The Key to Shared Laughter is its Direction

"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.

"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.

"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: 

Liza and Cat   http://youtu.be/uQCTrSRcplI?list=UU2ZhayntpSMLKJL-weD6oHg

Girl at Rest

Here is another favorite artist: Ritch Gaiti with his ethereal Native American paintings of “another time, another place”:

Come on -- Let's Fly Away, Mini-vacations that Soar!

A Key West sunset from Key West Express jet-powered vessel

On Labor Day we got up early, traveled to Fort Myers Beach with some friends, and walked on the damp sand before breakfast. The air was cool and the sea breeze gave us an appetite.

Disciplined regulars were already jogging and walking when we arrived. A few seashell hunters scoured the crashing waves as they spilled over the sand. Hotel and restaurant owners opened their doors and swept the remains of white sand from their stairways and sidewalks.

When businesses opened at 8 a.m., we dined at the Island Grill and watched beach goers gradually fill in the empty spaces with their colorful towels and chairs. The Key West Express, a jet-powered liner, bounced across the water with at least 350 people on board who were eager for their exotic adventure. Soon wave runners were powering through the blue-Green waters and white sailboats meandered past the pier a few hundred feet away from us heading into the Gulf.

"Sea Nymph" work-in-progress first drawing and wash. There is some foreshortening going on and I will need
to make sure her knee area looks like it's going back and layer the fins in the front.

I love these “mini-vacations.” Only a 45 minute drive from home, and we feel as if our world and the stresses that go with it are left far behind. Sometimes we make a day of it. We bring our beach towels and blankets and have one of those refreshing naps enveloped in the warmth of the sun. 

August is not the best time of year to languish. The heat can overwhelm you before you are even aware. I noticed that most beach goers were bouncing in the water and the dance between blanket and waves kept getting shorter and shorter as the sun crossed the morning sky.

My grandpa's Stereoscope early 1900's

Many walked their dogs and others played with them in the water in spite of the fact that there were “No Dogs Allowed” signs everywhere. Signs that were never enforced. 

Puppies were plentiful. We petted a few yippers and nippers. A large black dog and its owner played fetch in the water with a tennis ball. By the time we were ready to leave, several children were half-way through building their sand castles.

I will be selling this on my Etsy Shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnfinsenArt 

Three pelicans flew over us heading for the pier where they dive bombed for fish and tried to steal the bait from fishermen’s lines. One year when we were walking on the beach a floundering pelican twisted in fishing line was being rescued by two men who were patient enough to untangle the mess the bird had gotten himself into.

I have 228 photo cards from 1895 to 1905;  early US states, Early MN Nicollet Ave.
Old Norway, Palestine, and other.

A pelican looks fairly small flying overhead or sitting on the grey piling, but when his wings are outstretched as this one's was, his wingspan and long pocketed bill dwarfed the two men who were trying to save him.

Seagulls will also battle fishermen for their catch and doggedly attack and tug at a fish until it is safe in the creel.

At 10 a.m. we made our way home. The beach was getting crowded and the humidity was rising. We carried our memories home along with the sand that stuck to the bottom of our shoes. We were already planning our next mini-vacation!


(Old Norway photo cards, one side)

Photo cards run from $3-5 each.
Total cards = 228
Stereopticon $ 55 plus shipping












Michael Buble -- Come Fly with Me!