Purple pansy by the tree

"Purple pansy by the tree" by Hilary J. England

Oil on canvas, 8" X 10", 2016

I've been working a lot lately, but I have been feeling a bit down.  I have had some personal situations that are very stressing, and that affects me deeply.  I have someone very close to me who is desperately ill, perhaps in the end stages of life, and it drains me inch by inch watching this process.  I want so much to help, and to make it stop, to make it better, make it go away, and I can't.  I want so much to protect them from this, to keep them with me, and I see the disconnect beginning...when they begin to ever so slightly disconnect from this earth, and you can feel it, in your soul.  It's a hard perception to explain, but to anyone who has ever been around a terminally ill person, someone they were very close to, and went through this process, you will understand what I am saying.  I don't know how many days or months we have, I just know the process has begun, and my heart quivers in my chest at the idea of what is to come.

Many days I feel like I'm in a holding pattern -- so grateful for the love we have now, but not knowing what's ahead.  It's the oddest feeling, like being in limbo, and you still must go about your life, but it's like sleepwalking...you go through the motions, but your mind is switched off.  It's always somewhere else, no matter how conscious or focused you are on the task at hand.

I have been looking for peaceful little scenes that speak to my heart, and yet, are still challenging to recreate.  I did this one in town, again, while I was out wandering around after hitting the gym.  I was hungry, so I sat down to eat my almonds, and I noticed these little flowers.  I went back to them later on in the day, and the light and shadow was more dramatic, and that made me happy to work there.

I feel more connected to the Old Masters when I work outside these days.  I think of their joy at the beauty they were able to view and capture, and also all the pain of life on this earth, and how they assimilated the good and the bad into their work, to make something beautiful from the ashes.  I admire that persistence in the face of adversity, and it gives me pause to think about my own work.  If the sadness was too large, would I stop working?  What then?  Where would it manifest itself?  I'd probably end up a drunk face down in the gutter.  No, this is the healthier way to move through these painful events.

Enjoy~

The Riviera

"The Riviera/Breezy Mediterranean afternoon" by Hilary J. England, 2016
Oil on canvas, 16" x 20" x 2"

This is number six painting in my "Travelogue" series.  I have been slow to post, mostly because I'm slow to photograph.

This was such a beautiful time, the month I spent in the French Riviera.  How can you not love warm, blinding summer days on the Mediterranean, just floating in the aqua sea, and leisurely afternoons enjoying the sights of Nice, Cannes, Monaco, and then heading into Italy?.

The time was one of reflection for me also, as I kept mostly to myself, only socializing here and there, but it was well worth it. 

Barcelona

"Barcelona/Rowdy with Gaudi" by Hilary J. England, 16" x 20" x 2" oil on canvas, 2015

I have finally finished "Barcelona."  It took longer than anticipated because my eyes have been giving me some troubles these last few weeks, and I tried to ignore it, but I guess I have to bite the bullet and make an appointment with the eye doctor.  I blamed the lighting, even my new brushes for the issues hahaha....because denial is not just a river in Egypt.  None of us likes to admit it when our faculties begin to weaken a little, and my eyes were always top notch, so this new development (well, actually not new, more like slow and creeping) was a bit alarming, but now that I have admitted it, I can move forward and correct it.  So, I should be sporting a new set of nifty glasses next week :-)

Photographing inside is usually the bane of my studio existence, and this time around, it was no different!  If the weather is better tomorrow I will photo this painting correctly.

I also have new landscapes that I also have been remiss in photographing, but I'll get to them tomorrow, or in the next few days as well.  The weather here has been raining steadily for the last few days, rather depressing, since I usually like the rain, but for some reason, it has gotten to me this time around, and I'm ready for some sunshine.  Seriously.

I am looking forward to doing some plein air work this weekend also...hopefully the weather will be more cooperative than it has been.  I think it will!  

~Enjoy!

Stonehedge

"Bottles and plants, Stonehedge" oil on canvas board, 12" x 16", 2015

Yesterday's work at Stonehedge.  I found a quiet little nook with all these great houseplants growing, in different shades of purple, and it was just was I was looking for.  No landscapes yesterday, I just couldn't do the set up and hide under the umbrella.

I really enjoyed my time there, it was so nice and peaceful and serene.  

Enjoy~

Nice, day 10

"Un chien" by Hilary J. England, 8" x 11" oil on hardwood panel

It's dawned to be a very nice day.  I hear that we are suffering a heat wave across the pond in the USA, but here, the temps have been holding steady in the mid 80s, the problem is it has become overcast, so the weather has become humid and sticky, which is rather uncomfortable.

I am sitting on my terrace, drinking coffee, and mulling over what I want to accomplish today.  I began working on ideas for the bigger painting, and I'm debating whether to to stay in and work on that today?  Actually, I'm feeling a bit "stir crazy" after yesterday's long work hours both indoor and out, so I'm thinking first things first, a very long walk along the shore.  Then, I'm definitely meeting up with some of the locals that invited me out for coffee tonight, so maybe I will take a bus into Antibes in the inbetween, and save the work on the big painting for tomorrow. I think that sounds like a plan.

I worked on this painting "Un chien" in the nice cool of an alley way in the backstreets of some little village we went through called "Biot."  Apparently, there is a great deal of Crusader/Templar history here, and that is very tantalizing and appealing to me.  I couldn't resist the ancient alleys and quiet corridors, and of course, the mousy, brown, little mutt of a dog just roaming about on his own.  Very old school, haha.  I feel completely at home and connected with these ancient villages...like being on a soul journey back in time to where we came from, and directly visiting the villages and towns our ancestors lived and walked and played and died in.

So, that is the sum of these middle days here.  I am still working at a furious pace, and would like to even step it up further, if I can.  I haven't been sleeping too well, since the bed is very lumpy, and my back and neck are starting to protest this (lucky I have a good supply of Ibuprofen gelcaps!).  I have resorted to pulling the window barricade down to prevent the sun in the morning, and also sleeping in the opposite direction from the foot of the bed (seems less lumpy cause it gets "less traffic").  Other than that, I am very motivated to complete the mission I am here for.  Now, off for another day of work, sweat, and intrigue.

Nice, day 9

"Flowers of Cap Ferrat" by Hilary J. England, 8" x 11" oil on hardwood panel

The weather is very nice today.  In the low 80s with a very nice breeze, and now overcast, so it makes for excellent working conditions.  I woke up early and was able to get out and about, and hope to complete another painting before the day is out.

No beach for me today, strictly work, but that is good.  The old saying about "making hay" is a worthy one, so I have no problems working through into the night tonight, and returning to the isolation of my room to plot out tomorrow's work adventure.

This painting is called "Flowers of Cap Ferrat."  What more can I say, this place is surreal in it's beauty.  Magnificent, Stupendous, Dazzling.  There aren't enough adjectives.  I am looking forward to more painting, so I must get moving out the door.  Enjoy!!

School Daze

"Odd pot and flowers on purple" by Hilary J. England, oil on canvas, 8" x 10"

University days have started.  I have hit my math course running. I forgot how much I enjoyed alegebra--I know, what a geek!!  It was always such an interesting math to me...there is an elegance in the formulations I absolutely love, there is a rhythm and beauty in the solutions...I have been working on my course early in the morning, before I start anything else, so the equations dance through my head until I drive them away with coffee!!

I have had strange dreams about the sea last night...I guess it's time to head there.  I dream of gray, stormy waters and magnificent thunderclouds, the sea in all it's angry majesty.  I miss the spray of water against my skin...the briny smells and the feel of cold, wet sand against my bare feet.  I must have been a seal in another life...a seal that was eaten by a Great White ;-)

I've had some aggravating circumstances crop up in the last week, and I have been working to get them hammered out.  Sad to say, these things don't surprise me anymore...greedy people, dishonest dealings.  In a way I blame myself, since I was warned, and I went against the warning, and decided to give this organization a "chance" and they did exactly what I was warned they would do.  That sucks...one bad apple spoils the bunch, as the saying goes.  They have made me very cautious for how I deal with similar organizations in the future....so, if nothing else, lesson learned.

Other than that, I am still waiting for Spring to show it's bonny face...in the meantime, I leave you with a study I did of an old copperish pot on a purple sheet, with some strange little flowers I saved from a bouquet.  I say copperish because it had a copper finish that was wearing off, and that made for some strange reflections....enjoy♥♥

Sniffling in the cold...

I've been outside, sneezing and sniffling with what must be a cold...but, hey, at least I got to get some photos done, since it is only sub Artic versus Artic today....

This painting is called:  "Past their prime" and it is 12" by 16" oil on canvas.  This was done in studio of course, and there will be another four florals to come along, so I'm thinking right now.  This, of course, is subject to change! 

New Painting, same roadblocks!

Hi all...well, I finished my new painting, and the photography of it is giving me fits. I bought a book, etc. But, still no improvement. So, now it's time to call in the pros--I'm going to have a professional start shooting the photos--it's well worth the investment, both in terms of posterity, and frustration!

In the meantime, you can look at the painting with my bad photography, lol. The photograph is a bit washed out (the colors), and it will be interesting to post the professional picture versus my amateurish attempts.

So, here it is:

"Summer friends" Oil on Canvas 18" by 24"

Here is the creative idea behind it...since we are coming into the end of summer, I was intrigued by the colors and senses that summer brings, and how it passes away pleasantly yet somewhat bittersweetly into autumn. There is usually a surge of excitement, almost a relief, that follows the random cool breezes that begin to blow through the end of August and early September, signalling the change about to take place. Your senses all seem to sharpen, the air becomes clean and fragrant with a definite crispness...The oppressive heat of the summer begins to fall away...and although it WAS oppressive, there is still a small place inside of you that will miss that heat and the stifling warmth...because although it could be uncomfortable or inconvenient, it still had its moments of pleasing sensation and accompanying connections.
Most of the time, my world manifests itself in a sort of hyperrealism...the colors are magnified, the sounds and sensations are larger than real. The smell of a freshly split watermelon...the burn of a red hot aji pepper that can literally last for days...the fleeting delicacy of luscious, fullbodied summer rose with it's untaintedly sweet perfume...they all represented different faces of summer. So, I moved to capture them before I got caught up in the excitement of the new sensory experiences the fall will bring, and I forget what intrigue the summer had shown....

New Painting

"Lilies and Wood" Oil on Canvas, 12" by 16".

This painting was done in studio from a pink lily I picked from my garden. I am enchanted by the array of colors and sensory pleasure that flowers give...I arranged this mature bloom on an old work bench, since the contrast of textures was interesting to me--the stark simplicity of the wood, and the velvet softness of the lily. I perched the flower in an antique porcelain vase for a neutral yet elegant vehicle to showcase the two opposing elements. I utilized a limited palette of only burnt sienna, french ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, alizarin crimson and white, thinned by a mixture of 1/2 and 1/2linseed and turpentine to create this painting.

Time to work on my next summer flower--the sunflower...also, will be posting my Maine paintings within the next couple of days--that's all for now, folks!