Slumming is the thing to do in Victorian England. A weak milky sun rises this morning over the slum tenements in the factory district. Slowly, the city wakens. The blackened buildings are still damp to the touch as the … Read More
Grasping a moment in time. My nonna had us in her grasp even when we were in plain sight. See how she is clawing at my brother’s shirt? There is no way we were going to get away from … Read More
Smile for me once more “Teardrops are falling from your Spanish eyes/Please, please don’t cry/This is just adios and not goodbye.” Lyrics to Blue Spanish Eyes. Today’s Throw Back Thursday isn’t going back very far in time…exactly one year ago, … Read More
Victorian Era gentleman. What makes him a respectable gentleman? At first glance, he has kind, smiling eyes. His hair is neatly coiffed and his beard clean and trimmed. Check! Fortunately, as a boy, when he showed promise in arithmetic … Read More
What are you thinking? This is the question I always have in mind when I look at old photographs, especially these days as I examine family albums for material for my art. This commissioned portrait was painted in May 2016, … Read More
Lush greenery still under snow. I hunger for lush greenery while another Arctic blast of winter keeps us in winter’s clutches, refusing to give way to spring. The tender green shoots that need to be kissed by sunshine are buried, … Read More
An Edwardian beauty finds a cause. This Edwardian beauty is more than just a lovely face. In her hurry to leave home this morning, Emma forgot that she was meeting her friends for dinner at the Amba Charing Cross Hotel. … Read More
I am publishing this post from May 2016 for Throw Back Thursday because so many of us find a second calling later in life. Rather than slowing down, Beatrice Wood’s productivity increased in her later years. This post is one … Read More
Out of the shadows a face emerges When I paint, I often wonder who will appear from the shadows and move into the light. Sometimes, the portrait causes me no end of grief; I might work on it for hours, … Read More
Many Goodbyes from Paris, 1928. Still humming Let’s Misbehave, Mona watches as another celebrity friend waves goodbye from the last car of the Blue train leaving Gare du Nord on its Paris-Marseille run. Draped in her warm evening coat, … Read More
Studying a master: John William Waterhouse Without a doubt, you probably have seen the work of John William Waterhouse,(1849- 1917) and perhaps, like me, not known that Waterhouse was the artist. I include an excellent video of the details … Read More
Previously published in May, 2016. I am publishing this again today, on International Women’s Day 2018, because the more I read about artist Frida Kahlo, the more I admire her tenacity. This post is one of a series of three … Read More