"Summer Roses" (oil on linen; 5" x 4") sold

sold

I h
ad trouble titling this small gem.  "Rosy Glow"?  "Rose Brilliant"?  "Rose Shadow Play"?  In the end, I settled with "Summer Roses" although I took the reference photo for the painting in early fall.  Do you know why?  The painting just feels hot!  The sun casts colorful shadows on the petals; the background is shrouded in cool darks, from which a few sunlit leaves emerge. How would you title the painting instead?

"White Pansies in the Sun" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

sold

I love pansies. They are one of the few hardy and dependable plants with a very long season. Their cheerful faces greet us during the entire duration of the cool season for months. In this small painting, a group of white pansies glow in the morning sun.

"After Storm Glow" (oil on linen; 6" x 8") sold

sold

Myself standing next to "After Storm Glow" at the reception

"Foxy Foxglove" (Japanese beads)

Last Tuesday turned out to be a super auspicious day for me.  Not only did I vote for the first time since I became a US citizen in the spring, I also got two honorable mentions in the concurrent shows at The Art League in Alexandria, VA! 

It was a picture perfect, gorgeous autumn day.  I am usually edgy, anxious on receiving days at The Art League's monthly shows, as they are very competitive and hard to get into.  Not that day.  I was calm and cheerful.  I felt invincible.  After entering several pieces in the shows, I went over to River Farm to enjoy the weather and take some pictures.  Then I visited with a dear friend fighting breast cancer.  When I called the gallery later to see whether I had any luck this month (I haven't gotten into the shows since June!), I wasn't nervous at all.  I was ecstatic after I learned that one painting made the Small Works Show and two jewelry pieces the What Art to Wear Show.

On the following day, the gallery called me twice to say that I received two honorable mentions!  The funny thing is that I don't make jewelries to sell; it's just one of my many creative hobbies.  The reason why I entered two necklaces is that I was desperate.  I feel like I have been barking at the wrong tree.  Perhaps I should become a jewelry artist, then I will have more luck!

"Niagara Falls" (watercolor on paper; 4" x 6") sold

sold

My husband and I visited Niagara Falls many summers ago.  It wasn't a honeymoon, but still a lot of fun.  An awesome place!  I still remember the thunderous sound of the mighty waterfalls.  Soon after I came back, I painted this postcard-sized painting; it took less than 30 minutes.  You cannot get any more "fresh" than that.  The painting was juried into the Art League show in Alexandria, VA in 1999.

My late mother, who had a dry sense of humor, said when she saw the piece: "That's a lot of water for such a tiny painting."  After I had my daughter at the age of 39, I would go on and on about how cute she was.  Her response: "Even porcupines find their babies adorable, I am sure."  Oh, I miss her.