Covid Self Portraits

I'd finished shaving. Looking in the mirror, I said 'You look so tired." and suddenly wanted to see if I could paint what that felt like. Grabbed my water colors and began this series of tiny self portraits.

 

 Here's the finished carving, A Garden in the Old Quarter, Spring, Kyoto.

Sculpture and a Chinese carving

I bought this carved panel in Hong Kong because it delighted me. The vitality of the birds and peonies, the humor of the carved insects, moths, cicadas, and the gay colors still are a joy to see.
The intricacy of the pierced carving and the efficiency of the design finally inspired me to try to copy a section in sugar pine. Here goes!

 The panel and the design inked onto the new block of sugar pine.

Sculpture and Paradise Express

The Paradise Express has stopped.

Delphine Gitterman brought artists, designers, and garden lovers from all over the world to her digital salon, Paradis Express. She dazzled us all with beautiful images and ideas. Everything was connected, historic gardens, new gardens, the many artists who are inspired by nature by Delphine's wide ranging sensibility and her appreciation of this green world. 

Delphine featured my art several times on Paradise Express. Psychically, she often picked my lowest days to publish something. She showed that she and people do care about beautiful sculpture, beautiful gardens.........

I also had the privilege of meeting her and her husband when we went to France. A wonderful meal with them and a visit to Monet's home at Giverny was a day to be treasured.

Delphine and a small turquoise frog, the year of a thousand frogs, in her tropical garden.

Thank you, Delphine, for eight years of beauty and best wishes for new things in your life.

You can still follow Delphine's interests via on Pinterest.

Sculpture and To Grandmother's House

It's good to let your art (and yourself) rest.
Grandmother had been wrapped up for a week of bad weather, I unwrapped and stood her up.
Walked twenty feet away to study her and decided that she needed more focus.

"It's either gonna make it or RUIN it."

If you're not an artist, that "OR RUIN IT!!!" can stop you dead from pushing any further.
If you are, it's usually the goad you need to do just that.

I painted her eyes.

 with iris and pupils above, without below.    .... your preference?

It's a tad scary up close, but the standard viewing distance is much further - from a path 20 feet away.

The benefits outweigh the RUIN it factor. 

WHEW.

Sculpture and To Grandmother's House

"Done."
I've learned that this carving isn't over until they take it away.

More wood working was necessary to fit the sculpture into the corner angle of the metal housing.
Think how a corner cabinet isn't 90 degrees but an acute angle.....
That cutting showed us a weak knife edge that needed an alternative treatment. So more cutting and then finding another chunk of wood, aligning the grain pattern to be similar, and planing and fitting the wood so it looks on purpose. And then re-staining the new areas to match the existing finish.

Will they take it away soon? Please?