In the mountains of Millboro Springs, Virginia is an artists' and writers' resort area that has been a creative refuge for many years. Originally built in 1783 as a stagecoach stop, Camp Nimrod/Nimrod Hall has been a summer resort for people from all over the world since the 1930's. There are seven buildings consisting of the main house that acts as…
On Friday, April 14, four OCAG artists met at Blackwood Farm Park (off Highway 86) for a plein air painting session. The farmhouse, out buildings, and large barn are in a state of arrested decay, but it is surrounded by 152 acres of picturesque rolling farmland punctuated by magnificent trees. This is indeed a landscape artist's paradise. To describe this adventure,…
Over the years, I have enjoyed documenting experiences by painting my own renditions of various local activities. Recently viewed at a HARC Cooperative Pop-Up show on Franklin Street, the painting -- Citizens -- is the last in a series of nine paintings of various Moral Mondays protests in the spring of 2013 in Raleigh. The paintings were based on photographs by my…
For the past few years, I have been making collaborative mixed media paintings with another artist, Luna Lee Ray. Our process involves trading pieces back and forth continuously until we feel that the image is complete. The collaborative process is always an exciting one, especially when the layers of a piece begin to build and bring a piece to life!…
3 Pilates in Charcoal My favorite subject to draw is the human figure in motion. For example, dancers, people moving in natural ways, the figure at rest (leaning, slumping, or sleeping.) I begin drawing by focusing on my subject, catching the action of the pose quickly, while barely looking down at my paper. I then go on to add details later if there is…
Floral Triptych I MM on Paper My art life and previous life are coming together in a delightful way. I have been asked to teach classes on painting and collage through the OLLI program at Duke. Long before I picked up a paintbrush to make art, I trained and taught high school English (my first job was in Cary, a…
Pinxterbloom Azalea The Pinxterbloom Azalea, also known as Pink Azalea or Pinxter Flower, is a frothy pink and white species native to the Southeast. It's often found blooming near rivers or creeks, and a cluster of these shrubs grow wild at the edge of my pond. I must have checked the pond every day for a month this past spring,…
During the Renaissance, artistic ideals changed from a serious and formal way of depicting subjects, generally religious, to a much more realistic style incorporating scenes from common life. "Man is the measure of all things" was the motto of the time, and painters began to include details from daily life in their frescoes. With the invention of the perspective, paintings acquired a firm place…
As the Crow Flies Last summer, I began painting with an artist group at a friend’s studio. The tables we used were covered with white paper for protection of the surfaces, but by the end of two months the papers collected quite a mess of paint and marks. I didn’t see the beauty in those papers until I participated in…
Beginnings - Mixed Media 8 x 8 inches Every winter, my thoughts shift from the skies to what lurks underground. Dormant seeds and water channels were on my mind this past winter and I began a series of small pieces inspired by these thoughts. In this series, I focused on the idea of a seed, or a cell, and its…