Portraits of Mia and Michaela

 "Portrait of Mia at 3 years old" by Hilary J. England, oil on canvas, 12" x 16"

"Portrait of Michaela at 3 years old" by Hilary J. England, oil on canvas, 12" x 16"

Here are the two portraits I did for my our little cousin "twins" in celebration of their third birthdays.  They are both growing to become such beautifully unique children -- so different in every way.  They started off as little bundles that looked so similar, and now, they are amazing little 3 year olds with their own personalities, looks, and interests.  So wonderful!

Bumble bee on the sunflower

"Bumble bee on sunflower" by Hilary J. England
oil on canvas, 8" x 10" 2016

I have been very busy with several projects.  I have *3* books in production at the same time, so that is really a lot to juggle, and I pick up on my MS Comm (that's Master's of Science in Communication and New Media for those who are not familiar with the lingo) in a couple of weeks (first week of October), plus working on a larger painting commission that has me ripping my hair out, lol, so it's been hectic.  I did take the day to go out and plein air paint in the gorgeous end of summer weather, which I sorely miss.  I didn't go far (the edge of my own property) and just enjoyed the sun, and this awesome bumble bee on my last remaining sunflower. 

This summer slipped away from me in a whirlwind of work, heat, and contemplation, but I have much to be grateful for.  I plan on stepping it up even more after New Year's, with a couple of residencies I am considering, and some other cool projects with my gallery, and between the projects I have going now, well, it's a lot.  But, I like a lot! "A lot" always works for me -- don't want moss growing around my feet!.

So, back to school for everyone, including me, and that's a challenge I always enjoy.  When it's said and done who knows -- maybe a Ph.D just because.  We'll see.  My son is in the U for Physics, looking to be an Astrophysicist, so maybe we'll race to see who becomes a "doctor" first!! :-D :-D  Again, lots to be grateful for, and lots to do. No time for leisure books right now, but I have been forcing myself to read before bed just to decompress.  Newest book: Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely .   It's a wonderful book we are going to use in our Tuesday night women's bible study.  I thought I would get a jumpstart on things before we officially begin our group, and it's a very good book.  Personally, I don't have time right now to feel "left out" or "lonely," but I can identify with the "less than" part, because sometimes, no matter how much you do, you never feel adequate, or that you are good enough, so this book is a comfort and a guide to help for those moments you feel tired and inadequate. So, I'm glad I've been taking the time to "nourish my soul" right before bedtime.


Well, time to jet! Enjoy the weather, and the little painting~



 

Life's a garden

"Dusk in the flower garden" by Hilary J. England
11" x 14", oil on canvas, 2016

I can't believe a whole month got away from me.  I have been working on various projects, including a book, and I had two different commissions, so this work has kept me very busy.

This week was a sad week.  News of death arrived, and that always hurts and is a wake-up call of sorts: Life is hard, but life is beautiful.  Along with the death of my friend, and there was also the death of a young man -- the son of an acquaintance from long ago -- very very sad.  These type of inexplicable events always give me pause to stop, and reflect.  Yes, life is hard, but life is beautiful.

So, I began to paint from some old photos I put together.  I really wanted to cheer myself up and just paint something that would warm my heart up again, and for me, that is always children.  And gardens.  Because after all, life is a garden, and children are life, so I painted this little painting, outside in the beautiful warm air, just lost in my own thoughts. Life and truth and beauty.

And -- I also reflected that with the sad news came sweet news also.  News of babies being born, and others to come -- quite a few of them are on the way with Spring and Summer -- and that made me smile.  Who doesn't smile when life renews itself?

So, I look forward to the Spring with renewed vigor and a positive joy for things to come!

~Enjoy

Feeling the warmth!

"Beltzville ball game" by Hilary J. England, pastel on hardwood panel, 18" x 24" 2011

I am feeling the warmth!  Literally!!  It is about as fine of a day as you can get, very very warm (low to mid 80s), quite a change from the last several weeks.

I am really geared up.  I have been doing alot of studio work because of the weather, and also doing alot of work TO my studio, since it was in serious need of some help/upgrades.  First and most importantly, we got the giant new studio easel together...me and Ant.  It took about 3 hours, with miserable instructions, lots of bickering, and a few near mutinies, but we did it...and didn't have any reassembly necessary due to mistakes.  Pretty impressive.

I also am adding more electricity to the place, as well as the addition of several ceiling fans.  It turns into a sweatbox my midafternoon, and after two summers of suffering, I finally said enough is enough.  So, hopefully the fans and additional ventilation will help.  It's not central air, but I'm not Donald Trump either so, this is the most economical compromise I can make ;-)

The track system to hang my paintings is due to arrive on Friday, and I'm very excited about that.  Right now, we have wood screws somewhat haphazardly into the barn walls, but this will organize everything very nicely. 

All in all, everything continues to go well...we seem to have Noelle's health stabilized, so I'm thankful for that, and the summer will be upon us in the blink of an eye, so I'm making preparations for all the stuff we all have scheduled, and trying to get that coordinated...not really an easy task, but doable.

Well, that's it for now.  Out to get some more work done, and head off to the framer.  I'm also looking (again) for a professional photographer who photoes art, but this time I have a recommendation for one, so hopefully this will work out!  As you probably can tell from past entries, photography is the "thorn" in my side...it literally drives me nuts trying to get the photos just right, so this will be very helpful.  Confuscius says, "if you suck at something, delegate."  At least I think it was him, lol.

So, I'll leave you with the above painting I just finished, developed from a series of sketches done at a lakeside picnic.  It's simply titled, "Beltzville ball game" and it's 18" x 24" pastel on hardwood panel.

By the way friends, please vote for me at:  www.arttakeslondon.com/hilaryjengland  It only takes a minute, is free of charge, and will help me out immensely!!  Thanks!!