“Glowy Skin-No Invasive Procedures Needed”. Years ago a friend “did my colors”. Remember when we figured out what clothing colors were most flattering, based on our skin tone? Well, I did NOT want to be what I turned out to be, a yellow, skin toned ‘Autumn’. I wailed, “You mean that time when everything is dying, turning brown and yellow?” I wanted to be a season that I considered more “fun”, like Spring or Summer! But my friend waxed on and on about the rich autumnal colors as leaves were changing, the harvest (pumpkins?) were coming in, etc. My friend was not MY favorite season either,”Winter”, but she had that cool ‘Snow White coloring’ (pale skin, black shiny hair) that looked good in rich jewel tones. And the next time I went over to her house, she had painted her dining room a rich raspberry/bordeaux color. And I asked her, “Wait, should I paint the interior walls of my house in colors that I look good in?” And she replied, “Well, it’s to your advantage”...which I think was her way of politely saying, “Duh!” And lately, as I get older, and my complexion loses color, I’ve been thinking that I can combat any sallowness in my skin by just painting my walls beautiful shades of pink that will effortlessly ‘pink up’ my skin. No make-up, or invasive procedures needed...just get yourself a gorgeous can of Farrow and Ball paint in a ‘Blush’ or ‘Shallot, or ‘Ranfwali’...and start enjoying your more beautiful complexion today! As always, you’re welcome. #interior #pink #farrowandball #wallcolor #colors #autumn #winter #seasons #jeweltones #complexion #sallow #advantage #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
This is a little oil sketch of one of my friends (in rare seated mode), who is an extraordinary mother. Is her situation dreamy perfection? Nope! But being a mother is an action verb, not a state of being. It is more badass than beatified. Mothers are excellent yogis, they are badass AND bendy! You have to be strong AND flexible. “Mother’ is not for those people who want that professionally photographed holiday card where the fam is dressed in matching clothes in a grassy glade. During those intense mothering years, we should just send out a blurry photo...and maybe do that year after year to accurately depict life, “My life is still a blur, Happy Holidays!” Just as “there is no crying in baseball”, there is no languid lounging in “mom-ing”. The mom is the point person in a full press, contact sport for years....AND THEN...seemingly overnight, the mom person has to switch to “Jedi warrior mind trick” person. You are thrown into an ocean of emotions and all you can see is emotions for miles. OH, you still get awakened at all hours of the night, but it’s MUCH harder stuff. It’s ‘stuff’ you can’t fix with a quick swap of dry diaper for wet one. All of that intense ‘doing’ skill set (that you can literally do in your sleep) is no longer required. You have to go back to being a beginner: that state where you are stunned, fumbling, exhausted and definitely NOT in shape for this new event you are training for. So this Mother’s Day, acknowledge mom for who she REALLY is: a human being who has the flexibility of the most pretzel shaped yogi, the emotional intelligence of the most accomplished Jedi master, physical strength of a whole team of Iditarod huskies, and the protective instincts of a goddamned Cheetah! Happy Mother’s Day! #motherhood #mother #motherlove #actionverb #strength #stamina #flexibility #yogi #iditarod #physical #emotional #jedimaster #cheetah #oilpainting #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Happy Flower Friday! My oldest daughter sent me the most gorgeous Mother’s Day bouquet. It is this strange and wonderful mix of grey green succulents, chartreuse orchids, tropical wonky bonko orange roses and some magenta roses. A friend was here when they were delivered, and she said, “Wow your kid ‘gets’ you!” I said, “Yes, all my kids know that ‘strange and gorgeous’, ‘wonky and unique’ wins hands down over ‘lovely and sedate’. Oh, and momma breaks out in hives around ‘Babies Breath’....so, just, don’t.XO (If I sound picky and demanding, let’s just reframe that as, ‘I’m a girl who knows what she likes’, and you can be too!) #flowers #orchids #succulents #roses #bouquet #mothersday #blueandwhite #unique #oiloncanvas #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
My birthday is next month, which means I am a Gemini, which means that I have (at least) two sides to my personality. As expressed yesterday, I have the sedate librarian fantasy...and then I have the ‘visceral response’ to color situation. Certain colors actually make my mouth water! So yesterday, after writing about the subdued, librarian life, I went out to my studio and painted this wongo bongo bright landscape/still-life. And I named it, “Ginger Jar Beach”. I imagined that you would be beach combing on a lush tropical island, and you would come upon washed up old Chinese ginger jars (you know like those amazing glass fishing floats people find!) And really, it’s not SO far fetched, because sea captains used to use those jars for ballast (basically rocks!) in the hold of their ships. How fun for treasure hunters to vacation at “Ginger Jar Beach”! And then we could go mudlarking in the Thames...and nip into Foyles bookshop…see how my mind works? #landscape #beach #gingerjar #color #subdued #bright #library #beachcombing #mudlarking #thames #foylesbookshop #chinese #ballast #seaglass #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
“In Praise of Libraries” This the home library of English designer Emma Burns where she has “spent so many happy hours lying on the sofa, book in hand, putting off everything on here to-do list”. I love love home libraries AND I have a secret fantasy of actually being a librarian in my next life. To me, librarians are the quiet super-heroes of civilization. Their official uniform (in the movie in my head) is a soft, pilled sweater, sensible brown lace up shoes, glasses (of course glasses) and a demeanor of calm, quiet authority. In my fantasy, they dress in a ‘plain’ uniform so as to not take away from the magnificent kingdom of books in which they dwell. Their ‘calling’ is equivalent to a religious calling: to spend their days in the quiet, holy presence of books. My daughter knows of my fantasy, and once before introducing me to her new adult friend said, “You’ll like her, she dresses like a librarian”. Granted, libraries are now also places of computers and on-line conveniences, (and MY library has repurposed the adorable wooden card catalogue as a “seed catalogue” of free vegetable seeds!); but I can still dress like a sensible, celibate librarian and regularly visit the holy of holies: my local library. #interior #oilpainting #library #books #emmaburns #colefaxandfowler #english #librarians #holyofholies #religious #sensibleshoes #quiet #kingdom #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Happy Sunday! May you see and celebrate and savor the ‘slather’ of God’s gifts upon us. Yes, yes, the big things; but what about the ability to use your hands or minds to imitate God (in your humblest of ways) and MAKE THINGS? And what is more magical than the stringing together of single words to make a poem or story? Or taking paper and glue and layer by layer transforming the simplest of materials into something sturdy and useful. That sort of slow, holy activity becomes a prayer, a meditation on the way to approach our days… #papermache #books #stories #poems #slow #layerbylayer #godsgifts #makethings #hands #handmade #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
“Calling All Xantophiles” (Lovers of yellow!) It’s that time of year when things, bushes, trees, etc. burst into taxicab yellow bloom. It’s not subtle. It is more of a delightful jolt...like visual smelling salts. Where I used to live it was forsythia bushes that signaled the beginning of Spring, but now I live where it’s the Palo Verde tree that is covered in the taxi-cab yellow blossoms. And then, the blossoms fall off and there is a “yellow carpet” on the ground. So, thus inspired by Spring and the ‘color field still lives’ of the amazing young painter Elizabeth Endres (look her up!), I set out to ‘make a yellow painting’ yesterday. Of course, I got other hues involved...XO #stilllife #yellow #xanthophile #orange #blueandwhite #michaelhardingpaints #elizabethendres #oilpaintings #oiloncanvas #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Last December I went to Paris. Whilst there I was inspired to make these turquoise paper mache candlesticks, and I carried some beautifully hued candles home with me in anticipation of making candlesticks to hold them. Then over Christmas, my daughter taught me to make pom poms from yarn...and then I HAD TO hang pom pots on lamps, on the Christmas tree, on Christmas packages...and of course the turquoise (really a soft celadon/seafoam), candlesticks. But, my inspired, festooned candlesticks never really belonged anywhere...until last Friday. I was with friends in a tiny shop that offers textiles from Central America when I spied a piece of hot pink/magenta cloth, seamed down the center with orange thread...JUST WAITING for me to find it, just waiting to be united with “the candlesticks”. So I brought that piece of pink magic home, set up a still-life on my dining room table (in front of a 5’ tall portrait of my son)…and guess what BELONGED in that still-life? Yep, the candlesticks with pom poms! Wow! There was only a 5 month gap between inspiration and understanding. A short time really, because sometimes, things and ideas and people HAVE TO go on a long, often circuitous journey, across space and time, to come into your life at exactly the right moment! I painted this large (38’ x 38’) still life, all the while pondering and marveling at the lesson of the candlesticks and the Guatemalan textile. May I hold onto it. XO #stilllife #guatemala #textile #candlesticks #paris #inspiration #journey #belonging #place #pompom #people #ideas #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
My youngest grandchild was born the night I moved into the house I am now living in...the house where I finally realized my dream of building a studio for myself. And since I use my children and grandchildren to “carbon date” EVERYTHING in my life, I can safely say that I have lived in my house for 10 years (because my spunky, darling, youngest grandson just turned 10!) And, fun fact, his first word was “avocado” or as he pronounced it “ah-buh-caw-doe”. Whoa, a four syllable word right out of the gate!!! But youngest children in families often do scamper to keep up with their older siblings, and he is no exception. So in honor of my grandson’s double digit milestone, I have painted “Avocado, Lily Lily, Orange” (I was channeling John Singer Sargent and his fab painting, “Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose”), because I believe that when someone makes something beautiful, it’s contagious, and it makes others break out in a rash of creativity!!! Who will you infect today???XO #stilllife #avocado #lily #oranges #johnsingersargent #carnationlilylilyrose #tategallery #london #oilpainting #pink #orange #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
I have painted this salon of @carlosgarciainteriors many times…but today I left some elements out, and invented others. I think I am drawn to it because the room is always the same, BUT it is alive because changes come to it via the changing seasons and changing light…and the introduction of seasonal plant material….it is a cosy interior world that is firmly wed the lovely natural world. It is a warm body that breathes. #interior #carlosgarciainteriors #english #timeless #unchanging #suzanitextile #blueandwhite #gingerjar #outside #breath #kilim #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Bon Weekend everybody. I am having a delightful week-end as my bestie and her partner delivered, un-boxed and set up two new wingback chairs directly to my living room! And then my giant dog tried BOTH of them because he is a ‘certified furniture comfort tester’. (We never have to wonder, “Will that piece of furniture be comfortable?”, because he does the research for us and lets us know! Am I blessed or what? #interior #chair #comfort #wingbackchair #indigo #senegal🇸🇳 #textiles #blueandwhite #pink #peonies #friends #helper #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
You know how they always say, “Dress for the job you want”? Well I found this image of early super models (Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington) and I think that they thoroughly understood the assignment. If you are born to be a ‘giraffe’, don’t hide your lamp under a bushel basket. If you were born a beautiful giraffe, get out there and wander amongst us in all your leggy glory! All of us may not be ‘giraffes’, but we ALL have some super-power, something uniquely US (I promise). It may be a visible trait like Linda and Christy’s, it may not be something visible to others. But whatever your gift is, strut your stuff! Mine is ‘a love of words’ and ‘idea-arrhea’...and believe you me I trot those gifts out every day...even if it’s in the privacy of my own journal or the untold richness that I find in literature...and I paint, draw and make gardens. And I dress for the part…I call my look ‘librarian chic’: glasses and a pilled sweater and I’m good to go. (if you have any old pilled sweaters send ‘em my way!)What is your super power and how do you dress for the part??? #dress #dressforthejobyouwant #librarian #librarianchic #glasses #gardening #reading #writing #journal #visible #invisible #superpower #giraffe #lindaevangelista #christyturlington #models #beach #blackandwhite #palmtrees #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
“Mother of More is More”. You know how Coco Chanel said to look in the mirror before you go out and “take one thing off”? Well our Patron Saint of Maximalism “Iris Apfel” said, “Look in the mirror and add FOUR more things!” She never had any biological children, but she mothered all of us on how to not shrink, how to take up space, how to be unabashedly yourself! She was the living parasol/shelter for every woman who was ever told that she was “too much”...in fact I think “too much” was her middle name! We love you Iris. We thought/hoped you would live forever! #irisapfel #portrait #maximalism #turquoisejewelry #red #redlipstick #moreismore #beyourself #oilpainting #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
“My Parasol”. I painted this riff on a Raoul Dufy (portrait of a woman in Morocco) because it looked so much like my adorable, plump, and short grandmother: a woman who really deserved the honorific of ‘grand’ mother. I had a very peripatetic childhood, and spent a lot of time just trying to adjust to new situations...but my grandmother, and her house and garden, were my still point in the ever turning world. When we pulled into her driveway we were greeted by the aroma of 500 rose bushes! Seriously! My grandparents grew ‘test roses’ for commercial rose growers so the atmosphere of their house was drenched in aroma. Plus, my grandmother was ALWAYS up for whatever creative mess I wanted to to attempt: making candles in milk cartons by pouring them over ice chips like a lost wax process???...SURE! How messy could it be? (answer: very!) She found me to be, not irritating, but delightful. She treated me like I had the best ideas, and like my constant desire to ‘make stuff’ (and the messes that accompanied said stuff), was exactly the life she had hoped to live! And here’s the kicker: She wasn’t even biologically related to me! She had married my grandfather after his first wife died in childbirth and left him with two little girls. She was never able to have children of her own, but I called her ‘grandma’. And it turned out that SHE was MY shelter from the storm. She was MY life parasol! #raouldufy #portrait #figuratveart #gouache #grandmother #shelter #parasol #encouragement #stillpoint #roses #candles #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
I titled this “The Sisters of Mercy” (cue Leonard Cohen), because I just got back from a weekend with a group of women whose mission is to shelter, protect and encourage women who have found themselves dealing with the vicissitudes of life in some unhealthy ways….(In other words, ALL of us)…in ways that were possibly soothing (or dulling the pain) at the moment but definitely not making us more alive, well, or fostering meaningful connections with others. There was so much emotional safety, encouragement, openness and honesty that I felt like anyone ‘could’ and ‘would want’ to make healthful choices with this squad alongside you. At the end of the weekend, some of us started wondering aloud how we could change the world if WE were parasols and umbrellas to people (i.e. places and people who shelter others when they need a little extra protection from the ‘elements’. I wanted to ask others, “Who has been a ‘parasol’ in your life? Who has been an ‘umbrella’ to you when life was raining hard on you?” #figurativeart #leonardcohen #sistersofmercy #sobersis #jennkautsch #comfort #compassion #mercy #encouragement #protection #parasol #umbrella #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
I love to pick up stuff. When I walk my dog in the dry riverbed, I pick up “beach glass”, bits of ceramic tile, and rocks. And I have little piles of them all around. And thank goodness I learned a wonderful truth about collecting stuff, and I’m gonna share it with you: “If you have lotsa cool stuff, it’s NOT hoarding!!!” Now, don’t you feel better about the bits and bobs that you bring home to your nest? Another adorable term for you is “Magpie”. Seriously, who would mind being called a ‘Magpie’? #stilllife #collection #beachglass #tiles #journals #gingerjars #ojosdedios #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
“Here Comes the Sun III” The solar eclipse is over and now it’s just sunshine and sunflowers growing as high as an elephant’s eye!! Yay! Mine have popped up out of the soil... #sunflower #floral #spring #solareclipse #herecomesthesun☀️ #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
I love strong light. I love when the days get longer and the light gets fiercer. The contrast is clearer. The shadows are pronounced. Bring it! #stillife #stronglight #shadows #long #spring #floral #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Layering up isn”t just for clothes and accessories (although we bow down to Iris Apfel)...it’s also for gardens. I like to place ginger jars and other blue and white things around my garden amongst the plants, to add visual interest. Of course I learned the hard way that putting breakables on the ground was risky with a large dog...so I mostly tuck things in raised beds, or big potted plants. And if anything is already chipped or broken (I have a hexagonal blue and white platter that I adore but it has a huge chunk out of one corner) set it in your flower bed. It’s kind of a great message to myself: Everything doesn’t have to be perfect here! XO #stilllife #garden #layering #gingerjars #nasturtiums #broken #raisedbeds #blueandwhite #irisapfel #accessories# #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Happy Flower Friday! Yesterday I went to my every fortnight therapy appointment. And, as is my habit, I extend my therapy time by stopping by a sweet little mom and pop plant nursery on my way home. Being around living things, seeing Spring unfurl, smelling the delicious plant life is and always has been my healing space. (Thank you mom for taking me to a gazillion nurseries and having me hold plants in the back of the station wagon growing up!) So I got home and looked at my little pocket garden and saw where I could tuck in my new babies (ooooh underneath the newly opened fig leaves!) and then I ran back into my studio and painted the whole experience. I believe in dental health AND mental health! It’s all important! XO Pamela P.S. Where is your ‘healing space’? #stilllife #gingerjars #blueandwhite #nasturtium #primrose #fig #mentalhealth #therapy #dentalhealth #healing #plantnursery #spring #mom #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
I was reminded recently by the delightful artist @mindy_k_carpenter that “April showers bring May flowers”...and of course while that is true, what to do about those brave little soldiers in your early Spring gardens who dare to poke their heads up, only to be thrashed by the wind and rain??? So I am giving you an assignment today: Your job, is to keep a sharp eye on your garden AND the weather...and if need be, rush out to rescue any early blooming beauties that are in danger of ‘face planting’ in the mud. Maybe even go thrifting/antiquing and get yourself a set up like this nifty display situation of my muse @sean_anthony_pritchard. Or pick up his new book “Outside In” for delightful ideas on how to bring the beauty of your garden indoors! XO Pamela #spring #garden #flowers #daffodils #blueandwhite #stripes #indoors #wind #rain #mindykcarpenter #seananthonypritchard #outsidein #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Don’t you miss her? No muss, no fuss, just regularly sallying forth in an Easter-egg colored ensemble. I found this image of her a few Easters back...I was kind of charmed by her blue pocketbook...it seemed a teensy bit of ‘going rogue’ with her “all aqua outfit”...her version of mixing black with navy blue! (I imagine her ‘people’ asking if she wants a matching aqua purse and her saying, “No I’ve got this perfectly good one right here, AND I don’t carry anything anyway, AND I just use it as a signaling device that I want to move along, SO this blue one is fine.” Anyone else missing her steadiness? I think I am weary of nonsense and shenanigans...as her fellow countryman Chris Martin said, “I want something just like this.” XO #queenelizabeth #steadiness #chrismartin #coldplay #superhero #sallyforth #easteregg #springcolors #shenanigans #english #portrait #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Today it is cold and rainy, yet, (I guess because the days are getting longer), I just want to paint flowers and Spring. Maybe they call it “April Fools” because as soon as Easter is past, and we start to think that it’s going to be a steady march toward summer, the weather can surprise you and flip back toward Winter. Thank goodness for houseplants and orchids! #interior #blueandehite #ficus #orchids #coral #rattan #bahamastyle #aprilfools #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Isn’t it cool the way that nature does many renditions of yellow flowers throughout the growing season. For example, Spring is announced by daffodils and primulas, then proceeds through forsythia and tulips, pansies and poppies, continues through snapdragons and sunflowers, and ends the season with dahlias, chrysanthemums and marigolds (for the wonderful Day of the Dead celebrations). Some flowers staying close to the ground, others soaring to the skies. All of them waking up our spirits to pure undiluted jolts of joy! #yellow #flower #sunflower #beatles #xanthophile #daffodils #primrose #snapdragons #tulips #pansy #poppy #forsythia #dahlia #chrysanthemum #marigold #stilllifes #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
“Here Comes the Sun”. I just planted seeds for these babies. I was thinking that it is only fitting to include some sky in paintings of sunflowers because they, like corn, also grow up “as high as an elephants eye” and they actually DO reach up into the sky! And I am thrilled with the regular ones, plus the mahogany/chianti colored ones, and the lemon colored ones. In fact, I like my garden like I like my society: integrated! #sun #sunflower #integration #society #floral #stilllifepainting #sky #yellow #lemon #chianti #mahogany #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
“Your art may not be displayed in museums. Your photos may not be published anywhere. Your music may not be played on the radio. But there will always be people who will appreciate your works...patiently waiting. So, please please continue. XO #stilllife #spring #pinkandgreen #matisse #goldfish #cats #lilies #geraniums #magenta #pink #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Ok, it’s finally happened. I am starting a “Dog Book Club”. The man and woman who I let live in my house are always staring at books, buying books, stacking books in every room…so I decided to see what all the fuss was about. This first book, The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson is about doing a little bit every day to get where you want to go. Ten years ago, the woman I live with, started doing this after reading this book (she was painting in a bedroom, selling her paintings for $25!) and today she has a cool studio that I get to lounge around in. So I am pretty excited to get my “slight edge on”. (Although, to be honest, I think dogs are already fabulous at doing a little something every day to be the magnificent animals that they wanna be: livin’ in the moment, being present, not holding a grudge, ALWAYS thrilled to see their silly humans. Still, I’m gonna give this book thing a try. Big sloppy kiss! XO #books #booklover #dogs #human #bookgroup #dogsofinstagram #irishsetter #slightedge #jeffolson #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
We have American royalty and I needed to pay homage to OUR queen who has just passed. She “had” 102 years (Diane Von Furstenberg ALWAYS says how many years she has lived, never how ‘old’ she is). And like her English counterpart, the new King Charles, she came late to her ‘reign’, only becoming super famous in her 90’s. And like her contemporary, the late Queen Elizabeth, she had a penchant for bright colors and became more and more beloved by the young for her steadfastness. At the age of 97 she got a modeling contract with IGM...at 101 she landed her first beauty campaign. In recent years she was the face of French cars, e-bay, eyeglasses and more. A show at the Met of her clothing and accessories was a huge smash hit and introduced her to a younger generation. Fashion designers world wide were not surprised at her level of achievement; fashion designer Dries Van Noten reflected with affection what she meant to him: “I have rarely met someone as vivid, alive, vital, vivacious, irreverent, joyous and NEEDED as Iris”, then he added, “She breathes young air, thinks young thoughts, gathers no dust.” What a eulogy! I hope there are flea markets in heaven and you come upon a stash of vintage bakelite! #royal #irisapfel #queenelizabeth #orange #pink #queen #american #english #kingcharles #style #design #driesvannotten #young #vitality #portrait #maximalism #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
I titled this still-life, “JOMO” because there is nothing that makes me happier than getting to stay home in my cosy environment. And there is an official term for how I feel: JOMO or Joy of Missing Out-feeling happy and content staying home in solitude in the warmth and comfort of your own peaceful space. Anyone else out there excited to NOT be invited to things? XO #stilllife #spring #daffodils #gingerjar #manteldecor #mirror #blueandwhite #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
This is a view of the scrump-delicious courtyard of designer Michelle Nussbaumer’s house in Mexico, “Hacienda Buena Fe”. I had to paint it because, 1) It’s super beautiful, and 2) I’ve been hiking with my dog whilst listening to Cindi Lauper’s beautiful song “True Colors” and I just really relate to all the peeps who are afraid to show who they really are...and I want to make this world a safe place for EVERYBODY. I have been told throughout my life, that I am “too much”...but I am done ‘turning down the volume’ on myself. And I want to live in a world where everybody can show their “true colors” and feel safe, loved, and accepted. XO Bon Weekend #mexico🇲🇽 #hacienda #haciendabuenafe #michellenussbaumer #pinkstucco #courtyard #cindilauper #truecolors #safe #accepted #loved #oilpainting #interior #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
“To do the work, we need to rest, to read, to reconnect. It is the invisible labor that makes the creative life possible”. I don’t know who said this, but I say amen, amen, amen to this idea. AND, go ahead, just let the lemons roll around on the table top...everything doesn’t need to be lassoed and put in a container! #stilllife #blueandwhite #wicker #mirrors #delphinium #lemons #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
You know how “somebody” decides that today is “National Pie Day”? Well I am declaring today “Elaine de Kooning Day”! It is her birthday and I want to give her some attention. Yes, she was married to abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning, BUT…she was a wonderful painter in her own right and an editor at Art News. Both she, and Lee Krasner (Jackson Pollocks widow) spent a lot of time promoting their husbands’ work, hence their husbands are more well known. But, Elaine was given the honor of painting the official portrait of President John F Kennedy that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. (It is freaking 8 feet tall you guys. Larger than life!) So herewith I did 3 oil sketches of Elaine with Willem, included one of her portraits and the one of JFK. Happy Elaine Day ya’ll! #elainedekooning #willemdekooning #jacksonpollock #leekrasner #abstractexpressionist #abstractexpressionistwomen #ninthstreetwomen #marygabriel #jfk #nationalportraitgallery #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Author Alice Walker said, “Whenever you are creating beauty around you, you are restoring your own soul.” I have been planting a sweet little pocket garden to restore my soul...and the two books that I included in this still life were originally chosen for their spine colors in the composition...but now I realize that both of these people, Nell Blaine and Slim Aarons, used beauty to restore THEIR own souls. Nell Blaine had gained early recognition among the abstract expressionists of the 1940s and 50s. She was confident and sure of herself. In 1959 Blaine contracted polio while traveling and working with other artists in Greece. She spent the remainder of her life in a wheelchair, but with therapy was able to continue to create beauty...using her left hand for oil painting and her right hand for sketching and watercolors. Likewise, photographer Slim Aarons saw so much ugliness and death during WWII in Europe, that he dedicated the rest of his life documenting beautiful people, places, and things….restoring his own soul and that of a war weary world. I swear, I chose these two books for looks, but they spoke perfectly to the topic of “soul restoration”. #alicewalker #soulfood #beauty #stilllife #nellblaine #nellblaineart #slimaarons #floral #pocketgarden #pansies #nasturtiums #geraniums #primroses #spring #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Happy Flower Friday, “Blue Cactus” edition. I have been painting in acrylics lately because I ran out of materials to paint in oils. It’s cool because they dry so quickly and then I can go back in with vine charcoal, and yummy Jack Richeson pastels. Also I am painting big swaths of brown paper in acrylic paint to use as collage material and it is coming in handy as backdrop material for photographing my paintings. My newly made-up Bible verse is “All things work together for good for those who love colors and paint”! XO #stilllife #abstract #floral #cactus #spring #jackrichesonpastels #mixedmedia #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
My studio/therapy dog! I have always wanted a studio dog to just hang with me. I recently put a comfy slipcovered chair out there in order to “take a seat and LOOK at my painting”…but most of the time I’m up standing and painting…so he keeps my seat warm! #dogsofinstagram #therapydogs #studiodog #irishsetter #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
For this still life, I kept running out of my studio, into my pocket garden, and snipping leaves and flowers to bring in and model for me. I was focused on the edible flowers that I grow,(pansies, nasturtiums, lavender) but then these two white anemone plants (which I don’t think are edible) begged to be included...and they are the long tall super-models of my little pocket garden....so I said, “Sure, you guys can be in the picture”. Anyway, it was raining all day today, so maybe that affected how this piece got sorta dark and Dutch still-life-ish as the day went on...and in the end, I quite liked how all of the dark greens and blacks made the flowers really pop! #stilllife #floral #edibleflowers #nasturtiums #pansies #violets #lavender #anemone #dutch #dark #garden #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
“The Nasturtiums are Coming”. This 18” x 24” still-life is celebrating edible flowers returning this Spring. It means that I can make salads with flowers in them! Yay, because it really turns salad making into a beautiful still life composition...with the added benefit that you are eating super colorful food (which we all know is chock full of vitamins and nutrients!) “Eat your greens, and oranges, and taxi-cab yellows, and violets!” XO #stilllife #salad #edibleflowers #nasturtium #pansies #eat #eatforcolor #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
This is my view of the coming of Spring. There is still a LOT that is underground, there is still a lot of darkness...but the light and color are coming. And this morning, I read in Kate Bowler’s delightful book “Have A Beautiful Terrible Day” (which I am reading for Lent), “We are losing the life we knew; we are gaining the life we didn’t imagine”. What if I mimic what is happening in my garden and lose the darkness that I have been gestating in, and come up to the light? #katebowler #haveabeautifulterribleday #lent #read #book #light #dark #spring #gestating #losing #gaining #emerging #stilllife #abstract #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
I heard writer, actor, director Dan Levy talk about his latest work, “Good Grief” and he said he wanted to explore how friends are often our back-up singers in life...but the main act is always our romantic relationship. We think that we should “center” the ONE relationship and bring the back-up singers in when, maybe, things aren’t going so well with the “main event”. But he wanted to explore the importance of friendships throughout the vicissitudes of life, how we can “keep the kettle on” at all times, be better friends, not take each other for granted. It got me thinking how much friendship is like gardening: You need to regularly check on your plants, see what they need, “stake up” the ones that need support, move them to give them more shade/shelter or more full sun...in short you need to putter and pay attention! #friends #friendship #girlfriends #danlevy #goodgrief #romanticlove #love #figurative #oilpainting #acrylic #backupsingers #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
I have been following this art ‘bread crumb’ trail and not only do I NOT know what I am doing next, I am really LOVING the adventure of deconstructing (cut up images), rearranging (moving pieces around until a satisfying composition starts to appear), then doing small oil paint images of the initial collage, and then making a larger version of the collage based on the painting. of course, with every iteration something new emerges...it’s super fun and intriguing. I LOVE doing creative work while NOT feeling fearful (inner voice asking, “Do you think that YOU can pull this off???) or tortured (“What should I do next...It’s oh so important!”) In fact, for now, I am living that artist’s life that says, “Hey, you DON”T need to be drunk, crazy and broke to be a real artist.” Let’s hope I can stay in this mental space for a little while, with sooo much gratitude to my mentors, Julia Cameron, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Peggi Kroll Roberts! XO #stilllife #collage #oilpainting #deconstructing #reconstructing #blue #periwinkle #paintedpaper #juliacameron #elizabethgilbert #peggikrollroberts #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
This is a “hybrid painting” or as we say in the art world, “Mixed Media”. I painted a still life in oil on canvas...let it sit, then came back in today and collaged it up here and there. I am loving relinquishing some control over the ‘product’ and seeing “what happens if I do this, add this, or subtract that?” In an article that my husband just passed on to me, writer Anne Lamont says that “one superpower of being old: You know that things are probably going to work out without your tense controlling input.” (Oh Lord Lord, make this more and more a lived reality in my life...and may this ‘collaging’ help me to remember that the disparate parts WILL come together, in the end...and if they are not YET, it is NOT the end! Thank you John Lennon.) #stilllife #books #blueandwhite #gingerjars #oranges #lemons #annelamott #johnlennon #billcunningham #manet #oilpainting #artbook #collage #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Does anybody else see that this collage came directly from the bowl of pink scraps? They just wanted to be water lilies! #collage #cansonpaper #goldenpaints #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
I love that Americans are getting on board with the ‘tiny house movement’...I even fantasize about building a compound of tiny houses for a cohort as we age...but I dodged a bullet in my younger years by not joining a commune that subsequently blew up spectacularly...so I am approaching cautiously, with a chunk, not a mere grain of salt. Anyway, I was once again impressed with how well and efficiently people in other countries (and of course New York) have figured out how to live well in very little square footage! I felt the need to try to capture this Paris studio apt...where the owner employed mirrors for amplification of space, and kept to a largely grieve tones. I greatly admire this sort of restraint...(and then I am seduced by the siren song of color! ) #interior #oilpainting #paris #studioapartment #smallspaceliving #mirrors #neutral #greige #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Happy Flower Friday! I am experimenting with new ways of working AND new materials. My local, independent art store just started stocking individual, hand-rolled @richesonart pastels, in the yummiest colors and sold individually!!!...so that you can buy a few in a particular color range and then experiment, without having to buy the whole “chocolate box” situation (you know where you have to purchase the whole wonky color assortment but you really just want a particular few and will use those down to nubs, while your non-preferred colors will sit there unused and pristine!) I am using the pastels over dried oil paint...and then I get into ‘fixative’...as you can see, it’s a whole “if you give a mouse a cookie” thing, one thing leads to another...but I am having fun with this. XO #oilpainting #pastels #fixative #stilllife #floral #pink #orange #white #experiment #newmaterials #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
“Our Whole Life is A Collage” Yesterday I cut up and pasted down bits and bobs of paintings that I have done...I mean I cut up prints of paintings...and then pasted the parts down in a collage assembly. It got me thinking how our life stories are just one big collage. We decide which bits to keep, which bits to “paste down” and it all ‘comes together’ in some form,,,but we’re not sure what sort of picture it’s all going to make. So then I painted a painting from the collage. And I remembered a ‘fun fact’ about me: It’s not that I’m messy, it’s just that I am such a visual person, that I like to have all my stuff out where I can SEE it. Sooo, if you are thinking that your life is just a bunch of random disparate pieces, think instead, that you are making a collage, the final image is yet to be determined! #stilllife #collage #paintings #blueandwhite #gingerjars #floral #flowers #dailypaintworks #dpw #pamelachoffmeister
I have been campaigning to make Valentines about expressing love and appreciation generally, rather than making it a narrow holiday for lovers, and excluding everyone who isn’t in THAT kind of situation. When my children were growing up, I made the day about red clothes (usually thrifted silly items) and an all red dinner. I think I loved the low-key (compared to Christmas) nature of this holiday, the fact that it is a harbinger of Spring....annnd, I mean a holiday that centers around flowers and chocolate is hard to beat! So, today, I am suggesting that you join me in “love bombing” someone in your life (preferably someone who doesn’t expect it) with some small token of appreciation (I am going to be “love bombing” the people at my Post Office, at every window, because they make my business possible year around!) Who can you surprise today? Have fun! XO #valentines #sweetpeas #anemonies #green #pink #floral #stilllife #love #red #surprise #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
It’s early in the week so pump yourself up with pattern on pattern. It’ll put pep in your step, and propel you through the week…especially if faced with the daunting task of making valentines for everyone in your child’s second grade class whilst trying to figure out how to spell “Dashiell” and “Hadrian”! XO #blueandwhite #gingerjars #suzani #textiles #pattern #dailypaintworks #valentines #pamelachoffmeister
This big still life (35’ x 23.5”) is a valentine to blue and white ginger jars (specifically) and a general love letter to all of my kindreds in the world who believe in making things both useful and BEAUTIFUL! I mean, “pourquoi non?” Mama Nature (one of my favorite kindreds) makes flowers, fruits, and vegetables in great packaging...always. Take a page...XO #stilllife #blueandwhite #gingerjar #useful #beautiful #big #oiloncanvas #mothernature #fruit #flower #vegetable #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Is anyone else watching Ryan Murphy’s “Feud, Capote and His Swans”, and thinking, “I’m glad they decided not to include Jackie in the mix” because, phew, it is REALLY a STINGING wasp nest. Don’t get me wrong, I plan to keep watching this slowly unfolding train wreck, but there is still that part of me that wants to keep admiring or believing the best about certain iconic figures. And, isn’t it just a little disconcerting to watch sweet Calista Flockhart and Diane Lane playing mean girls??? #ryanmurphy #laurenceleamer #trumancapote #capoteswomen #feud #dianelane #calistaflockhart #chloesevigny #naomiwatts #newyork #jackiekennedy #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
I don’t know about you all, but at the start of the year I am “wandering around” creatively...looking for the thread....”What if creativity is about experimentation and play, and not being good at something can be fun?” I want to have fun, loosen up, mess around. Anybody else feeling this way? So, in that spirit, I jumped on this weeks S J Axelby’s Room Portrait Club prompt. I couldn’t love Sean Anthony Pritchard’s interiors (redolent with books and flowers) more! Please share with me what works for you when you are “wandering” creatively. What breadcrumbs do you follow? XO #interior #stilllife #tulips #pink #red #books #roomportraitclub #peagreen #seananthonypritchard #sjaxelbysinteriorportraits #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Adapting. It was my word of the day today in my yoga class! The reflections in my pool constantly remind me that EVERYTHING is always changing...As the light and the sky change, so do the images reflected on/off the water. It is a constant metaphor for the nature of life, and the continuous need to adapt. #water #reflection #adapt #landscape #tileroof #blue #pink #terracotta #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
“Further Thoughts On Framing Things”, oil on unstretched canvas, 24” x 15.5”. Windows are everywhere in our lives, both real and in our minds. But sometimes we don’t pay attention, or we are not ‘intentional’ about how we frame our view. We (I) perseverate about a problem that doesn’t even need to be in our ‘frame’...because 1) It is not even reality, 2) It may not even happen, 3) we have no power over it anyway...and 4) WE always have a choice, (just as when we are looking through a camera lens) to choose ‘what’ to include in our frame. Here’s to being very intentional about your windows and frames this week. XO Pamela #window #lens #frame #intention #choose #focus #pool #reflection #landscape #stillife #hockney #diebenkorn #jenniferbartlett #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
This 16” x 12” oil on canvas is a view out of my studio, looking north at my pool and my house. I only put one set of fully opening vertical windows into the wall that faces back at my house because 1) even though artists in the northern hemisphere all want ‘northern light’ in their studios...at the time I built my studio, I was very determined to be sequestered away from any interruptions (after a lifetime of being available to lots of people!), so I put a mostly solid edifice facing my house! Annnnnd, then, there was the fact that I consumed a lot of television as a child and especially loved the program “Lassie”; a program about a boy and his collie (named Lassie), who was the boy’s best friend (and pretty much a human). I was particularly impressed by the fact that Lassie got into and out of the boy’s bedroom by hopping through his bedroom window....I thought that that was just about the coolest thing ever! And now I have my very own window that my dog and I can hop through! Orrrr, I can use that window to interrogate the device of the window in a painting and the concept of interior/exterior, the light inside versus the light outside. Oh and one last thing, I was reminded of Georgia O’ Keefe’s “Black Cross Paintings as I looked through the dark metal frames of the windows out to the landscape beyond. #pool #poolscape #interior #exterior #light #north #blueandwhite #water #waterreflections #lassie #tv #collie #dogsofinstagram #window #bonnard #georgiaokeeffe #blackcrosspaintings #hockney #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Today was a glorious day...the sunny light coming into my studio was wonderful. I opened my studio doors and painted a still-life as I looked west out to my pocket garden. And I realized that, the string of gloomy, cold days that we had last week, only heightened my appreciation for the day today. As I admired the strong light illuminating the still-life that I had set up...I felt gratitude (okay, in retrospect!) for the contrast between last week’s gloom and today’s welcome sunshine. #stilllife #interior #exterior #studio #garden #sunlight #blueandwhitestripes #oilpainting #canvas #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
In this painting I was playing with inside and outside...namely that this could be an outside picnic, or an indoor winter repast (fresh citrus at this time of year!), whilst it’s winter and dark outside. My husband says that December 23 is one of my favorite days, because it’s the day AFTER the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. After that day, the days start lengthening again, and I’m all about the light. But I must say, winter has its compensations: my husband made the most beautiful winter salad tonight with freshly picked grapefruit and gorgeous dark red leaf lettuce...yum! #stilllife #winter #wintersolstice #citrus #grapefruit #wintersalad #blueandwhite #gingerjars #interior #dark #light #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Sometimes during winter, it begins to get dark in my studio, and I just keep painting...forgetting that I have nice, warm, balanced light in my studio...I just have to turn it on! And yet, there is this pervasive darkness that inhabits the winter months and I think I was kind of channeling that in this still-life! #stilllife #gingerjars #lemons #winter #darkness #light #studio #oilpainting #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
This 16” x 20” oil on stretched canvas is ready to hang! I titled it “Canmouflage” because as I was painting my favorite things, my red Irish setter popped up...basically in full camouflage. He looks good by my red enamel chair, and terra cotta pots, and orange Louis Sherry chocolate boxes. He is huge, but loves to “tip toe” if he’s not sure he should go somewhere in the house, or he will lie down in the ‘flattest’ profile he can manage. It always makes us laugh because he is our very own “Clifford the Big Red Dog”, and thinks he can magically fool everybody and not ‘appear’ as big and visible as he is. I am not sure why he bothers, because he is basically welcome anywhere and everywhere in our house or my studio! Our son said that he’s human, and he’s definitely a family member. #irishsetter #dog #red #bigboy #bigred #cliffordthebigreddog #normanbridwell #stilllife #louissherrychocolates #chair #terracotta #camouflage #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
I have figured out several ways to cope with my disappointment that I forgot to force bulbs this year. I can journal about it, I can put it in my diary to do this coming Fall....AND I can paint the beauty that other people have created (such as this glorious mess of paper whites on Sean Anthony Pritchard’s site!) I absolutely love that he’s using a chair for a pile of books, and the books are functioning as a plant stand! #interior #stilllife #green #paperwhites #forcebulbsindoors #books #plantstand #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Happy Flower Friday! It’s that time of year, between the holidays and when early Spring bulbs push up out of the still cold ground. And this year, I did not plan ahead and start forcing bulbs in the Fall. Soooo, I see everyone else with their paper whites, their amaryllis, etc., inside their cosy winter abodes and I’ve got nothing. I really miss the scent of paper whites on their graceful long stems! So, I am asking you, gentle friends near and far, please remind me to get going next Fall and start potting up bulbs to bring indoors. Friends don’t let friends forget the winter bulbs! Right? (This is a small, 9” x 9” on canvas still-life of Lily of the Valley, wait, can I force THOSE indoors???!!!) XO #stilllife #lilyofthevalley #forcebulbs #blueandwhite #chinoiserie #pink #indoors #flowers #spring #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Throwback Thursday: This little still-life, (from 2016, inspired by @peggikr) I titled “Mouth Magic” but today would call “Morning Ablutions” or “Full Make-Up Routine”. I was not ready to face the day without my Mac “Tanarama” lipstick. Now I’ve had to switch to Mac’s “Spoiled Fabulous” cause they stopped making Tanarama!!! Argh! Is there a beauty product you require to leave the house? (And that maybe you stock-pile when you find it in the Sea-Tac airport Mac store?!!!They have 10 and you buy ALL of them!) XO #stilllife #morning #smile #morningroutine #youreneverfullydressedwithoutasmile #maclipstick #pink #toothbrush #dentalcare #peggikrollroberts #pretty #prettyinpink # #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
As you know, I am a raging bibliophile. As 6 year old I got my first library card and since then have never looked back. To me books are magic portals and beautiful objects. If I go into someone’s abode and see their books, I get a quick over-view of who they are. And if I go to someone’s house and there are NO BOOKS...well as John Waters said (in slightly more colorful language) I skedaddle outa there. Here is a list of what I think books are good for: touching, smelling, reading, writing, looking at, arranging by color, judging by their cover, entering other people’s minds, staying home but getting to travel EVERYWHERE in the world....and as this painting demonstrates, books are amazing, flexible plant stands!!! What books are NOT good for: Banning and burning! #interior #oilpainting #johnwaters #books #bibliophile #bookstore #library #plants #geraniums #plantstand #decor #travel #reading #writing #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
This 8” x 10” still-life on stretched canvas depicts a highly maligned fruit: the humble lemon. Saying something “is a lemon” is understood by all to mean “it’s a dud”. And yet…”Lemons aid weight loss, reduce your risk of heart disease, anemia, kidney stones, digestive issues and cancer!” So I am thinking that lemons need a new publicist….and a new campaign with the slogan: When life hands you a lemon, say “Wow, thank you!” #blueandwhite #lemon #citrus #vitaminc #fruit #healthy #yellow #benefits #oilpainting #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Alert: This post will probably make you feel like a better person than me! It’s okay! I’m sure you are right! Okay….so I love the concept of a Pu Pu Platter: a Chinese or Hawaiian assortment of appetizers...because I see life as a constant assortment of things to choose from, take into your body, embrace....or not. For example, today I went to my usual Sunday a.m. yoga class and instead of the usual big airy studio (where some sort of workshop was taking place), I was directed to a tiny room where we were crowded in, very cheek by jowl. Then we were asked to ‘scooch closer’ so a few more people could fit in. I moved within inches of the lady on my right (feeling generous about letting someone else join the class) and then a man with long hair that was either wet or very dirty, scooched into the tight space next to me. We began the class...he began to sweat profusely...he took his shirt off...I had an “ewww” response (internally). But THEN, I started questioning my attitude: Why did I think that I deserved lots of space in the world? Why did I think that I could “order” the world according to all of MY preferences? I knew NOTHING of this man’s life circumstances....Anyway, all of this is to say, I came out of that yoga class getting MUCH more than I signed up for. I got a yoga class AND an internal therapy session...SO MUCH for $11! XO See, don’t you feel like you’re a better person than me? You’re welcome. #imari #pupuplatter #stilllife #citrus #oranges #lemons #yoga #sunday #therapy #bargain #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
What is the difference between: I like you & I love you? Beautifully answered by the Buddha: When you like a flower, you just pluck it. When you love a flower you water it every daily! I guess I love blue and white porcelain, because I paint it (water it) every day! #blueandwhite #chinese #porcelain #love #oilpainting #plates #teacup #stilllife #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
I named this 18” x 24” painting “Kintsugi” after the beautiful Japanese art of repairing things with gold...because I am thinking a lot about wounds, damage, brokenness, and repair. This platter is one I own, but a big chunk of one corner got broken off. Then I moved and the corner chunk got lost...so it just has to exist with its wound. It is still so pretty AND I love all of the pattern on it, so of course I’ll keep it and keep painting it into still lifes, (and repairing it in oil paintings, if not in real life.) The French word ‘to wound’ is ‘blesser’ and I love that it sounds close to the English word ‘blessing’. Because sometimes our biggest wounds end up blessing us (maybe much much later) or others we come in contact with. Also I am pondering the tremendous blessing that my son-in-law’s wounded body is to his friend who received a portion of his liver. Today, Jay’s liver is making bile in Rich’s body!!! Who knew ‘bile’ would be so exciting??? So, I am broadening the meaning of the beautiful art of ‘Kintsugi’ to mean all of the ways we bind up the broken and the broken-hearted. May you and I practice ‘Kintsugi’ in order to be bringers of healing and repair in our world. (P. S. Doesn’t my son-in-law look dapper in that hospital issue navy robe? When did hospitals start giving us cute stuff?) #stilllife #blueandwhite #indigo #navy #kintsugi #wound #blessing #healing #organtransplant #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
It’s cold and blustery outside but I have my Irish Setter to keep me warm. He’s no Lassie, (I mean if I fell down a well, he probably wouldn’t “get help”), but he’s pretty terrific. #dogsofinstagram #irishsetter #mansbestfriend #womansbestfriend #bigdogs #huntingdog #red #setter #ireland #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
This still-life with many elements (pattern on the Imari platter, many figs of many colors facing different directions) is a metaphor for what my family is experiencing today. Forty years ago my son-in-law’s father moved their family to Dallas,Texas...Friendships ensued and a larger web of friendship developed. Today, my son-in-law is donating a part of his liver to the husband (who has liver cancer) of one of those friends. The two men will be in surgery from 10 to 12 hours. As I am looking at the situation today, I can see that this event has quite literally been about 40 years in the making...each person involved, moving inexorably toward this day. It makes me think that at ALL times, unseen things are happening FOR us...they may unfold slowly, over many years...but whether we ‘see’ or don’t see (and usually I am caught up in the minutia of today), whether we pause to ‘wonder’ about the big picture, or don’t...so much is afoot. So today, maybe stop for a minute and wonder what ‘might be’ happening...what some friendship, some marriage, some move might mean further down the road in the big picture...you don’t have to figure ANYTHING out, just wonder. And two things: please pray for these two men and their families, light a candle, send love and light. And maybe take a minute to give thanks that there is goodness in the world today. (2nd pic taken 17 yrs ago, just two friends enjoying their firstborn children, having no idea about the future!) XO #stilllife #imariporcelain #figs #friends #future #unseeneverywhere #wonder #bigpicture #goodness #sacrifice #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Today I was hiking with my dog and noticing what endures in my desert climate: I find objects made of metal, rocks, and sometimes fragments of glazed tiles. And I was pondering what a miracle it is that some objects (such as the Chinese porcelain I keep painting) have endured over centuries...even what is considered a breakable, fragile object, and yet...And then I wondered: Is it the strength of the object, OR how it is handled and cared for, OR both? And then it struck me that ceramic objects (particularly beautiful hand painted porcelain) are fired twice! They are initially fired to strengthen them, and then painted on (glazed) and fired again to add a layer of beauty. And so it probably is with us: we are products of the “fires” that we have been through, AND we are affected by how gently we are cared for. Both things help us endure. (Note: center painting is 4” x 12” oil on stretched canvas, one and a half inch profile, “Reflection on Ginger Jars and Lemons”, $200.) #stilllife #gingerjars #lemons #blueandwhite #horizontal #endure #porcelain #chinese #fragile #strength #fire #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
I painted a large blue and white platter today (24” x 24”) today and I finally figured out one reason I am doing it. Twenty years ago my daughter was studying theater in Canterbury England and my husband and I went to visit her. As we ambled through the town after walking to church through a rapeseed field of yellow flowers (soooo beautiful if an unfortunate name!), I spied a treasure in a local charity shop. Because it was Sunday, the shop was closed. The treasure was a lovely, old, blue and white transfer-ware platter. And the price on it was ridiculously low (several pounds as I recall). I wanted it so badly. But, the next day, when I got to the shop it had already been sold! I only have a handful of “treasures” that I let get away (that I still think of) but that is one of them. Another was a quirky red library table with incredible turned/spindle legs that was bought by someone JUST as I walked up to the yard sale...ugh, I even offered the buyer more money for it and STILL think of it. Do you have any ‘treasures’ that you wish you’d snagged, and still think of? #bluesndwhite #chinoiserie #transferware #england🇬🇧 #canterbury #universityofkent #charityshop #treasure #theonewhogotaway #stilllife #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
You guys, I can’t stop painting plates and platters. I’ve removed the fruit and gotten into my tube of indigo. The line from Annie Proulx’ book and Ang Lee’s amazing film “Brokeback Mountain” keeps running through my head, “I just can’t quit you”…(although happily, I am experiencing glee and joyous energy instead of sorrow.) Today I prepared canvas to paint blue and white BIGGER! Stay tuned! DM me for price of this quartet of paintings. XO #bluesndwhite #china #porcelein #plates #platters #oilpainting #indigo #quarter #anglee #annieproulx #film #books #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
Happy Flower Friday! As sure as I am that, yes, it can be gray and cold in winter, I am with Albert Camus that, “In the midst of winter, I found there was within me, and invincible summer”. Could this statement have had anything to do with the abundance of flower shops in Paris? I wonder... #flowers #paris #flowershops #pink #oilpainting #winter #summer #albertcamus #nobelprize #writer #flowerfriday #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister
As posted previously, in lieu of lining up children, I now line up (or do series of) paintings. In my next 6 postings I will highlight each of my six children in the form of a 6” x 8” still-life painted on a canvas board. This first entry is a classic blue and white platter with lemons and kumquats (which my first child loves!). She was/is a classic first child; high achieving, responsible, etc. She put us through our paces and taught us a LOT about a lot of things because we were total rookies! Fortunately she came ‘from the factory’ with some pre-installed super helpful features: such as being an adept nurser right off the bat. In short, she made my husband and I feel like we might be kinda ‘good’ at this parenting thing....duh, stay tuned. #stilllife #citrus #blueandwhite #yellow #orange #lemon #kumquat #chinoiserie #oilpainting #series #children #oldest #classic #dailypaintworks #pamelachoffmeister