Self-Portrait

Self Portrait 18 x 14 oil on stretched canvas  NFS

This is a self-portrait I painted a few years back. I’m posting it today to commemorate that 20 years ago this month an organ donor saved my life. 

I had been diagnosed with terminal liver disease of unknown origin, and given only a year to live. My only hope of survival was to receive a transplant. Getting that transplant, however, was far from a sure thing. Then, just as today, patients frequently died waiting for transplants.

I was one of the lucky ones. Thanks to an anonymous donor family I received a gift beyond measure. I remember that family's selfless courage each and every day. Even as they suffered the devastating loss of someone they loved, they thought of others. I try to savor every day. Painting is one way I do that. Working to promote organ donation is another.

Plums and Jug

Plums and Jug 9 x 12 acrylic on gessoboard

Plums are just the most fun to paint, and still life paintings are all about enjoying the textures.

The Sentinel

The Sentinel 8 x 8 oil on gessoboard

Crows often drop by for a drink in our backyard and I love to see them. They're such stunning-looking creatures. Even if they kind of dwarf the birdbath, they still manage to look so majestic.

Summer Solitude

Summer Solitude 8 x 10 acrylic on stretched canvas  SOLD

Sun, sand, and and a bit of quiet solitude. A moment when all the sensual delights of summer are yours alone.This is another in my series of paintings that celebrate the joys of summertime at the cottage.

Autumn

Autumn 8 x 8 acrylic on gessoboard  SOLD

She looks as if Autumn could be her name, at least that's what the colors suggested to me. A few days to go until it's officially fall, but a few leaves here are already changing.