A  Harmonic Existence

Every year I gleefully anticipate the arrival of wild rose bushes. They brighten summer greens and cheerfully inhabit the surrounding space. Their nature is pleasant and easy going.  Bobbling in the breeze they sway about effortlessly. Resistance is set aside as they adjust to nature’s ever-changing state. Without resistance an existence of harmony surfaces; paving the way for a greater sense of joy and contentment. Negating resistance is not an easy task and one that must be revisited often.

Debbie Lamey-MacDonald

Powell’s Point Park, Nova Scotia

My Park Story

On this beautiful summer morning I had etched out some time to paint in the park. I truly love the appearance of wild rose bushes every year and knew my time was limited in capturing them from life. Once I got settled in an unexpected event occurred! Now I need you to picture this to set the scene. I am quietly sitting painting and thoroughly enjoying the peacefulness and solitude of nature. The park is very quiet and not many visitors are apparent.

Suddenly, a camper truck rolls in and a gentleman gets out. He saunters down to where I am painting and gestures to the picnic table right beside me and asks if I would mind if he set up for a little outside party. Now you need to know that this park is large and there are many picnic tables available! Not to mention that they were all free in every area of the park that morning.

Of course I was dumbfounded and stumbled over my words as I nod towards the table beside me saying “Oh you mean this picnic table right here?!” I am diplomatically saying that I will be  an hour or so. Of course it is hard to be assertive in a public park; so in the end he ended up pulling his camper truck right up beside the table and busily started getting ready for his two companions to appear.

My first thoughts were “Oh no how am I going to get this plein air painting finished before his wife and daughter arrive?” Determination set in and I continued to work on my painting with the intent of completing a greater portion of it. I must admit my visitor was quite quiet as he went about his preparations.

Finally his company arrived! Oh my goodness! Quiet they were not!! Loud talk began, country music filled the park for a country hoe down and pounding began as lobsters were cracked opened! Thank goodness I was almost finished of my painting and knew I was going to have to pack up and retreat to another location in the park in order to write my reflection.

All in all I had to laugh at the event! They were friendly people and well intended I am sure. I actually chuckled at the bizarre happening on my way home and had fun tweeting about it on Twitter later. Thank goodness I was able to concentrate and actually only had to tweak my painting a bit once home.

It is unexpected events like this and our reactions that make life harder or smoother. I like to take the road of least resistance and find a solution rather than trudge against the tide. One Park Lesson I did learn from this event though is to always occupy the  picnic table beside me–never leave it empty! Secondly, expect the unexpected in plein air painting–you just never know what adventures await you!

]]> http://www.lameymacdonald.com/the-unexpected-in-plein-air/feed/ 8 http://www.lameymacdonald.com/egg-cup-minimalist-series/ http://www.lameymacdonald.com/egg-cup-minimalist-series/#comments Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:08:05 +0000 Debbie http://www.lameymacdonald.com/?p=340

I just finished this 5x7in painting.  The tricky part in this painting was  making sure my ellipse was correct and maintaining the symmetrical proportions of the egg cup. I found this little egg cup in my cupboard and have wanted to paint it for awhile.  I just loved how cheerful it looked with its bright orange design.

I remember as a child having these little egg cups for our boiled eggs. They were always so cute and unique. My mom always made “toast fingers” that I could dip into the yolk. I loved the yolk and didn’t bother to eat the white part of the egg. LOL  I am on the look out for more that I can  paint in the future. Did you have a special egg cup? Love to hear about it!

I have started 2009 by launching a new “Minimalist Series” of small works.  They will be a part of my” Bookshelf Collection” on my website http://www.lameymacdonald.com This series will run no larger than 6x8in. They are so enjoyable to paint and at the same time hone my skills.   An abundance of ideas for these small works are bubbling over in my head!  I have decided to add short anecdotes with each one- no need to write lengthy reflections.

All works continue to be painted from life.  The works are painted alla prima (wet into wet) and usually in one session. The first painting is titled “Blooms in Winter” ; second is “A New Angle”. Hope they add a smile to your day!

Thoughts and Plans for 2009

It is always great to take a few moments to jot down future plans and ideas.  Putting thoughts to paper always seems to bring about greater clarity and focus.  I am excited about bringing these new ideas or plans into action during 2009.  Hopefully, by 2010 some will have come to fruition.

1. Create a greater online presence.
2. Revise my current website-adding e-commerce, adding audio to some of my reflections and other features.  http://lameymacdonald.com
3. Continuing with and revising my Blog.  http://lameymacdonald.com/blog
4. My most exciting idea : to create a separate and totally new Website and Concept.  I have been scheming since the summer of ’08 on this idea.  I even registered the domain name already. My new site will have a Special Section for local clientele, For Everyone it will have:  Collections of work for sale, By products from my artwork and an educational component as well.  I will need my technologically minded son to pull this one off! I’ll let you know how we are doing on my blog-lots of behind the scenes activity so far!
5. Introduce and continue my “Minimalist Series” as well as my “Bookshelf  Collection”.
6. Begin working on another Series of paintings of Powell’s Point Park.  I posted some of my studies on an earlier blog post titled “Powel Point Park”
7. Explore the idea of producing a small coffee table book.  I found a neat site that provided the software to actually assemble your book online at www.blurb.com I just need to make sure the digital images will be of good quality.
8. Remain open to any new experiences, ideas etc. that come along in 2009!
9. Lastly and most importantly, to continue learning as an artist; always striving to create the best work I can, thus providing works of quality for others.

Why not take a few moments of your own to jot down your ideas or thoughts for 2009.  It really helps to refocus and get a grasp on what is most important to you.  Let’s make 2009 the best yet!