"Printemps", 6x8, oil on panel, women in hats, springtime, expressive portraits, little gems, portraits of women

 "Printemps", 6x8, oil on panel

I will always be an old-fashioned girl at heart. I have always loved things that reflect timeless beauty, history, charm, and a simple way of life. So I am of course attracted to things of the past. 

I think it would have been amazing to live during the Roaring Twenties, when fashion was influenced by the Jazz Era or the Great Gatsby era as told through F. Scott Fitzgerald. I also love the Victorian age and the 40's and.... oh I could just go on and on. The fashion of today is just not fashion at all!

Anyway, I digress. This little tiny painting is all about a romantic era. The girl's dreamy eyes are thinking perhaps of a lost love, or a husband at war. 

All I know is that she is sad, but still beautiful.

I enjoy painting little small portraits because I think they can be more expressive when they are done quickly, as this one was.

I named the painting "Printemps", which means springtime in French.

Thanks for checking out my blog. Check out more of my paintings at my website here.

" Tango", 12x16, oil on linen, Latin dance, ballet, dance art, ballroom dance

" Tango", 12x16, oil on linen

Before my art career began, I was a dancer. I took ballet classes 4 to 5 times a week until I was in my mid-fifties, at which point I decided that painting was a lot easier on my joints than dancing. I was director of a large dance school for many years, and Artistic Director or a regional Ballet Company join the suburbs of of Philadelphia.

The love of dance never leaves you, once you get bitten by the dance bug. After moving to Florida and quitting ballet, I tried ballroom dancing with my husband. I absolutely loved it, but unfortunately, he hated it. So rather than look for a new partner, I quit as well. Today I still take line dance classes for fun and to keep my memory sharp, but it can't replace the joy I used to feel in ballet class.

The Tango is my favorite latin dance. It epitomizes the passion of the Latin people and the syncopated sultry rhythms of Spanish music.

I did enjoy painting this one, if only for the memories it brought back of thousands of dance classes over the years, and hours spent at the barre honing technique.

To all dance lovers out there, keep on dancing.