550 Suspicious

I originally had a different title picked out for this painting, but changed my mind at the last minute.
These "on the vine" tomatoes are so perfect and uniform in size and shape that it certainly raises my suspicion.  In the middle of winter, tomatoes are almost always a disappointment.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/550-suspicious/334122

549 Figaro

Figaro is a very sweet dog, a friend of my pooch's, Oliver.  Figaro's owner is a relatively new friend of mine---and such a delight.  This painting may need a little tweaking as Figaro is mostly black and the shine on his beautiful coat is difficult to determine from my photos.  I have spent a lot of time with him---he is a Personality Plus little guy,  and of course Oliver always knows when I have visited him.  I love this pose with the ears in different positions, one up and one down---a classic Figaro!

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/549-figaro/333878

548 Flaunted

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/548-flaunted/333315

If I Only Had a Heart

I couldn't resist--- I just couldn't paint hearts and flowers and all that sappy stuff.  This is a quick little painting of a sculpture in Oz Park in Chicago, home of Lyman Frank Baum who wrote several Oz books.   The sculpture was created by artist John Kearney in 1995, and the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and Dorothy and Toto statues followed.  It is a beautiful park in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, and I discovered it quite by accident.  

For your enjoyment, I am including the words the Tin Man sang in the movie, The Wizard of Oz.
Happy Valentine's Day to all of you.

correction:  the painting is 5 x 7" not 6 x 8".

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/if-i-only-had-a-heart/333020

If I Only Had a Heart

When a man's an empty kettle
He should be on his mettle
And yet I'm torn apart
Just because I'm presumin'
That I could be kind of human
If I only had a heart

I'd be tender, I'd be gentle
And awful sentimental
Regarding love and art
I'd be friends with the sparrows
And the boy that shoots the arrows
If I only had a heart

Picture me a balcony
Above a voice sings low

(Snow White)
Wherefore art thou, Romeo?

(Tin Man)
I hear a beat, how sweet!

Just to register emotion, jealousy, devotion
And really feel the part
I could stay young and chipper
And I'd lock it with a zipper
If I only had a heart

546 Hanging Out Together

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/546-hanging-out-together/332353

545 Cultured

In this blog post, on my monitor, the colors of the onions look a little too purple.  They are more subtle than appears here.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/545-cultured/331848

544 Simply Divine

It took me all day to think of the right title for this painting.  I had many perfect titles, but all had been previously used for other paintings.  I woke up from a little catnap and this one hit me!

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/544-simply-divine/331523

543 Backbend

Today I visited with a gallery owner I know and while I was there, a very disheveled looking man--- a presumably unlikely gallery visitor---with several plastic grocery shopping bags entered the gallery, removed his shoes, and approached the owner.  She greeted him by name and went to the back room where she retrieved a bag, and handed it to him.  There was a nice, yet short conversation, which included him telling a joke.  He thanked her, and then left.

The lesson that I already knew but was reinforced today is "Don't judge a book by its cover."  Turns out this man is an art junkie, and spends a LOT of money in her gallery each year.

What followed was a discussion of how people discriminate against one another because of appearances or other perceived differences.  It was a very nice visit with the gallery owner today, as usual. 

I am reminded of an experience I had at another art gallery several months ago.  I went expressly to see an exhibit of still lifes, and was barely acknowledged by the gallery attendant when I entered and when I asked a question about a painting.  At the end of my visit, she was rude and dismissed me when I asked a question about the process for acquiring new artists.  I felt so terrible when I left that gallery that I don't want to go back.

I just don't understand why people can't be nice. 

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/543-backbend/331311 

542 Polka Dance

Get it??? Polka dance??  (I had to explain it to a certain someone here. )

The new Penthouse is very comfortable and my buddy, Oliver likes it too.  The leaves of the radishes went kaput so I ate all the radishes.  No more radish still lifes this week.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/542-polka-dance/330871

541 Underestimated

I am delighted to report that with this painting,  I have officially relocated my studio from the basement ("The Dungeon") where I painted without a window, to the attic " Penthouse."  Today is the first day I painted there.  A dear friend helped me haul and reorganize and it is a dream space, freshly painted, heated, carpets cleaned, and with a real window and a bathroom.  What more could I ask for? 

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/541-underestimated/330628 

540 Mixed Company

This is most likely the end of the Meyer lemons.  I like the combination of the limes with the lemons in my favorite bowl.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/540-mixed-company/330377

539 Stealing the Show

My garden club held it's annual Chinese Tea Tasting on Saturday with 80 people attending.  Our centerpieces for the tables included a moss ball with jade plant, rocks, and a single cymbidium orchid.  Each stem of the orchid has approximately 15-20 flowers, which are exquisite.  I am enjoying the few that didn't sell and couldn't resist placing one in my still life.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/539-stealing-the-show/330111

538 Meyer Lemons in a Portugese Bowl

This is a new bowl and we are still getting acquainted.  I love the irregularities in the glazing and the polka dots.  It is a little more modern than my other blue and white bowls, but I am hoping to find the perfect items to put into the bowl.  I have some ideas.  Let me know what you think of it.

437 For Pie

My favorite apple, the McIntosh, along with Jonathans make a great pie, in my opinion.
It was also the inspiration for the name of Apple's personal computers, also my favorite.

536 Meyer Lemons

The other day, I was at our local grocery store, and as usual, I spent a lot of time in the produce department.  I must have looked suspicious, because as I was slowly and carefully looking for the perfect vegetables/fruit, the produce manager approached me:
She asked,  "Can I HELP you?"
I replied, "No, but thank you."
She, "Did you have any questions?"
My reply, "Nope."

I have never tasted a Meyer lemon, but I was curious about them, so I bought a package.  I learned from an internet site that they are thought to be a cross between either a Eureka or Lisbon lemon and a mandarin orange, and they take on a sightly yellow-orange color.  The skin seems to be much thinner than a common lemon or orange.  They are supposedly sweeter than a lemon, and often used to make lemon pies.  My mother used to make a highly coveted lemon meringue pie.  I wonder if she used Meyer Lemons. Sadly all of her recipes are gone.

p.s.  The blue in this bowl is not screaming as it appears in this picture.

535 After Dinner

I recently learned that mandarin oranges are used to cleanse the palette after a meal.  My garden club is holding a Chinese Tea Tasting next weekend to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and we will be serving them after tea sandwiches and cookies.

535 On the Edge

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/535-on-the-edge/327286

533 Cuties Piled High

This is a remake of  523 Cuties, Again.   I wasn't happy with it, and revised it today.  I think it is much better now.

532 Chester

Felt good to paint today after several days off.  This is Chester, a neighborhood friend's dog, a "teddy bear" mix of shitzu, toy poodle and bichon, we think.  Chester and our pooch, Oliver are good buddies. 

"Opportunity"

"Opportunity"

40" x 30"

acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

For my daughter

I have a keen appreciation for Wabi Sabi.  In case you are not familiar with the term, it is derived from the Japanese words, "wabi" which meant living in solitude and loneliness, but more recently means quiet, rustic simplicity.  "Sabi" meant withered, but the more positive, modern interpretation is the beauty that comes with age, faded or weathered, and includes such things as rust and patina, which I love. 

Several years ago, I visited an architectural artifacts store in Chicago, in fact it is called just that:  Architectural Artifacts.  It was a mind boggling experience---three floors of amazing old things filled with textures and hints of imaginable experiences.  I saw this gigantic door and was able to get close enough to photograph it.  I knew someday I would paint it.

There is much symbolism related to doors in literature, mythology, religion and art.  Being both an entrance and an exit, it can be a passageway to a new beginning or an ending to something, depending on if the door is open or closed.  It can symbolize a way out or give a hint at what lies ahead.  A closed door can symbolize imprisonment or a dead end.  If you notice, this door handle is slightly turned, so being the eternal optimist,  I say it is open just a crack, and the possibilities that lie ahead are endless.

I have many large products in the "UFO" category, as one of my artist friends calls UnFinished Objects.  In the weeks ahead I hope to get some of them finished including several paintings and a very large quilt that is sprawled out on a bedroom floor, waiting to be stabilized and sewn together.
I may not be painting small with much regularity but you can be sure I will be back to painting daily works as soon as possible.  I have struggled with making this decision because I am so afraid of losing momentum.