Autumn breeze

"Autumn farm field" by Hilary J. England, 2012
oil on canvas, 8" x 11" x 2"

The weather has been absolutely pristine, with cool, temperate breezes that bring that clean, brisk scent of Fall...the scent that brings to mind mysterious things, like harvest moons, pumpkins, spicy apple cider, and perhaps even a witch riding her broom across the moon!  I love autumn, and all of the changes that come with it.

As I was walking through the damp grass yesterday, I could smell the end of the season with all of the tomatoes now hanging limp and brown, falling to the earth in a rotten heap.  The morning glories all flash froze during the first frost, literally.  It was like, one day they were there, albeit covered in a light layer of glittering frost, and by noon, they had all shriveled into nothing, completely withered and brown.  What a sight.  Now, we have to rip them all down, since it is quite unsightly, and the seeds are all over the porch.  That's OK though, because they are worth it for the time they bloom.

This weather has allowed me to do some plein air painting, quite a few little local paintings.  I love that, and look forward to this time of year to be able to stretch my legs and let my mind fly free with the wind, it's as if my brain just goes into relaxation mode, and I just go with the flow of enjoying the process.

As I was walking out to my studio to gather my gear, the Eagle of 895 soared down low over the yard, and I literally met him eye to eye.  What a beautiful beautiful creature.  That made my day.

So, here is one of my local paintings:  "Autumn farm field"  oil on canvas, 8" x 11" x 2".   Enjoy!!!

Day to day

"Denver and Montauk"
Oil on canvas, 16" x 20"

Here is a new commissioned work I just completed.  I think it came out quite well, as it was a very difficult balance to strike, with all of the subtle symbolism to be included in it.  I think it is rather esoteric.  I am quite happy with it actually.  I love quirky things.

Envy

"Envy"
Mixed media, wood, metal, plastic, shells, lead, gunpowder, 2012

A DIVINE IMAGE

BY WILLIAM BLAKE

Cruelty has a Human Heart

And Jealousy a Human Face 

Terror the Human Form Divine 

And Secrecy, the Human Dress 

The Human Dress, is forged Iron 

The Human Form, a fiery Forge. 

The Human Face, a Furnace seal'd 

The Human Heart, its hungry Gorge.

*************************************************************************************************

We aspire to be kind and good people, but for all of us, this is a very hard balance to maintain.  Envy and jealousy were never really character issues I was prone to, at least if listing the Seven Deadlies.   Anger, yes.  Sloth, sometimes.  Gluttony, for sure.  Pride, most certainly.  Greed, on occasion.  Lust, well, absolutely.  But Envy?  This I never thought I was guilty of.  I didn't think I was a "jealous" type, and certainly was never possessive of the people in my life, quite the opposite.  I was a very big proponent of the old adage"If you love me set me free" sentiment, so how did jealousy fit into the scheme of things?  I wasn't covetous of other people, their things, their positions, their lives...so, I thought, I guess I am not guilty of envy?  But, after examining some lingering resentments I still had stored away in the baggage compartment of my own personal "closet," I realized I was also guilty of that sin as well.  Somewhere along the road of life during my journey, there were occasions in my life that I felt I was "shortchanged" during certain periods and under certain circumstances, and I had felt bitterness over that.  Maybe not now, but then I did, so even though I thought, "Aha!  A sin I am not guilty of!" I actually had to own up to this one too.  After all, I am only human as well.

Where does time go?

"Autumn path" by Hilary J. England
12" x 16" oil on canvas, 2012

Wow, a week has slipped by me, and I feel like I was in some kind of a coma or something, since it just scooted on by without my realizing it.  That's kind of scary.  I just don't feel like I got a whole lot done, and that depresses me, after all, time is what life is made of, and I don't like losing a resource I can never get back.

I have not been sleeping very well, and I think that is the problem.  I can think of a few reasons, and they, both non-material and people, are going to get confronted.  Now, there won't be a smack-down or anything, LOL, just one particular person is going to be told to be a bit more quite in the middle of the night, and I am going to confront what physically may be going on that I am having a hard time falling and staying asleep.  That's what I mean.

I was supposed to meet up and paint with some other artists yesterday, but the rain began, and it looked like it would stay that way, so I decided against it.  Then, lo and behold, at around 4 pm, it cleared up and became sunny and warm.  Of course.  So, rather than getting cheated out of a painting day, I went down the street and sat in the woods, looking for something to strike my fancy.  Since I was in a brain fog due to lack of sleep, I just began to zone out and paint away at nothing, literally just the path in front of me, and the interesting way the soft light fell through the trees onto the ground, with all of the leaves that are already down (when did that happen?  I feel like it happened in one day!). So, here is the result, and I hope you enjoy it, and enjoy the change of season in your area as well!

Parallax AF

Study of flowers and twilight sky, by Hilary J. England
12" x 16", oil on canvas, 2012

I am looking forward to the Parallax AF in NYC on November 16-18.  Should be an amazing fair, and I am really excited to meet new and exciting people.  I have been putting together my work for the show, and also working on lots of new stuff, but have been having a lot of distractions with annoying little stuff, but I shoulder through it.  My back has really been bothering me, even with my new mattress, and so I have cut my cross training down and will try some less intense stuff, maybe yoga, instead.  I am just so sick of having a hurting neck and back, that if I could swap out bodies, I would, LOL.

I am thoroughly wired on green tea today, and despite the driving rain, I've gotten a lot of stuff done, which is good.  Maybe I can relax later, after all, it's supposed to be my "day off" today.  Funny, that never seems to happen.  I'm ALWAYS "working," even when I'm sleeping.  How tiresome sometimes.

So, I have to go out and papier mache my new sculpture, finish working on a commissioned artwork, and I was hoping to squeeze a run in later, but this rain seems to be relentless, so I may have to skip that idea.

I hope you enjoy this quick study.  I really have been enjoying mixing colors and doing color studies, and twilight skies really present an interesting way to continue with my color drills.  I do enjoy them...they make me dream of good things to come, and hope for the next day.  Hey, that's all any of us can really hope for anyway.