"Sarah Sparkles" was commissioned by a friend who wanted a keepsake to present her new daughter-in-law, following the wedding to her son.  The bride carried a tight bouquet of white roses with seeded eucalyptus.  Her dress was sprinkled with crystals and the sweetheart shape of her bodice was fashioned into the top of the vase.  The blue token pictured belonged to the bride's grandmother and was integrated into the flowers on her wedding day.  The ceremony and celebrations were held in Washington, DC; the couple's wedding stationary and invitations were thoughtfully styled with a street map of the city in the background, and her colors were shades of blue, navy and silver.  The couple's initials were also incorporated into the painting to make it exclusive to them.  Hopefully you can see a bit of all of these elements woven throughout the piece.

Late on a Monday night in May, when we were well into the Coronavirus quarantine, a man armed with a large landscaping rock vandalized the 95-year-old stained glass window at our church.  His rage at his lot in life, and at God in particular, fueled the rampage, as he beat through the outer plexiglass protection, sending shards deep into the sanctuary. The window is a beautiful expression of faith, showing Jesus carrying a lamb, and has an eastern exposure, which creates a luminous glow during our morning services.  Our entire community has been hurt and saddened by the destruction.  Large boards were erected to cover the 5 x 18" openings left by the removal of the window for repair, bringing unusual darkness to the room.

The correlations to our current crisis with the pandemic and unrest of our citizens, are plentiful. There is fear, stress, sadness, frustration and hopelessness.  At this point in time it is hard to see where it will all end.

This painting was started the week after the vandalism.  As it progressed, a few lines put in here and there took on a new importance and became more and more plentiful, until a stained glass effect emerged.  The reference photo was taken in Valle Crucis, or "Valley of the Cross" as the original settlers called it, in the mountains of North Carolina. This spot is an outdoor chapel of sorts, and a good place to go for peaceful reflection.

It is my hope and prayer that, just as the window has been repaired and returned to our sanctuary, our communities will come through these difficult times a little stronger.... and while easing out from under the cloud of sad events we find ourselves in, life will be all the sweeter for the struggle.

For more information about the window: https://www.wxii12.com/article/pastor-says-congregation-concerned-for-vandal/32627248

The latest group of acrylic paintings grew out of a desire to celebrate flowers with vibrant color in a more abstract way.  The process begins with mark making on board or paper, using various materials, such as ink, charcoal, pencil, oil pastels, decorative papers and acrylic paint.  Each painting is designed with a specific color palette, composition and value from the beginning. Sometimes the personality of the piece presents itself early on, and sometimes it comes later, after many layers of paint.  The titles tend to be cheeky and allude to thoughts and feelings that spring from a female point of view.  Occasionally, the paintings awaken me in the middle of the night with an identity crisis, like "Vera," who insisted on a name change. They can be a rowdy bunch and can, from time to time, have sentiments and feelings that overrule their creator’s intent. While they may be hard to control, I eventually appreciate and cherish the charm and temperament of each one. 

Through the years, many fine art attempts have to come to live in our "basement" gallery.  It is a sort of painting purgatory.  They had begun to pile up and needed to be dealt with.  After a few minutes of trying to stuff them in the garbage can, they were moved to the curb for pick up by the city sanitation services.  This didn't seem quite right either, and gave witness to anyone driving by of just how many failures there were.  Then, an idea emerged.  The canvases were released from their stretchers with a few slices of a box cutter and laid to rest until they could be reassembled.  Each one was cut into two inch strips, glued together into longer pieces and then woven into a runner for the dining room table.... the best thing that could have ever happened to them.  Now, it's not so hard to send sub par work to the basement - the next project is placemats!

Flower design has been a passion of mine for many years and is ultimately what led me to explore painting.  Living in a small town with limited floral resources forces one to be creative when making arrangements with less than ideal materials.  My friends, themselves lovers of flowers and gardens, have always been true and loyal supporters of my efforts. Ginny, our group's gardening guru, nailed my penchant for exotic elements when she said, upon hearing that an arrangement was being prepared for a particular event, "So, Kathy, how many grapes have to die for THIS arrangement?" Here is one example of the many times the gaps were filled with grapes. 

The series of "Tribute" paintings is in memory of my father, who passed away in April, 2016.  He was a man of deep faith, strong convictions and devotion to his family.  After service in the Marines in Camp Lejeune, NC,  following college, he began his lifelong professional career as an engineer.  As a child, I was always amazed by his hands - they were large and strong and seemed able to fix anything: cars, plumbing, repairs big and small or whatever needed attention in our home.   My favorite Christmas was the year that he crafted a wooden wardrobe and vanity set for my Barbie.  Inside it, I found a frock for the doll made by my mother, with remnants from a dress she had made for herself. It was the perfect gift.

I have been exploring the medium of cold wax mixed with oil paint, which can be used for collaging purposes.  For this tribute series, bits of paper that my father used for notes on his woodworking and financial records have been embedded into each painting, in honor of my sister, Amy, and my brothers, Steve and Bill, Jr.  The twisted cross format presented itself as a manifestation of our dad's faith, his most enduring legacy.