An artist's journal.
Here you'll find my paintings and musings, where the featured subjects could likely cover just about anything.
The last 4+ years I've been caring for my best buddy B during his courageous fight to live through cancer and it's complications. I'm tickled to report, he's getting better and I'm finding small bits of painting time again.

Looking forward to a daily celebration of life's gifts by using the brightest, happiest colors in the box!


Visitors looking for 'B's Journey', click here.

Friday, October 29, 2010










click image to enlarge



"California Dreamin'..." 2006
24" x 36" x 3/4"
acrylic on canvas
SOLD
Scolnik collection, Washington, DC

I am a huge fan of old VW micro-buses and they frequently show up in my work. 

"California Dreamin'..." is a painting made up of 24 separate 6" x 6" ocean and beach paintings on one canvas. There's a classic old VW van starring in one of the mini paintings.  It was a fun painting to do. I divided the canvas into 24 squares, then played at the beach in each one. Some simple, some more detailed, together a fun mix.

Once again, to keep this blog visually interesting, I am featuring a painting from my archives. I haven't painted for a week. I try to post at least once a week, so, if I don't have any new paintings to share, I'll find an old favorite to feature.

I have been called away from my studio for the last week by the arrival of cooler temperatures and a deadline. November 8th, the city of Tucson is once again providing it's free Bulky Trash pick-up. I have a huge amount of tree trimming to do, and must take advantage of the time and energy saved by this service. It is soooo much easier to drag whole branches to the curb, without having to break them down into bite size chunks.

I had about 2 hours into a new VW van Daily Painting, when it hit me that I was burnin' daylight by not getting outside and getting the trimming started. Once that thought had crossed my mind, that was it. My OCD kicked in and I couldn't give "Rusty '59" my undivided attention anymore. Might as well get the chores done.

Tucson gives us a two week notice of the pick-up and while that might sound like plenty of time, I always seem to cut it close (pun alert) with the serious tree trimming I need to do in that timeframe. Now that I'm a wee bit older, it seems to take me a wee bit longer to get it all done. I even have to climb one of the trees I trim, although I kinda like that part. I get up in that tree and sit there looking around for a while, taking in the view, and then, I thank my higher power for letting me still be able to climb trees at my age. Yep, I like that part.


"Rusty '59"
~a work in progress
6" x 6" x 1/4"
acrylic on canvas board

I've finished the first week of yard-work, I'm half way done, so, it's just for one more week, that the "Rusty '59" will have to keep on rusting. I'm looking forward to getting back to that little canvas.

Instead of painting each morning, I'll be donning my gardening gloves and getting to task outside. Thank goodness I love to garden. Play in the dirt. It feeds my soul. It centers me. It's all good.

Having made it through another hot summer here in the desert southwest, I'm looking forward to the next 5 months or so of our beautifully mild temps. Coffee and breakfast on the patio weather! Lunch on the patio weather! Heck, dinner and dancing on the patio weather! Yippee! And the yard-work will be done! Trees trimmed, gardens planted! Double Yippee!!

Now, on an entirely different note, here's a helpful hint for you other artists using small canvases.

The 6" x 6" canvas covered boards like the one I'm using on "Rusty '59", are only about 1/4" thick and quite lightweight. It's hard to keep them in place while pushing paint around on them, so I've come up with a simple way to keep them from moving while I paint.

Reusable adhesive putty, found in just about any store for around $3. Great stuff!

See how I use it on my newest blog page, 
HOW TO KEEP REALLY SMALL CANVASES IN PLACE WHILE PAINTING.

Monday, October 18, 2010


















  click image to enlarge


"Blackbeard's Bounty" 2010
12" x 12" x 1.5"
acrylic on canvas
not for sale

It's late afternoon and a youngster is busy raking clams at Teach's Hole (named for Edward Teach, also known as, Blackbeard the pirate)... the clam bounty is tossed into a cooler that's held by an inner tube.... a rope, tied from waist to inner tube, keeps the changing tides from setting it adrift.... the late day sun is reflecting off the inner tube and water. 

I grew up on Florida's Atlantic coast and now find myself landlocked and constantly missing my ocean...many of my paintings are all about water. I love painting water, capturing the way it's motion plays with light and reflections!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

 






















"FREE FALLING" 2007
An autumn leaf floats through the breezy sky.
12" x 12" x 1.5"
acrylic on canvas
$150 
Unframed, blue sky painting continues around the 1.5 inch side, hanging hardware installed, ready to hang.

To purchase this and see more of my paintings for sale, visit my
AVAILABLE PAINTINGS GALLERY 

Tuesday, October 5, 2010





















 click to enlarge

"THIRSTY" 2006
20" x 24"
acrylic on canvas
SOLD
Cardoso Iken collection, Manassas, VA

"There are days when I feel I could paint the Sistine chapel and, then, there are days when I'm not sure I could trace a stick figure.... the only difference between those days is my state of mind"~ Jenna Millward Corkill© 

Struggling again, with the day to day stuff. Trying to digest and come to terms with my daughter and her family moving away, taking the last 3 grandkids I have living here in Tucson to Colorado Springs. My son moved there 4 years ago and I still struggle with bouts of sadness, missing him and my other 7 grandkids something fierce. 

Modern technology, facebook, skype and such, will help keep us connected over the miles, but like Marvin Gaye sang years ago "Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby, ain't nothing like the real thing". I miss my kids and family!!

My daughter's potential departure has left me in a daze. I'm not mentally present when I'm painting and the canvas results reflect that. And while I am still working on several paintings, I did not get one finished this last week. I'm trying to use the "mind over matter' approach, but the matter ain't minding.

So, once again, to keep this blog visually interesting, I am posting a painting from my archives. This originally posted August 23, 2008 and features 'Shortcake, the strawberry roan' ©, taking a sip of water. 

Of the 3 paintings I'm currently working, one is a waterscape, with water vaguely similar to that found in "Thirsty". I'm hoping that swirling streaks of beautiful colors on canvas will help put these sad thoughts out of my head and let me get a painting finished.
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"There are days when I feel I could've painted the Sistine Chapel and, then, there are the days when I'm not sure I could trace a stick figure.... the only difference between these days is my state of mind"~ Jenna Millward Corkill