She was right, the view was stunning. I did want to paint it. 

That year, I gave my mom that painting of the still life. She said thanks, but it’s not your best. I agreed and knew exactly what she was saying. It had no passion in it.

Paintings don’t lie and neither did mom.

While at a show in Cumberland, MD, I met Arnold d'Espagnier.

But the question is, can I be brave and follow a path that is for me?

When it dies, it dies standing. And even as a skeleton, it has grandeur.

I usually search for subject matter that is uncommon, unique and/or less than beautiful.

It was lazy and laid back, with a wooden front porch, an American flag and fishing bait for sale.

Most people were schooled to see land as a commodity from which to extract maximum wealth rather than considering the human residents as part of the environment.

Recently, I was invited to teach a workshop. A patron there invited me to come see my paintings in her home.

My husband and I rented out our small lake house as a vacation rental for 17 years. During that time we had many guests who returned every year. This patron was one of those guests.

If you have asked, why chairs, here is what I think:

They are graphic designs. They are architectural. They are sculptural. They are art in themselves that I did not create, I am just enjoying their beauty.

When I, the artist, look at this painting, I see a dance of movement.

The point is to keep my eyes open all the time and try to capture the images I love and that may be used in paintings.

The Beach Bag is a reminder to me to throw on something colorful, get your tote bag, and head for the sunshine.

I turned around and saw The Gallerist looking at one painting in particular, with tears in her eyes. She said, I may have to buy this one for myself.

When I first started painting, my instructor, Curt Butler, said, "No matter what you feel, don't let that stop you from painting."

There are 5 chairs waiting for you to return, or maybe for me and mine.

I heard someone say recently that AI does art better than people, I disagreed strongly. AI can't connect with the great creator. It can't infuse the emotion of the artist into the artwork. 

A gallerist friend asked if I might be interested in painting a photo of a chair that she had. There was no deadline, nor any size stipulations. Just do what you'd like. Then she mentioned she wasn't going to tell me where the photo came from.

My journey using lines to accurately present perspective for cityscapes, chairs and telephone poles, has lead me to multiple discoveries.