New Orleans Memories. . .

New Orleans Memories . 16 x 12  .  oil on canvas

I've been away from blogging of late for a variety of reasons.  I took off a few days to travel to Charleston to be with my family - always a great time and they treat me as if I'm the Queen of Sheba!  Coming home over the Easter weekend gave rise to the desire to be quiet and revel in the beauty of spring and feel at home in a spiritual way - you know what I mean.  Plus there was laundry to do, a yard to mow, plants to water, etc.!  All the things that ground us to our everyday life, and may, in fact, give us a sense of purpose - wait, maybe accomplishment too.   Oh, and on the side I set up a new "portrait only" website that's Facebook integrated and can be viewed on smartphones!  http://www.sandydonnportraits.com/

Meanwhile the old bugaboo set in. . .getting back in the saddle of painting after a break of sorts and having completed a five month pile of work!  I keep reminding myself that it's good to take a break, have a fresh start, BREATHE! 

I daresay I have been this way since childhood and most likely got it from dad - it always took him a good three days to begin to unwind when we took family vacations.  Years later I found out (at a dinner party) that  my neighbors considered me to be a workaholic!  A lovable one, but just the same I squirmed when I heard that. . .wouldn't you?  Then, of course, back in my girl school college days I was named "Most Dependable."  More squirming.  Yes, I can get the job done - guess that's settled.

To find inspiration I try to figure out what's resonating with me at the moment, and I go through all my reference photos - even some from YEARS ago.  To exercise my brain in a totally different way from realist portraiture, I try to get loose or at least employ a palette knife.  I have total respect for the palette knife - it's dang hard to do and I often feel like I'm all thumbs.  But I persevere (most dependable!) and push through to see if I can create something.  The painting above fit the bill and is done from a photo of me in New Orleans sometime in the 1990's.  Note the big hair!  Oh I loved those sunglasses - long gone.  I have lots of college memories of New Orleans (my school was close) - subsequent trips back always filled me with nostalgia.  Of course, it's the kind of place that can swallow you in nostalgia anyway. . .kind of like Charleston.  You can FEEL the history seeping into your skin like an old southern novel.  The city thrum is palpable and ancient.  And speaking of that, I'm "snailing" my way through Gone With the Wind at the moment.  Talk about squirm!  More on that later. . .