I'm a little late posting my March blog because we had this stretch of really perfect weather toward the end of the month, and Melissa and I enjoyed just being out on our lanai and watching all the spring wildlife activity. Now we've got a stretch of humid and warmer-than-normal weather, but there's another cold front coming - probably the last of the season, so we'll enjoy that. Pretty soon it will be hot and humid here, so all of you who are sick of your cold winters now will have your turn to gloat.
Here I am enjoying some sunshine and relaxation on one of those perfect days.
The thing that's weighing heaviest on all our minds now, is of course, the stupid, cruel, pointless invasion of Ukraine by Putin. Just as we were all feeling a glimmer of hope that the pandemic was winding down, after two years of isolation and death...this egomaniac does this terrible thing. What a waste of life, living, time, money...everything. The only positive is how united we all are against him and this obscene act of murder and violence and mayhem. Why can one person hold so much power and sway over all of us here on earth?
In my sadness, I painted this piece showing a field of sunflowers, which we all know by now is Ukraine's national flower. I hoped to capture their simple beauty- the way life should be, but also the weight of sadness they feel. This was done with the gray sky, and the slightly drooped posture of the stalks. The painting is called Peace for Ukraine. It has found a home with a friend who is of Ukrainian descent.
Sunflowers for Ukraine
Here are some other paintings I did in March. I've been working a lot on these new canvas boards from Soho, the folks who make the great paints I use now. They're a nice size, and I love working on them. I really just painted scenes that called to me, not particularly focused on exploring any new techniques. But already in April I've been playing around with something new, which I will share in my April post at the end of the month!
As always, thanks for coming by. Enjoy the art, and be kind to each other.
JR
Sentinel
Cerrito Blanco, Abiquiu, NM
Lone Mesa
Crashing Waves
Sand Dune Shadows
Winter Beach, Cornwall, England
