Small view
The beach in Santa Monica is layers of land, water, brown cliffs, and the green of trees and grass. On these beautiful fall afternoons, late afternoon, when the sun is starting to set, the colors blend in my mind. This abstract, inspired by the beauty around me, is only 8 inches by 8 inches.
I wanted to create a small work that I could take with me when I went to see my Mom who is fighting cancer. (She lives out of state.) She has a particularly aggressive cancer that started with a tumor behind her eye. She is blind in that eye and now has another tumor in the root of her tooth. It is difficult to see my Mom this way but also it was good to see her. I have been lucky enough to have my Mom in my life for many years. My Mom loves acrylic paintings with texture, so I created this one for her because it is small enough for her to hold to touch and look at closely. My time is short with my Mom and it felt good to share something with her. She is not able to travel to see my studio so this is the best I can do.
Art reflects life changes
I have been settling in my new place in Santa Monica and painting where I live while I search for a new studio space. The change in work space has inspired different approaches to my work. I also have been trying different brands of paint, which has also changed the outcome. If you paint with acrylic, then you understand the nature of working with it. Some brands produce a thicker paint that lends itself to the type of work I like to do. These works were done with the Blick brand of paint. It tends to be more liquid than what I have used in the past. I have been mixing it with different mediums such as glass beads, pumice, iridescent, crackle paste, and a few others to thicken it up. 
The work to the right is only 5 x 7 inches. It can be challenging to work on a small canvas…this one just happened. Often painting is almost an out of body experience – I am lost in the creation. I spent days afterword waiting for this one to dry. About a week later, when it finally dried, I still wasn’t sure what I thought of it, but it has a combination of some of my favorite colors of blue. It feels like late evening, last light of the day, the blue period before dark and the sky blackening behind stars.
Thanks for stopping by …
I appreciate everyone’s feedback … it is inspiring to hear from others and also to visit your blogs to see your travel pictures, artisitic photographs, design, art, and read about your experiences. I think the best part of having a WordPress site is that you can interact with people from around the world. I haven’t been able to travel outside the country for a bit and so I love seeing and reading about your trips. I will be going in December/January somewhere… I’m hoping to explore a country I haven’t see yet.
Copyright
All work is copyrighted by me and is for sale. Please ask permission before using images posted here of my work. If you are interested in purchasing work, you can contact me at trishfalin@gmail.com.
Beautiful colours yet again. So sorry to hear about your mum. Sending blessings of peace to you both. I love the second painting too, and I understand what you mean by losing oneself in the creation. The passion of the heart becomes the driving force and lifts one to another level of consciousness. Take care of yourself.
This is a beautiful gift. My mother also battled cancer (of a different type), and every moment that could take her out of herself and lighten her spirit was so important. And your painting really evokes the light of Santa Monica.
I so agree re:- blogging and visiting other blogs to see the inspiring creativity of others! I live in the Australian island state of Tasmania in a small country town, and online is really the only place I can network with other artists on a regular basis. And I love what you said here, that ‘often painting is almost an out of body experience – I am lost in the creation’ . I have the same experience in what I do, and then am quite suprised at what emerges! =D
thank you … painting is a great escape!
Watching my mom touch the painting was a special moment… I think she was able to forget about the pain for a little bit. The cancer has been slowly destroying her … I hope you’re Mom made it through.
The odd part about painting is when someone else looks at it and comments on it, I really begin to see it… I feel blessed to be in LA where so many artists live but the online community is very inspiring – the world perspective is great.
Stunning colours
This is beautiful. I love the colors!
Trish
Thanks for visiting my blog. My heartfelt sympathy about your mom. It’s a small world because my day job is neurosurgery. Let me know if there’s anything I can answer for you. All the best and for your mom.
Hi Victor,
Thank you for the offer. My mom is in the Hospice program now … The doctors decided that they couldn’t treat her anymore. The type of cancer is squamous. When I was at MD Anderson I learned that it can hop along the nerves and spread along the nerve. My mom is pretty weak from treatment. The cancer came about a year after she was diagnosed with MDS, so she didn’t have an immune system to fight the spread of it. At this point, I feel like it is out of my hands. I just hope to spend a little more time with her.
Trish
Absolutely beautiful images. I am really looking forward to exploring your Blog.
hi, i love your color palette and how you weave them into beautiful tapestries of images.
thank you for visiting me as well. your mom will be in my prayers.
April
Hi Trish, What a wonderful gift for your mother. I am sure she treasures it.
It is interesting how a change in workspace has influenced your recent work and you are experimenting with a different brand of paint.
Trish, I am so sorry about your mother. It is so hard to see one you love suffer so much. Your paintings are exquisit, and I know your mom will appreciate them. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Ilike your color treatments.
Beautiful colors and texture. A wonderful gift for your mother. My mother had an aggressive form of cancer and I too lived in a different state so I created a coastal image (east coast – a sunrise) for her (vision was not a problem for her). It was something that helped me, too, through her illness and subsequent death. She was unable to get to the beach she loved, and she was happy to have the image of it. I bet your mother feels the love in your creation too. Hugs and I will keep you and your mother in my thoughts and prayers.
Lovely textural work – great for someone to feel as well as see! So sorry about your mom; mine went through pancreatic cancer … it makes every moment spent with them very precious. All the best in the days ahead, and look forward to seeing more of your ‘out of body’ artworks! =D
Thank you … I have been lucky to have my mom in my life … I had hoped for more time.
Sorry to hear of your Mom and your struggles together. I love the vibrancy of your work. Is your Mom an artist too ? Stay strong.
My mom isn’t a practicing artist … She raised six, I’m number five…she does have an artistic vision, she sees patterns, and images much like I do.
I like how your primary colors reassert themselves to some extent in secondary locations. I’ve very sorry about your mom, and will keep you both in my prayers. God bless you both. : )
What a beautiful post. Sending best wishes to you and your mom.
Thank you for sharing your gift, both with your readers and through your love and devotion for your mother. You just touched my heart.
I love the painting of coastal colors. Best wishes. Sue Aa
Coastal colours is truly beautiful and the story behind it even more so. I guess there is only so much we can control but, creating good memories with your loved ones is one of the better ways of surviving. God bless!