Heading For The Barn

It was a dark and stormy night. Well, it was dark and it was raining.

We had been wine tasting down in the Willamette Valley on a cool autumn day, our teeth stained gray by the luscious pinot noir we'd tried. After a prudent break in the action, and a meal to fill our stomachs, we headed back north to Portland. I sat in the back seat.

The best place for me is always in the back given my penchant for dramatic air-driving to assist the actual driver from steering us into certain death. From there I can mutter exclamations, grit my teeth and hold tightly onto myself in phobic peace. On this drive there was little to see. It was pitch black even on the major highways as we hurled home.

Dark Driving © Lissa Banks 2019

When I was at camp--a horsy kind of place, just right for this little tomboy--we rode trail horses of all colors and sizes. And also of personality. First year campers were given the older, more experienced horses who were slow to rile and, well, just all over slow...with one exception.

At some point in the ride they knew, having traipsed these trails much of their lives, that home was nigh. So with the scent of the barn in their nostrils they perked up their ears and picked up their pace. We were warned to not let our chargers break into a trot, let alone a gallop, lest we newbies loose control. So we plodded on. How we all longed to let them go for it and make like Annie Oakley along with them.

Gone are those days for me. I'm sure that when we parked the car and dashed inside, I didn't even think twice about the intense fear I had experienced just moments before.  As annoying as my fear of being a passenger is to my fellow travelers, and I know this because they tell me, I long for those days of casting caution to the wind and spurring on the steed, wind in my hair and rain on my cheeks.

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Positively

I can count on my left hand the number of times I can remember her throwing a fit. Her mother will likely disagree. But I find this child one of the most positive people I've ever known...granted, I've only known her a little over two years, her being two years old after all.

Charlotte © Lissa Banks 2018

She's a bit of an old soul in that body. I suspect she is reincarnated from someone who in some way was denied the life they wanted and has been born into this one determined to relish each and every moment...the good and the bad.

While visiting her the other day we sat on the floor of the sunroom, the rug strewn with crayons and markers; boxes and paper marked with abstract figures (her specialty) embellished with a constellation of stickers. She proudly showed me another of her masterpieces, this done with pink pen on the white painted furniture. I tried my best to give her a disapproving scowl but I was powerless against her twinkle and her smile.

One day she may become a surly teenager or a busy woman, too busy for her old Grandma. But at least I'll have this memory of her, radiant, victorious over chastisement. Positively perfect.

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In Praise of Pretty

What's not to love about lovely? Why not want to surround yourself with beautiful things?

A while ago an influential individual in the local art scene remarked to me about an artist we both know. He said that their work, up to fairly recently, had been among the sort of "pretty pictures" that he often sees across his desk, but that recently the artist had "upped their game" to a new level. While I agreed that the artist had indeed matured in their medium, I was left with a sour taste in my mouth as I walked away from the conversation. What's wrong with pretty?

Death of Marat by Jean Louie David

Yes, there's a morbid beauty in David's Death of Marat, along with a healthy dose of political  commentary. And there is no doubt in the emotional impact Edvard Munch brought to the canvas with The Scream, especially now. I feel that way when I turn on the news these days.

The Scream by Edvard Munch

There are countless other noteworthy examples: Picasso's screaming bulls' indictment of war in his awe inspiring La Guernica, Michelangelo's pathos laden Pieta and just about anything by Francis
Bacon or Heronimous Bosch. All beautiful in their power and ability to elicit strong emotion.

But sometimes, actually most times, I prefer to surround myself with things that please me like a vase of dahlias or a bowl full of tomatoes or a cat purring on my lap. I thrill to the mastery of John Singer Sargent's palette.

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent

Or the meditative calm of Mark Rothko's intimate yet monumental canvases.

Blue Green and Brown by Mark Rothko

And I am calmed by the serenity of Jan Vermeer's interiors. I have not visited the Met if I haven't spent a few minutes in front of this painting.

Young Woman With a Water Pitcher by Johannes Vermeer

So please forgive my flowers, my happy children and the cloud filled skies of my landscapes. I rather like pretty.

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Tulip Field Fantasy

Before all things went to hell in a hand basket there was this moment when I managed to get one of the boys to stand still long enough for a quick snapshot before he ran off with his brother to wreck destruction on a good number of tulips. I'm certain, given the number of children at the tulip picking field, the farmers factor this into their overhead but their mother wasn't too happy with their behavior.  Being a grandmother I get to shine these kinds of things on somewhat, though I helped with the roundup and parceled out my share of hairy eyeballs to the miscreants.

Tulip Field Fantasy © Lissa Banks 2018

William loves all things nature. He will caress a newfound earthworm friend, gorges on kale straight from my vegetable garden and giggles with delight at kittens and puppies, newborn lambs and strutting chickens. And of course, there was that night we were all eating lobster that created for him his first existential crisis. So although he hardly stood still long enough to have noticed a single monarch that day, I imagined him surrounded by them in that moment of innocence...before the downfall.

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The Joys of Grandparenthood

Being a parent is an awesome task. I remember days, and nights, that I thought it might just kill me. And others when I knew my children saved my life, and sanity.

Surviving my children's childhoods, teenage years, putting them through college and the mute witnessing of their coming into adulthood was both painful and a privilege. A privilege I wouldn't trade for all the riches in the world. We parents are masochists like that.

But the single best perk of having made it through thus far has been being a grandmother.

Joy © Lissa Banks 2018

Experiencing the growing up of little persons without midnight feedings, crushing exhaustion, bee stings, cranky teachers, sullen teenagers and broken hearts lends one a perspective on their development I seem to have forgotten, or maybe I was too busy trying to juggle it all to notice, when my children were little.

I've seen my grandchildren take tentative not quite first steps, try to figure out where to put their tongues in their mouths to say "hello" and I've been the grateful recipient of countless hugs, snuggles and sloppy kisses. Pure joy. And to watch those little ones laugh themselves silly over absolutely nothing brings me to my knees. I adore these little varmints with every inch of my being. They are worth every ding in my baseboards, every broken glass, every lost moment I spend with them. Even without the laughter, they are pure joy.

I invite you to visit my website where you can sign up to receive now and again emails that will keep you up to date with where I’m showing, when I post these musings, and when I am offering special sales and promotions! My site is secure and I PROMISE never to sell your information.

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A Ridiculously Long Time

People often ask how long it takes me to complete a painting. Not having a ready answer I decided to do a little digging and find that I'm astounded at the range. Depending on the size and complexity of the work I've completed paintings in as little as less than three hours to what amounts to as long as 16 eight-hour days of work. Since I average about two and a half hours per sitting, that would mean nearly two months soup to nuts!

All this calculating confirms what I already know, I'm slow.

I just finished a seemingly simple, albeit large (24" x 48"), painting that has taken me now more than three years to finish! I worked on it back in 2015 for a little over a month. I liked it, didn't love it. It just didn't sing, and so it sat propped up on a table in my studio, a nagging reminder of the zing of inspiration and the fizzle of stagnation. 

Clark © Lissa Banks 2018

Twenty-five paintings have intervened. Last week I had enough of looking at my failure and dug back in with abandon. Not sure it was the skills honed from those past few paintings and the increasingly ease I've found in a looser style but I set upon the painting with a devil may care attitude.

The result (after a few short hours of work) is definitely a departure from my recent paintings but I love the freshness. That's what I loved about the image to begin with and I think I've achieved it here.

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SaveSave

What I Wanted

Looking back over the past few years worth of work it makes total sense why I was feeling a bit burned out. Flowers followed by fruit, followed by flowers, flowers and more flowers and then some fruit. I tend to be a creature of habit so I've learned to mix things up now and then...take a new way home, cook some fiddlehead ferns for dinner, move across the country. You know, easy stuff.

All He Wants © Lissa Banks 2018

We were sitting in his living room enjoying a cocktail. The light was just right and he was framed by those huge windows and beautiful woodwork. I snapped the shot then quipped that it would make a good painting, because, it would! At this point I had zero interest in attempting portraiture again but he started nudging me to do it. I resisted and resisted until I didn't.

I thought I was going to transition to landscape for a while but I'd accumulated a whole slew of photos of people, mostly of the young variety, what being a grandmother armed with an iPhone and all. But still, I felt a bit tentative since it'd been a while since I took on someone's likeness. I find children's faces somewhat daunting so I decided to plunge ahead with an adult face, this one of the noodge in chief.

It went well from the start and I found myself in a state of greater freedom to experiment. In this case I kept the figure fairly tight but loosed up on the background elements. It was exhilarating and inspiring.

Maybe it's because the face did go so smoothly and the likeness really was quite good that I am now emboldened to move on to more people and maybe more people and maybe some people and flowers or people in landscape or people and flowers in landscape or just people in flowers. Voila! I have dug myself out of my rut and I'm excited about a new project. Some more people.

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Two-fer

It's been a crazy month or so. Rushing around to get myself off for a much anticipated two-week plus vacation left me leaning on my son to pick up and deliver some artwork from and to exhibitions (thank you sweetie). Suffering from a terrible case of jet lag on the return trip I managed to drag myself to a reception at Hopkinton Center for the Arts' Arts in Bloom show, one of my favorites.

Still in something of a brain fog I arrived late only barely registering that my two entries hung near the front door, one of which (Redemption) had a compact yet evocative arrangement in front of it. After four years of participating in the show, I knew that my work had been acknowledged but since I won first place the year before, I assumed lightening simply couldn't strike twice. I headed to the bar for a glass of wine.

Redemption © Lissa Banks 2017

Since I'd arrived late I moseyed around the place to see if I knew anyone or any of the artists whose work hung on the walls. There were beautiful pieces, one of which, had a fabulous arrangement in front of it. After noting the use of tree bark, I turned and complimented the artist on her win. She had no idea the arrangement meant she'd won a prize so was thrilled. I moved on and ran into a friend who congratulated me on my sale. Sale?!? I hadn't even looked at my work. Hooray!

Grace © Lissa Banks 2017

At about halfway around the room the director hit the mic and began announcing the winners. The woman I congratulated earlier received an honorable mention, then a second was announced and a third. I was surprised, for some reason I thought my humble offering would have been in that group. Must be a third place. Nope, not me. Nor second. I was astonished to hear my name called as having won first prize for the second year in a row! I was totally blown away. Having received my prize and some congrats from friends and fellow artists I took a look at my paintings, the winner and the arrangement that complimented it and the other (Grace), complimented by the little red dot meaning it had been sold.

Hopkinton Center for the Arts - Arts in Bloom 2018

I've on cloud nine ever since, my jet lag banished and my energy high to get back into the studio and paint away.

May 20, 2018 UPDATE: A couple of days ago I received more excellent news. Seems that Redemption also sold! So really, this post should be named "Three-Fer"!

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Everything's Relative

Here are the ten phases of painting, at least in my book:

• Enthusiasm - Defined as the stage when I have selected an image and can just picture it in my head how it will turn out. I can't wait to start the new project and tend to dive in head first, almost before cleaning my last pallet.

• Optimism - The drawings look good and I've got it transferred to the canvas and have blocked in the color. Everything is going swimmingly and I lose myself in the project. 

• Fear - Suddenly something looks off. The more I try to resolve the issue the worse it seems to get.

• Avoidance - Every time I walk past my studio I wince in pain at the...

• Loss - Of all of my previous enthusiasm and optimism. I find excuses not to paint. This is when a good deal of housework gets done. Even brass gets polished.

• Resolve - Gritting my teeth I convince myself I can fix this and move ahead.

• Despair - Prior fears get the best of me and I start doubting the whole thing.

• Distance - I start looking at it from 20 feet away and, hmmm, it doesn't look half bad. I check it out in the morning as I head down for my coffee and again at night before I go to bed and I start thinking things might be okay.

• Renewal - I take a "to hell with it" attitude and forge ahead. Inevitably the background gets finished and things begin to look good. I add highlights and deepen shadows and I squeak through to...

• Ta da! It all falls into place and I come to love the thing that a few days ago was a hopeless mess. 

Relativity © Lissa Banks 2018

Such is the life cycle of a painting. I named this one Relativity because time seemed to have stood still during its completion. If I hadn't been tracking my hours at the easel I would have sworn it took me weeks and weeks to finish. It didn't...it was a relatively quick finish. The pain and agony are forgotten and I start thinking, mmm, maybe I should start painting people again.

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Mocking

The fourth in my most recent series of tulip portraits is a departure from the up close and personal nature of its predecessors. It's both simpler and more complex.

I was drawn to the photo for the sinuous nature of the leaves and stem and to the strength of the blossom...so perfect, so proud. And I loved the messy cacophony of the shadows cast by the five-arm chandelier that lit the subject. The flower came together quickly, the shadows less so. As I wrestled with the layers of tint and shade I came to wonder if it would ever fall together. And I wondered if it would ever speak to me beyond the difficulty it was presenting.

Mocking - Chandelier Jealousy © Lissa Banks 2018

It wasn't until it was complete that I saw it for what it was. Those shadows were jealous of the bloom. Hard as they may try to compete, they were but a reflection of the curious perfection that nature always manages to achieve in her infinite variety. They mock the flower but they mock themselves in the process.

I can't help but think about the current state of our humanity. We seem to have forgotten that we are all imperfectly created out of the same oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. We love our children and breathe the same air. We all eat, sleep, yearn, cry, fear, want, laugh and triumph in the same way. And yet, whether it's scrawled on city buildings or plastered on billboards or shared on Twitter, we berate each other and treat each other as if they are not us. We seem oblivious to the fact that as we mock others we, in turn, mock ourselves. How silly, really, it is. Silly if we were only shadows on a wall.

I invite you to visit my website where you can now sign up to receive very infrequent emails that will keep you up to date with where I’m showing, when I post these musings, and when I am offering special sales and promotions! My site is secure and I PROMISE never to sell your information.

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Getting Brave

I don’t make New Year resolutions but I do try to set annual goals that sometimes take on an aspirational tone. This year’s theme leaned towards being brave and to be vulnerable. I certainly bit off a huge chunk to chew early on. You see, I took the plunge and mounted a solo exhibition.

Believe it or not I’m a quasi-government official, on a strictly volunteer basis…I’m an advocate for the arts here in my little town. I sit on a council whose charge is to distribute state money earmarked for arts and culture via a grant process. We also solicit shows that run in our local library.

When there was a rather large gap in our exhibition calendar I offered to put my paintings up for a month or two. The trick was that I had to pull it all together in a week. YIKES! This was my first time around this block and knew it would all be on me…the hanging, the labels, the whole enchilada. Double YIKES!

Solo show - Norfolk Library 2018

Lucky for me most of my pieces were framed and was able to expedite frames for the ones that weren’t. And I had a son nearby who was willing to help me schlep and hang the show. I pounded out an artist statement and tried to create a rationale for the pieces I selected. It was hard, but an excellent exercise.

Solo show - Norfolk Library 2018

An enthusiastic visitor

I wanted the whole thing to be cohesive but interesting and accessible. I didn’t try to impress anybody because, quite frankly, I didn’t want to come off sounding stupid or highfalutin.  I wouldn’t know for sure how many people wandered through to see my work, I just prayed that someone came to the reception!  Between the flu and the weather the turnout was small but hearty. My biggest fan by far was also my smallest.

When I first started showing my work I was a wreck having avoided it like the plague for so long prior. I’d rationalized that my work was for my own pleasure and not others which allowed me to avoid criticism. So when I finally did show, to my everlasting surprise and pleasure, I found people to be kind at the very worst and encouraging, even enthusiastic, at best. 

I have found a wonderful community of artists who each have sat in an empty space hoping for others to join them for a glass of wine, a bit of comradery and appreciation of the work. 

And I have found great reward in opening up myself, being vulnerable and being brave.

I invite you to visit my website where you can now sign up to receive very infrequent emails that will keep you up to date with where I’m showing, when I post these musings, and when I am offering special sales and promotions! My site is secure and I PROMISE never to sell your information.

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I Do(odle) Now

Sillium © Lissa Banks 2018

I can’t really help it. I need to do something with my hands. So when I’m in a meeting or relaxing in front of the TV and there happens to be paper and a pen or pencil in the near vicinity I inevitably will start drawing. Nothing in particular, though I’m prone to suns and moons and lips.

Circus © Lissa Banks 2018

This past December I decided to start putting this nervous habit to good use. Initially using just pencil, I started concocting crazy images filled with disparate patterns and aimed for nothing really, just a bunch of stuff on a page filling in the spaces of random outlines. The results were quite interesting.

Self Contained © Lissa Banks 2018

Some took on anthropomorphic meanings. Some looked playful, some ominous. Soon I added color and a new line of expression for me was born.

Jelly Garden © Lissa Banks 2018

I’ve haven’t worked in any kind of abstract form for many, many years but I’m finding this a welcome counterpoint to my exacting realism. What fun it is to draw snakelike forms emerging out of and through holes in the universe. And I can indulge my instinct to grab for the brightest green and the most saturated turquoise! It’s fun and freeing.

Nautilus © Lissa Banks 2018

I’ve taken a leap of faith and included them in a submission to a local art center’s members’ exhibition this winter. When I dropped them off one of the director’s remarked. “I didn’t know you did these!”

I replied,” I didn’t either!” And now I do.

NEW!  I invite you to visit my website where you can now sign up to receive very infrequent emails that will keep you up to date with where I’m showing, when I post these musings, and when I am offering special sales and promotions! My site is secure and I PROMISE never to sell your information.

  For more about my work follow me on Facebook or visit my website Lissa Banks Paintings to learn how to purchase an original. You can purchase prints for sale at  FineArtAmerica.com.