"The Itch" (oil on linen; 7" x 7") sold

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Reference photo

I don't know if Ethel has lice or not.  But she kept scratching for minutes!  I am sure I made her nervous and this was her response.  I probably didn't make her snout long enough, but I nailed her doleful expression.  Oh, I love dogs!

"Beagle Siblings" (oil on linen; 8" x 6") sold

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Reference photo

Last Friday night, I was at a party.  While talking with other guests, I kept getting distracted by a pair of handsome beagles.  As I have been dying to paint dogs, I tried to take pictures  with my BlackBerry.  Unfortunately they were camera-shy.  I managed to take a few snap shots, but couldn't get my "dumb" phone to email them to my laptop.  (No wonder that RIM, the producer of BlackBerry, is in trouble.)  What you see above is the picture I took of the image on my phone's screen!  When there is a will, there is a way.

"Sunny Roses" (oil on linen; 6" x 8") sold

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Reference photo

These are the same roses as in "Yellow Roses" from a slightly different angle.  Much can be said for painting the same thing over and over again.  One gains a deeper understanding of the subject through the repetition with variation.  Here I was trying to get to the bottom of how to paint natural-looking leaves.  Perhaps, the only drawback in working in a series is coming up with an exciting  title each time!

"Gen. Stonewall Jackson's Equestrian Statue" (oil on linen; 14" x 11") sold

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Reference Photo

During my daughter's spring break, my family visited Charlottesville, VA. In the Old Town, we came across General Stonewall Jackson's equestrian statue at Jackson Park. There was no parking available, so I took a shot as quickly as possible from across the street. It was an overcast day; the lighting was somewhat flat. I still liked the eager gait of the general and his mount, so I decided to make a painting.

At the outset, I thought about making the sky as the background by getting rid of the building and trees so that the statue would stand out.  But there was a big concern for a lack of depth with such a treatment.  The building and trees went in, which was after all a good decision.  

"Gen. Stonewall Jackson's Equestrian Statue" is meant to be a companion piece for "Gen. Robert E. Lee's Equestrian Statue" and has a different feel from the earlier painting.  What I like about the new painting is the energetic brushstrokes and smidgens of pinkish underpainting showing throughout the statue.  The energy of the painting goes well with the young, heroic general, who seems to be going some place with purpose. 

"Gen. Robert E. Lee's Equestrian Statue" (oil, 14" x 11")
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"Buddha in Lotus Pose" (oil on linen; 8" x 6") sold

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This is a famous, thousand-year-old, terra cotta statue of Buddha, from the Chinese Sung Dynasty, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  The reference photo, which I cannot find to share, was taken several years ago during my family's annual visit to Minnesota.  My husband's elderly aunt and uncle took us to the great museum, with a fantastic collection of Asian art.  Dear Aunt Betty, who suffered from Alzheimer's Disease, passed away a couple of years ago, so the painting is dedicated to her.

Buddha's gentle expression restores calm whenever I look at the picture, so I decided to paint the statue.  I have actually painted it in acrylic several years ago, not just the statue, but also the entire section of the museum where it is installed, plus the scenery outside!  I failed very badly despite my numerous attempts to save it.  The large painting (18 x 24") was not good enough to be donated to the annual Patrons Show at the Art League in Alexandria, VA.  I couldn't possibly toss it into the trash either.  So it has been sitting in my office since.  Doing a small, reasonably good painting finally released me from suffering.

Buddha, the Enlightened One, has taught that there are two causes to manyfold sufferings of the mankind--desire and aversion.  When you want something (or someone) terribly, your desire will result in pain.  If you dislike, hate, abhor something (or someone) intensely, you will also suffer. By wanting to paint the statue well, I have suffered.  No more.

As you may have guessed, I am a Buddhist.  I grew up in a Buddhist family in Korea, but didn't think much of the religion.  In my thirties, I rediscovered my heritage and have been trying to live by the Enlightened One's teachings--mindfully and with loving kindness. It's not easy for someone who is impatient and passionate (you know passion can go both ways!).  But I will continue to do my best.

"Georgetown at Sunset" (oil on linen; 9" x 12") sold

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Reference photo I

Reference photo II

"Georgetown at Sunset" (oil, 9 x 12") is a view of Key Bridge and Georgetown from the pedestrian bridge to Roosevelt Island in the Potomac. I was captivated by the glows in the underside of the arches of the bridge. Wow!  The sunset sky was equally beautiful, but the reference photo's sky came out all bleached.  So for the sky, I used the second photo. 

I wish I could have painted the scene on location to really see the colors of the trees, reflections, and so on.  The island that houses the statue of President Teddy Roosevelt is not heavily trafficked, so it would have been possible.  My only excuse is that the golden hour of the sunset lasts only for a little while.

"Pink Roses" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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Reference photo

I wasn't completely satisfied with the way how I painted the leaves in "Yellow Roses."  So to get things out of the system, I did another rose painting.  These roses are from Green Spring Gardens Park in Alexandria, Va.  I've painted them many times, and I am sure "Pink Roses" won't be the last one.

"Pink Rose Bush" (acrylic, 16" x 12")
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"Pink Rose Bush" is several years old, painted in acrylic in my previous, tight style.  It probably took two full days!  Now I aim for a more painterly, "loose" style.  "Pink Roses" took about two and a half hours.  If I had spent more time on it, it would have gotten tighter and who wants to be uptight!