First Love. . .

Serenity . watercolor . private collection

Still Life.  1.  small inanimate objects, as fruit, bottles, flowers, books, etc., used as subjects for a picture.

My beginning to paint in 1997 was filled with zest and love for the things surrounding me.  My home at the time was filled nearly to the brim with what I call "objects of affection."  Most were given to me in a gesture representing love. . .and I was eager to paint them!  Thinking about that now, nearly all of my watercolor paintings found loving homes, so I suppose in a way it's a never ending LUV circle.  I like that. 

And if you're wondering why I'm talking about this right now, it's because I've been invited to participate in an exhibition later this year entitled Making Arrangements.  The Cabarrus Arts Council in Concord, NC, is putting on the exhibition in the 1876 Historic Cabarrus Courthouse, where the Council has their offices and a two year renovation has been completed turning this building into a visual and performing arts center.  Today I focused on doing some of the preliminary requirements for this exhibition and it got me to thinking fondly about the still life paintings of my past. . .I have a "record" of sorts of my surroundings with a healthy dollop of meaning attached to certain objects. 

Going down memory lane is a good thing as it appears I have accidentally created a "diary of sorts" of a goodly part of my time on this bouncing ball.  Here I lived close to the ocean!  Can you tell?

Eternal . watercolor . private collection 

All this reminiscing puts me in the mood for more Still Life!  I just may have to throw over my Second Love (the face) and go back to my First Love for awhile, (said with a Southern drawl).  Oh, but what about my Third Love, landscape?  Too many decisions. . .but there's one thing you can be sure of. . .whatever is painted will more than likely come from the heart.  It's a not-so-secret powerful ingredient you can see and feel. All about love people, all about love.