Positive Perspective

The ole' saying, "Happy New Year" is what I'm 'sposed to say!?! Right?!? Well, I'm headed hopefully into the next year while shining a positive light on the ending of December.

Two of the "happy children" from my relationship, brief as it may have been, with my recent gallery partnership are these two small pieces. They came to birth from a yearning to express "in small" two Winter-y images that have been in my head for awhile.

This first one, "Winter Cardinal", is on stretched canvas, actually watercolor paper, sized 5 by 5 inches by 1 1/2 deep. We have a new bird feeder just outside our kitchen window and have fallen so in love with watching the wee-ones feed, dance in the snow and even nestle under the eaves while gorging on seed. It took us awhile to learn about the proper seed to attract the smaller birds: finches, titmice, siskins and chickadees. But now we have the sweetest lil feathery creatures visiting us. So this ole image I had of this chubby cardinal has drawn more appreciation due to my new feathered friends. I'm pleased with his fluff and his reflections in hot reds & pinks against the cooler foliage. But the greenery echoed back some cheery, red berries to balance the color.

The second small piece measuring 4 by 11 inches by 1 1/2 deep, "Autumn Glow", is a vision shared when a dear friend was visiting. We had spent the day up at an exhilarating snow storm at Crater Lake and when returning to the warm Rogue Valley, we caught site of this glowing rainbow halo above the snow peaked mountain ridge. It was magical . . . and for a couple years I've had the design all drawn out . . . waiting to be painted. So when I wanted to paint quickly, a small, long piece, this image came to mind. And it flowed out and onto the watercolor paper so quickly I was surprised. Since the piece wraps around the sides and over the top, you can not see the rainbow unless you peer at the top of the piece. But the fall colors and the dramatic impact of the clouds against the velvety green mountains emphasized the glow of the moment.

This one is dedicated to my friend, Ron, who shared the scene that day. It's a rather fitting dedication as I spoke to Ron today and, although both of us have moved several times in different directions - our friendship has moved only closer, deeper and of m-o-o-o-o-r-e value than ever.

Seems in the writing of this post, I have come down to the two items I most treasure - last year, next year and into the vast future - 1) the vision us artists are able to hold in our mind's eye that must be expressed and 2) the heart link maintained by friends that can revive and save our spirits.

Perhaps for the start of this new year . . . one might take a moment to evaluate what matters most in your life . . . it does bring things into a positive perspective. Happy New Year!