SPELLBOUND

SPELLBOUND

Spellbound painting-without light

Here is another painting I will be exhibiting at MoJo’s Café on August 4-Sept 4th. I used the Renaissance Oil method for this one and added my own collage work. I also added encaustic wax to the background along with a cold processed wax.

Original painting

When I took the painting outside to photograph, the light just poured across her face in a fashion that had me wishing I would have painted it that way. I may go back and add that light. What do you think? Do you like it with or without the light? I appreciate your input. It’s not too late for me to go back and paint in the light and this is not a bad idea for future paintings because this way, I will have the light already there in the picture and can decide if I like it or not. It might be a bit difficult to duplicate.

Full painting with light from sun streaking across

She is 12x24x 1 ½ “ and is on a heavy birch canvas. I have priced her at $245 and she will be available after the show. If you would like me to hold her for you, just e-mail me and we can go from there. I take all credit cards and Paypal.

Close-up

EARTH MOTHER

EARTH MOTHER

"Earth Mother" Original painting

What would the earth look like if it were reborn? I think Earth Mother would give her bountiful mountains, cool streams, raging oceans, cold ice peaks and clear, fresh air. I recently read this quote by Joanna Macy. “The most remarkable feature of this historical moment on Earth is not that we are on the way to destroying the world. It is that we are beginning to wake up, as from a millennia-long sleep, to a whole new relationship to our world and ourselves and each other.” It was refreshing reading something positive about our environment.

I created Earth Mother after I wrote the story of her. I tried to convey movement and rebirth, regeneration and mystery. Below is the poem I wrote for her.

Earth Mother

There existed..

A mystical, lonely, dimensionless region in the universe.

Void of life… it waited.

Eons passed.

Black holes continued expanding and contracting in an endless universal dance.

Silence.

Earth Mother appeared.

The history of what she must endure was revealed to her. Centuries of war, famine, abuse, and still a need prevailed.

A plan emerged to sanctify the abyss.

She drew together the winds, the seas, the sun baked muds of universes past and most importantly, the stones, who were at one time humans.

The emptiness was filled. A new beginning…Once again,

The earth was born…

~Cheryl Dolby~

Close-up

She looks rather surreal in the evening light

Earth Mother will be part of a collection I am presenting as guest artist for MoJo Café for the month of August. If you are interested in purchasing her, she is priced at $235.00 She is 18x24x2” and will be available after the show on Sept 15th. Let me know and I’ll hold her for you with a sold sign attached. Just e-mail me for more details. Thanks so much.

THE ARTIST AND THE CHEF

THE ARTIST AND THE CHEF

Typical lunch: Curried Fire Roasted Soup with Grilled Tomato and Pesto Sandwiches

With a little less than a month to go, preparations are well under way for my Residential Sculpture School. Excitement and activity abounds here at Woodloft, the name I have given my home. (I believe that you should name anything you love.)

The hardest part for me is cleaning my studio! I'm almost finished

Another view of the studio

My friend, Stratton Wayne St. Clair, will provide us with lovely meals for the 7 day class. Each week he comes over and familiarizes himself with my kitchen. This week, he came up with another of his great ideas. We planned for him to give a small cooking class by showing students how he makes his spectacular, one of a kind, lasagna, each day at lunch. We have now decided to label his teaching time,“Lunchtime with the Chef.” He will teach the students some of his flavor tricks each day as well. Listed below are examples of what we will learn besides making the lasagna. For those of you who want to be here vicariously, and those of you who like to read cookbooks, as I do, I have posted the menu for the class.

Stratton prepares ingredient shopping list

Lunchtime lessons:

How to make your own vanilla.
Peach vinegar
Blueberry vinegar
Homemade ricotta cheese
Smoked sea salts

Lunches:

Muffuletta

Curried Fire Roasted Tomato Soup w Grilled Tomato and Pesto Sandwiches

Linguine with a Sicilian Pistachio and Almond Pesto with salad and bread

Quiche four ways: Canadian Bacon and Swiss... Brocolli and Cheddar... Crabmeat and
Shrimp with Chives... Grilled Vegetables and Herbs with salad

Garlicy and Lemony Broiled Shrimp Scampi with Spicy Spinach and Tomatoes plus a coarse country bread.

2 Lunches at the vineyard and market

For Dinner we are having:

Medallions of Fillet Migion with Lobster Tails in a Newburg Sauce with pan seared Asparagus finished with fresh squeezed orange juice and Asiago Cheese and Roasted New Red Potatoes

Pizza Four Ways: Pizza Neapolitiano (Fresh tomato slices, Basil leaves and Fresh Mozzarella)... Wild Mushroom Pizza... Pepperoni Pizza... Pizza of pan seared grape tomatoes... cheese... olives and shredded Arugula

Chicken with Tomato Onion Gravy with Basmati rice... Tomato, Cucumber and Yogurt salad... Garlic Na Nan and Mint Chutney

Fresh Tuna Steaks Adriadic style with a salsa of olives, capers, tomatoes and basil... White Beans tossed with Garlic, Rosemary and Extra Virgin Olive oil and a salad of Tart Greens with Parmesan and Proscuitto and a warm balsamic dressing

Pulled Pork Bar-b-que (with Chicken for those who don't eat pork) with a homemade tomato Bar-b-que sauce... cole slaw... collard greens and corn on the cob

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic with French Bread and a salad of Mixed Greens, Smoked Salmon, Parmesan Cheese and Black Olives

Lasagna with homemade spinach noodles... homemade Ricotta Cheese... and Heirloom tomato and sausage sauce with a mixed green salad and bread.

W. Stratton

In the meantime, I have been getting Woodloft ready for the class, all the while sampling Stratton's delicious offerings. (Poor me)

Picnic table overlooking pool

Upper deck overlooking the pool

Front deck

Herbs ready for the picking. The chocolate mint is for mint tea, one of the students favorites

Pool and Tiki bar-there will be a big surprise here-I HOPE!!!

BURNING BOWLS

CEREMONIAL BURNING BOWLS

Ceremonial Burning Bowls

Unity Church has a special ceremony each New Year’s Eve. A large bowl is placed at the altar and each member of the church is asked to write down problems or vices they wish to annihilate from their lives.. It could be a wish to quit smoking or drinking. It might be a desire to loose weight or to quit any of a number of addictions. Each person places their list into the bowl and at midnight, the bowl is lit. Everyone watches as the fire burns away all the troubles.

Burning Bowl number 1 "Bronwyn" Approx 6" w x 6" d x 9" h $58.00

Sold. Thank you Dorothy and Cherie!

Years ago, I decided to make small, individual burning bowls. They were a big hit but since they take quite a bit of time to create, I haven’t made them for a long time. Prompted by one of my customers, I decided to give them a go again. So. Here they are. Hope you like them.

Close-up of glass bottom

I created them with stoneware clay. I cut and placed stained glass in the bowl area and then fired in my kiln. After the firing, I embellished them with all sorts of mystical and mysterious looking objects.

Burning Bowl number 2 "Maeve" Approx. 9" w x 9"d x 10" h $86.00

I never know what will emerge from my kiln when I open the door. One time, one of the faces fell flat down and was forever immortalized in glass. Another time, the glass did not melt properly and was sticking up here and there. I never know, even though I do everything exactly the same for each firing. There are technical reasons for it I’m sure, like maybe the temperature of one of the rings in the kiln wasn’t hot enough or maybe the glass was too dense or perhaps the clay not dried enough. Who knows. That is part of the reason I don’t make them too often. This particular batch turned out great and all 4 are for sale. You’ll notice that I made one large one for those of us who seem to have an abundance of problems they’d like to see gone from their life!

Full view of Maeve

Burning Bowl number 3 "Azar" 5" w x 6" d x 11" h $54.00

Burning Bowl number 4 "Brighid" 5" w x 5" d x 9" h $54.00

I've decided to give my students a choice of making either a planter or a burning bowl during the sculpture class I will be giving in August. By the way, there is one more space left!

All are for sale. Please e-mail me for any questions or to purchase. I take all major credit cards and Paypal. Thank you!

THE LACE READER

THE LACE READER

The Lace Reader 16”x20”

Every once in awhile I will read a book that stays with me long after I read the last page. The Lace Reader, by Brunonia Barry, was just such a book. I was so impressed with the women of Ipswich that I felt a need to tell their story through a collaged painting.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

“The Lace Reader must stare at the piece of lace until the pattern blurs and the face of the Seeker disappears completely behind the veil. When the eyes begin to fill with tears and the patience is long exhausted, there will appear a glimpse of something not quite seen. In this moment an image will begin to form.in the space between what is real and what is only imagined.”

close-up

“Each reader must choose a piece of lace. It is hers for life. It might be a pattern handed down through the generations or a piece chosen by the Reader for it’s beauty and familiarity. Many Readers prefer the handmade laces, particularly those of old Ipswich or the laces made today by the women of Yellow Dog Island.”

After a few false starts, it became clear to me which direction I wanted to take with the collage. I wanted her to be mysterious and to have the look of a seer, for surely these women of Ipswich are clairvoyant. Even though the story takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, a place steeped in witch lore, my woman looks like she might have emerged from Casablanca, Kashmir, Istanbul, Madagascar or Ethiopia.

In the garden

My regular readers will probably notice the change in palette I have used on this collage. Lately, I’ve been using oils for most of my paintings and collages but I was so impressed with the results of a few blogger friends out there who took Jane DesRosier’s class, that I wanted to give her subtle palette a try. I very much enjoyed the lessons. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in shaking up their own artwork a bit. I hesitated signing up for several weeks because I know that often times when you take a class, you tend to pick up the style of the teacher and I like my work to be clearly mine. Jane is generous in her teaching and encourages her students to give her method a go. I tried to put my own spin on Jane’s teachings and hope that future collages will reflect even more change and growth.

“There is lace in every living thing: the bare branches of winter, the patterns of clouds , the surface of water as it ripples in the breeze….Even a wild dog’s matted fur shows a lacy pattern if you look at it closely enough.”

Lace Reader can be purchased directly from me. Just e-mail me for details or through my ebay listing. Price: $325.00 Thank you so much.

I like the way she looks with an orange background.