I got to share some of my water lily paintings at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens this summer during the Water Lily and Lotus Festival. While i was showing in the Visitor's Center I began painting some lotuses plein air. It was a wonderful exercise as I learned how ephemeral is the state of the lotus! The lotuses changed lighting and bloom by the hour, and even dropped petals as I painted them.
This second plein air painting created at Kenilworth this summer took a bit longer than the first. With this scene I was taken in by the movement of the lotuses in symphony with each other and all of the other elements sharing space, including the lotus pads and seed pods.
I began this painting when I found a show for art about the Potomac River, one of my favorite places. I go to the Potomac often to take photos, and I found that I had only one painting from these photos, I challenged myself to create a painting within a week. I only completed the underpainting within that week, and I submitted it for the show, along with Potomac Roots. Neither was selected for the show, but I got a great painting out of it! Ultimately, it took about a month to complete.
A Buddha head in gold and outlined in purple. I created this while doing a weekend seminar. I've had a rough half a year in which I did not get to paint much. I did manage a few drawings, but no painting, so it was lovely to just get back into it with this.
This is a close-up photo of a leaf. I love the fractal pattern
of the leaf as the veining gets smaller and smaller.
This is a root in the woods next to the Potomac River. I've lived here near the Potomac for a long time now, nearly two decades, so some places are favorites to revisit, and I have many photos from many seasons, some of the same spot. This root just drew me in! It captured me, and I captured it!
This image was taken by my daughter, Scheherazade Goertzel, so this is a joint venture! She took this picture with her cell phone as we explored the amazing terrain of Dallol, Ethiopia. It was about 130 degrees Fahrenheit, and she was quickly becoming weak with heat stroke She had to be carried back to the car, and we're so grateful she survived!
This is an image that I took in Hawaii. I've seen and loved these
plants in many places, but I couldn't tell you what type of plant it is.
This is very different from my usual painting these days,
though not unlike some of my old work. It seems like it
doesn't belong! However, this painting is pivotal to painting
in the Zen manner, taking a break from the intense looking
I otherwise do. It is very freeing, painting from within
instead of without. This was just me using the leftover
paint from my previous painting, a quick and very free painting!
This is a magical view from atop a mountain in Martinique.
This painting was from an image given to me by my son.
He had asked me for a few years to paint this image
before I actually did.
