Finished At Last!

Last night I finally finished a painting and now another unfinished one is ready for framing.

This is another wrapped canvas.  I think my last for a while.  It saves on framing, but I'd rather acrylic paint on paper.

The inspiration for this came from bathing at an onsen in Japan.  As you might know the women leave their clothing in a locker and then with a very small towel go into a large bathing room.  Seated on a low stool each fills a bucket with water and proceeds to soap her body.  Settling into the routine I noticed the older woman seated to my left slowly washing her feet with care and attention.  That image has lingered with me as I came to realize the value that bathing, rinsing and then soaking in a tub can be to the soul.

The image of washing of feet has come to mean more as I worked on this piece and Marian would ask me to tell another new student in our class what I was doing.  Ultimately, I came to say that it is more than washing my feet. 

Now I look at it and I see the flaws of this and that . . . but, that, too, has value, so I'll leave it.

I think I started the one below last year along with one of Aunt Margaret's Gem.  They've both been sitting on my easel in the loft, unfinished for many months.  Heather had given me a little art book for Christmas that gave me some ideas of what I might do with each of them.  I decided to make the Uncle Cal, Lily and Zella piece  smaller and more simple.  Last night it happened to be in my art bag at class when I finished the onsen piece.

After finishing the smaller section Marian happened by and suggested I frame the whole thing.  It had surprisingly become an interesting piece as a whole.  A local artist, Steven K. Sheffield http://www.utahands.com/artists/sheffield/09portfolio.html, whose work I admire has done some pieces by first painting to a point and then masking off a border and continuing to paint further on the inner section.   I've always liked that.  Now I sort of fell into something similar--thanks to Marian. 

(On Steve's site he has a piece, "Still Waters" that is similar to the very small, affordable painting I have of his from Art and Soup this year.  He just did it the night before.  Its unframed on Masonite.)

For the Cal and the girls painting Marian will help me cut a custom mat to fit a standard frame.  She is the best!
Marian Dunn.    http://www.mariandunngallery.com/

Cal suggested the title "Cowboys Love."  At first I thought he meant cowboy's love, but no, cowboys love.  This is from a photo I took of Cal, Lily and Zella leaving Golden Corral heading to the car.  He had given Lily one of his old cowboy hats.  When we got back to their place he found an old hat for each one of the children. 

Heather reminded me that she hadn't seen the completed Haitian Mother.  Again, a wrapped canvas

Now for  Margaret's Gem.

Polly is doing some really nice work.  I hope she has sent you photos of what she has done.  We are really fortunate to have such a great teacher.