“Seasonal Harmony” 40″ x 60″ oil and metal leaf on canvas – $6,000
People seem to deal with stress in different ways – protesting, bashing windows, over-eating, shopping and even yelling at loved ones and strangers. Some of us deal with stress by painting brighter paintings.
I’ve known for many years that in times of stress or grief, my paintings tend to get brighter, and this past year since I’ve started using metal leaf as well as bright paint, my studio is actually shimmering with brightness.
I still have several paintings sitting around, waiting for the next step in the long process of completion. As the falling large maple leaves of the neighbor’s tree cover my skylights, I appreciate the shimmer of the metal leaf even more.
This past year I have paused more often on the deck on my way to the studio and just looked around me and appreciated the beauty of the vine maples, fir trees, plum trees, hydrangeas and camellias. Nature’s harmony is so calming for my stress and gets me in the mood to paint.
The painting above is a combination of the vine maple tree in front of my studio and the one at the back corner. They were still green when I painted them. I added the brightness.
