"Floral Fantasy in Pink and Green", 16x12"

At the Button Petter Gallery

Well, I guess this is "Das Vee Danya!"  I leave in just under a week to travel to Russia with my mother for a celebratory birthday.  We will be in St Petersburg, where we hope to soak up as much art and culture as we possibly can while we are there.  I have attempted to learn a bit of the language-- to practically no avail.  Mostly what I can say in Russian amounts to:  I don't speak any Russian.  I am American.  Which will come as no surprise whatsoever to anyone who speaks to me!

But I am loading up my cameras, expecting to take tons of photos which I hope will become the basis for  future paintings.  Or I may freeze altogether in the presence of such grandeur.  We will see.  Either way, it will be an unforgettable experience, and I can hardly wait.

"Daffodils", 16x12"

At the Button Petter Gallery, Saugatuck, Michigan.

"Well Hi There!", 6x6"

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This painting was created through the use of SCIENCE!

I attended a lecture last week at the Art Institute of Chicago (let me take a moment to feel lucky) entitled "The Science of Impressionism".  Turns out the Impressionists were very scientific in their approach to color.  Specifically, they employed the use of color complements whenever possible to make their color appear more vivid and to make their paintings seem lively and full of movement.

A complementary color is located directly opposite from a color on the color wheel.  Typical color complements are yellow/purple, blue/orange, and red/green.

In my painting, I surrounded the yellowish umbrella with a purple-ish background to make it stand out. The bright orange umbrella is countered by the bright blue shirt on the man.  The red flowers are standing against green leaves.

During the lecture, we were able to get up close to many famous paintings to see how color complements were used.

Do you see the complements used in this Van Gogh painting?  Red and green are quite obvious, and look how he put a stroke of lavender right under her chin to play off the yellow cast of her skin.  Orange and blue dance about in the background.  Think this was an accident?  I think not!

"Calico Skies" 8x10"

"It was written that I would love you,

From the moment you opened your eyes."

-Paul McCartney

While I was putting the finishing touches on this piece, "Calico Skies" by Paul McCartney came up on my iPod, and I thought that the lyrics of this song perfectly matched the sentiment of this little portrait.  It is such a huge moment when you realize that life will no longer be just about "me", but "we" from that moment on.