Clematis Posted June 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2016 Thank you! I think my dad would like it... I'm realizing some things about my dad that I didn't put together when he was alive. When he moved out to AZ from PA, he brought his favorite pieces of furniture and some family antiques that he loved, but after he came out to AZ, he bought a fancy Tempurpedic bed and set to go with it, as well as a really nice sofa-bed and the beautiful little day bed-that also folds out into a trundle bed-that I have been sleeping in since some time before he died. He wanted me to go with him to go furniture shopping and said that he needed my help. Of source I said yes, but I realize now that he wanted to make sure that he was buying furniture that I would like since it would be mine eventually. I was so focused on him and wanting him to be happy in his new home that I didn't even realize that my dad was buying me furniture! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2016 I painted this Hibiscus this morning... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Busy painting in Maui.. It's really nice to have time to focus on painting and not much else! I had feared that the whole summer would pass me by, on top of the time my dad went steadily downhill, died, and then I was pretty much staggering under the load of grief, followed by a car accident. Well painting is just like anything - you have to keep at it and keep practicing, or you lose your chops and end up disappointed with everything you do. Today was a pretty great day, aside from a woman who walked into me at a good clip carrying a large plastic tray over her head, but not over my head, so she clobbered my in the side of the head, which is the last thing I need. It didn't knock me down or anything, but gave me a ferocious headache, that weird visual thing that had pretty much gone away where my left & right vision don't line up properly but in a diagonal line, and I couldn't walk in a straight line for awhile. I seem to be ok now, after a little ibuprofen and a lot of water. Fortunately, I managed to get all three of these done before the clobbering incident... I am rather pleased to get all thre of these done in one day. They might need a little work...I'm not sure 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widowedbysuicide Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Beautiful work. You have the same kind of luck as I do. I would love to trade some of the bad luck for a little good luck. Take care. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayc Posted June 19, 2016 Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Ahh, and I wanted to have a sending off party for you! Your paintings are beautiful! I'm sorry about your getting clobbered again, your luck has to turn around! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 Thanks! I am none the less for wear after being clobbered - it w just kind of a discouraging thing. Here I am trying so hard to be careful. I went to the Kula Botanical Gardens, where we were the day before, while my compadres went hiking around the volcano at the state park, thinking it was a better plan for my head. It was certainly a better choice for my painting! On Friday, we covered the whole grounds taking photographs, so going back the following day with four hours to paint and not having to waste any time figuring out where to paint was a golden opportunity. Hence the two paintings... Afterwards, I connected with my friends again and we went to a Farmer's roadside stand where we were the day before-I wanted to go back and get some more of these purple yams they have that are just amazing! (I was busy drooling over the yams looking for the most perfect ones when I got clobbered). But I'm good now. Outside the produce stand-at the farm-they had Hibiscus that were eight inches across! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2016 The most amazing thing has happened to me… I think I told you before that I have synesthesia and have like this thing where I sense lines along with music and I also have some weird connection to produce and flowers that is not exactly they'lre speaking to me but there's something that I'm getting from them in the way of communication that most people are not aware of.So this seems to be something that is heard since my head injury… I was just become aware that I'm a lot more aware of colors in shadows and highlights it I didn't really see before it it's amazing! I have heard of this happening to people after a head injury, but never had it happen. As a painter, it's really a remarkable thing to suddenly and rather remarkably develop an enhanced awareness of subtle color changes in highlights and shadows. I don't think that's temporary either. Well, maybe if that happened to a non-painter it might go away. But it seems like for a painter who was already thinking that way, that it wold be likely to stay. This is SO cool...and I was already rather ecstatic about the flowers, the exotic produce, and plants and whatnot... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 On June 17, 2016 at 4:39 AM, MartyT said: It seems like a lovely idea to me, Laura! This is the shirt I fond for Father's Day, for my dad and I t share. I hope he can see it, and I sure wish he were here with me in body, although I do think he is here in spirit... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartyT Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Plumeria! Beautiful, Laura! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayc Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 I'm glad you're doing better, Laura! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Thank you! I am doing better. But I am still not able to bend over without getting an intense headache and I keep forgetting. I did this painting this afternoon and when I was done I bent/knelt down to gather up all my painting stuff, and had a horrendous headache instantly. I'm not sure why I can't seem to remember to not bend over... Anyway, I love the painting I did today... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartyT Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 I do, too, Laura! Lovely! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 It's been wonderful to have the opportunity to paint every day and to have the luxury of all these beautiful flowers and different ones every day. It seems to improve one as a painter - or as an anything, I suppose - to get to practice every day. I can see the difference, not only in the quality of the finished product but also my confidence in going about things. I've had so many loses in the last year - my dad, my aunt, my friend Tim who was such an inspiration to me musically to reach out beyond my comfort range and try harder at playing by ear and taking on new territory, and of course I've lost eat relationships with my sisters even though they are still alive. I've also lost the connection that I still had with my mother through my dad. The way my mother treated me was rather brutal and so one of my losses there was grieving the "nice" mother I would henceforth never have even a fantasy of. But my dad was married to her and so that was totally different. He was smitten with her from about the age of about twelve, then they dated in college and married. Once he came out to AZ, I kind of got to know her from another angle-through him, and learned things about her that I had never known-which was healing and poignant, since she was gone. But when my dad died, I lost that as well. But the other loss I had in the last year was my beloved painting teacher. She was a real fan. I took her classes at the local community college for five years - every semester and got so much out of it, as well as adoring her as all her students did. Patty's classes were more like a club in a way, because there was a core of about bunch of painters - maybe 20 or so - who drifted in and out of her classes for over fifteen years. Patty had had melanoma in one eye, had surgery and got a glass eye, learned to cope, drive, draw and paint with one eye...and things seemed good. Then twenty years later it suddenly metastasized and she developed massive abdominal tumors, hung on for at least six months but was no longer teaching and so I didn't see much of her at the end. But to me she not only taught me a huge amount in those five years, but was a major fan and cheerleader of my painting. Any time I've really done a LOT of painting albeit over the summer or some other period of inspiration, I always looked forward to showing her my pile of new work when I got back. It will be sad to come back from this trip and not have that to look forward to upon return. Also, at the college, the painting program totally fell apart after she left because Patty held it all together. So, I've lost the painting classes as well as the teacher... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayc Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Laura, My mom was pretty messed up mentally & emotionally, very abusive, controlling, had a lot of personality disorders, Schizoid, Paranoia, Narcissism, etc. She was about the most messed up person I've ever known, very dysfunctional. It was a challenge having a relationship with her, yet I loved her. There were times in my life I didn't even know if I loved her, but I found out towards the end that I did. A person can be so messed up that they cause others to have conflicted feelings regarding them. Nevertheless, I learned to appreciate the good things about her, to recognize the traits my siblings and I got from her (efficient, organized, the gift of teaching/researching. I didn't get her landscaping ability. But she passed on her sewing, and all of us were good at running a household. I got my love of nature from my dad, and we all got his unbelievable sense of humor from him! My father loved her...I never quite got why/how. He would defend her to his death...yet he never protected us kids from her. Never quite got that either, but that was his failing as a father, his fault. They weren't good for each other, they were a vicious cycle, instead of balancing each other or bringing out the good in each other, they enabled one another. Parents can be complicated, and they can sure complicate things for us! I think you haven't lost your mom, perhaps you no longer have your dad to tell you new things about her, but you still have the memories of the things he shared with you about her. You inherited a wonderful artistic gene! And so it lives on in you, the same as my parents' good qualities live on in us. We're still working on the bad things we got from her (like anxiety), but hopefully the good things overshadow the others. Your paintings are incredible! I hope you are really enjoying yourself there! We're enjoying the paintings you share with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KATPILOT Posted June 20, 2016 Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Truly gorgeous work Laura. I hope we'll get one for the sale because it will certainly impress a lot of people. You sure are in a place where color and flowers abound. To paint that well, that quickly,,,,,,,, you are indeed inspired. This trip seems to be very good for you and I know your dad must be close by. I'm sure he loves the shirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2016 Thank you KatPilot and Kay! I have been having a great time painting here and I'm sure it's been good for me. When I paint flowers, for my models I choose flowers that are relatively simple but elegant, and very three dimensional. Daisies and their relatives are not as interesting, and flowers with a lot of petals going every which way are too challenging for me-overwhelming! I like to paint them very large and use a similar technique similar to how you would paint a cloud or a sky...loose and very fast so the water has time to allow the paint to dance around and play before it dries. To me, this seems like an appropriate stance. Just like the sky changes constantly, flowers are ephemeral and a loose light approach seems good since they are often here today and gone tomorrow...or less. They may be lovely in the morning and absolutely wilted by afternoon... Here is the lovely blossom who had her portrait painted this morning... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 I learned how to make a lei today--here it is. I also made that raffia and leaves from the Hala tree... to 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enna Posted June 21, 2016 Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 Your paintings are breathtaking, Laura. Art really does help us in our healing. Your lei is so very beautiful. I love the raffia leaves. Anne 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 Thank you, Anne! It's been really great being here in Maui with so many beautiful flowers all around. And it was very exciting o learn how to make a lei. The next time I come to Hawaii I can start scouting for flowers to make one right away. Meanwhile, perhaps there are some flowers I could use to practice on in Ariizona... Here is my latest... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 There it is...six days and eight paintings! ...and also a lei and a bracelet made out of Hala leaves and Rafia... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayc Posted June 21, 2016 Report Share Posted June 21, 2016 This is probably as close as I'll get to Hawaii, but if they're a sample of what you're seeing, I can see why you're in heaven! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 I was very lucky in that these lovelies were on the premises where I stayed...last year, I had to get on the bus and travel a little bit to see so many flowers. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 And this hedge was across the street and down a block. This hedge was not an option to paint since it was on the driveway of another resort, but that was ok-I had plenty of Hibiscus within 20 feet of my building. So many lovely flowers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clematis Posted June 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 Here are photos of some of my lovely models. They are most cooperative - as long as the wind does't blow too hard, but you have to be quick about it, because many of them wilt by afternoon and are altogether gone by the next day. I rather quickly tool to scouting outside at night with a flashlight to see which buds looked as if they would bloom the next morning. The downside of this obsessive painting is that it is almost ALL I did here. My travel companions went zip lining, hiking, and more driving around sightseeing since they were more interested in other hints other than getting their next fix (of flowers to paint). I did the same thing last year, but on Oahu. I painted flowers every day - a good part of the day - but didn't go snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, or anything else. I barely got in the water. People told me last year "Well, if you don't go to the north shore, you haven't been to Oahu!" I suppose that they would say similar things about Maui. I don't know- maybe it's a little bit nuts-or more than a little bit nuts to come here and only paint flowers, but tomorrow I fly back to AZ and my enormous grind of a job of sorting out my father's estate and getting moved back into my own house. Nevertheless, Kay, this kind of trip is a very "me" kind of adventure... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayc Posted June 22, 2016 Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 Unbelievable! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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