March 10, 2010: Old Lady Under a Hill

When I was little, I was fascinated by the nursery rhyme, "There was an old lady who lived under a hill...and if she's not gone, she lives there still." I was intrigued by the possibility of a mysterious old woman who lived in a cozy little cavehouse. I wanted to go visit her! Unfortunately, on our flat farmland, our only "hill" was a slight slope behind two old apple trees. In early spring, my favorite walk was to this spot to see green grasses emerging from tangled brown stalks. If you listened carefully you could hear the hill bubbling and snapping with new life. "Ohio House 1", colored pencil on paper, explores my lifelong feelings for hills in early spring - and the elusive old lady who might live there still.

Lonely Hearts: Valentine's Day 2011

One day while waiting for the light to change in Westerville, I spied this elderly woman walking into the cold wind. Dressed in a warm wool coat and a jaunty deep blue hat pulled down over her forehead, she slowly but surely made her way down the sidewalk.   An artist, like a playwright, can change the scenery to tell a more interesting story. Because the number on the door was "14", I had the idea to change the window decorations from Easter to Valentine's Day. The result is my colored pencil drawing, "Februrary Skies." With a change of holiday, the viewer could wonder - along with me - about the loves in the life of this determined woman of a certain age.   On this Valentine's Day, remember the older people in your life with a call or note. The heart is always eager for love!

January 30, 2011: Winter Days

During these gray snowy days of winter, I'm reminded of my Great-Grandmother Morey, who wrote a letter to my grandmother in 1918 "that a wagon had passed by today." As I sit at my computer sending Facebook messages to my friends and family, I marvel at our communication technology. And yet, we still sit alone at our devices, much like great-grandma in her rural farmhouse in snow - drifted Central New York almost 100 years ago.    As a person devoted to creative activity, I have to be mindful of the present moment so I don't miss those perfect ideas. If I multi-task or fly off in too many directions, I miss that wagon passing by.   This graphite drawing is my great-grandmother Morey sitting on her porch on a summer day. I included activities of her life from my imagination using multiple images.

January 14, 2011: Dreams of Florida

How to prevent creative burn out? One way that works for me is my sandbox, where I try new techniques. No judging is allowed, only a carefree and open attitude will do. Out of this playtime, I've begun to make collages. I snip and paste text and imagery to my heart's content, and then in a mad scramble try to unify it all. I love combining drawing and painting with text images from my historic and family history treasure chest.   In these cold dark days of January, I am thinking of our 1960 trip to Florida to visit relatives. We travelled south - this was before interstates - in our new sleekly finned turquoise Plymouth station wagon. One of our stops was St. Petersburg, where my grandparents rented the back apartment of a little cottage. I created these collages about our trip to what I fondly now call "Old Florida," which still exists today in such places at Mt. Dora. Clayton Galleries in Tampa featured these collages in their holiday show.

November 22, 2010: "Seeking Place"

This is an image of an older man we happened to meet along the Oswego River who showed us how to use a sextant. When we first stopped by the little public dock, he was busy cleaning the rest rooms. We found out he was a retired electrician, a widower, and was living with his daughter's family. He volunteered his services to keep the park facilities clean and neat. While he held the instrument to his eye, seeking the horizon, I realized that he had discovered the secret of a happy life. He continued to seek his place in the world by giving. In November, this drawing received the Parsons Brinckerhoff Award at Cincinnati Art Club's Viewpoint 2010 National Exhibition.                                                                      HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

Gallery of CNY artist uses historical resources for new work

Gallery of CNY artist uses historical resources for new work

October 26, 2010: "Autumn Allegory"

I was discussing the change of season with my good friend Lauren, and we wondered why fall seems a little bittersweet in all its glorious colors.   I think that autumn waits. This scene in Galena, Ohio, intrigued me with its complete calm. No breeze ruffled the tree tops, and the water's surface was motionless. Drivers roared and rattled in their vehicles behind me, bent on making good time for their next destination. But autumn was winning the race, moving silently forward in the stillness. Splashing russets against sky, this annual show astonishes me yearly as I drive along roads I thought were familiar.   I'm reminded of our son Jeremy, then only a toddler, who asked of autumn's falling leaves: "Does this happen every year at this time?" As an artist, I try to remember that childlike wonder about the nature of time.   "Autumn Allegory", 27 x 39, oil on canvas, is currently part of a group show, "Trees," at Marcia Evans Gallery, 8 East Lincoln St, Short North Arts District, Columbus. 614-298-8847.