Fresh From The Greenhouse

©A.K.SIMON - 8"x8" oil on linen - $100

One of the showiest flowers I know is the pansy. They can get kind of "leggy" if left too long in their "training pot" but wow do they say, "look at me". Their vibrant colors are irrisistable to me. In Ohio they are being planted right now because they can withstand the cooler weather until May when all the other more tender flowers can be set. Some people don't know that pansies will bloom in winter in Ohio. There is nothing more lovely than seeing a pansy against a backdrop of snow. Dead of summer though - they will be toast! Here's some info on pansies just for the heck of it. Those are some yellow gerbera daisies peeking in from behind.

Back to the art: Still using my favorite fine linen canvas and have begun experimenting more with my "spatula" brush. I have also added a Rembrandt aqua to my palette to kind of "mess around" with green. Green is my nemesis and I am determined to someday master it - until then - charting the experience!

Just a little editorial to vent:Each spring I tell my husband, "as long as we see the flowers blooming there is still hope." In light of this past week's dismal outlook of "man's inhumanity to man" in Boston, hope may be buried deep. But, it's my belief that man's humanity to man will arise out of the depths of despair and shine far brighter than any evil that can attempt to break his spirit! Check out this quote from Robert Henri's The Art Sprit on the landing page of my website http://aksimonart.weebly.com/ . I have it there to remind me that something far greater than our petty differences and barbaric tendencies is always happening under the radar. What is the ultimate goal as an artist in perpetuating a life beyond atrocities! (Guard the good and beauty with your heart and very soul!)

Only The Best For You

©A.K.SIMON - 8"x8" oil on linen - $100

Sometimes you just have to treat yourself. When you're gonna have the best juice you just have to bring out the pretty glasses and make a big deal of the experience. Why is it that we only bring out the nice glassware when we are serving someone else - as if we don't deserve it for ourselves?  My husband drinks his juice from a wine glass - which is really funny when considering how humbly we both were raised!

I picked this section out of a larger still life because I am always looking for relationships of objects and how we combine them in our everyday lives. I almost threw this in the "closet dump of could-have-beens" when I decided there is something about the simplicity that I like.  

On The Rocks at Peggy's Cove, NS

© On The Rocks at Peggy's Cove, NS - 11"x14" oil on linen - $175

This past summer we visited Nova Scotia for the first time and ended up at Peggy's Cove one day. I have to say that Nova Scotia has some of the nicest, laid back people I have ever met in my travels. Peggy's Cove was so quaint and filled with history that we had a hard time leaving. Though I didn't get to paint on location, I took a "bazillion" pictures and will use them for reference. I just loved all of the multi-colored lobster trap buoys everywhere!

This is one of those new "soft core" linen panels (sorry I forget who made it at the moment). I wanted to get that right at sea level look so this is the "on my knees" view. 

If you haven't been to Nova Scotia, you have to go. There are just some beautiful coastal views that can't be compared. Here's a link to the Legend of Peggy's Cove and how it got it's name - romantic of course! Peggy of the Cove