Orange Pekoe and the Golden Spoon

©A.K.SIMON - Orange Pekoe and the Golden Spoon - oil on linen $100

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Quote for today: “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” 
― C.S. Lewis

I am not a coffee drinker. However, I do love a cup of good tea and one of my favorites is Orange Pekoe with honey. I didn't set up this still life and what you see is not all that was there. Donna did this on a Tuesday morning long ago and I did start this from life. However, I just finished this in the studio yesterday. There's a great amount of story about one cup of tea in this small piece. Although I don't know her intention, this piece is all about a quiet time with a book and I love the C.S.Lewis quote because I wholeheartedly agree. Have you every intentionally slowed down your reading toward the end of a book because you didn't want it to end? This is especially true for Ken Follet books for me. His characters are so well developed that I feel I need to know more about them. This piece is filled with all the good things of a quiet time. A book, a piece of fruit, the smell of eucalyptus, the jar of honey, the tea cup and Donna's golden spoon. Not to forget the plate that is not for tea spillage as one might think but for the cupcake with towering icing that is just out of sight!

Happy Palm Sunday!

Annette

Singularly Beautiful

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

QUOTE FOR TODAY: Truths and roses have thorns about them.

                                                                Henry David Thoreau

Back from traveling and back at work. I am trying to get some of these small pieces posted to Daily Paintworks to take advantage of my featured status. This piece was done with a lot of spatula and palette knife work which seems to be the direction I am taking. I love the spontaneity and colors in this piece. I feel I am gaining more confidence in my work and that is making it much more fun to paint. 

And the Sparrow Watches Me


©A.K.SIMON - And the Sparrow Watches Me - 8"x8" oil on linen  - $100

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Today's Quote: 

“There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow”

                                                              William Shakespeare

I love birds. I'm not sure how it happened but it has been lifelong. I had several parakeets as a child and have been an avid observer of them for a long time. This little sparrow was sitting amongst the hustle and bustle of a downtown Gatlinburg shopping area. His main objective was to drink from the slate fountain on which he was perched. There were some pebbles in the water and at the time "artist brain" kicked in and noticed the harmony of colors and how well this little bird fits with it's surroundings like an artistic plan. My hope is that the posture here reflects his intent on drinking while also keeping guard for any peril. 

I used to get upset when my husband and I would travel because he gets so caught up in conversations with strangers that he will sometimes forget that he told me, "I'll be back in a minute." Time and experience have mellowed me and I now use these "waiting times" to enjoy little scenes like this bird to ponder co-existence, color, form, light, etc. (Yep, he forgot to come right back). There is a grander plan and I'm just now taking the time to enjoy it more. There's a lyric in a Rascal Flats song that says, "God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you." All of the frustration and fuming while I waited was my broken road (wasted time) - didn't realize it until I shut up, listened and started taking the time to observe the wonder around me. We get so caught up in what we think should be happening that we don't enjoy what IS happening.  I was being left alone as a plan to help me study for these paintings. 

I really am going to start back on the state bird series when I get back from a vacation. I have had several people requesting more birds. I'm sure that an artist's love for the subject matter comes through in the painting. 

Well there is some good news. I have been selected as one of the 15 (not one of the top 3 who get the prize $ but an honor just the same) artists from the Daily Paintworks monthly juried contests (prizewinner to the left). What does this mean? It gets my a fee-free month with DPW.  I am bumped up to "featured" status for the month. This means I move to the top of the list which is really a good thing when your last name starts with an "S". What else has it done for me? It has made me get my "___" in gear to post some of the paintings I've been working on and motivated me to get some inventory.

You Light Up My Life

©YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE - 8"X8" OIL ON LINEN - $100

This one is a little tighter than I anticipated it would be. Funny how you start something and your confidence in rendering suddenly freezes. This one was started after I hadn't painted in a few days and weird as that seems, it only takes a short time to lose your way. Showing it here because I do really like some of the edge work, especially around the candle holder and green apple.So why the title: Just wanted an element to be in an unsuspected, less predictable place. So, that's how the apple ended up on the candle holder. And just like the wick lights the life of the candle, the stem is the lifeline of the apple. Yep, I learned this type of over analyzing in design classes - can drive a person nuts at times!