Thought for the day

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." -- Jeremy Kitson


Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Thought for the day

"The thoughts we choose to think are the tools we use to paint the canvas of our lives." -- Louise Hay



Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Strawberries and Watermelon another painting in the Organic Series

I have been eating strawberries all day, so I think I will add some to my painting.

I start the painting by drawing in blue paint the basic shapes.

I add some of the darker areas with the blue paint.

I begin the background and fill in some of the shapes with the basic color of the area.

I add the green tops to the berries.

I start adding some detail.

Almost done. I will do a little more glazing when it dries.

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

I am moving

"The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Destiny

Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice.
It is not anthing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." -- Jeremy Kitson

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

The Willow

The Willow
As a landscape artist, I find inspiration everywhere, especially in spring when everything starts to bloom. A robin looking for worms, a bee exploring the new blooms, and a squirrel looking for where it buried nuts last fall. All of this inspire me. The about movement, color,life and form all in nature. Dappled light across a path, water sparkling in the sunlight, the long purple shadows of trees at dusk, and the first rays of sunlight in the trees at dawn often make me rush to pick up my paintbrush. Sunset are easier to paint then then sun rise because the light last longer in the evening. In the morning you have to be quick with a brush to get the light before it is gone.I sit on the hill overlooking a pond with a willow tree, watching as the rain clouds threaten to drench me.The morning is gray with out sun and heavy ready to rain, I hope to finish a painting before it starts. I settle down to the work of making value sketches and thumbnails before I put paint to canvas.What color will I use to depict this gray dull day? Gray,dull blue, purple blue that leans toward gray and something a little warmer near the horizon?How will I make the water in my painting ? It is so dark it looks almost black, reflecting the gray of the day. How can I best convey mood of the day? There is no reflections of the willow trees on this gray day.The pond is a murky mirrors at best.I return again to paint this on a day when there is sunshine. The rain starts and water and oil are not friends, It is time to pack up and try again on another day.The beautiful landscapes that inspire my paintings will still be there.

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Rest Not

"Rest not! Life is sweeping by; go dare before you die. Something mighty and sublime, leave behind to conquer time." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)



Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Roots No.6

Roots No.6

About This Painting:
Media: watercolor
Size: 9 in X 12 in (22.9 cm X 30.5 cm)
Price: $100 USD

How to Purchase:

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $100 USD plus $10 USD s/h
Or, send me an email

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Geraniums and Watermellon

Geraniums and Watermellon
30x30
A painting in the Organically Grown Series

This painting is still in the begining process but it is starting to take shape. I'm not happy with the background, so I will be making some changes to it as I work. I think I need to reason out the color in the back ground.

"How difficult it is to be simple." (Vincent van Gogh) "Brevity is the sister of talent." (Anton Chekhov) "Less is more." (Robert Browning)

Pierre Bonnard, no slouch in the colour department, said, "You reason color more than you reason drawing. It has a logic as severe as form." Understanding and mastering colour requires thought, diligence, experimentation and commitment. Taste plays its part--a sip here, a sip there--and simple ingredients often make the best soup. "Color is like cooking," said the granddaddy of colour knowledge, Josef Albers. "The cook puts in more or less salt, that's the difference!"

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Roots No5 completed

I'm finally finished with the first large painting in the series. It is 24x20 done in oil. Here is the painting about half way done.

Time to add a little more color. I think it needs a little visual texture to it so I add some in the beet leaves.

Now I an adding a glaze of color

Finally a little detail starts to be painted in.

I step back and look at the painting often as I work on it.

Add more layers of color.





The finishing touches put in place and this painting is done.

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Roots No 5

I finally named this one. I have titled it Roots No 5. Now I have the base down it's time to add some color.

I understand that it is Internation Pickle Week so I am giving you a little information on it along with two fun watercolors I have done of pickles. I wouldn't want to miss out on the fun and I hope you don't either so eat your veggies and make one of them a pickle.



International Pickle Week is sponsored by Pickle Packers International, who promote the idea that pickles are the world's funniest vegetable. Not everyone agrees, however. In fact, pickles are considered subversive by the PPP, the Pickle Protesters of Pittsburgh, who point out that although pickles originated in Asia, they've now infiltrated the entire world. The PPP especially fears the increasingly popular Mediterranean Squirting Pickle which, when ripe, explodes and squirts its seeds all over the place. The PPP will mark International Pickle Week by calling for an International Pickle Freeze. Which, if successful, could mean the end of chow-chow as we know it.
Pickle Week is the brain-child of Bill "The Dill" Moore of Pickle Packers International in Chicago. Bill traveled the world promoting Pickle Power. He said, "Pickle Power is neither right-wing nor left-wing -- it's in the middle with the mustard."
One of the big Pickle Week observances is the annual Pickle Fest in Atkins, Arkansas, featuring the World Champion Pickle Juice Drinking Contest. Which sounds like a quick way to seriously gag your bladder.
This is International Pickle Week, sponsored by Perky Pam Peck's Pressure-Packed Peppered Pickles of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. It's ironic. Perky Pam packed a passel of peppered pickles in Pottstown, yet there was a time she didn't even have a pot to pack in.
International Pickle Week marks the discovery of the pickle in India 4,030 years ago, give or take a few centuries.
This is International Pickle Week. How can they have a special week for pickles? What's next, National Pork & Beans Month? Turnip Tuesday? Stewed Tomato Weekend? Prune Fortnight? I just hope they never have National Leftovers Year.



So here are some fun little watercolors.

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Started yet another Painting

Starting another oil painting in the Organic Series

This painting is 24x20 and the sides will be painted. I have laid in some under painting and am working with the negative space here.

I am adding some under painting to the beets.

Now the underpainting for the leaves.

I have decided some things need to be moved around in the painting. I like to get this done in the very early stages of the painting. You can see that I work very loose and use large brushes on this painting.

Time to let this one dry for a day or two. I'll give it a name the next time I start to work on it.

Plain White T's sing about Delilah

Hay There Delilah" by Plain White T's. just listen for a little fun today To day I will work on making a little history just like the song says.


Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Organic Series

Esoterica: Proficiency in art is a contract with your self and
the empowerment of your self. Not all of us demand or even
desire proficiency, but for those who do it's necessary to
temper the influence of groups.

And while some artists think history is bunk, the historical evidence is overwhelming:

Paul Gauguin said,"In my isolation I grow stronger," .

Claude Monet said ,"My work is always better when I'm alone and follow my own impressions,
Edgar Degas said" "If the artist is serious he must sink himself in solitude,"

Winston Churchill said "Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong," .

As artist we have our Esoterica ways, that is what make us artist. I have started another painting in the series, while I wait for the first one to dry. I always work on several at the same time. It seems to make thing flow better for me. This is just one of my esoteric ways of doing things. I won't even get into how when I start to paint I loose all tract of time and it might be 4 AM when I finally stop painting.

I first do a basic shape drawing in charcoal. It doesn't have to be detailed because I am going to paint over it.

Here I am filling in the background to get a feel for the negative spaces.

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

The Begining of a Series of oil paintings

I am starting a new series called " Organically Grown". I plan to paint almost daily on this series and will be posting work in progress as I painting daily. I am often asked, how do you paint so fast? I don't paint fast, I paint consistently, I paint every day, and I work on my art for 8 or more hours each day. This is my job I paint 7 days a week. The series will be done by July 30,2008. I am planing on 52 paintings in the series.

30x40-2

30x30 -4

20x24-4

18x36-4

20x20-4

10x10-4

8x10-10

6x6-10

6x8-10

These size may change as I start the series and find certain size seem to flow with the work better. This is the first painitng in the series.

This painting is 24x20.


It is starting to take shape.

The beginning of day one. I often work on several paintings at one time so you will see three or four in progress at a time.

Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Plein Air Painting

Fenner Arboretum in Lansing Michigan was the site for the first paint out of the

Great Lakes Plien Air Painters Association that took place on Saturday April 26. The Plien Air Painters group is available to anyone who would like to join, so please take a look at their website and come out and paint with the group. Visitors are always welcome and you don't have to have any special equipment or skill level just the desire to meet other artist and get out and paint.





The day was over cast and really cold. The water looked brown not even gray like the sky. It sure looked like it could rain at any minute, but it didn't. I was able to get two paintings done before I just got so cold and had to give up painting for the day. Hint: Always bring gloves and a hat and dress in layers.

This painting was the first study and it is 6x8. I use canvas mounted on RayMar panels because it keeps the light from coming through like stretched canvas could.








This painting is a little larger 10x12. When I paint en Plein Air I work very quickly just trying to get a feel for the subject and the light. I take pictures then sometimes go back in the studio and do a large painting from the color studies.












Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

National Gallery of Art and Vincent van Gogh

This weekend was a busy one I visted Alexandria Virgina. I can't say enough wonderful things about the city. Its a great place to bike with bike trails along the river. The food is spectacular and the place drips with history. One of the high lights of the trip was a visit to the Torpedo Factory .

The Torpedo Factory Art Center is the highlight of Alexandria's Potomac River waterfront, attracting approximately 500,000 visitors annually. Visit 82 artists' studios, six galleries, two workshops, and the Alexandria Archaeology Museum. Sign up for an art class with The Art League School. Then stroll along the waterfront, shop and sightsee on nearby historic streets, have a picnic on the dock behind the art center, or eat in the area's many fine restaurants. If you are near Alexandria Virgina think about making a stop at the Torpedo Factory.

While in Washing DC I made a visit to the Nationa Gallery of Art. Here I am having an artist conversation with an old friend of mine Vincent van Gogh.

More than a century after his death, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) has become a legend, and his paintings are icons in the popular imagination. Their wide appeal, however, should not overshadow their importance in the development of modern art. For all their appearance of spontaneous creation, his works were rationally conceived. Striving to express visually his deepest feelings--whether of happiness or anguish--Van Gogh was innovative in his use of bold color contrasts and dynamic brushwork. The singular intensity he brought to painting became a source for many expressionist movements of the twentieth century. This selection of seventy-two paintings surveys Van Gogh's entire career, from the rural scenes he painted in Holland in the early 1880s to the sun-drenched wheatfields from his years in the south of France, to the last, more subdued landscapes of Auvers-sur-Oise painted shortly before his death in 1890.
Early Works .

Now I am home and pumped up to paint a new series.




Home Page Art by Delilah = http://artbydelilah.com

Daffodils and Fruit

Daffodils and Fruit

The Daffodils

by William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A Poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

About This Painting:
Daffodils and Fruit 9x12x1 1/2 oil on gallery wrapped canvas. The back is wired and this painting is ready to hang.

Media: oil
Size: 9 in X 12 in (22.9 cm X 30.5 cm)
Price: $135 USD

How to Purchase:

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $135 USD plus $10 USD s/h
Or, send me an email

Getting the Wheels Turning

I have a new running stroller; to take my cat running with me. I like to run but for right but my cat does not. Spring is just coming to Michigan and I have to get my sea legs or running legs back in shape again after the long winter. So what does this have to do with art?

What’s good for the heart is good for the brain or so I’ve been told. As you walk three main types of thought appear: Practical, Creative, and Observational.

Practical, like "It's a long time since the I clean off my desk and sent out a news letter," sets up mundane priorities and must-do lists.

Creative, like "What would happen if I started a new series of butterflies with an abstract quality?", This gives new insight, answers problems and lays the foundation for what happens next.

Observational, like "Wow the trees are starting to bud and did I see a daffodil starting to bloom. I notice yesterday, that I have pussy willows in the ditch by my driveway. Have they always been there and I just didn’t see them until I cut down the weed or did they just spring up?

With practice, you can rebalance the three main types of thought to your own needs. My idea has been to get attainable creative benefits. A slight uphill grade right out of the studio can get things going right away. Typically, the creative zone kicks in after a few minutes.

Other runners tell me walking/running with a talkative person can derail private thought keeps you from getting into the zone. If you must go with a friend, take a four-legged, mute or in my case a cat. Now you see why I have a new stroller.I have a friend I love to walk with so I will walk with her but I will run with my cat.

When my studio work comes to a block, problem need to be focused on,I will put down my brush grab my cat and stroller and go for a run, blood will soon be checking out the remote corners of my brain. Answers will materialize like gifts and creativity will surge.

I've noticed that fresh ideas know no geographic spot. They merely appear can go in a moment so I always carry a notebook in my pocket just one of those small 99 cent ones and a pencil. I like a pencil because I can also sketch an idea if one should pop into my head, particularly on longer walks/runs. That is the nice thing about the running stroller, there is lots of rum for stuff: extra coat, coffee, note book and pencil. So running/walking really get the mental wheels turning also the stroller wheels .

"The moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow." (Henry David Thoreau) "Going out for a walk, I really found I was going in." (John Muir) "Angels whisper when we walk." (Raymond Inmon)

A daily painting

I always start my daily paintings with a drawing. Sometimes it is on paper like I did today or sometime it is right on the canvas. I wasn't sure how I would put the dragonfly in the painting so I played around with a few quick sketches on paper first, then I put the drawing on the canvas.

After I had the drawing down I started putting in the base colors. The drawing is never detailed because it will be painted over.

Here we are with the finished painting.

Coffee Klutch

6x6x1 1/2

Oi on gallery wrapped stretched canvas