Gently Down the Stream

[Serendipity - the occurrence of pleasant events that happen by chance]

In 2016 we had a vacation that was filled with serendipity. It began with a trip to Cooperstown, New York where the Baseball Hall of Fame is located. That part was great, but the serendipity began as we left.  We'd found a bed and breakfast lodge not too far from there which seemed like might be a nice place to spend a few days.  

It all started with checking in.

"We have a wedding party that would like to use the whole lodge, would if be okay if we moved you to our cabin? No extra charge." 

Ummmmm... Yeah!

The whole property was just one relaxing surprise after another....

   Row boats on a placid lake...

   Ducks with babies following behind...

   Nature trails with swings to rest on...

   Flowers in bloom everywhere...

   Hammocks in random places...

   Weather in perfect mid 70s...

   Peaceful... Relaxing... Soothing... Restful...

Why would we ever leave!

One morning we decided we would leave to eat some place local.  We asked the teenager who took our order what there was to do nearby.  "Oh, not much really... unless you want to go to Woodstock.  It's about 15 minutes down that way."   

Wait... Woodstock?  You mean Woodstock, Woodstock? 

"Yeah, there was a big concert thing there a long time ago.  There's a museum and stuff."

Ummmmm.... Yeah!

(I'll save our Woodstock adventure day for another painting, another story.)

Here's a sample of our restful time at Lake Joseph, New York. 

No idea what this is, but they lined the forest paths.

...Literally lined the forest paths.

"What are you looking at?"

Row, row, row a boat... any boat.

Sweethearts.

Even the animals were relaxed.

Places for naps everywhere.

Swings for taking breaks (although no breaks were needed).

This makes my 20th weekly painting challenge with my friend and art mentor.  The challenge was "A Sunny Day."  I hope there's a calming feeling from this painting of a sunny day on a row boat.

Original Oil Painting on 6"x 12" Wrapped Canvas

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Peace Like a River II

If you were in a rowboat floating down this stream, would you want to reach down and glide your fingers across the water?

I would.

If you stood in front of this painting on the wall, would you want to reach out and stroke your fingers across the canvas? 

I would.

If you like the way this image makes you feel, wouldn't you want to know how it feels? 

I would.

I'm so drawn to palette knife paintings both on a visual and a tactile level.  I love the looseness of the strokes and the texture of the painted surface.  

Style fascinates me.  Do we choose our style? Or, is it just what comes naturally?  Can we change our style? Should we even try? How would I describe my style? How would others describe it?

I struggle with being painterly with a brush.  I know that.  I start a new painting and be determined to be looser, have softer edges, use more muted colors... Then I get going and slip right back into my own style.  That's okay.  I like bright colors and close likenesses.

But, with a palette knife... Ahhh... there's a freedom... a freedom to give an impression, to create a mood, to veer from the reference photo.

When I began to experiment with using a palette knife, I turned to YouTube tutorials.  One of the first I tried was this same image. In that first attempt, it was awkward and frustrating, and I'm pretty sure I want back over it with a brush to "touch it up" and "finish it."

Sara's inspiration image photograph, Pondering, from this month's Inspiration Collaboration challenge made me want to revisit this lily pond.

I am going to enjoy it on my wall so much.  And, I'm probably going to run my fingers across it's textured surface often.  One day I'll get notification that someone has purchased it.  I'll be so happy for the person who wants it... and a little sad to wrap it up and see it go.

Palette Knife Oil Painting on 11"x 14" Wrapped Canvas

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Someday

I've got peace like a river...

I've got peace like a river...

I've got peace like a river...

in my soul.

Guess what...

This is my 400th painting.

I can not believe it!

Although I love the very first painting I did back in 2007, I do think I've improved as an artist over these 11 years and 400 paintings... ha ha... just a little bit! 

This painting began with a tutorial by Kevin on using the palette knife.  It also started out as a disaster.  I carefully followed instructions and ended up with a sky that looked like a tornado was about to drop down at any minute.  There was a definite tone of anger and a foreboding mood. Usually, I would have worked with it, but this time... I wiped all the paint right off, set my mind set on the tone and mood I wanted, and used my artistic license (which comes in handy). I also gave myself permission to use brushes as well the palette knife.  In the end I hope I created a feeling of peace instead.

I'm so glad this one ended up being #400.  
Peacefulness is a good representation of life right now.

     Someday…

     The other day… Hmmm… last Wednesday, I think…

     I was on my knees planting onions in the garden. 

    A light mist was in the air, but it didn’t matter.

    All was silent

        … except for the birds... and squirrels

        … and the tinkle of the wind chime...

     I looked around…

     I saw five colorful little chickens 

         pecking around under the dogwood on my right…

     I saw the cat in the flowerbed filled with daffodils on my left…

     I saw the dog lying under the little red bench in front of me…

     …And was taken aback by this thought.

             ...It’s Someday…

     Someday I’ll have time.

     Someday I’ll have a lush garden.

     Someday I’ll have chickens in the yard.

     Someday I’ll have a row of daffodils and irises.

     Someday I’ll make my own schedule.

     Someday I’ll make time to notice the sky.

     Someday I’ll learn which birds make which sounds.

     Someday I’ll relax.

     I literally sat back, looked around, and thought,

        “Oh, my goodness… I’m living a poem..."

Oil Painting on 12" x 16" Wrapped Canvas

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Peace Like a River

Mmmmm....
Hhhhhhh....
This painting just makes me take a deep yoga-breath inhale then let it out with a sigh and a smile.

My painting friend Julie and I have been trying to become more proficient using a palette knife, so we turned to YouTube. (You can learn just about anything on YouTube!)

The frustration  beauty of applying paint on canvas with a palette knife is that if forces allows you to make loose strokes.  It totally cramped my style actually gave me such a feeling of freedom.
Ha ha... I guess you can see I endured enjoyed the process. 
Learning at any age is just hard. 
In the end... I really did love not only the process, but I really do love the final product.  

When I look at this painting, I hear the song that I use to calm myself whenever I'm heading into a difficult situation or am feeling stressed.  It's the perfect song for me as I am extremely lyrically challenged (I made that up, but it means I cannot remember lyrics to songs to save my life.)

     I've got peace like a river.
     I've got peace like a river.
     I've got peace like a river.
     I've got peace like a river in my soul.

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 16" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]