J.R. Secor, Painter of Southwest Visions: August 2021

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

August

New Mexico Colors

9" by 12"

Heavy Watercolor Paper

Hi Everyone!

Well, Labor Day is upon us. I have to say that I am very tired of COVID still being an issue, and it's weighing me down! It's not like I want to go out and party, but I would like to be able to go out to breakfast!

I painted a lot in August, but I think I have to start to slow down because my Parkinson's seems to be progressing. I tire very easily now when painting, but the worst part is that my concentration is not as good as it was. Each painting becomes a longer journey than the last, requiring more concentration, and it's the concentration that makes me tired, not the physical effort.

I am lucky though, that my hands do not shake much. I paint with my right hand and my thumb twitches and sometimes the hand shakes, but never when I am painting! I think that has to be because painting is a happy thing for me, and that affects my neurological system. It's like when I do what makes me happy, my body forgets to be sick!

So it's a Catch-22, kind of, because painting makes me happy, but it also makes me tired! So, I'll be cutting down to 2 painting days a week from 5, and we'll see how that goes. In the meantime, I continue trying new techniques, and am back to using the palette knife. I watch several artists who have good videos on YouTube - I could watch them paint all day!

That brings to mind the question, "What is an artist?" I found this quote that sums it up nicely:

Below are some of my August paintings. As ever, thanks for stopping by. I'm still in the mode of "If you see something you like, make me an offer," as far as pricing and selling goes. You can email me or contact Melissa through Facebook.

Take care, my friends. Stay safe and enjoy life.

JR Secor

Between the Rocks

12" by 12"

Linen Canvas Pane;

Distant Mangrove

10" by 20" Gallery-wrapped Canvas

Summer Waves

12" by 16"

Linen Canvas Panel

Sunset Waves

12" by 12"

Linen Canvas Panel

Toward the Canyon

12" by 16"

Heavy Watercolor Paper

High Country Autumn

10" by 10"

Linen Canvas Panel

New Mexico Gray Skies

12" by 16"

Heavy Watercolor Paper

Monday, August 2, 2021

July

Pasture

10" by 20" on heavy linen paper

As August begins, I realized that although we've pretty much been confined to the house for the past 16 or so months, the time has gone by fairly quickly. The thing that I miss most is going out to breakfast! We had a ritual of going to breakfast after seeing my chiropractor down in Fort Myers - there's a great place right on the road that takes us there. I am finally going back to see him again, and thought I might be ready to try a breakfast out - being fully vaccinated and things looking up, but I chickened out! And now we've got another go 'round with the Delta variant, so I guess it will be a while longer. I've been saying to Melissa all along, "We'll go out to eat again sometime in 2022!" Sorry to say, it looks like I was right!

This is a photo Melissa took at the cafe...well...a long time ago now. It doesn't tell you much about the place, but it's a cool photo. You'll have to take my word for it that the food is good.

Red Umbrellas at the McGregor Cafe

It's good to be seeing the Doc again, because he adjusts my cervical spine to line everything up so the messages from the brain can get through to the body. When I'm "out," my mind does not work so well, and neither do my feet!

On to the update about my July painting efforts!

I painted quite a lot in July and was again trying something new. I wanted to loosen things up even more, and like using a "dry brush" technique. This gives the work a mellowed appearance.

Usually, acrylic paint is applied using a dampened brush, but the dry brush (as you may have guessed!) means you don't use any water! The paint is applied straight from the tube, thinly and quickly, with a kind of staccato motion. For someone with Parkinson's that's kind of helpful! I've also returned to doing more work with the palette knife, which I love.

Sometimes I get discouraged because I look around and see how many paintings I have hanging and stored in my studio. Then I saw an article about a well-known artist in one of my art magazines, and he had hundreds of paintings, framed and unsold, on his wall, and hundreds more stored. So I felt a little better...just a little!

We're at the point where we need to winnow down the collection again, so if you see a painting here that you like, just make an offer! Don't worry about insulting me, I'd rather have a good piece find a home for a modest sum than get stored away - or thrown away!

Let's just say the minimum offer on anything you see here should be $40 - so throw something out there, and let's see if we can't find homes for some of these. If you aren't local to us, you will have to pay shipping, so we can figure that out. Email me or ask Melissa via Facebook. Paintings on linen canvas panel can be displayed on easels, which saves on framing. Or frame them! If you buy one, do whatever you want with it!

Okay, here's what happened in July!! Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.