July 2020

Another month has passed. Protests in Atlanta have died down, and the tension in the air has been replaced with heat and humidity. We are in the dog days of another sweltering Atlanta summer. I’m grateful for air conditioning, delicious fruits and vegetables and in the midst of all the chaos and confusion, my cousin and his wife had a baby girl on July 4th. 🇺🇸 

I’ve been walking in Piedmont Park almost every day and listening to podcasts. “Wind of Change” was highly entertaining, as was “Dead Eyes.” I’ve been going to Trader Joe’s and picking up fresh flowers for painting. Seeing all of the beautiful blooms is a bright spot in our house. I’ve been taking a free poetry course on Coursera - challenging but fun. And I’ve been reading a lot. Today I finished “Atomic Habits.” 

We visited the High Museum, my first visit back since March 9th. It was so nice to see old friends. I’ve missed the guards, and they’ve missed the docents.

Two of my paintings were accepted into the National Juried Arts Show, and two of my drawings were accepted into Atlanta Artist Center’s “Back to the Drawing Board” exhibition. Photos below.

John Lewis died. I listened to the service while finishing the bowl of cherries painting above. I loved hearing the former presidents speak about my Congressman and all he did for so many. Good trouble.

We bought one of Karen Appleton’s “mini” paintings, and I’m so excited. I cannot wait to pick it up. 

I heard someone say that it’s not easy to create in the middle of chaos like this. It’s true. It’s not easy, but painting or drawing helps me leave the planet for a little while. Even if the results are less than ideal, it’s helping me get through these bizarre times.

Here are photos of what I painted/drew and some bonus footage of Otis and Julius.

I haven’t painted a lot of abstracts lately, but here’s one I worked on over the July 4th weekend.

I’m still working on this one - 12h x 16w - oil on panel

These two paintings (one above, one below) were accepted into the National Juried Arts Show in Douglasville, which opens in September. 

Still have a ways to go on this one (above and below)

Really close to wrapping this one up - 20h x 16w - oil on canvas

Long ways to go on both of these (above/below)

I experimented with some water soluble graphite abstract works on paper.

 

Here are my two drawings that were accepted into AAC’s Back to the Drawing Board exhibition:

I’m pleased to have made the cut with figurative work. I want to be a well rounded artist, capable of competing in a variety of categories. More than just an abstract painter :)

I continue to participate in the Royal Academy Daily Doodle challenge on Twitter, and I was really happy with the way my Blue Jay doodle turned out (created in Procreate). I decided to try and do the same drawing in pastels. I’ve never worked in pastels, and since I’m in a phase of challenging myself, I gave it a go. I ordered some pastel pencils so that I can go back into this drawing and fine tune a few areas, but overall, I think it turned out great.

That’s all of the art for this month. I’ve added a few more photos below of my furry and feathered friends.

So many ducks and geese in Piedmont Park this summer! And lots of babies.

JuJu

JuJu

My boys turn 8 in August

We moved this table near our fireplace, and JuJu now has a platform so he can level up.

He’s a big fan of the new set up.

Otis 

What’s on tap for August? Throw away your magic eight balls. If we’ve learned anything this year it’s this — anything can happen and life can change in the blink of an eye. 92 days until the election.