Tender Consolation

Tender Consolation

24" x 36" acrylic on canvas, unframed

SOLD

There are so many angel cemetery monuments in Richmond, VA that it's hard to see them all.  A visit to the Hollywood cemetery there is quite a visual feast, but if you go, take your hiking shoes!  This lovely cemetery is located on very steep hills and the road winds among them.  So far, I have a couple hundred photos from there, of adult angels, cherubs, and human figures.  The kneeling angel depicted here was photographed mainly for the cascading flowers in her arms, that extend from her chest to the ground.  I guess they will have to be the focus of another painting, because as this one took shape, they became unnecessary to the composition.  The focus is on the color contrast and her gentle face.  Hope you enjoy her and the peace she exudes.

Himba Angel Boy

Himba Angel Boy

12" x 12" acrylic on canvas

SOLD

Available as prints.

I love the Himba people.  I saw this boy in a documentary and he reached out and grabbed my heart, which he will never know in his lifetime.  He was undergoing the childhood circumcision ceremony, so that just past toddlerhood he was being considered a man by his people.  He was coated in the red mud they use to protect and adorn their skin, and he had simple beads around his neck and a leather thong at his waist.  He was simply - angelic.

O little Child of God in a farflung place

You wear the dust of the earth and living water on your face.

Simple, simple are the steps you take

Bounded by ritual in the life journey you will make.

Simple is your trusting heart, and boundless in its security,

So open to the Universe that Forever has become your surety.

No mere clay beads, these strings of heavenly deeds ~ shimmer ~

As God-bequeathed metals adorning your neck, a coming King,

A Prince you've become, in Royal Regalia watching over your people

In a domain filled with cattle and no need of a steeple.

All hail the far-seeing vision of the dark-eyed boy

Whose Master brings contentment, Whose Spirit imparts joy.

Heavenly Hues (Female and Male)

In October of 2010 we had our first huge event at Olde Towne Art, called 10-10-10.  Ten of the local painters spent ten days in the gallery area at the front windows creating ten brand new paintings... each.  Day or night, there were artists there painting as people walked by on the sidewalk or stood and watched.  It was a monumental task but we all finished!  And along the way we had so many laughs and learned so much about each other; and some of us have admitted it changed our focus on our own gifts, styles, goals, etc. 

We each approached this event differently; some by sketching each proposed painting, others by using photographic references; some even timed themselves on preliminary works.  We were excited and nervous, both.

One of the ways that I prepared was to create the first painting shown on this blog, "All Better Now".  Intending to paint mostly angel pieces, and knowing that the ones I do are highly detailed, I wasn't sure I would have enough time to complete the ones I'd chosen to do and I had been getting really nervous.  Finishing All Better Now successfully and rather quickly, I was calmer facing what could have been a daunting and highly stressful event.   :-)

The other piece I did right before this event (10-10-10) was the first of the two pieces shown here.

Heavenly Hues, Female Angel Statue

24" x 30" acrylic on canvas, unframed

canvas edges painted golden yellow

$500, or $900 for the pair

I had a black and white photograph of this stunning Italian angel face, and I could have made her in shades of gray with some hints of color, as I've done in some of the other angel paintings... but she just cried out to me for color!  It was such a joy to work very vivid colors into the lights, shadows and shapes of this sculpture.  In the photo, the tear stain is actually a watermark from her being exposed to the elements of weather, and the black on the real statue is not very becoming.  But working the effect into the sadness expressed on her face intrigued me.

After the painting was finished, several people thought that "she" was a "he".  I know it's a very strong, classical face, but her jaw line is so soft that I was surprised that her femininity was not more obvious to others who saw her, as it seemed to me!  I decided right then and there to make a companion piece that was so obviously male that in comparison she would be seen for her intended gender.  The piece below came only from my imagination and with God's help, not from any photographic reference, and was one of the ones I did during 10-10-10.  I intentionally used the same components and colors with variations to bring him to life.  His gender markers are a total exaggeration, but that was on purpose....  I hope you enjoy them both, but almost everybody who's seen them has a favorite.  And that's ok, too!

Heavenly Hues, Male Angel Statue

24" x 30" acrylic on canvas, unframed

canvas edges painted golden yellow

$500, or $900 for the pair

If you like my blog

I'm such a newby!  I just found my dashboard and it helped me to understand a little about being a "follower" of a blog.  If you read one or more of my posts and like it (or them), please choose to become a follower of my postings.  The box on the right under the picture of my amazing granddaughter and me is where you click to begin to "follow" my blog, and the new postings will show up on your dashboard.  Pretty cool.  And I want to see what you're posting, too, so if you have a blog, let me know, ok?

I am thinking I can also post my new stuff to my Facebook page, but I'm getting ahead of myself....  We'll see if I can figure that one out, too!   :-)

A Local Angel

Arise

20" x 30" acrylic on canvas, framed

SOLD

Available as prints and note cards.

This majestic angel statue stands in a cemetery in Virginia Beach, VA.  Although the original is missing the finger which points skyward, and her white marble is untouched by the green patina which I added here, this is pretty much how she looks today.  I love the serenity which seems to have been sculpted by the old master artisans and is so rarely found in new cemetery monuments.  When I was in the process of painting her and thinking what to call her, only that one word, "Arise" seemed to fit what she would speak, if she could.

The original was sold to a dear friend and collector of my artwork.  High quality giclees on canvas or paper are available by order.  Please contact me if you are interested.

Bronze Angel

Bronze Angel

24" x 30" acrylic on canvas, unframed

$850 plus tax, S&H

Also available as prints and  note cards.

This gorgeous bronze angel monument is from a cemetery in Norfolk, VA.  I must have over 30 photographs of her and will probably do more paintings of her at a later date.  She is seated high up on a pedestal; her long Italian looking feet show beneath the hem of her robe.  In her lap is a scroll which unrolls all the way down to her feet.  

Perhaps you will know what I mean when I say she "has presence".  Everything about her is stately and strong, from her facial expression to her physical form.  I couldn't resist the challenge of bringing her to life in all her glorious color.  She seemed timeless when I was taking pictures of her.  Yet the metal is damaged by hard seasons of weather, pitted and eroded even.  The years have put more than a lovely patina on the surface of this angel.  Still, as a symbol of an eternal, created being, she speaks to me.  What she represents is outside of time, and yet engaged with those of us still held here inside of time.

I'm not posting the angel paintings that I've done in chronological order.  Hey, I'm an artist!  I hope the juxtapostion of sizes, colors and compositions will be more interesting than a simple order of their creation would be.   :-)

Feel free to let me know what you think.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Trying Again...

I'm just a newby at all this, and will figure it out along the way, I'm sure.  My first two postings had my painting images in the wrong place, so some of the information and one of the pictures got lost.  Ho hum.

This morning I am going to repost the images and their information and prices, and hope you will stay 'tuned' for my next efforts....  they can only improve, right?

Double the Sorrows

24"x36" acrylic on canvas with ornate frame

$1,500 plus tax, S&H

She was inspired by antique photos given to me by a friend, of an angel monument from the Bonaventure cemetery in Savannah, GA.  The aged patina and darkening stains intrigued me, as well as her deep and evident grief, as she stands over the graves of two small children.  Her face was almost totally  blackened, however, and I used artistic license to recreate her features.  There were other things I changed as well.  After she was completed, I found her online, and the statue has been cleaned since the picture referfences I have.  In those, she is as white as a bar of Ivory soap, and not nearly as interesting.

All Better Now

20"x16" acrylic on canvas, unframed

$300 plus tax, S&H

This little guy stands over a child's grave at the Hollywood cemetery in Richmond, VA.  He seems to be ready to escort the little one to heaven. 

Cherubs and Hope ... 002

All Better Now

So, what helps when we are grieving?  Do funerals help people get through the loss of a loved one?  Does solitude; or wakes full of stories of the loved one's foibles and antics?  Does time really heal?

I've known people who get memorial tattoos which are basically portraits they carry lifelong on their bodies.  Some monied people start foundations or build libraries titled with the name of that person who died.

Most of us carry on with a limp and a heavy heart, going through our days sometimes well and sometimes ... not.  The weight of the loss does change over time, but does that simply mean our thoughts become distracted by all the obligations that fill our days?  Does time really heal?

Ministers at graveside services often still use the old timeworn words, "in the hope of a sure and certain resurrection," and this is meaningful to me.  One of the reasons that I scour cemeteries for angel monuments and paint them is this.  They are a reminder of the hope of the resurrection.  So that in loss, when we are at our weakest and most vulnerable, we can look up to heaven and smile; gaze on a cemetery angel or a painting of one, and smile.  Knowing that our loved one has passed from our sight, but that we will be reunited one day.

I'm guessing that when a child dies, this is the hardest time to carry the weight of grief.  I am thankful that is not a grief I have known, but my heart goes out to those who have.  This cherub is one of several I have painted so far, and I changed his expression to more clearly express what I feel his message is as he stands over the grave of a child.  It seems he is issuing an invitation to come to heaven with him, cherub to child, like sized angel to like sized human.  He seems a well chosen guide for a small person's journey to the Father.

The Beginning ...001

So, I'm going to begin to share my angel paintings with you.  It will be interesting to find out just who "you" are.  I hope you will send me posts, share your links, and give me feedback.

It will also be interesting to see how many times I have to do this before I can get it to work.  I've already composed this twice, and set my picture on a 'gadget' without knowing if it will really attach to this page when it's posted.  Please be patient with me, because once I get it, my blog will be prolific!