Angels Among Us
Acrylic
36″ x 24″
$5,000
2019
Living in star studded and palm tree lined Palm Springs, California I am surrounded by spectacularly beautiful people, movie stars and scenery. Desert countryside in the valley surrounded by the San Bernardino Mountains, San Jacinto, Santa Rosa and the sparking Chocolate mountains call me closer to nature as I gaze upon their beauty. There are bougainvillea, lime green plants, lantana’s little bright colored lavender, yellow and orange flowers and all different types of cacti gracing the magical landscape along with coyotes howling at the moon and fabulous high desert sunsets.
It’s interesting how the dry desert has lighter colored plants than the North where there is more rain, and the vista is filled with richer, darker foliage. Beautiful golf courses and lakes are also eye candy as everywhere you look you see beautiful vistas. Palm Springs has long been a favorite of movies stars as many big developments were formed by them. Bob Hope, Big Crosby, Charles Farrell, Frank Sinatra, Red Skeleton, Doris Day, Suzanne Summers, Sonny Bono and Merv Griffin are a few of the big stars who were active in bringing the desert an active and vibrant lifestyle.
Most of my paintings have a religious theme based on faith as I grew up in Texas which is in the heart of the Bible Belt. Raised Southern Baptist, Jesus is one of my favorite subjects. To date I have done five paintings of Him. I used the same portrait as a model for all my paintings and yet they don’t resemble one another in the least. I have read that it is impossible to paint the same painting twice and judging from my own experience, I agree.
Since I was a child, I have loved to draw faces and women. My goal when I paint is to reproduce a photo exactly and bring it to life by highlighting and shadowing which adds dimension to the canvas. I have studied under some fabulous teachers who have guided me in my attention to detail to reproduce the subject on canvas. It is easy to become lost and engrossed in the painting as time flies by while I’m in my own little world. It’s amazing how time passes based on what you are doing. Reminiscing back to junior high school when I sat and watched the minutes so slowly drag on and on to now where I sit for hours so engrossed in my art projects that time stands still.
Bringing color to an old, ear torn, ragged black and white photo enlarged into a painting is rewarding and fun. To see an old black and white photograph from the 1950’s exploding with color and transform is heartwarming and brings back precious memories to the photo’s owners. They are so delighted and excited with faces lit up with smiles and gratitude.