Expression of Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving! My art is forever evolving, as do the seasons. This, I call the state of grace. It is a lifestyle, not merely a holiday.

As I watch the snowball-size snowflakes pelt the ground today, I feel gratitude inside. Anyone who knows me well understands that I am not a “winter” person. This begins the season with its pristine, fresh, clean, bright, white... excuse me... six months of bitter cold Minnesota weather :) But I am grateful, because it is a privilege to work in a lovely warm studio where my dear cats are glued to my side. When I dare lift my eyes from the canvas, I gaze out the window overlooking a beautiful lake, or curl up by the fire for a retreat. We have winterized the yard, which included taking in the dock as well as our lovely gazebo, where I painted nearly all summer, taking respite daily in the cool, clear water.

This week, I am privileged to have a lovely live model to sketch, photograph and paint for a new portrait series of the feminine – an avenue I have been pondering for years. Early on in my career, I was trained to draw from life, seeing higher truths of what is actually in front of me. More important, however, was to feel the emotion emanating from the subject. I incorporate photographs as well, when under time constraints or when a model is not available for studio time.

Included here is a sketch – the beginning of this series. Watch for the evolution as each painting manifests. It has been decades since I have worked professionally on portraits, as I sat in malls and at corporate shows, pumping out hundreds of portraits and caricatures. Somewhere along the line, I lost interest and transitioned into other themes. But today, I am excited to pursue with fervor this age-old profession – the expression of beauty, grace and passion of the flesh and blood of our humanity. I call this endeavor the “Poetry of the Feminine.”

It is with heartfelt gratitude that I write to you today. Thanksgiving Day is filled with amazing food, great company, laughter and occasionally some tears. All sorts of events come and go each year, but it is my sincere wish is that the world can begin learning how to live in grace every moment, remembering all there is to be grateful for, lifting the energy of the planet in a positive vibration, replacing fear-based attitudes with love and acceptance.

I have so many things to be grateful for on this Thanksgiving Day 2011. What a concept! What a feeling of exuberance! I am very blessed to share life with my immediate family: my constant flame- my loving and honorable husband, my talented daughter, gracious parents, my sister and brother and their families, my stepchildren and fabulous grandchildren. Thank you, family – and thank you, friends – for enriching my life and filling it with abundant joy.