Once upon a time,  in Wilkes- Barre, Pennsylvania, there was a store window that displayed candies like these.  Once upon a time.  

A grade school friend who cats are her 'children' commissioned me to do painting for her beloved upcoming birthday.  The piece was to be a sort of collage celebrating the cats they have had together.  Two new kittens in the center, Magic and Dawson, are surrounded by Peanut, Simon, Dori, and Koko who have passed the rainbow bridge.  Oh, and of course there's George - the  parrot... he got a spot in the painting as well. : )

                  'As Above, As Below 1' acrylic, collage on panel 30" x 30" 

               'As Above, As Below 2' acrylic, collage on panel 30" x 30" 

              'As Above, As Below 3' acrylic, collage on panel 30" x 30" 

              'As Above, As Below 4' acrylic, collage on panel 30" x 30" 

Feathers stop me in my tracks.  They exude mysticism, power and freedom.  I think about birds a lot, how it must feel to catch a 'wave of air' and ride it.  These paintings show a feather catching a 'wave of air'. 

                                                      'Ginger'

                                                    'Brady'

                                                   'Juice'

                                                         'Jazzy' 

It was the season for dogs!  And how I loved doing every brush stroke of these four legged beauties!!!  Some have passed, some soon, and some just born but I am told the reaction was the same.....utter joy, happiness and gratitude for 'preserving' their 'best friend'.  Thank you for thinking of me to do your beloved pet portraits! xxoo

He said:  "the portrait brought tears to her eyes and he was touched that someone would paint him.  On the wall it will forever hang." 

Steve Taren, the owner of Wet Paint came to me a couple months ago with the idea to give ode to the pop artist movement in the actual word ART. Along with two boys on 1970's banana bikes looking up at Mary Poppins, a young couple cuddling, cats, dogs, and spontaneity to allow for 'art in process'. I began the studies and the collaboration began. Back and forth, changes, deletes, additions, until the very end which was yesterday. The "A" was given to Keith Haring, "R" to Andy Warhol, and "T" to Roy Lichtenstein. The idea was to show 'ART IN PROGRESS' with the artist on scaffolding creating with their supplies around the scene. The 'artist' seen as a preliminary gesture study - the beginning- yet also depicted in a ghost like image to suggest the artist 'leaves' yet 'remains'. The cardinals were added at the end to represent our mothers who both have passed. They are in full color - with us every brushstroke of the way. For the past month the residents of South Wilkes-Barre walked by and gave such genuine support and gratitude for the positive addition to their neighborhood. They were awesome. This is the eighth project Steve and I have done together, and not the last!

                           'Skye and student deciding on which color to use next'

What to do when presented with a big cardboard box, paint, scissors and unlimited solutions?  After this project I reread what I underlined in "Encouraging Creativity in Art Lessons' by George Szekely : "The main thing we want students to take home with them after the art course is over in not a collection of artworks but a knowledge of how to set off on a personally safisfying adventure that may last them throughout their lives."

                    'River common, Kirby Center and Kirby Park'

                      River common, Kirby Center and Kirby Park continued ;  )

Ubiquity - a  worldwide company based out of New York City recently opened a call center in Wilkes-Barre.  They are in the process of making the employees lounge a 'safe haven' with couches, arcade games, tvs  and a wall of local WB scenes of which they asked me to paint.  The call center isn't 100 percent up and running however the folks who are there now are the most wonderful people.  There was such a good feeling there and I believe that starts at the top and works its way down! 

                   Example of cool sign of all the businesses on Main Street

                                                         'Fifty'

                  With Cam of Raw Nucleus with Curtis Salonick in background

                                   with Bob Kelly from the YMCA        

Mike Lombardo and Mary Kroptavich said to be prepared to speak at the opening Thursday night.  The opportunity didn't arise so here are some things I was going to say.  The number one question people ask:  'what do the numbers mean in my work'?  They always go up to my age.  I used to put the numbers high if I felt it was a good year and low if it wasn't.  My perception has shifted and I now know that within a year there can be good and bad. That being the case the numbers now go sequentially and are often inside a square like a calander.

 A patron/student/ friend  came for an art lesson last week and brought all the mailings (show announcements and Christmas cards) I have sent to her in the past twenty five years!  It was so amazingly kind of her to keep them .... the sort of thing a mother would do.  I separated them into reccurring themes: figure, nature, object and abstract.   Often the mark making being the same whether abstract or representational.  

The figure is usually in motion.  The painting 'Fifty' came from being a yoga retreat with my sisters.  The teacher, Bryan Kest said being able to bend over is one move you never want to lose. I feel it's such a joy to be able to move the body and it's a place where mind can be turned off or at least quieted : ).  

 A friend/patron suggested I do more nature paintings since I'm outside all the time and feel so entirely grounded by mother earth.  This show depicts nature painted on silk charmeuse  which is my way of doing 'watercolor -like' paintings, big!  I love the immediate response of how the paint moves on the silk and the vibrancy of color.  I also have more abstracted figure works which show a layering of acrylic and obsessive numbering and mark making.

What a treat to be part of the art in Pittston!  The city asked me to do a mural which is at the end of Main Street  several years ago.  I have  had the honor of working with Judy Greenwald's art classes at Pittston Area High School, doing two murals - one of which is on Main Street (Greetings From Pittston) and one that is to be hung in the courtyard of the high school.  And now a show at Art e Fecks which is up for a month as well as works which will stay throughout the year.  So many people have come together to make Pittston a destination point.  Amazing what the arts can do for a community to raise the aesthetic bar! 

The residents of Rolling Mill Hill were included in suggesting improvements for the Spruce Street Park in Wilkes-Barre.  A concrete wall measuring 52' x 8 1/2' and a side wall measuring 11' x 8 1/2'  proved a perfect place for a mural.  Children, animals, nature, diversity, historical image as well as the words Rolling Mill Hill were suggested subject matter.  While painting I observed the neat 10am -2pm program available for children with lunch activities and daily story hour.  Overhearing Dr. Suess among other favorites was a first while painting yet one I truly enjoyed!