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| "A Joyful Heart" 11x14 pastel, matted and ready to frame |
We all love to laugh. It’s healthy. It feels good. Medical professionals
recommend it as “the best medicine” in the world; but that depends entirely on
where your laughter is directed and on whom.
None of us
likes to be “laughed at.” In fact, most of us cringe and recoil when we’re the
brunt of someone else's joke. Poking fun of others is
another form of bullying. The difference between healthy laughter and
aggressive hee-haws is the purpose behind each.
When we laugh
together at the same thing that is shared fun we both enjoy. When I laugh at
you and watch you squirm, I’m not only making you uncomfortable, I’m pushing
you away. This kind of laughter diminishes both of us. You become a victim. I
become a heel.
Sensitivity
to someone else’s feelings should warn us when we’ve crossed the line. It’s
never too late to realize bad taste, even in ourselves. Shared laughter brings
us together and bonds our friendship. At the very least, it makes us feel good
to be human beings. Finding humor in life or in the awkward situations we find
ourselves in may ease the tension in a difficult situation.
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| "With these Hands -- Hope" mixed media (acrylic underpainting; oil on center of interest) |
Laughter can smooth
ruffled feathers and ease the pain of embarrassment. A giggle or two at the
appropriate time says “I forgive you. Hey, it could have been me!”
I’ll never
forget standing in a movie theater lobby with my husband. Everyone nearby was
laughing at this guy who tromped from the restroom into our group trailing
toilet paper. The more we laughed, the funnier it became. I was nearly doubled
over, and a darned good thing. Looking downward I discovered a few sheets of
tissue stuck to my own shoe. If you think we were laughing hard at that point,
you should have heard us after this discovery!
A person who
can laugh at themselves really has it made. They rarely take their petty
grievances out on others. They are everybody’s friend. Joy is written on their
face. These are the portraits I want to capture and the main reason I love to
paint. My Artist Statement declares:
“Thanks to my
grandfather, a biologist and teacher; my uncle, a former professor of
entomology at Berkeley; and my father, a fly fisherman of great renown; I was
born an environmentalist, a lover of nature and of God’s remarkable handiwork.
"I believe
there is spirit, voice, and emotion even in inanimate objects, but especially
in living things. I envision each object, each life force speaking out – no, shouting out to me. I try to portray nature
as honestly and beautifully as I see it. Sometimes I exaggerate color and
movement so others may share what my inner life sees and feels. I have a vivid imagination.
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| "With these Hands -- Wonder" mixed media (acrylic underpainting, oils on center of interest) |
"Portraits are
a favorite of mine. The slightest crinkle in a nose or the twinkle in an eye
can tell volume’s about a person’s personality. Faces are complex; as varied as
the flowers in springtime, as deep as the roots of a tree or the depth of an
ocean. I hope viewers will experience joy when they look at my paintings.”
I started
painting in oils, but chose acrylics because there was no smell and you don’t need turpentine. I had a mishap where the mineral spirits ate
through the plastic container it was stored in and trickled over the floor soaking my rug before it seeped into my storage area. That was a real turnoff!
But after
watching Vladimir Volegov paint in “quick time” on YouTube, I’m having second
thoughts about oils. Volegov is a master of color, light, and of blocking in shapes as
quickly as possible. Every stroke counts!
I hope you enjoy the following links:
Girl at Rest
Here is
another favorite artist: Ritch Gaiti with his ethereal Native American
paintings of “another time, another place”:
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