Entering Eden

Saw this Georgia O'Keefe painting when I was a student in the 80s. It's simplicity puzzled me then. Since then, I've often seen skies that brought the painting back to mind. It's has grown to intrigue me now.




So I looked around at cloudy skies...

 

 and giggled as I thought about the possibilities.









Here's the digital rough.















And the pencil drawing.

 The painting partly done.

Clouds in the sky include kitties, dog (or sheep, depending on how you look at it), banana, butterfly, angel, whale (very like), beer bottle.


Was a fun painting to create. Welcome to the bicyclers' Eden: flat road, no wind, far views. (Is this at apple I see before me?)

Double Reverie

As you've noticed, I've been enjoying a divergence into painting fantastical bicycle scenes. I miss including words (I AM primarily a calligrapher and graphic artist after all). To make up for the lack of type and letters I'm enjoying using images as symbols. And as far as bicycles go, tandems are full of meaning.

"My husband, Kent, and I ride an orange tandem," Holly emails, (Holly, the biking, California cousin of my bike buddy Sue.) I start a thumbnail.

Then I rethink the thumbnail: she's a CALIFORNIA girl. Time to get the Wisconsin out. Change to California poppies (symbol of loyalty) and Joshua trees. I send a sketch and promise Holly and Kent that I'd paint shorts on the butterfly girl. Kent's input, "Bike shorts are optional!" I think: "shorts optional" must be a west coast thing. Jim, my husband, thinks: why shorts? why shirt?

I start painting, keeping colors light and sunshiny. TWO suns, two hearts, two trees - tandem, get it? Jim says, "Why is there only one person?" I don't have an answer for this one either.

Notice how butterfly-girl has only one arm at this point? Don't worry, she's get a second arm.

Orangy, double-sunny. Just some fine-tuning on the horizon line, amongst the flowers, and on the bike chain. Also adding a morning star for aspiration and cows -- Jim's ideas.                 

Include a few Holsteins as a bond between Wisconsin and California. I like learning that cows can represent power, earth, and rain, all important elements to a biker.

Jim suggests the title "Double Reverie." And it's finished.