Fast forward to early springtime and I was looking for a new painting project. I decided to paint the farmhouse. I loved how dramatic it looked. The house against the pale blue sky with the red trees and the rolling hills leading up to it. OK! I was in.

I decided on an 18" x 24" canvas for this work. I painted over another painting from years ago and perhaps this was an omen for me. I progressed with confidence and laid out the landscape and blue sky. All was going well. I continued onward with the long driveway and other elements of the painting. But I purposely left out the farmhouse for later.

At some point, it really hit me. The focus of the painting was the farmhouse. It was too far back on my canvas. Alarm bells rang. I had put too much real estate on the canvas on the rolling green hills and driveway leading up to the house. But I thought, I should keep seeing it through. In hindsight, I should have called it off then. But I did not. Instead, I moved to another painting I was also working on and focused on that. I thought I need some time to think about the farmhouse painting.

Returning to my farmhouse a couple of months later, I realized it was not going to work with the layout I chose for the canvas. I made the decision to let it go and paint over the canvas to use again later for another painting.

It happens to every artist. It is just part of the experience. You start out with great expectations; you do the work and explore the project. But at some point, it causes you anxiety and indecision. That is when you need to call it. Better to break if off than spend more time on a poor decision. Sound familiar?

We can use this situation for many life situations. When to stop trying to make a painting, a project or yes, even a relationship, become what you had hoped it would. For now, I think I will just frame my photo of the farmhouse and hang it on a wall.

Thanks for reading. 💛 💚 💙

Recently we lost an important member of our family. We said goodbye to our beloved cat, Pickles, a Russian Blue. It will take a while for me to get over this loss. She was seventeen years old and came to us when our daughter moved back from Southern California in late 2008. This was when the "Great Recession” dropped on all of us. A lot of 20-somethings had to make difficult financial decisions. Usually this included moving back in with the parents.

Along with our daughter, Pickles moved in. She arrived with her sister, Shorty and a dog named Reese. All three were adopted in California. We already had two cats but then, after these three moved in, we had an animal sanctuary. The first morning after they moved in, Pickles showed up to breakfast like she had lived here all her life. She got right in the “shark circle” with the other cats. Our two cats looked at her a little confused who this new cat was. But just like that, she was accepted into the fold. She was a cat’s cat. She was a constant and gentle companion to us. She was a nurse by your side when you were sick and a summer friend on the deck when the sun was out. She would keep me company in my artist studio - she was always around. One of her favorite past times, was hanging out in front of the fireplace when it was cold out. When I called her name for dinner, she would run up to the kitchen. She was a very intelligent and sensitive being. Pickles was a unique cat in her smarts and social etiquette.

Two years ago, we discovered she had a bladder condition that caused her distress and some pain. We worked with vets to help her but eventually, this condition caught up with her and as much as we tried, we could not reverse it. Most humans who love their animal family members suffer through something like this at some point. In the end, there was nothing left for us to do to for her. We just tried to keep her comfortable and happy.

Last weekend, a very kind woman from Compassion 4 Paws came to our home. You know how the rest of the story goes. It was truly heartbreaking and I am still dealing with the sorrow of our last goodbye. It will take a while to get over this experience. Sometimes, someone comes into your life, and you realize how much they meant to you. She is deeply missed, and we will never forget her. If you know what I am talking about or are going through something like this, my heart goes out to you.
Thanks for reading. 🩵 🤍 🩶 -Trish

 It has been a while since I wrote a blog post. Mainly because I wasn’t sure what I would write about. But then I had an idea, I could write about the thing that plagues all of us at one time or another. What is that thing? It is time. Time is always there, ticking away. Sometimes, it has a way of forcing a decision. This can be tricky and always means choosing one thing over other options. Why can’t we take, do, or go with all our options? Because time is limited and valuable. There is only so much time for each of us. No matter who you are or the amount money or power you have, time is finite. Money and power can buy a lot, but they won’t buy you more time. Time equalizes us all.
In my case, with painting, I must choose what I will paint next. I have so many options for subjects, and it can be frustrating because I want to do them all. I have so many paintings I visualize in my mind and it’s wonderful but then I see the work(s) I have sitting front and center on my easel. Or I have promised a commission to someone, and I need to do this before taking on another project.
I have amassed so many cool photos of places I’ve visited or great still life subjects that I have snapped thinking to myself, this will make an awesome painting. Too many options can be paralyzing because to decide means intent and then actually going forward and making your decision a reality. You make your decision; work ensues and of course time passes. By then I have forgotten many of the other ideas I had.
But then something also happens. The ideas that really hold water, they are still in the back of my mind. Staying just left of center speaking to me every so often. They remind me they are still there, waiting. That is the gift because the things you need to decide upon will sometimes make the decision for you. There is it, next in line. How could I not have chosen you before?
Perhaps it wasn’t the right time, or my skill level wasn’t there yet to tackle it until now. Either way I relent to the fact that good decisions always keep presenting themselves to us. Maybe not at the right time. But if they really are meant to be brought to life then the time will be there for the good ones. Destiny maybe? Or just simple opportunity to seize a worthwhile idea.  
Of course, like everyone, I have made bad or unrealistic decisions. They seemed good at first but then, not so. It goes with the territory. Decisions made for better or for worse are, in the end yours to make. The goal is to keep moving forward and hopefully improve with each decision.
Thanks for reading and good decision-making wishes to you. 💛 💚 💙

Growing up, my mom wore a charm of a funny little gold bird with an extra-large head. She told me it was her “Worry Bird.” She explained that when she worried too much, she would touch her Worry Bird. This was to ease her mind because, she told me, the Worry Bird would take on her worries for her. (With four children, she did have her share of worry). I loved this idea. That a little charm could help with worry and anxiety. At the time I bought this idea.

Artists, by the nature of what we do, are worriers. I am no exception. We worry about our ideas; are they good enough? We worry about how others will see our art. We worry about our talent-are we good enough? How is so and so doing in their art? Will we be successful in the next show aka; selling our art? The ego takes over. I am sure there are artists out there who are ultra-confident and cannot relate to what I am saying. But for the other 99% of us, I am laying it out there.

There is some degree of worth in worry. It keeps us on our toes. It keeps us humble. But also, it is draining and interferes with creativity. By letting worry rule what we are doing and will it be accepted, then we are essentially “playing to the gallery.”

I first heard the phrase, “playing to the gallery”, in a David Bowie interview on YOUTUBE. David was speaking to young artists - giving advice on what and what not to do in their early careers. The whole interview is great IMO. Here is the link if you would like to watch it: David Bowie

When I heard David say, “don’t play to the gallery” I took special note. For as long as I can remember, I have had in the back of my mind, a running monologue of, “will people like what I am creating?” Of course, having people like what you do is somewhat important. Especially if you want to sell your art. (But really, that is defeating the creative process). The flip side is, if you are constantly conducting an imaginary “viewer poll” during your process then you need to ask yourself, is this really my creation? Or are you creating what you think others will like and accept?

One of the basic principles of art is to challenge the status quo. If you are constantly trying to please others, then you really are not offering anything fresh and you certainly are not challenging your viewers/audience. Disclaimer here-Commissioned work is the exception.🙂

The bottom line is this, trying to please others can be a drag. I would prefer to do my own thing and put it out there. If you like it, then great! If you do not, that is valid too.

Getting a reaction is also something an artist should look for with their art. Positive or negative reactions are welcome. It is a tough pill to swallow but this is my goal moving forward. Aim for confidence in who you are and what you have to offer others. And do not worry so much! But that is easier said than done. Wish me luck!
Happy Holidays to you and yours. 💜 💚 ❤️

It’s not too far-fetched to say that we need beauty in our lives. There is a certain need for humans to have beautiful things to gaze at. Consider if there were no sculptures or paintings or even a lovely flower to look at. There are so many ways to obtain objects d’art in our lives now. The market is flooded with ready-made art one can buy. There are wonderful artists in every corner of our world. Just looking at Instagram will tell you this. Beauty is essential to our well-being like food, water and a place to live. Obviously, beauty is not necessarily essential to live but consider going each day without something nice to rest your eyes on? It would be a very dismal experience indeed.
 
So, what is beautiful to you? It differs dramatically depending on who you are and what you consider to be beautiful right? I would say there are certain basic elements that constitute beauty. These are: form, shape, color or lack of color and aesthetic value. For instance, a flower is considered beautiful by most people. A physically beautiful person can be another example. A lovely day outside near a lake or stream can be a beautiful experience like the scenery. Generally, art is created to add beauty or at least be interesting to look at if nothing else.
 
But you don’t have to go too far out of your way to see beauty. It takes looking around and finding things that make you feel happy or relaxed. As a painter, I’m always looking at my surroundings for inspiration for making my artwork. On any given day, I may see multiple things I think would make good subjects to paint or sketch. It can be overwhelming because there's only so much time. I must be careful about what I will choose as my subjects. They must pass the test first. Then I store the winner photos away in an "art photographs" folder on my laptop. It's fun to go back and search through these at a later time.
 
Last week  at my work office, I found a little striped ceramic coffee mug in a cabinet. Probably left by someone long ago. In it I placed an  orphaned spider plant cutting in water to root.  (I accidentally cut it off when I closed the above-mentioned cabinet door on the plant - kismet?) I placed the mug with the spider plant on my windowsill. I liked it so much that I took a picture of it. I kept looking at it for the rest of the day. I am thinking this may used for a future painting.
 
There is beauty all around us. Keep an eye out and look for yourself. Nothing is too “out there”. It’s what your sense of beauty tells you. You'll just know, kind of like love - Aww.

Here are some super quotes I found about art and beauty. Enjoy and go find your own beauty! Thanks for reading.💚💜🧡
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“Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life.” -John Lubbock

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”  – Pablo Picasso
 
“Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable.” – George Bernard Shaw
 
“Art is the highest form of hope.” – Gerhard Richter





 

 

When I was much younger, I took an oil painting class at a community center in Edmonds, WA. (where I grew up) I'd only worked with watercolors up to this point and I desperately wanted to try oils. This was back when the only way to clean your brushes was with turpentine. Way before OMS were invented. It was a smelly and probably not very safe place to be with multiple oil painters in one room. But anyway... I can't recall the instructor, where they a man or a woman? Who knows? That part is all forgotten.

We were all given the same basic scene to paint. The scene was a forest trail leading to a couple low structures with red roofs. I cannot recall how long it took me to finish this painting but when I brought it home, my mom was so happy that she went out and had it professionally framed.

This painting hung in her home for years until she passed away and then it returned to me.  At first, I just stored it away in a stack of other paintings.

Now, I look at this painting and see all the things I could have done differently/better but what is the point in doing that? I like it overall and I especially love the sky with the white, fluffy clouds. It's peaceful and makes me happy just to have it to look back upon.

I know I painted other scenes, but this was the only one that made it to a framer. It's lasted over the years and I love it! 

Everyone has that one artwork or whatever you made (a piece of furniture or a knitted sweater) when they were younger that takes them back to a time and place. For me this was my beginning as an oil painter. I just wish I had kept at it instead of letting other interests take over my attention. The important thing is I did return to painting again. That was a wise decision.💚💜🧡

Blogging came to be around 1998. I always liked reading what other people wrote and thought was worthy of publishing out into the world. But then Social Media took over and now we are more consumed on that end of things. But I do think blogging is a great way to work out one's thoughts and convey what's going on in people's heads in a way Instagram and other Socials can't quite achieve.

And so, for my first art blog ever and because this is my site, I will confess that I have not painted or even sketched in 4 days now.  Why? Because I have been laid flat by a stomach flu of some sort.

All I can do is lay here and think of all the things I should be doing in my studio. Like oiling out a painting I'm currently working on. Getting back to another paining I am also working on. And oh yes, there is one other painting that just needs a little finishing touch to it to call it good. 

So instead, I am writing about it which makes me feel just a little better about my present self.  What worries me though is that I will be the only one who reads this...

One of the paintings in progress waiting for me.