Stormy sky



"Stormy sky study" by Hilary J England 8" x 10" oil on canvas

I am looking forward to my road trip to Montreal for the opening reception of our group exhibition at the Gallery Gora.  It should be fun, and road trips are always a good time for me.  I love the scenery and stopping off in different parts of the country and taking in the local "culture."  I am definitely looking forward to the next few weeks.

This little study above was done in a field of some kind of wheat, I'm not really sure what type, but the sky was starting to get really stormy looking and the clay earth had this red tone, so, I pushed it a bit, and had some fun with it.  That's why it's fun to be an artist...you get to make it your way!! 

So, with summer upon us, I was thinking of ways to incorporate that season and the accompanying heat into the series I'm working on, and I've gotten some pretty good ones, so I'm going to start on that limb of the series in the next few days.

All in all, life is good!  Hope it's the same for you♥

Sunrise and sunset

"Sunset" by Hilary J England 8" x 10" oil on canvas

Sunsets and sunrises...they seem to go by very quickly these days, and I didn't want to miss the beauty of these never-ending awe inspiring events.  So, I did this quick study...

I have been looking for different ways to meditate with this beautiful, natural world, as well as make that important mind-body-spirit connection, and I've decided that giving up watching current events for a spell would be extremely helpful.  So, I will just "be" for the time being.  Be calm and restful with no daily assault of negativity on my senses...

I wish I could go on a nice holiday and completely "unplug" but that won't be the case for a few weeks...sparing a day here and there at the beach.  But hey, it's still something to look forward to. 

Well, back to the studio!

Gentle breezes

"Field of flowers" by Hilary J England 8" x 10" oil on canvas

I am looking forward to going back to the beach...it's definitely time to get some ocean refreshment!  I want Noelle to come with me, but she is hesitant to leave her friends (typical teen), but I have her in mind for this specific trip.  I must admit, I have some ideas in my head for painting her at the beach, actually that is truly the motive for the trip, besides my need for the water.  So, I must set up my plan to convince her...it's like setting a plan for hunting a deer, lol.  Make sure I prod her in one direction, but not too strongly, if I see her going in another direction, head her off at the pass...

Montreal is coming very soon, and I must get the paintings shipped.  Then, my New York exhibition, my Paris exhibition, the trip to Florence, and the holidays.  This year seems to be slipping by at an unprecedented rate...I don't know where the time goes.  It gives me nightmares sometimes, how fast life is going by.  If I had no faith, it would be an idea that depressed me into catatonia...

Last night, when I was reading, I got a very unusual phone call...a real "blast from the past"---25 years in the past!  An old school and neighborhood chum, who found my number on Facebook, and found we were not living too far from each other now.  He was actually very good friends with my brother, and was looking to get together with us all and have a barbeque.  I felt such nostalgia as I talked to him, my mind vaulted back to rough and tumble days at the dirty beaches of Staten Island, frolicking in the murky waters, yelling and screaming and running and fighting.

 I remembered he lived on a little cliff by the beach, with a path that led to the front of his house.  The house next door had an electric fence for their pet cow, and we were obsessed with this fence--we would form a chain, and dare each other to be the one to grab the fence...the theory behind it was that the guy on the end would get it the worst, but it hurt like hell just the same no matter where you were in the pecking order.  Michael Florio was the boy who lived in the house with the electric fence.  He died in 1990, decapitated in a car accident on the highway, on his way back to his college dorm at SUNY Binghamton.  All these years later, all this life went by, and he is still 19....

My old friend was a first responder to the 9/11 disaster, and now suffers from pulmonary fibrosis of his lungs as a result.  I felt sad to hear how this happened to him, in his attempt to do his duty for his community and his countrymen.  We made plans to get together for a barbeque in the next few weeks, and we could catch up and reminisce. 

So, the next few days should be busy as usual.  I am nearing the end of my second semester in University, and we have a "full-boat" with guests in the B&B.  The ghost stayed away last night and let me get a good night's rest, thank goodness!  I woke up so refreshed this morning, I didn't want to get out of bed...or, maybe it was the five miles I did in the gym yesterday...who knows. 

I leave you with this little painting I did of a beautiful field of wildflowers out in the little remote area of our "neighborhood."

Haunted House!



"Full moon study, Jersey shore" by Hilary J England, 8" x 10" oil on canvas

I slept better last night, without any ghostly occurrences, lol.  I have been having a rather weird problem of the last few weeks with what seems to be ( (cringe) )  something perhaps paranormal.  I will wake up for no reason between 2 and 4 a.m., usually sometime during the 3 a.m. hour, and my TV just blares on, or shuts on and off for no reason, I've found my dresser drawers open, the hall lights blinking, but the other night was definitely the worst...I woke up on my side, and when I opened my eyes, it appeared the black outline of either (a) a child or (b) someone on their knees, was staring at me face-to-face next to my bed.  I screamed and in an instant blinked my eyes as I fumbled for my light switch, but the "person" was gone.  It startled me so bad, I did a check of the whole lower portion of the house, and found the basement door open, which I knew was closed, and this startled me even worse.  After a more thorough check of the house, with no physical intruders, I was able to relax.  Very strange!!

We have had routine "strange occurrences" in the house, as reported by different people, such as the kids (which I chalked up to overactive imagination) and a few guests (which I chalked up to one too many glasses of wine), but this has become very regular, and has become disturbing to my sleep almost nightly.  I do have ghost hunters who are crazed to come in here, but I don't know if that's a good idea, since what will they do if they find something?  Nothing...probably just make "It" more angry.  Nope, maybe a Priest, but I think the ghost hunters will have to be held at bay for a now.

So, that's the daily Weird report.  With that, I will leave you with a rough color study I did with an amazing moon in the lingering sunset down at the Jersey shore...it was quite bewitching and almost paranormal!!!

Say Uncle!

"Uncle" by Hilary J England, oil on canvas, 24" x 30"

This is my newest painting in my rural youth series.  They are of endless fascination to me...my mind is is fully firing as I watch them, hear them, drink them in, and then create a work about them.  It must be the beauty of youth that is uncompromised, wherever they are located, or no matter what their circumstances...it's like a diamond...it's still just as beautiful whether it's in the most precious setting, or laying in the dirt.

This painting is called "Uncle" and I loved watching the whole drama play out of the squirming child who wanted to go his merry way and get into some mischief or worse, and his young Uncle who lovingly yet firmly takes him from the situation...it was entertaining to watch the two of them, and yet there is always undercurrents of the elements around them.  The cool Spring evening, the bare trees, the bracing wind, and Uncle's resistance to the cold with his summer clothes in the chilly weather, the warmth of their skin and bodies against the greying, weathered clapboard of the Victorian farmhouse...there was so much that was interesting in this subject matter and of course my models who I love so dearly!

I've posted my upcoming exhibition on my website:  www.fieldsendart.com and I will be adding more information and other galleries as I start formulating my schedule for the upcoming months. 

I hope to see some old friends as I begin a-journeying in the next weeks, and I am looking forward to getting a lot of work done as well...

Drip drip drip

"Bad girlz" by Hilary J. England, 18" x 24" oil on hardwood panel

So, the summer begins...I have been working at a quick pace to get things accomplished...I'm happy to say things have settled down in the last week...knock on wood.  I prefer the quiet and ability to take peaceful walks with just my Muse...and not being hounded by the demons of everyone else's drama chasing me like a predator.  Plus, throw schoolwork into this maze...

This painting is called "Bad Girlz"  and is still part of the series of young adults, obviously.  I like to see the chronology of them, and how Noelle is changing through them.  Her hair is much different in this painting, and Maddie, the little squirt, is so interesting to paint.  This one was done at twilight, and the light was very orange and glowing...it was interesting to put them together with all of their colors and textures, and of course, energy.

I will begin a new painting immediately, since my own energy is frenetic lately, and I have to move in order to release this toxicity...

I'm hoping to get to the shore in the next few days...that will make for some interesting studies.  I'll take Noelle, and see how it goes...

Late Spring breeze

"The path" by Hilary J. England, oil on canvas, 8" x 10", 2011

The weather has been perfect these last few days...70s and breezy, clear, bright blue skies with puffy, cottony clouds, and, without a hint of humidity...my favorite type of weather, hands down! 

Last night was Matthew's funeral...he was very loved.  Hundreds of people turned out, and I had to wait online with Noelle for about two hours to get in to the viewing...yes, he was a well-loved young man, which is what makes it so baffling and frustrating.  As I stood waiting online on that beautiful, breezy evening, I would watch the sporadic outlet of people coming out of the doors at the top of the stairs of the funeral home, and even the most stoic of men had a tissue to his eyes or his nose.  There wasn't a dry eye to be seen on the entire block...

R.I.P. Matthew Aungst.  I am sure God has you in His eternal love, care and rest, and for that, I feel peace about Matthew's death.  We all die eventually, and although Matthew's death was so premature, he still did alot in his young life, and touched many, many people.  Perhaps he had fulfilled his purpose in that short span...

I am looking to go the beach in the next few days.  Although the heatwave is gone, and it will be cool and breezy, I need the mental refreshment that the ocean breezes provide, even without swimming.  I am very much looking forward to feeling the briny wind against my face, and seeing the sparkling waves, the seabirds, and the roar of the waves.  I will bring my paints and get some studies done as well.

I got some good news today--I won another ArtSlant showcase, this time round 3.  That's always nice to hear!  Also, I've been asked by my sister to collaborate on a children's book, and I'm really looking forward to that as well.

So, I leave you with a study I did yesterday...it started out rather absently, but ended with some zest.  It's a study of foliage and a sundappled path lined by some boulders.  It's simply called, "The path."  Enjoy♥