America doesn’t need Major Surgery; She needs Forgiveness to Heal her Wounds

(Here's my main model, my granddaughter)

I’ve decided that it’s very hard to think creatively when you don’t feel well or you’re in pain. Some may say that getting your imaginative juices off your own problems and onto something fun makes them better. But if you’re miserable, it’s not going to cut it for long.

The good thing is I’m starting “one week after surgery” on Monday, and it can only get better from here. People tried to make me feel better before surgery by saying it was going to be a “snap” and comparing it to the old way of incise, cut and mend. I suppose their right. But arthroscopic surgery is still surgery. Once my body gets the message that it’s so much better this way, maybe my bowels and my stomach will come along for the ride.

(I'm going to change direction of her eyes, make them lavendar and purple)

I had an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair a few years ago, but I’ve yet to forget the weeks and months of physical therapy it took to get me back to normal. Sure the incisions cover less ground so the healing is quicker, but the reason for surgery, repairing a tear or removing an organ still takes a lot of internal healing and re-directing before things get back to normal.

I’m still trying to function creatively in the mean time. I had a request from my granddaughter who is a working girl, an actress, and a creative person in her own right. She wants to use her favorite color purple in various shades to enhance a living room dominated by grays, whites and black.

(I may use black or purple stripes on her costume?)

Using a portrait of her with a Harlequin theme seemed like the winning combination. I haven’t had any feedback from her at this point in time, so I’m winging it until I do. I’m also continuing to work on my India family portrait which was interrupted by my surgery.

A lot has happened in the news of late, one of them being the removal of the South’s Confederate flag. Living in Florida has somehow immunized me against what the flag stands for to some people. For me as an artist, it was a colorful statement of the South’s unique heritage.

I worry that this decision will have a domino effect on everything else that reminds us of something we don’t like. Will statues of the Founding Fathers be tampered with because they once owned slaves?

Sometimes history is a good reminder of what we stand for and of who fought beside us. Black soldiers fought side by side with Yankees in the Civil War and with other American’s in the Revolutionary War. African Americans have also risen to great heights in every other war we’ve conducted.

(Love black 'n white checks -- a checkerboard?)

Arguments should represent not just one side in a debate, but both sides.  Before we start changing history, let us remember what Dylan Thomas penned long ago to his father who was going blind: “Do not go gentle into that dark night” lest we “throw out the baby with the bath water,” or cut America’s nose off to spite her face.”

(Lower quadrant of drawing --- my shadow on canvas)

Top upper quadrant of drawing. Working Title:  "Queen of Diamonds"

A Word about Color

Many artists use pure color straight from the tube: reds, yellows, blues, greens, etc.. I'm not knocking it. There are appropriate uses for pure color, and they do serve a purpose, depending on composition and style. But sometimes a blended color can do the job better.

Blended colors add a certain vibrancy by complimenting or enhancing similar colors and values in the painting. Monochromatic paintings that use one main color such as raw umber, burnt sienna, or venetian red are enlivened when blends of that color are mixed and used.

The color gray is a good example. Gray can be a depressing color, but it's also one of the most valuable colors on the palette; especially for dealing with subtlety, or changing values, as in a landscape. Paynes gray is a favorite for many artists. But you can add vitality and subtle changes by mixing your own gray combinations. Here are some of mine:

• Blue and orange make a "greenish gray;" add a mixing white to change shade or value.

• Alizarin Crimson and black make a "lavender gray;" add a mixing white to change shade or value.

• Using Pthalo, or cobalt, or cerulean, or ultramarine blue and black with mixing white can make a lovely blue-gray shade.

Green is another example of how to get variation in your artwork. Sure you can buy many hues and shades of green, but what's the fun in that?. Here are some of my favorite combinations:

• Cobalt blue and yellow make a brilliant spring-time green that can be toned down with mixing white.

• Turquoise and a snitch of yellow make a wonderful lime green that can be changed in value with mixing white or by adding a smidgen of Hookers green.

• Sap green and yellow ochre make a golden green for fields and older grass and weeds. Again, mixing white changes the value.

So there you have it -- some of my favorite blends (the list could go on and on). The point is this: mix colors, try different combinations, be brave. Your paintings will literally "pop" off the page. Have fun--experiment!