Lipton- Eyes Only for You

Lipton- Eyes Only for You  6 x 8 in oil on canvas panel
I met Lipton at Mt. Carmel last week. He is the eyes for an elderly woman with a fantastic, sweet spirit. One evening as we sat at a service I looked over and Lipton had his head on her lap with the most adoring look I have ever seen. That look said I have eyes only for you and I love you more than you will ever know. This will be a gift to her even if she is unable to see it, she will know that someone was thinking  of  her and her Eyes.

                                                        Join Me oil on linen panel 5 x7 in.
These beautiful chairs are all over the grounds at Mt. Carmel Ministries Retreat Center at Alexandria, MN. You can sit and relax, take a nap, read or join a friend for conversation and time together. I always feel they are an invitation to take time for myself and enjoy the surroundings.

Rooms for Rent

Rooms for Rent
8x6 oil on panel
This is from a photo taken many years ago when my business partner and I were at a painters gathering for several days. We took a walk  in the alleys of the small town and this popped out so much we took photos. In my head I think about what happened to the business, what people stayed there and how did it end up in rack and ruin.
The fun of this was doing it in two colors plus white which turned out to be a close match to the original colors.  Transparent red oxide, ultramarine blue .
Perhaps this will bring some interesting scenerios to mind or even conjure up a story.

Pretty in Purple

                                       Pretty in Purple oil on linen panel 12x12
Lilacs are always nostalgic for me to paint. I remember them from the farm where I was born and how proud my Mother was because she had the deep dark purple that were more unusual than the usual medium colored violets. Now , many years later on the farmstead where my husband grew up and we have made our home, the lilacs his Mother planted so many years ago still bloom each spring. They seem to bring a connection to the seasons of my life. The fragrance fills the room and when I put them on the altar in our small country church it is a reminder of the many years these have been placed there by many generations.  Perhaps others will have memories of these well known blooms.