This March and April my husband and I embarked on a Deep South adventure on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Where we live in northern Michigan it has been a winter mix: snow, cold, ice, thawing, cloudiness. Here on the Gulf we have delighted in a cascade of blooming Azaleas, Jasmine, Magnolia, and Oleander. Old Live Oaks extend their horizontal limbs adorned with soft Spanish Moss.

During these weeks away I take a break from my abstract artwork and relax with some plein air painting. I consider myself an amateur at landscape painting as I have dabbled in it for just two years. I love matching natural colors and problem solving composition. I also love the challenge of capturing light, shadow, distant vistas. Simplifying is a challenge. 
 
On some level the landscapes and abstracts are in dialogue within me…. In my subconscious mind and in the intuitive process of creating shapes and forms; line and color; ambiguous space, the two very different styles inform each other. Painting is a activity of feeling and sensuality in the mind’s eye and from the heart.