Sunday Drive Sycamore

©AKSIMON ART • 6"x6" oil on gessobord

Today's Quote:  The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

                                                           Nelson Henderson

Some times, even in the winter, we like to just drive somewhere, anywhere. We just have to get out of the house. It just happens that this often happens on a Sunday after church. The world is quieter and even more so in the winter. 

I just happen to love sycamore trees and on this day this lovely tree looked so stately against the beautiful cloudy blue sky. The road is a well traveled highway so there aren't many houses close to the road. However, this little brightly colored shed sits in the middle of this field. I'm not sure what it is really used for but suspect it stores or hides something related to natural gas. If you look closely you can see the distinctive white pipe with red top to the left of the shed. 

This one is about 100% palette knife and spatula. Stretching out into more landscapes right now.

Barn By Dawes Arboretum

©A.K.SIMON ART - 6"x6" oil on gessobord panel

Quote for the day: Through the ample open door of the peaceful country barn, A sun-lit pasture field, with cattle and horses feeding; And haze, and vista, and the far horizon, fading away.

Walt Whitman

Though I've always lived in the city I often visited my Aunt and Uncle's dairy farm in the summer. There's something not only about the setting of the barn but the tranquility that it seems to exude. Not sure what it is, but in Ohio we love our barns! This piece is from my down on the farm series.

Essence of Peony

©A.K.SIMON ART - Essence of Peony - 

I read this quote today and I thought it so aligned with me. "The world is not changed by our opinions but is changed by our love." What speaks more of love than flowers. And is it really the physical appearance of flowers that moves us or the smell, the energy, the garden they come from or the essence. So here you have it. A loose interpretation of the peony. I have worked diligently to make a representation of the peony and have come really close in realism in past attempts. However, maybe I was missing the point. Maybe it wasn't the actual picture perfect rendition of it but rather just being in its presence and soaking in the energy and loving it for what it is without judgement. This rendition is the energetic essence of the peony and I truly love it just as much in its imperfection. Plus the red vase doesn't hurt!

Barbara's Thanksgiving Gift

©A.K.Simon Art - 6"x6" Oil on Gessobord - 

These flowers were a gift to my friend Donna from her boyfriend's daughter Barbara. It was a surprise to Donna and she shared them with the upstairs painters because they lasted long after the holiday was over. Can't for the life of me remember what these flowers are called.

She's Mesmerized

©A.K.SIMON • She's Mesmerized • 6"x6" oil on gessobord

Though I often paint animals they are usually commission pieces - mostly dogs. I love dogs but once we had a rabbit named "Buttercup." This rabbit is out of my imagination and the design behind it is an abstract of a piece of scarf pattern. Sometimes these things just spill out of your brain and you have to go with it. This one is all brush work and I even broke out the fussy little liner brush for the background. Why? Who knows?

I named it She's mesmerized because she kind of has that deer in the headlights look.

Also Ungilded

©A.K.SIMON • Also Ungilded • 6"x6" oil on gessobord

Look to the lilies how they grow!

David Macbeth Moir

I'm a little obsessed with Lillies or maybe it's just white flowers in general. I painted one just like this a while back only with a little cooler color. Flowers are just so beautiful but never worry about how they look - wouldn't that be so refreshing if humans were like that? But I guess it's this burden of brain that keeps us from being like the flowers!

Geranium Jungle

©A.K.SIMON • Geranium Jungle • 6"x6" oil on gessobord 

 SOLD

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers. (Claude Monet, 1840-1926)

I know, another flower, I just can't help myself. I love clay pots and geraniums.