"Ungilded"
©A.K.SIMON - "Ungilded" - 6"x6" oil on linen - SOLD
Today's Quote: Yet, the great ocean hath no tone of power Mightier to reach the soul, in thought's hushed hour, Than yours, ye Lilies! chosen thus and graced!
Mrs. Felicia D. Hemans
I have never painted lilies before and of course they are abundant right after Easter, so here it is. This is just a little study that I did today in the studio. Not much to say other than it is always amazing to me that you can never use straight white when painting white objects. But boy does your mind really want to go for that white. You continually have to keep checking values to avoid your "mind speak". This one was really dumping its pollen everywhere. But you know as beautiful as I find the flower, the fragrance can be nauseating to me. I guess that's what attracts the bees but it can sure give a human a headache!
Fallen from Grace
©A.K.SIMON - Fallen from Grace - 9"x12" on wood panel - $200
“They are not long, the days of wine and roses. Out of a misty dream, our path emerges for a while, then closes, within a dream.”
― Ernest Dowson, The Poems and Prose of Ernest Dowson
This is a piece done about 95% with the spatula which I have mentioned a few times in my blog. I painted the piece on a wood panel that I had cut down at our local home store. I had the wood left over from some furniture that I built for my studio in January. I gessoed the wood on all sides with a gray gesso to seal it then painted the sides and back black so it can be mounted easily in a floater frame (or other if you choose). I love this piece and it definitely commands attention among all my other studio pieces.
I have to give a shout out to my friend and teacher Donna Noice for sharing a photograph from one of her classes that I was unable to attend. It's not exactly like the picture but pretty close. She has given her permission for me to share it with you.
Swan in Mourning
Painted this today in memory of a dear friend who passed away 1 year ago on Tuesday. I took the picture of this swan at her favorite plein aire painting site. We miss you Connie! Here is a link to my original post: http://aksimonart.blogspot.com/2014/09/late-afternoon-swim-a.html
©A.K.SIMON - Swan in Mourning - 8"x8" oil on linen
On thy fair bosom, silver lake, The wild swan spreads his snowy sail, And round his breast the ripples break As down he bears before the gale. To Seneca Lake, reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919).
