Blue Heron #2

“Blue Heron #2”
20” x 16”
Unframed - Oil on Canvas
Available at $800.
Laura Marie Anderson © November 16, 2006

I have been painting on this for three days now. Each and every time I call it finished and photograph it I return it to the easel for more paint. It is driving e crazy. For now I call it finished. Perhaps I will return to it one day.

Tomorrow I have to go to Billings and take down a show I have had up at McCormick Café, teach a cycling class at the YMCA, and happily visit with my eldest daughter, Karie, and grandchildren, Marcus and Christopher. Follow that link and see a painting I painted of them when they were both one year old. They are three years apart in age.

Sentinels - November 14, 2006

“Sentinels -November 14, 2006”
8” x 10”
Unframed - Oil on prepared Masonite
Available at $150.
Laura Marie Anderson © November 14, 2006

This painting describes the majority of the day, snowing with the sun trying to find its way out of the clouds.

Great Blue Heron

“Great Blue Heron”
16” x 16”
Unframed - Oil on prepared Masonite
Available at $750.
Laura Marie Anderson © November 13, 2006

I started this yesterday and finished it today. Quite honestly I don’t know for a few days if I have actually finished something not. Paintings are like brand new love affairs it takes a while to be able to see their faults.

This was painted from a photo that Karl took in Shark Valley, Florida. While I was painting he was touring.

I forgot to tell what happened while I was painting in Shark Valley. I was positioned behind a wood railing that was about two feet tall. There was an older gentleman watching me paint and chatting with me. There were many other people near a building not to far away. Before the fellow came along, I watched an alligator skim across the water and try to take a non suspecting bird. I’m not sure if he got the bird, it was so quick and them he was gone. I was sitting there thinking about how stupid the bird was to have held still for so long. Then I started thinking about how long I had been sitting there painting. How stupid it might prove to be. Then this older man came by and while we were talking I forgot all about the alligators. Suddenly an alligator flopped himself up on the grass about two feet in front of me. I flew back out of my chair, saying one of the most familiar four letter words. When it was over the old man and I laughed at the language that had sprung from my mouth. The alligator moved on. I think he was like my old rottweiler, Carma; he just got some sort of thrill in watching the humans scatter.

Hibiscus

“Hibiscus”
6” x 8”
Unframed - Oil on Linen on Board
Available at $100.
Laura Marie Anderson © November 12, 2006

The first time I saw this flower was at Treasure Harbor in the Florida Keys. Pam and Pete Anderson are the owners of this wonderful marina. While staying on one of there beautiful ships Pam made everything special. Each day in the breezeway there were several of these beautiful flowers resting in a fresh bowl of water. I commented to her that I thought they were too beautiful to pick and she told me that they only live for 24 hours so we might as well enjoy them.
Now living in Montana, one would think that these sun lovers would be hard to come by, but I found a plant at a local nursery this past summer and brought it home to the mountains. It is only about two and a half feet high, but produces a flower every now and again. The last time it blossomed I mistakenly thought, I’ll have to paint that one tomorrow. By the next day it was dying, limp and shriveled.

As I was painting this today I thought about the idea of what if we only had one more day to live, how would we spend it? If we could be beautiful and vibrant for only one day, would we reach towards the sun and thank God for the opportunity to beautify his world?