Are you free?

You are free the moment you do not look outside yourself for someone to solve your problems and pay your bills :-)

No one should travel down the road of life without leaving something more behind  than that which will disappear when the dust has settled.

Frank is  a well respected maker of fine jewlery; he participates in historical events in costume and shoots a muzzleloader just for the fun of it. He also poses for the Portrait Society of Reno. He only has one eye since he was 14. Don't let some real or imagined disability slow you down. Go for it.

Oil on canvas panel 9x12

The Geese were landing

I would not sit waiting for some vague tomorow, not for something to happen. One could wait a lifetime and find nothing at the end of the waiting. I would begin here, I would make something happen - Sackett's Landing
Yeh! That's what it's all about. Make something good happen today ... just do it :-)
The geese fly around here on a regular basis ,,, but that doesn't mean we can always be there when they land ... take off..yeh ..... just approach them on the pond and they take off if they are there. One day I was over at the golf course and just lucked out... I had my camera and they wanted to land. Gottcha ....
A Soft Landing.

Oil on Canvapaper 6 x8

When one has a goal

Living a life is much like climbing mountains - the summits are always further off than you think, but when a man has a goal, he always feels he's working toward something. - The Lonely Man

Look around you .... praise those who try even if they did not at first succeed .... trying is the first step to success ... a little praise and encouragement will help them reach their goals.

While out walking or biking I generally take pictures ... looking back thru the archives transports me to other places and times .... then I am inspired to paint those places. This is right down the road a piece ... I did not have to return there today to paint ... I used the foto.
Take a few more fotos.... they help jog the memory ... you may appreciate that a little more after you pile on many more years :-)

Oil on canvas pad 5x7

A new Week

I am painting every day even though I put time in on the computer to get the accounting down... plus a little exercise .... and clean up the emails...... maybe, the paintings don't all come out acceptable but then

If your life is free of failures, you're not taking enough risks. -Anon
Ahhh, I guess I take lots of risks :-)

I like the mountains, the rivers and the rocks ... I keep doing more ... there is always the hope that someday I can do it well .... nevertheless, it's always fun... and ... I can dream on about visiting there one more time ;;;

Forever the dream is in the mind, realization in the hands - To The Far Blue Mountians

Dream on until you turn it into realization with your hard work and dilagence.

Oil on canvas panel  11x14

January is half gone

What a lovely day... temp is 65 right at this moment ... very fine for January.


I believe in the three L's in the order they come up: Living, Laughing and Learning. I feel that these are the basics to life and if we are both living and laughing a bit it is so much easier to learn. There is so much to learn. Every day should offer at least one lesson either from experience or shared experience. I wish that people took great pleasure in learning and sharing what they learned and discuss ideas with others. It is super to get closer and closer to various truths about life and even less important truths about life. How challenging to be open to the possibility of unanswerable questions. How great it is to keep an open and searching mind. When I feel this happening in my life I feel like I am looking out towards the stars and infinite space. Awe and fear are there, but also the riches of curiosity and adventure.   Morgan Green ©

This is the other monochromatic gesture portrait from Wednesday live model sitting.

Oil on canvas panel 9x12

Your success is based on where you started

It's not how far you fall, but how high you bounce. -Anon
Yesterday was a bright sunny day... it felt warm .... so off to the Protrait Society of Reno for more live model painting .... then a session at the fitness center.
Today is also a great day.... and it's raining and warm... warm is relative ... but it feels warm to us.
These are a couple of gesture paintings from yesterday.

Oil on canvas board 9x12

Oil on canvas board 9x12

Up the Road

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. -Mark Twain
Sometimes we fear the most foolish things ..... have courage ... even if it takes a glass of wine first :-)

 

The neighbor's farm - Oil on canvas panel  5x7

What is a majority?

One man with courage is a majority.-Andrew Jackson
Ok... pick 'em up and rush out with courage for today... see what happens. :-)
Another of those gesture paintings ..... but I took a few minutes back in the studio for touch up.

 

Scooby oil on canvas panel 9x12

Portrait Society Meeting

Many people have great ideas. What doesn't occur to many of these people is that they can turn some of these ideas into great realities.  -Morgan Green

Today was another meeting of the Portrait Society of Reno which has been meeting non-stop for about 50 years ... it was my first time attending .... very informal ... 9 to 12:30 ... a live model ... arrive; set up your easel; paint ... that's it. Today there about a dozen people .... last week 5 artists ..... sometimes only 3 and once last year 1 person :-)

Live models present their own challanges. The artists attending painted in wayer color, oil, colored pencil and pastel. I used oil and as you can see below one was monochrome and the other was a very limited palet. I did 3 gesture paintings ... 2 here and maybe the other later.

Turn your dreams into realities.

Oil on canvas panel 9x12

Oil on canvas panel 9x12

Why not just get started?

The beginning is the most important part of the work. -Plato 
........ perhaps that is because sometimes it takes the most effort to just get started. .... go ahead... you wanted to do it.... just get started ... overcome the inertia .... push off .... you'll feel a whole lot better.

Oil on canvas panel 6x8 knife painting

Life is tough. Buy a Helmut.

Sometimes life gets tooooo busy... there are too many things going on ...they all seem to race through our minds at the same time........ relax. Meditation can help you to relax .... but how to get all that stuff out of our minds and relax ... here is one person's solution:


For today's meditation, we turn to an EarthRain subscriber,
Kathy W, who shares some helpful insights and techniques:

Chet, I have a suggestion...

Some people, like me, need transition. Going
from many thoughts to no thoughts except the
breath is too big of a step.

So, knowing myself, and knowing I needed
transition, I created my own beginning
meditation practice when I started. Here's
what I did:


For the first week, I sat with a list of
4-5 things to think about. It included my
favorite place to be (my happy place), my
favorite song, my special friend -- good,
peaceful, happy things. Whenever my mind
wandered, I would open my eyes for a moment,
look at my list and refocus. In between each
subject, I made a point to concentrate on 5
breaths, in and out.

The second week, I focused on connecting with
the rhythms of nature as I meditated. Wind,
water, day and night, the ocean tide. I
realized how "slow" nature is and how cyclic.
and how it seems in its season to almost stop
for a period of time. This helped me to
connect with the need to slow down, the
pleasantness of slowing down. Again, when
it came to mind in between thinking about
water and wind, etc., I would notice breath,
this week 8-10 breaths if I could.

The third week, I made the switch. I focused
on breath. And when the old feelings of
boring slowness would creep in, I would allow
myself to bring back my special friend, or
wind for a short time ... and then refocus
on breath.

So, the point is, I gradually transitioned
from many thoughts to thoughts that were more
akin to breath to fewer thoughts to breath and
by six weeks, I could sit for 20 minutes
noticing nothing but breath. That was three
years ago and now - 30 minutes 4-5 times/week
is my regular meditation regimen.

I really admire people who can make the
switch cold turkey, but I couldn't. And
rather than beat myself up over it, I chose
to do it differently, gradually.



Thanks to Kathy W for sharing with us her excellent
approach to learning to meditate.

Until next time,
Chet Day
Editor, EarthRain Meditations

http://meditation101.com

Maybe this is not exactly the method for you but it can give you a starting point or some new ideas for your own meditation, relaxation method.

Sometimes I simply turn on an old movie for relaxation .... usually puts me right to sleep ..... OK, some do not put me to sleep right away ... some I save scenes for painting references.

oil on canvas panel 8x10

Dreaming of Palm Springs

Sometimes we think we are doing little good in our lives.... but ....No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. -Aesop
There you have it ... any act of kindness you do today... no matter how small ... you have had a successful day........ does that include saving a bug?
On these winter days we can look out the window and dream of those warm times on the Southern California desert that other folks are enjoying...like the kid that went down to Palm Springs and lounged around the pool for a few days while the rest of us were up here freezing our asses off ... heh heh

oil on canvas panel 11x14

Winter Wonderland

We're having winter this week .... a winter wonderland ... it's so nice to look out the window at the gorgeous scenery and see the bird and rabbit tracks across the snow .... somehow I do not often get to actually see them dancing thru the new fallen snow... but the tracks are there :-)
Still remembering coming thru the storm yesterday.

Oil on canvas pad 9x12

1 Jan 2011

Greetings on 1 Jan 2011 ... my oh my how time do fly :-)
Hardly seems like a year could fly by so fast.... had a nice peaceful New Year's eve here... hope yours went well what ever you did.
The 10-day weather forcast said we would have some snow today.... they were right .... I thought it would be a light dusting like last week... heh heh ... a little more than a light dusting..... but it was beatiful, as usual.
Now they tell us that we may have snow for a few more days :-) ..... nice. ... and it is very cold out there so we won't have the quick melt off .... ok with me ... Jim came by and shovelled off the deck ... normally I wait for the sun to do the job. 
I did get out in the storm a little .... it's fun out in a storm ... that is as long as I get in before anything turns blue.
In a storm everything is grey of some sort... depends on what is reflecting. I spotted a pickup stopping at a stop sign .... this tells it like it was ... slick, tough going for anyone out there. This is a small knife sketch.... no brushes, just take a knife and smear the paint on the canvas.
You have a good year... think of all the good things that you made happen last year ... then plan some good things for this year...
Stay warm, dry and happy.

Oil on canvas pad 5x7 knife

End of the Calendar for 2010

Ok... today wraps up the calendar for 2010 ... pretty cool outside but the sun is shining and hopes are up :-)
Challenges can be stepping stones or stumbling blocks. It's just a matter of how you view them. -Unknown
Remember the good things of last year... look for the good things this year.
Best to you all.

Oil on canvas pad  5x7

Idealist

I'm an idealist. I don't know where I'm going but I'm on my way. -Carl Sandburg
Well said, Carl.
The harder you work, the luckier you get. -Gary Player .... hard to argue with that.

Oil on canvas pad 5x7

Roots

Nice rain last night ... cleaned up the area very well ..... today it's off to the Endodontist :-) ... fun. ... then a stop at the Portrait Society of Reno's weekly live model painting session... then to sign up at a new fitness center ...... sun is shinning already... it's going to be a good day.

Mid-day

Mid-day Friday... it's up to 40 out there and headed for 47 ... time to grab a bite to eat then on with other paintings in progress ... but I will be off to the fitness center in mid-afternoon .... who knows, the weather might turn bad again in a couple days like the weather prognosticator is dreaming up  :-)

oil on canvas panel  9x12

Weekly Gestures

The gesture painting continues. I want to do at least 100 of these... maybe by then I will catch on :-)
Yesterday's attempts were family .... always nice to have family around.

Oil on canvas panel 9x12

I yam doin' OK

I always feel like going out on these beautiful sunny days ... so I went to the fitness center ... ran and pumped a little iron .... felt real good afterwards. Vistied the Save-More on the way home and picked up a yam... I'll eat that one tomorrow.
Y-all have a good evnin' now, y'hear :-)

Ol' Ron

Still working on the gesture paintings in monochrome ... but got diverted today with internet work and mailing forms. Will get back on the brushes in a little while.
Smile .... what ever comes along.

Oil on canvas panel 8x10

Monochrome Studies

Monochrome studies are fun, interesting and helpful. They are supposed to be 30 -60 minute projects .... likeness is not the goal .... technique and learning the medium is the goal.

Oil on canvas panel  9x12

Jeremiah

Old pictures pop up occasionally. Great Grandfather Jeremiah.

Oil on canvas panel 9x12

A Sunny Day

At 8:15 am it was 21 degrees outside. Remembering long, long ago back east it was not nearly that cold but my nostrils would freeze as the artic air slipped in my nose turning the snot into multicolored ice formations
like an ancient cave filled with stalagtites and stalagmites. ... my eyebrows gathered cakes of wet snow until they sagged down my face nearly blocking all vision ... the tip on my nose so red Rudolph would have been proud and my fingers by that time would not move. I peered out the window again. The sun was bright and glistening off the new-fallen snow across the meadow and over the hills. It was totally frozen.
OK. I'm going for it. Layers and layers of what I figured would help keep me warm I bundled up. By now I look 100 pounds heavier but these are light weight garmets. Forcing my way out the ice-jammed storm door I carefully stepped across the sheet of ice that covered the deck.
 Hey! It wasn't really all that bad out there. In fact, it was very pleasant. No frozen nose. No blast of artic air paralysing my throat. I loved it. A short walk down the driveway and to the highway and back was wonderful. Can't always rely on old memories..... just get out and go for it today.

Heh heh ... Aric, you'll just have to deal with this  :-)

Oil on wood panel 9.5x10

Loving Winter

Offically Winter is not here yet... but you just tell that to the weather outside :-)
Yesterday it rained all day... a lot... and the wind blew somewhat briskly ... the weather man thought it would blow up to 70 mph ,,, but what does he know, really? ... it may have been up to 40 in gusts,,, heh heh ... and that's enough to get water in lots of cracks. I don't like to be wet and cold... just never seemed right to me ,,,, now warm souther rain, that's a different story... I like that. It's good to do things we do not especially like once in a while so yesterday, in the afternoon, I bundled up and took off in the pickup to the gym. Going to workout I like very much ... it's going out in the blowing, cold rain that takes extra effort ...... It wasn't long before I worked up a sweat and felt REAL good .... after a stop at Trader Joe's it was back to the cabin.
I was glad I did that for several reasons..... maily, it snowed during the night and today did not warm up much... the driveway is a sheet of ice... the windshield is fronzen over ... the highway is slicker 'n glass .... the internet is down taking the telephone with it ... I painted, watched a gesture portrait training DVD.... ate a hot lunch with a Winterfest brew while a movie played... then painted some more.
Not where I want to be yet but still working on it. No live model today,,, just photos. A week form Wednesday I want to start painting with live models with the Portrait Society of Reno222 got an invite several weeks ago.
Next Wednesday I meet a local Endodontist... now that should be great.... it must be fun being in a business where all your patients hate to come see you .... maybe the money compensates for the alienation.
Keep smilin' no matter what :-)

oil on canvas pad 9x12

Coconut

I love coconuts. Recently I found out that some folks don't call that liquid inside "coconut milk" ... they call that "coconut water" ... they feel coconut milk is made from the meat of the nut ... shred it - pout hot water over it - let it soak - drain it ... and then you have a nice white liquid called coconut milk. This coconut is from the grocery store.. none on the trees here. Shortly I will drain and drink the water then make some coconut milk.
Danny Kaye sang about Coconuts .... I've liked that song since I was a kid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c-D35DRPbY&feature=related
Some refer to that lump on top of your neck as a coconut
Some of us just like to eat the things

oil on canvas board 6x8

Dreaming

Yesterday it started snowing here... snowed all day and into the night... then sometime in early morning, I guess, it warmed up and began raining... most of the snow has melted ... all the while I remained indoors doing other things I enjoy more.
In Sept and Oct I went up to Hope Valley a couple times. In the inclimate weather I then look at the fotos and can dream about those please days of hiking and walking. One of those trips I cam upon some strange looking rocks next to the river.... so here is my interpretation.. think of the good times.

Oil on canvas board  9 x 12

Breakfast

Another cool day ... with the sun shining and a few fluffy clouds out there ... don't you just love these winter days?
Yesterday the rain froze and everything was covered with ice .... today, clear and cool .... so I'm inside enjoying easel time :-)

Oil on canvas board  6x8

These will be long gone by the time you get this  :-) Mmmmmmmm

Over the hill and down the road

Today, bright and early I rushed around getting my painting things ready to drive off to the weekly live-model painting sesson of the Portrait Society of Reno ... unfortunately yesterday it rained a lot here, then froze up very solid.... the wiper blades were frozen to the windows... the windows were covered with a thick layer of ice .... we can deal with this we think.... then... we find the doors are frozen shut... both sides ... time is running short and there is no way to get there even close to being on time. ... No meeting next week so we'll have to catch it later this month.
The sun is shining brightly... has been all morning .. so the ice should be gone after while :-)
I'm not going anywhere else today anyway so it matters not.

OK... so you saw my bananas painting before but I had to shoot this one .. I'm preparing to do more food still life paintings and saw the bananas all lined up there on the counter top with the old painting in the background ... interesting, eh?

Monday I painted and did a few other things around here before leaving for K's house. Had a great dinner there and spent the night so we could get up early Tuesday to head over the hill. Weather reports told us to expect rain and/or snow. We got both. Rain here in the valley and snow at higher elevations. As long as there are no problems, traveling trough a snow storm is  very exciting ... especially when we make the first tracks.

We did not make the first tracks here ... but close ... it was a light storm and we were right in the thick of it all.

We are much higher here and leading the way... slowly, very slowly.

On the return trip in mid-afternoon the snow was still falling. there was no one fishing the river in Hope Valley today.

Sorrenson's seems to always be busy .. even today in the middle of a snow storm their place is packed... good for them.

Finally heading out of the hills and down to the valley ... not long after this scene we left the snow, arrived in the valley with it's cows feeding in the pasture and hints of green grass here and there.

Great to be back ..... oh yes, and the dentist cleaned me up good and did a minor repair. I'd really like to keep as many teeth as possible until I'm 108 but sometimes I have to wonder about that.

Enjoy you're day.

One Man Show at the Blind Dog Coffee Cafe

3 Dec 2010 was our first 1-man show held at the Blind Dog Coffee Cafe. If you missed it we are sorry you were not there. We thought it was a huge success with over 50 family, friends and strangers attending. The Blind Dog Coffee Cafe is a fine, relaxing coffie shop run by Mark and Robbin Berry. Read more at http://www.recordcourier.com/article/20100917/COMMUNITY/100919903 and http://www.blinddogcoffee.com/zen/.
Although we were scheduled to run the show Fri from 4-8pm it was extended Sat 9 am to 1pm. Snacks were served and live music was provided by local entertainers.... and of course, the wonderful coffee, teas and home backed goods were available.

We had a painting from our plein air trip to the Carson River above the great fireplace.

Heidi, John and Ron sit around a table during lively conversation and snacks.

Support from family was greatly appreciated.

The music was greatly appreciated.

Kris showed up and helped us out of a bind in setting up ... nice going Kris.. and many thanks.

Customers and strangers attended ... there were even some kids there who found paintings they liked :-)

There were 3 racks of 3 panels each .... about 80 paintings and drawings ... oil, acrylics, water colors and pencil.

Mean while , business as usual at the Blind Dog Coffee Cafe.