Degrees of Change

   Overheard at breakfast this am:  "It's 42 and 36 degrees in Paris today....London, 39 and 32....Copenhagen, 30 and 23."  That was my 90 year old mother giving the weather report.  Not here in Idaho....not from her home county in eastern South Dakota, but in  European cities.  It's always been so in this household.  And the auld wrinklies cannot comprehend why my innards keep pushing me to get out and explore this big wonderful world??!!

    Exploring being on hold however, preparations for next weekend's annual CDA Art Association's Artist Showcase in the Plaza Shops, downtown Coeurd'Alene are underway.  Both mom and I will be exhibiting paintings, and I will have a good selection of prints and cards available.  I will be sharing some of my favourite Scottish tunes on fiddle Friday night, 5-7ish, and Saturday 12-2pm with CDA's newest Scots music group, Nine Pint Coggies.  Amazingly, we've got three gigs on Saturday.....and I'm heading to an evening of ballroom dancing in Moscow thereafter.....my cup runneth over with culture!!  Hope to see all you locals at the Shops sometime during the weekend - it's an excellent community oriented event, with lots of interesting artists to chat with and observe at their craft, and a wide variety of good work to view, contemplate and purchase.  Hours are 10-8 Friday, 10-6 Saturday and 10-5 Sunday. 

 

Painting Between the Lines

  Everpresent in our lives, lines do many things, both for and against us....fill in space when drawn side by side, mark out boundaries and edges, lead our eyes around the page where we want them to go.  I am dealing heavily with boundary lines these days, as I make decisions daily:  how long should I in good conscience leave the parents on their own today;  how much time do I have to do ____ before I'm needed at the house; how much energy do I have left for my own pursuits today?  Makes one value most minutes of the day, and be mindful how they're used.  The increased discipline is making it possible to slip a bit of drawing and painting in each week, so the end result is favorable!

"Gan 'Aim" oil on antique Scottish linen - $625 framed, $400 unfr

   "Gan 'Aim" is a special work to me.  Plockton Harbour on Scotland's NW coast is the place, visited in blustery October when the wind whips up 'dirty' storms instantaneously, and just as quickly everything drops to silence and calm.  A yachting and artist mecca in the high season, it's lovely and peaceful this time of year, with all but the hardy having 'gan aim,' and the fresh seafood in the local eateries is, well, absolutely the best!!

  This painting is done on antique Scottish linen sheeting purchased in Cromarty from a local Ross-shire estate, and gifted me by a fellow artist.  Amazingly tough is linen.  And an inspiration to feel the texture, observe the flaws and wonder at it's substance after decades of use.  A privilege indeed to bring shape and form of this beauty spot in Scotland to life as I painted on it.  Thank you, Ian!