For love of art.

 

Not long ago I mentioned on one of my Siren FM “Letter from NY” radio broadcasts that I paint - a vital part of my daily routine & a source of great enjoyment.

 Since then, quite a few of my fans have shown an interest in seeing my work & asking if painting is something I’ve done over the years or a recent addition to my life here in the Hudson Valley.

Briefly, I’ve always dabbled in some form of art since childhood.  First starting with watercolours , & pencil drawings, then moving onto pastels & acrylics, which I stayed with for many years.

 I was self-taught, but a rendering talent seems to run in my family in various guises – from a wonderfully talented great uncle who was a wood-carver to an aunt & cousin who are excellent painters.

For the longest time I was terrified of trying my hand at oils.  But a friend, herself a selling artist, geed-up my courage to finally tackle the art & science of brushing coloured oil on canvas.  I’ve never looked back since.

Over these last few years & a gradual evolution of subjects & styles, I’ve gained a fair amount of confidence in my ability to render well enough so that a small number of my paintings have been bought by friends & collectors.  I don’t mind telling you that my first sale was equal to, or even a little more than the headiest curtain call I ever received.

So, in response to the requests I’ve received to show some of my work online, I’ll be putting up one of my earlier works to test the water.   It’s a copy of a Matisse I’ve always loved & it hangs in our living room, at my husband’s insistence, in a pride of place.

I’ll be posting the painting on this page  shortly & I’d really appreciate hearing your comments, pro & (gulp!) con.

Till then, health, happiness & please be kind to the animals.