Birth of a Painting Series IV: "Blue Iris".

Birth of a Painting Series IV: Blue Iris

The Life of Flowers

Article by Denise Hartley, artist and gardener, etc.

I have inherited my grandmother's love of flowers. Just moments after arriving for a visit, she would say, “Let’s go outside and see the garden". “Blue Iris” is a photo taken by my photographer son, Chris Gilbert, in that garden. His photo was the source of my painting. When we sold her home, the blue iris came home with me, recently planted in this tree stump.

Please view my page 'Healing Plants', a blog about my grandmother's garden, then my sons, and last, my beautiful garden at her home: Page on this site: https://friendnature.wordpress.com/healing-plants/

Flowers give me courage, the life of a flower is so ephemeral, the beauty of the flower quickly passes, and is soon replaced by another. My life is passing just as quickly, and I will soon be replaced by my children and grandchildren. I long to look at flowers (and grandchildren’s) beautiful faces.

In my little greenhouse I have a tray of tiny lavender plants, also snow peas, and a flat of chamomile. The flowers attract the butterflies, bees, and birds. My desk looks out over my garden. My dad was the gardener, with a large vegetable garden, and a pergola filled with red grapes. I am the new keeper of his garden. My garden here, although established, was a working man’s garden. I just finished planting his vegetable garden this winter, and I planted a peach tree, expecting blossoms and delicious peaches late spring.

I am off to paint a ceiling mural, sky and clouds, on my future grandchild’s nursery!

Many thanks for visiting this site!
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From the desk of Denise

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http://friendnature.wordpress.com

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Birth of a Painting Series III: Blocked.

“BLOCKED, an Art Exhibition”,
Fresno, CA, 2000.

As an artist, I paint when I am inspired. Everything flows; feeling great, working in the studio for hours, paints flow from my brush. The question is how to be an artist when the inspiration has disappeared, when you feel blocked from your inner self?

I began this series of paintings while I was blocked! My creative solution was to paint the limitation that I was feeling. I began just to paint actual BLOCKS, placed in restrictive grids, which eventually swirled into patterns.

The first painting this series is the painting “Eye of God”.

Using the contrasting shades of blue and orange created a boldness I had not expected. Somehow the ‘eye’ is not blocked, or it is not placed within the grid. The ‘eye’ expands to me the feeling of what is possible, or what is enduring within myself.

The painting “Self-Restraint”, painted in blues and greens which followed the cool color pallet,

using analogous colors. The lovely landscape is blocked by a large grid, and it is broken into drip-like smaller grids within the panes of a window. To me that exemplifies that there is beauty in the world, yet at the time I could not quite access it.

My favorite of the series is “Creation”. Warm colors are dominant, with a touch of cool blues and

greens. But everything in the painting is off kilter, the edges are leaning at odd angles. The blocks and the grids remain in the painting. The artist is still blocked, but she is stacking the blocks in a manner that creates tension in the artwork.

“She Broke”.

The dominant orange, the contrasting blue highlights, black drips, blobs, and pools, and yes, the first block began in this painting, on the upper mid-right of the canvas.

Paintings by Denise Hartley: "Creation", oil on canvas, 3'x4', 2000;
"Eye of God", oil on canvas, 3'x4', 2000;
"Self-Restraint", oil on canvas, 3'x4', 2000;
"She Broke", oil on canvas, 30"x 48", 1998.

I have created another video in the “Birth of a Painting Series”: BLOCKED.

Many thanks for your interest,

Denise Hartley

Birth of a Painting Series II: "She Broke", by artist Denise Hartley

She Broke...Painting By Denise Hartley

This is the second painting in the series: Birth of a Painting Series.
Artists love to create, and I am trying to dedicate my time to create a platform to showcase my art. Sadly, painting is so much more rewarding for me! This week I am washing each of my paintings, photographing them, and formatting the photos for different uses. Before this, then that, which means that I have to learn to use a 35mm camera, light balance, f stops, the list is endless. I was almost caught swearing the other day.
My son is helping me with #'s. I have started posting on Instagram:dahartley222, Twitter: DAHartley, my wordpress blog, Friend Nature (https://friendnature.wordpress.com). The learning curve makes my head spin. I would rather be out today under the blue sky digging in my garden!
My art focuses on spirituality, healing, self-expression, and nature themes. My collectors have noticed my healing theme, my paintings have been purchased by hospitals, nurses, and healing professionals, and those individuals that need healing.
I am currently inspired by artist, writer, and teacher, Lisa Congdon. Her book, ART, INC. is driving me on. (lisacongdon.com). She offers ideas on how to prepare a press kit, advertising on line, creating a marketing plan, just about everything you need to learn to promote your own art. Check out her website!
She Broke, is the first of a similar group of paintings from my BLOCKED art show in 2000. I will be posting the rest of the painting in the next several posts.
Well, back to work (where are the emoji's on Blogger?).
Denise

The painting, “She Broke” is dedicated to the “MeToo” movement and to all women.

Time Magazine’s Person of the Year is dedicated to #MeToo.

Time article by Bill Chappell,

“It has created a wave of awareness and brave confrontations over sexual harassment and assault, taking down powerful men in the process. And now the #MeToo movement has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year

for 2017.