Thankful Things

We're having another sunny day after several days of snow and wind, and it is much, much appreciated!

Speaking of things to be thankful for, our family has a lot to be thankful for on this joyful Monday morning. Last week my almost 95 year old mother was rushed to Emergency with an obstructed bowel. Since I'm the designated family member with medical powers of attorney, I spent much of two days on the phone with other family members, particularly my two sisters, and in consultation with her doctors. Together we elected to go ahead with the risky surgery despite Mother's frail condition and hope for the best. It really was her only option.

To our immense relief, she came through the surgery with flying colors and continues to do well in the ICU. Of course, she's not in the clear yet, but for now we are grateful for her progress.

Since I have nothing new to share (I've been working on tax reports when I haven't been on the phone), today's painting is an older one that I revised a year or so ago. It's very different from my usual artwork but is a technique that I learned in art school as an exercise in composition, lost and found edges, color use and you-name-it. I've done several of these over the years, and this is the latest. Whether I continue to explore this technique remains to be seen.

This is one of those paintings that needs to be seen in person to be appreciated. It just doesn't photograph all that well because the background is composed of multiple layers of color in pastel, and the camera tends to emphasize one color over others. Attempts to do color correction in Photoshop have had limited success. It really has that soft, subtle color and feeling of well-worn jeans and is just a fun piece with lots to look at. One day soon I need to frame it and take it to the gallery/shop that has some of my artwork.

So I thought I would tout "Dressage Clinic II" in my blog today and give it some well deserved attention. It is a mixed media (pastel, colored pencil) on paper, 16x20 inches and is for sale on my website . The reference photos were taken at a dressage clinic at Bay Harbor Equestrian Center about ten years ago, and the clinician was olympic medal winner Steffen Peters.