Contemplation. That's it!

This pastel painting originates in the experience of Maine coastal waters, expecially referenced to the maps of those waters in mid coast Maine.

Sailing, simply sailing.

Another pan pastel painting, 9" x 12" unframed. This comes from my experience of a bright spring day with emerging color. It is a mixture of the warm and cool colors of sky and landscape as warm weather approaches. It is meant to be joyful and free.

It was a long week for me...health issues escalated and the three paintings I started all proved to be unsatisfactory. During the night, last night, I started another pastel painting and there is hope for this one! These two pastel paintings were done before I started this new blog, yet still recently. I have transposed them to this site because I believe they are the initiators of my current work. They are both done with pan pastels on Stonehenge paper. Both are 9" x 12" unframed, and are available for purchase.

• Pan Pastel on Stonehenge paper
  
  A long spiritual journey that was wonderfully enlightening yet painful as well. Part of Transformation: Cycle 1. I am undergoing a spiritual transformation which is a struggle, with resistance to change, and also a greatly nourishing and joyful time. Joy is something I feel very grateful for and it is hard to come by at times. I try to take the time and make the effort, as best I can, to help create my own joy and take part in the joy that is around me. Last winter while hospitalized I sat in the solarium and looked out the window to see and experience the winter wonderland of Maine landscape the day after a blizzard, when the wind dies and the sun shines brightly. There were some smallish rocks sitting just outside the window and they had their snow hats on. The temperature had risen to above freezing and the snow melting on the rocks made me think of how the Creative Power is inside these rocks and the rocks are joyful at being warmed by the sun and feeling the slow melting of their cold caps. This was one of the happier moments of that time for me. I managed to sketch the scene.

Acrylic on panel

Summer heat on what would be the hottest day of the year, at Acadia National Park, ME. There was little relief, even at the top of CadillacMountain. This is not a typical Maine landscape but is authentic for those dog days of August.

If I was a tree this is how I might feel at the first breath of spring here in Maine. There is a spot of color to be found here and there before the buds come to the branches. It is a joyful feeling.

Interpretive mind-body painting done with pan pastels on Stonehenge paper.

It is another rainy day today. The weather hasn't been very inviting to painting en plein air these past few days. I have been to Beaver Park and did a few sketches while there. I bought my yearly stamp for the park and can go anytime I want. It is only a few miles from my home and is very beautiful.....pine forest, many walking trails, three ponds, swimming and fishing. Of course one of my great interests is 'where is the restroom?' There are three! It is a real find for me and I will be there alot this summer.

Today I am going to post two more pastel paintings. One is about giving birth to the self, and the other is strictly self expression during a period of change for me. It is also an attempt at using more vibrant color, eg. orange.

Hope you enjoy and feel free to comment!

The following post is an acrylic done mostly on site at the docks in Freeport, ME. It was a hazy-foggy day, no rain but constant threat of a downpour. Quiet, just the way I like...