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NEW PAINTING Willow

 

"Willow," 24"x30", acrylic on panel, $1300 plus s&h when available. Reach out to meif you are interested, as I am in the process of putting together a special first dibs program for my collectors both old and new.

from my heart and then from life

is how this painting came about.

This Momma Bear began a couple weeks back, literally drawn overtop a pine tree painting using a previous Momma Bear painting as a reference. As I worked intuitively (meaning the reference got turned to the wall and I responded just to the new bear and whatever popped up next in my head), she began to look less like a pine tree and more like a weeping willow. It seemed fitting somehow, my association of  Momma Bears protectingt our children in a world gone mad, linked to willows - both whomping and weeping..

I hadn't spent time with a willow in years (but remembered a special one I used to bike past as a kid) and knew I needed to remedy that. A trip to Hogwarts just wasn't a possibility, so yesterday I visited an ancient willow on a local historic farm.

Yesterday I took the in process painting to her roots. We sat together and talked about all sorts of things, the three of us (actually, 4, because Blue was with me). I sketched, took pictures, closed my eyes and listened, felt the dappled light fall across my closed eyelids, wrapped my arms around her trunk, traced the gripping fingers of her roots, chalked some ideas and notes onto the painting itself and then came back to the studio.

And finished Willow last night.

I feel like the tree is here in the studio with me. It completely changes the quality of the air.

Thanks so much for your interest in my artwork - and for supporting me in my journey, warmly, Kim

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