Rosie

Parker

The Grands

This is Wolf and Parker and Rosie....our three grandchildren.  They are all different and all wonderful.
I can't begin to count all my blessings but these three little people are on the top of the list along with
their Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Chuck.
Below are some of the paintings I have done of all of them but Parker...she's next.

Handless no more

I have been doing some research into mythology for my paintings.  The classical Greek and Roman mythological figures are a fertile field obviously.
Demeter and Persephone came up as a great idea to do two coordinated pieces that would be hung together, i.e. a diptych.  As I was reading all this
info I came across the Fisher King and Handless Maiden myths, and in particular Robert A Johnson's work on the wounded masculine and feminine.
What a perfect topic!  Reading the concepts again, having not done so in over 10 years, and looking at all the work we have done over those years

I feel a tearful joy, especially in reading the Handless Maiden story.  Painting this will be an homage to getting back my hands!

Post election note

This was in response to some regarding members of the Tea Party and Republican party,
and their religiosity and "living for fear of hell and the afterlife".


As a Tea Party and Republican voter I find it exhausting explaining that my main and overwhelming concern is the growing fiscal weight being heaped on the shoulders of taxpayers, present and future, as well as more regulation and LESS freedom. As for religion, my belief in a power greater than myself does not have to do with an afterlife but rather with THIS life. It informs my decisions on a daily basis and allows me to not just tolerate others' opinions but accept that I am only able to be an example among them of one who disagrees without being disagreeable or worse, patronizing.

It's all good!

"I have spent the summer not painting nearly enough.  I only did eleven paintings, nine from live models in a class with my first teacher.  Our summer rental wasn't conducive to the work lacking both space and good light.   Certainly I should have known how much this would matter but time slipped by until now when I look back and realize the amount of work I would normally have done in the span of four months.  At my studio at home in Florida I would have been painting every single day and taken at least three times the number of classes.  We are heading back this week and my work will be underway again.

It's also been several months of looking at options for finding a residence here in the North to be close to our kids and grand kids...we now have two!  Our newest is Rosina Dolores Saravia, born July 10.  Her brother, Wolf, is nearly three. They are changing before our eyes.  I long for the chance to be here more."

The above was written about three weeks ago and I had to save it as a draft at the time.  As it happens
we have now signed an agreement to buy a wonderful old flat in Evanston in an historic building where it is possible to walk to everything and it's only about a mile and a half to Jess' house.  Plus, Chuck is moving to Milwaukee so will be only an hour away as well!  Wonderful! 

We spent a few weeks since autumn started going back and forth between our B&B in Michigan with CK
playing golf with old friends, and a hotel in Evanston on weekends to see the kids.  On our last night in
the hotel, and with the car loaded to leave for Florida in the morning, we saw a new listing online and
called our realtor to set up a morning showing the next day.  When we saw it we both knew immediately,
after looking at things all summer long, that this was a great deal.  We made an offer and it was accepted
a day later.  This was reason for us to delay our departure for a week
and all we are waiting for now is the closing to happen in a couple of weeks.  It is really exciting to be
adjusting our lives to be near the family for more of the year.  The longing for that has been strong and it
has gotten even more so with the arrival of Rosie and with Chuck moving closer.

It's all so good!  The gratitude list is long.

Bookends

In 1989, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, my home town, my line of one-of-a-kind, art-to-wear sweaters was on display in a solo show. It was at my college Alma Mater, Seton Hill College.
I posted about making these sweaters back in July, 2011. I didn't mention then that the
day after the show was hung I burst into tears talking to someone about it. It wasn't a joyous
event, but rather brought up a great gush of shame and other feelings I couldn't explain at the time.

Over the years I have done many projects from the crocheting to real estate development with my husband which included completely gutting an old building and turning it into a fabulous and highly successful bed and breakfast, and on to decorating several gorgeous homes as well as sewing complete wardrobes of highly tailored clothes for men and women and children. I decorated for charity balls and fund raisers, worked on women's committees of many organizations, raised two wonderful kids, and along the way, dabbled in many artistic endeavors.

In June, 2009 I took a portrait drawing class in Chicago for 10 weeks. It was a charcoal class and I LOVED IT! I have always been able to do a likeness of people with a ball point or felt tip pen and have only ever wanted to draw weathered trees or faces of people. So this class was right up my alley.

The next summer, having drawn portraits of everybody I knew and then some, after spouting some silliness about not being good enough or ready or whatever, I decided to give oil painting a shot. I went to my first class with pastels and asked the instructor if he thought I should just stick to that. He had me do a live model portrait with pastels then gave me a shopping list of paints and brushes to buy for the next week class. That was June, 2010. I haven't stopped since.

I have thrown myself into every single thing that was going on along the way and maybe this is just the latest, but it feels great. I had trouble selling the sweaters back then. It felt like
asking someone to approve of me. That feeling isn't there for me now with the paintings.
The joy of doing this can't be easily put into words but I love showing my work
and am not ashamed to get paid for it.

After all these years of self-searching and doing some really hard work on what makes me
tick, today, when I hung my solo show of oil portrait paintings at City Hall, Ft. Lauderdale, I was
thrilled and filled with gratitude.

Ironically though, it appears I haven't changed the way I stand for a photo.