International Cheetah Day ~ Painting and Drawing My Favorite Animal

Detail from Kilimanjaro 1989

Oil on wood panel, 2018

International Cheetah Day

December 4th

I think I started trying to draw cheetahs by the time I was in Ms. Skeehan's class in 1st grade. At some point in grammar school I did a report on cheetahs and bush babies got bumped from my number 1 spot of favorite animals. When I found out, as a little girl, that cheetahs don't attack humans I of course wanted a pet cheetah. The problem is that many people feel the same way and never grew out of it. 

Here's a little ink sketch I made in high school, in 1986.

These beautiful animals don't belong in homes or in places far from their own habitats with folks who have no idea how to care for them. Most die within a year or two. Believe it or not, this is one of the biggest conservation challenges. Dozens of cubs at a time are are being smuggled out of Somaliland and most of them won't survive the journey. Along with the captive pet trade, another enormous issue is that they have been driven out of 91% of their historic range.

Cheetahs are the most endangered big cat in Africa. Their population of 7,500 individuals is down from 100,000 and without help they will be extinct, in the wild, in the next 15 years. 

Here's a video from the Cheetah Conservation Fund. Please watch!

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Young Cheetah

Ink on paper, 2007

Here's a video of a rescued baby cheetah by the Born Free Foundation.

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For my last solo show Through Time and Place: 5 Decades, I knew I had to paint a cheetah. Seeing them 30 years ago in Kenya was an unforgettable experience!

I remember standing inside the van with my head popped out of the open top, 35mm with telephoto in hand. We were only 10 to 15 feet away from two brothers sitting on a hill. It was just my family of four, our guide Francis, and these two beautiful cheetah. They looked like they were posing, sitting there so regal and graceful. I remember staring in to the eyes of one of these beautiful beings and it was ... emotional, magical and indescribable. 

You can see, below, I was working from some of my old old Africa photos for reference.

Kilimanjaro 1989, 2018

12 x 12"

Oil on wood panel with gold metal leafing

I am planning on doing a life size painting of a cheetah for my next solo which will be on endangered  and keystone species and our fragile planet. Stay tuned for that!

Meanwhile here is a news clip about the problem of cheetah smuggling with footage of many of the cubs, please click HERE 

If you would like more information or to donate to help cheetahs, click on the links below.

Cheetah Conservation Fund
Born Free Foundation
Wildlife Conservation Society
5 Things to know about Cheetahs-BBC (with videos)

Blessings, Light and ...

Happy International Cheetah Day!

Painting Alaska and the West for my Solo Show

As you develop your awareness in nature, 

you begin to see how we influence all life 

and how all life influences us. 

A key and critical feature for us to know.

~Tony Ten Fingers/Wanbli Nata'u

Oglala Lakota

There is something incredibly evocative about images of the west. Perhaps I feel that way because I grew up in California, and for a brief time in Alaska, with childhood road trips throughout the Southwestern, United States. For a solo show, where I was painting places that stuck with me and stayed in my memory in a deep and lasting way, I had much to choose from when it came to my early years.

I had been around Arizona, Utah, Nevada and did an acting job many years ago in Albuquerque but had never made it to parts of the Southwest that one of my favorite painters called home. In December, 2015 I finally made my "O'Keeffe" pilgrimage to New Mexico. I fell in love with the blue sky, red earth and adobe architecture. I could have painted all 32 paintings of Santa Fe and Taos!

With so much incredible beauty it wasn't the easiest decision to narrow down but for my solo show I chose to paint part of the Taos Pueblo.

Detail of Taos 2015

Taos New Mexico 2015

8 x 10" 

Oil on wood panel with gold metal leafing

425.00

This next painting symbolizes the early 70s when my family lived in Alaska. I love the 1970s patchwork fabric my sister and I wore in the reference photo. It also shows me in my petticoat which I wore over everything including my red snowsuit!

In my previous solo show I had only used metal leafing in gold. For this series of paintings I introduced silver metal leafing which I felt worked really well for some of the cooler landscapes. By cooler I mean in color and feeling and in some instances the weather as well. I used the silver tone for the Scottish landscapes and California seascapes, as well as these next two landscapes below.

Anchorage Alaska 1971

8 x 8"

(sold)

My paternal grandparents moved up to Mariposa in the mid 70s to build a home. I loved being up in that part of California, visiting Yosemite (only about 45 minutes away) and seeing the deer everywhere! We ate raspberries and blackberries out of my grandma's garden and collected more for her homemade jam. Well, that is if we got to the berries before the deer did! We used to play on the property behind their house, pretending to live off the land, while getting our hair caught on the manzanetta branches. 

In the summer, it would get so hot we'd head out in our striped tube tops and terry cloth short-shorts to fish, swim and jump off the wooden island in the middle of the lake. My favorite thing was walking with our older teenage cousins to the only pizza joint in town to drink root beer and play pinball on Captain Fantastic. 

As I grew older and would go visit, I was mostly on a mission to visit my grandparents and the beauty of the natural world in the middle of California. In early spring the deer would walk through the fog and would seem to float by. The trees appeared like mystics with stories to tell.

Mariposa California 1977

8 x 10"

(sold)

“We must protect the forests for our children, 

grandchildren and children yet to be born.

 We must protect the forests for those who can’t speak for themselves 

such as the birds, animals, fish and trees.” 

– Qwatsinas (Hereditary Chief Edward Moody), Nuxalk Nation

Growing up in Ventura, where it was often foggy and cool, we'd take day trips up to Ojai which was only twenty minutes up highway 33 and usually about 10 degrees warmer. My favorite place in the small downtown area was a tiny and narrow Native American shop. I absolutely loved it! Being in there transported me to another time and place. I remember a suede and fur papoose hanging in the window, dolls in native dress on the shelves, and all sorts of unique silver and turquoise jewelry and, best of all, old beaded moccasins. I always thought that wearing them would be the most magical feeling in the world.

These beautiful moccasins, below, belong to my grandmother who was gifted them many decades ago by her Aunt Dorothy. They are very fragile but a wonderful representation of old leather beaded moccasins. While they were not from Ojai, they were the perfect still life to represent that magical shop from my childhood.

As you can see in the next photo, I had gotten pretty far along with the leather and had added the gold metal leafing but no beads yet!

I had to use a 000 brush. Basically, the smallest brush I could find at Blick. It looked OK close up but the important thing is to be able to stand back a couple of feet and have them look effective when you are taking in the painting as a whole.

Taadaaa!!! The painting where it should be ... in Ojai. Its new home.

Ojai California 1979

10 x 8"

(sold)

Each of us is put here 

in this time and place

to decide the future of humankind.

Did you think you were put here

for something less?

~Chief Arvol Looking Horse

Blessings and Light!

       

Art and Color on the North Shore of O'ahu ~ Sunset Beach

'A'ohe loa i ka hana ke aloha

Distance is ignored by love

Finally! Hawaii, Christmas 2017-January 2018

My little Fabriano sketchbook ...

Sunset Beach

O'ahu

Naupaka Kahakai Plant

Hawaii is incredible! There is a reason why people from all over the world visit Hawaii in their lifetime. The colors, the water, the air, the beaches, the hiking and the flowers are magnificent. So, if you are going to have a long distance relationship, where you have to spend time on an airplane, might I recommend the North Shore of O'ahu?!

These colors make my heart sing! These plants are on the walk to Sunset Beach.

Kevin's place where he was living at the time ...

Waxing his board on the lanai ...

Kevin said geckos make the best roommates. They are a little messy but they are good luck, eat the bugs, very quiet and super cute so I guess it balances out!

In the neighborhood ...

"Mother's Beach"

It actually is where mothers love to take their kids to learn ocean awareness, surfing and swimming skills. Plus there is a huge shade tree, which makes for the perfect temperature on a sunny day. There are many local families, of all colors, including regal Hawaiian ohana there spending time together. Below, Kevin at "Mother's" getting ready to paddle out to the outside reefs of Sunset Beach.

More little watercolors on the beach! Often, at home, I do black and white sketches or ink drawings in my tiny sketchbooks but that's rare in Hawaii. The colors are so incredible around the island it was nearly always a watercolor.

Kahuna Nui Hale Kealohalani Makua

Love all you see, including yourself.

~Hale Makua

Here's a shot I captured of Kevin up the beach at Velzyland. Yes, he actually surfs and isn't just a poser! Haha!

Sunset Point

Sunset Point, on the North Shore of O'ahu, is a legendary surf spot. The thing is,  it is one of many on a stretch of beach called the 7 Mile Miracle. It starts at Haleiwa and goes up to Velzyland. When we drove along the Kamehameha Hwy, which runs along that stretch, you can catch sight of the ocean between beachfront homes in some places. While driving along Kevin would point and name all the famous surf spots without making a pause! Some of the most important surf contests in the world, like the Pipe Masters and the Triple Crown of Surfing, are held along this famous 7 mile stretch of the North Shore.

It's fun to hear about all the legendary surf and while it is very impressive ... I just keep seeing things to paint! Here's a rare graphite drawing in my sketchbook of the not so rare Pōhuehue vines that grow along the beach.

The reef makes for some great surf breaks but you have to be careful not to fall on it or let a wave drag you across it. That goes for swimming too, of course. Kevin loves to quote this Hawaiian proverb, "Never turn your back on the ocean."

I kept seeing a man cutting them open and then I finally got my Sunset Beach coconut water! When I was done I went back to the man who prepared it and he scraped all the meat of the coconut for me. And let me tell you, it went into some very delicious frozen adult beverages!

You can see that with so much beauty it is very inspiring for an artist. I did quite a few little watercolors and when I got home I painted two oils for my solo show which was last December. I'll be sharing those soon!

That whole trip we sang Mele Kalikimaka ... and it was!

The other song we sang and continue to sing, while Kevin plays the guitar, is Island Style by John Cruz. He shared this video with me on that first trip and I love it. They raise money for music in schools and the kids are adorable!

Aloha!

Blessings and light!

Painting the Isle of Skye, My Solo Show and Wee Bit of Scottish History

Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing,
Onward, the sailors cry.
Carry the lad that's born to be king
Over the sea to Skye.

Quiraing, Isle of Skye 2017

I can't believe it's been since September that I've posted! I spent many hours getting ready for my solo show Through Time and Place: Five Decades which opened on December 2nd. The opening reception was one week before my 50th birthday.

As you might surmise from the title, my paintings represented 50 years of places I've been in my life. I focused on places that touched me in some way. Some were places I lived and other were traveling or on pilgrimage. There were 32 in all and the piece above was one of them.

Loud the winds howl, loud the waves roar,
Thunderclaps rend the air,
Baffled our foes stand by the shore,
Follow they will not dare.

When I last posted on this blog, I told the story of my incredible hike up to the Old Man of Storr. After coming down the mountain, I was cold, famished and needed a restroom! I'd read about a hotel north of the Storr and as luck would have it, it was on our way to our next destination.

The Flodigarry Hotel

A Victorian Hunting Lodge Built in 1892 for Maj. R. Macdonald

This bar was highly rated but when we arrived it was packed so we went and had lunch in the lovely restaurant. Of course, by the time we finished our lunch the bar was nearly empty. It's all about timing!

I'd been wanting to try something called "Cullen Skink Soup." Though the name might sound less than appetizing, the soup was incredibly delicious. It's a very lightly smoked fish soup with a cream base. SO good. I also had some salad and Talisker 10 year. Talisker, by the way, is the only distillery on Skye, but more on that later.

The soup was hot, delicious and perfect after a hike in the drizzling rain!

The hotel had a lovely sitting room and had we been staying there, I think it would have been difficult to get me to leave this room!

I can imagine sitting there for hours sketching and looking out to the sea ...

One reason I wanted to stop at this hotel was the Flora Macdonald Cottage, where you can actually stay! (Someday!!!)  It was her home early in her marriage, from 1751-1756.

Flora was the courageous lady who dressed up Bonnie Prince Charlie as an Irish spinning maid named Betty Burke after the Battle of Culloden (1746) to help him escape the British Army! She went to jail but eventually was released and became a heroine to the Jacobites. She moved to America but eventually moved back to the Isle Skye.

The Major, for whom the hunting lodge (now Flodigarry Hotel) was built for, was a descendant of Flora Macdonald. 

Someone was staying in the cottage but at least we got to see the outside!

And speaking of the Bonnie Prince's escape to Skye, that is the subject of the Skye Boat Song! (Which is now used as the Theme to Outlander but you'll note the different words!)

Press play for this beautiful version of the Skye Boat Song, sung by Laura Wright.

 After walking the grounds of the hotel we headed to the very North of the Isle of Skye ...

Though the waves leap, soft shall ye sleep,
Ocean's a royal bed.
Rock'd in the deep Flora will keep
Watch o'er your weary head.

There is a small "Museum of Island Life" where you can see how people used to live on the Island. It was closed that day but we were still able to see the beautiful stone structures.

Behind it was Kilmuir Cemetery, which was what I had really wanted to see!

Grave of Angus Martin ... said to have stolen the headstone of a king for himself!

Burned are our homes, exile and death,

Scattered the loyal man.

Yet ere the sword, cool in the sheath,

Charlie will come again.

But I didn't come for Angus  ... I came because Kilmuir is where you find the grave and monument to Flora Macdonald.

You know it's windy when your hair goes sideways. It was howling! In the distance you see the ocean. One of my favorite designers is also buried in Kilmuir. Alexander McQueen. It felt fitting that I was in my Stewart tartan shawl.

The image I decided to use on the postcard for my solo show was the very first painting I did in the series. The painting is from a photo I took on my first trip to Edinburgh in 1990. It took me a long time to figure out where exactly it was taken. I couldn't remember but alas with the help of the internet I finally figured it out. 

It was a home designed by James Craig in the 1700s. He was the architect who designed the New Town, in Edinburgh. This structure became the city's observatory until the very Paladian one that was established in 1776 took on the job. The 1776 one also happens to be where my coworker Siri worked years ago. How cool is that? This original "Observatory House" was built in the 1700s on Calton Hill and I have read that you can now rent it out for events. Can you imagine?

"Edinburgh, Scotland 1990"

11 x 14"

Oil on Wood panel

600.00

My paintings for the solo show were all on wood panels. As you can see, I start with a very loose underpainting.

Then laying in more color, I started figuring out where I might want to do some silver leaf that would integrate into the painting and even enhance it a bit.

"Isle of Skye"

6 x 12"

(sold)

The reception felt like a huge success. There was a great energy and so many surprise guests, friends and family showed up. There was a lot of love in that room! On top of that I sold 17 paintings that evening, which was very exciting and quite unexpected! A few more have sold since then so there are 11 of the 32 still available.

I'll post more of the paintings and reception, as well as more Scotland soon! This time it won't be 3 months! Hoping to post again for Christmas about the Fairy Glen!

Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing,
Onward, the sailors cry.
Carry the lad that's born to be king
Over the sea to Skye.

~ Skye Boat Song

Lyrics by Sir Harold Boulton (b. 1859)

Links

Flodigarry Hotel

Skye Museum of Island Life

Kilmuir Cemetery and Flora Macdonald Monument

Blessings and light!