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Painting-A-Day: April 30, 2015

4/30/2015

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12 x 12". Ready to hang!

I'm back in the blue. I couldn't help it. Tuesday's painting kept grabbing my attention. We could call it my Blue Period (of two days). And, it is just such a beautiful color. This blue reminds me of that sky blue that comes right as the sun is setting. So rich. It gives me such pleasure just to look at it.

This painting has SOLD!

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
It will take you right where you need to be to purchase the painting of your choice. Thanks!
$100.00 for this original painting, plus $15 shipping and handling.

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Painting-A-Day: April 29, 2015

4/29/2015

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Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12". Ready to hang!

This week I am experimenting with layering colors to create the sky's many personalities. Today I add rolling hills, the soft hills that remind me of my hometown in northeast Iowa and now my home in south central Minnesota. I do feel most at home among hills. In the spring, the rich greens soon replace the dark and dull browns uncovered by snow. I love the play of sky light upon the the hills creating violet shadows in its wake.

This painting has SOLD!

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
It will take you right where you need to be to purchase the painting of your choice. Thanks!
$100.00 for this original painting, plus $15 shipping and handling.

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Painting-A-Day: April 28, 2015

4/28/2015

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Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12 x 12". Ready to hang!

I am back in the studio after months of taking care of life stuff. I've heard of artists who operate in chunks of time, separating the business side of art with the creation of art. I can see where this would work well because the artist can then totally immerse herself in the creative experience. It is sometime difficult to come in and out of the presence of mind needed to create a piece of art. This first quarter of the year, I have had multiple speaking engagements, juried art shows, writing grants, Pinot & Paint classes, and readying our house to put on the market. After nineteen years in this house, we will be moving sometime this summer most likely. It has been a stunning amount of work to sort through thirty-some years of accumulation. It does give one pause.

We showed our house to a young couple on Saturday, working furiously to show them the best viewing of our home. Exhausting. I tell my children and any other young people within shouting distance...do not accumulate stuff! It is a burden that clouds your mind. You then spend your precious time maintaining and cleaning up your stuff. The contrast of how I feel without clutter, keeping things as simple as possible, with how it was Pre-Purge is stunning. It feels so good to have less. My studio is clean and spacious (see below)...my mind is clear and ready to create. I am so ready to dive into a regular routine of painting again! The painting above is not for sale; it is a gift for some dear friends. But stay tuned. This week I am exploring the sky and its many personalities. Feels good to be back!

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Painting-A-Day: April 20, 2015

4/20/2015

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"Study for Improvisation V" by Vassily Kandinsky

I've had a weekend full of art. Very different art experiences. Saturday I attended a Juried Art Show reception at Trinity at River Ridge in Eagan, a show in which I had two paintings. This first annual event included guest speaker Gregory Wolfe, founder and editor of Image, a journal on Art, Faith & Mystery. It is interesting to be part of the many voices of those who wrestle with what faith means and to the interplay of faith and art. We all come at it differently, each with our own story, our own experiences. The next day I grabbed an hour at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, asking where the Abstract Expressionists reside. I found a few favorites, but of all of them, Kandinsky speaks to me most deeply. In this painting, the vibrant color and simple shapes allude to portions of Revelation, a book full of colorful, powerful images. I topped off the day with a Bach Oratory directed by New Ulm native son, Matthew Olson. Bach's creations are full of minor and major notes, pointing to the suffering and wounds of life, moving to chords of hope and promise. I was bathed in the beauty of human voice and musical instruments woven together, pointing to what it means to be human and human in relationship with God. All of these disparate art events strengthen my inclination that the arts are a voice that speak to the mystery of what it means to be human in a way that goes beyond language. The combination of word, visual art and music is especially powerful. This weekend affirmed my inclination to lean into visual interpretation of music, especially choral music. I am looking forward to where it takes me.

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Painting-A-Day: April 13, 2015

4/13/2015

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Date night @ Pinot & Paint Class March 2015!

Before...Cheers!

...and after! Woohoo!

My main squeeze takes a stab at it!

Lovin' the individuality of color choice, lines & shape!

Mother & daughter having a night of fun!

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Painting-A-Day: April 9, 2015

4/9/2015

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Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12". Ready to hang!

A common motif used in abstract non-objective paintings is the cruciform or cross shape. I often end up using this motif for a couple of reasons. It lends itself well to the square 12x12" surface and I am drawn toward it because of my faith. I wrestle with the cross sometimes. It was an instrument of extreme torture. Hideous business, as is all torture. The further we are from it as years pass by, the more diluted our reaction to the reality of what happened 2000 years ago. Not just to Jesus of Nazareth, but to countless thousands of other human beings, before and after. I have experienced extreme sustained physical pain, and so I also am drawn to this motif and what it represents. It begs the question, why do we suffer? And, more importantly, why do we cause suffering? These are the things that cross my mind as I paint, naming the suffering that exists and leaning into hope.

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
It will take you right where you need to be to purchase the painting of your choice. Thanks!
$100.00 for this original painting, plus $15 shipping and handling.

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Painting-A-Day: April 8, 2015

4/8/2015

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Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12". Ready to hang!

Here is another painting on the theme of wind in the trees. I had promised a week ago to post this a day after the previous "Wind in Trees" and I got waylaid by furniture doing the Do-Si-Do while carpet was being laid in the back two bedrooms. We've waited for that for many years as we waded through college payments over the last 10 years. Yay! Moving furniture , though, from room to room and back again makes me feel a bit like I've been buffeted by a mighty wind. The good news is that it forces one to sort, purge, and re-cycle. We are gaining on that desire to simplify. It's amazing what de-cluttering can do for one's sense of well-being. I keep urging my kids not to fall into the trap of accumulating stuff, and usually unnecessary stuff. It really does weigh you down. I am ready for an uplifting experience. Let the wind have its way.

This painting is available. It includes rich violet, teal, orange, cream and black.
THIS PAINTING HAS SOLD!

If interested in purchasing, hit the Painting-A-Day Purchase tab and then hit the Etsy widget.
It will take you right where you need to be to purchase the painting of your choice. Thanks!
$100.00 for this original painting, plus $15 shipping and handling.

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Painting-A-Day: April 1, 2015

4/1/2015

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Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12 x 12". Ready to hang!

Today's painting is called "Wind Through Trees" and was an exercise in simplifying real objects down to their most basic forms. The interaction of the oval lines suggesting foliage/leaves gives the feeling of wind blowing through...which actually is in abundance here in Minnesota today. I am in love with the colors in this painting and am especially fond of how it turned out. Once in a while, I just have to keep one. This is one of those days. Tomorrow I will post another version of this motif.

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Painting-A-Day: April 30, 2015

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12 x 12". Ready to hang!

Painting-A-Day: April 29, 2015

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12". Ready to hang!

Painting-A-Day: April 28, 2015

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12 x 12". Ready to hang!

Painting-A-Day: April 20, 2015

"Study for Improvisation V" by Vassily Kandinsky

Painting-A-Day: April 13, 2015

Date night @ Pinot & Paint Class March 2015!

Before...Cheers!

...and after! Woohoo!

My main squeeze takes a stab at it!

Lovin' the individuality of color choice, lines & shape!

Mother & daughter having a night of fun!

Painting-A-Day: April 9, 2015

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12". Ready to hang!

Painting-A-Day: April 8, 2015

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12x12". Ready to hang!

Painting-A-Day: April 1, 2015

Acrylic on Archival Gessobord with 3/4" Birch Sides, 12 x 12". Ready to hang!

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Robyn Sand Anderson

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