  All the old anxieties and insecurities come roaring back - will I be able to do what I want - will it be any good, blah, blah, blah.

This painting is a little challenge painting dreamed up by my friend and teacher Polly Jackson.  The subject's name is Trudy - don't have a clue who Trudy is, but she is a wonderful subject. I keep wanting to type Turdy - wonder if the cosmos is trying to tell me something!

The challenge Polly posed was to paint Trudy in any style you wanted to, and send her a photo so that she could post all of them on her student blog www.areyoupainting.blogspot.com.  They should be posted sometime on Saturday.  Check them out.

Painting in the Park with Polly Jackson

These paintings were done in my painting class with Polly Jackson, the last (for a while)  in the series of painting in the parks.  It's getting way too hot to paint outside in the afternoon!  The sweat runs in your eyes, you have to wear sunglasses to paint in, your paint dries in about 5 minutes on the pallet, and your point of view changes with the movement of the sun.  Not withstanding all of the above, I still love it!

These magnificent live oaks are in Little Stacy Park in south Austin.  Some trees just beg to be painted.  It's no wonder that Austinites are so passionate about their trees.

This painting is also from Bull Creek Park - a little slice of wild flowers, mesquite and china berry trees.

Wild Flower Meadow

Another post from painting in the park - this one is at Bull Creek Park.  I have lived in Austin all my life, and never knew this park existed.  It is wide open with almost no one there.  A few lucky dogs have the run of the park with their owners, and I'll definitely go back again.

This first painting is a panaramic view of the park from a gentle hill covered with wildflowers.  I thought you might enjoy seeing what these scenes actually look like and how I translated them into paintings.

Pease Park Saturday

I'm painting en plein aire (outside) for the first time with Polly Jackson, and I have to say I was intimidated at first by all the things around me.  It's interesting to be able to hone in on something that catches your eye, and make a painting from it. So, okay, I'm hooked.  I can't wait to go out again.

While I was painting on the trail, my neice Jori and boyfriend Woody trotted by -- they were participating in the Urban Race -- sort of like a scavenger race -- around Austin.  They finished in the top 25, and qualified for the national version of the race held in New Orleans.  Way to go Woodie and Jori!  Wonderful day!

Little Jack Horner

Sure glad Little Jack Horner didn't eat one of these plums -- he'd have halucinations for weeks. This is the last of my 8 x 8 posts for a while.  This is an interesting size to work in, but I'm much more comfortable working in a larger format.  Art is all about experimenting for me, that's what keeps it interesting -- so what if some of the experiments don't pan out.  It was fun creating anyway!