I'm intense and so is my art: bright colors, bold designs, clean lines that energize and add interest to any space. I layer oil paint and cold wax as thick as frosting on a cake. My many years in Africa shows up in my work: no fear, vibrant energy, rhythmic calm.
Learning new things keeps you young!
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Hi Reader, They say leaning new things will keep you young. If that's true, I should be about 3 years old at this point! I've been learning so much in the Story-Telling on social media course: story arcs, finding meaning in the mundane, getting under the surface to the emotions, communicating with a combo of photos/videos and audio, plus a boatload of techie stuff. Every day, with enough time poking around online, I've been discovering new techie wonders that even I can make work . . . . . . until I got to Day 8 of the 21-day challenge. I worked on that day's assignment for three solid days, always feeling like I was within a hairsbreadth of success. I was spitting nails. I felt like a woman in childbirth: focused and not pleasant to be around. I admit I'm at a certain disadvantage at 73, having grown up when black-and-white TV was the astounding breakthrough. So I did what all grandparents do: I called my grandkid, who grew up with tech. Stay tuned! I used to drive a VW Karmann Ghia and loved revving up the engine in first gear and feeling the tension drop when I shifted to second. For the good of humanity, and especially those near me, I'm shifting this 3-week challenge to a 3-month challenge. The tension was making me livid! I'll get there, it will just take a little longer than expected. The Brandywine Festival of the Arts is coming up this Sat/Sun, Sept 12-13 in Wilmington, DE and I need to get ready. I love this show: being outside along the Brandywine River, seeing families, friends and lovers enjoying a relaxing day out, taking in the creativity of over 200 artists. My kind of party! When I'm climbing a mountain, I like to stop along the way and look back at how far I've come. I'm facing a steep learning curve with the Story-Telling on Social Media course, it's true. But there was a day not long ago when I didn't know how to have a booth at an outdoor show! Life is a never-ending adventure!
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Harriet's Paintings
I'm intense and so is my art: bright colors, bold designs, clean lines that energize and add interest to any space. I layer oil paint and cold wax as thick as frosting on a cake. My many years in Africa shows up in my work: no fear, vibrant energy, rhythmic calm.
Hi Reader, I've been focusing on art since 2020 and loving it. I've learned lots of skills and especially how to fight the inner battles and believe in myself. I've kept my communication linked to my artwork, which meant leaving out big parts of my life. That didn't feel quite right. I am an artist but not only an artist! I’ve lived cross-culturally for decades, learned language and culture, helped translate the Bible into local languages and then helped people engage with it. I was one of...
Hi Reader, You might have a copy of The Happiness Factor, which combines my love of art, food, and story-telling. The eating adventures continue! This year in Kenya on safari (an actual physical safari, not an internet browser), I was served Tomato Orange Soup. You heard it: tomatoes and oranges. It was an amazing flavor like nothing I'd tasted before. The Happiness Factor: food, art and stories from around the world I forgot all about it until my tomato plants began producing. Lots and lots...
Hi Reader, I've lost count of the people who admire the color in my paintings and quickly add, "but I could never put that in my house!" My work stands out as the brightest and boldest in any show. Try as I might, I can't tone it down. This is me. On the margins of American culture once again. I've often wondered: do I love bright bold colors so much because I lived in Africa, or do I love Africa because it's not afraid of color? (I hasten to add that I look like a wall flower compared to...