Christmas...

Nativity

Acrylic on Tri-Fold Wood Panel 72"x 96"

                 I wish you a Christmas filled with Peace, Love, and Joy!

For the first time, I have been able to display my outdoor Nativity! I painted it a few years ago for a Church Christmas Concert after having had the piece rolling around in my head for several years before that..... This year it faces both the street and the new sidewalk to my studio. Merry Christmas!

Twin Falls IdahoTemple

Living Waters: Twin Falls Temple

Oil on Canvas panel 8"x8" sold

Thank you for looking, Marilyn Miller

Christmas....

Christmas Light

Oil on Canvas Panel 10"x8" sold

Lights, Colors, and a Lantern show us

The Christmas Train is gathering speed.

Let's enjoy the ride!

 

Indian Paint Brush, September on Mt. Harrison

Oil on Canvas Panel   16"x20" 

Grandmother loved Indian Paint Brush. She watched for it each season and celebrated it!

Now I love Indian Paint Brush and watch for it and celebrate it!

 
Thank you for looking, Marilyn Miller

Paintings ....

Painted Lady
Oil on Canvas Panel 8"x10" sold

I noted the butterflies arrival, saw them on intense blue flowers in my neighbors garden for about three days, and then they were gone. I think they pass through just once a year. They were delightful to watch even though they were here so fleetingly.
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Paint is a wonderful substance! Oil Paint responds beautifully to being pushed and pulled around on a brush. Color is magical. The depth of color of oil paints is infinite. Harmonies are exquisite. Each color responds to its neighbor

When I cannot work, I feel deprived of the joy of seeing, smelling, and feeling colors and shapes developing. It feels like I have not painted for weeks...Finally today was a great painting day! I am not at all sure that the results look like I had a good day, but I feel like things are back to being right!

First Autumn Leaf, Weeping Birch

Oil on Canvas 6"x6"

Walking in warmth

With just a bit of breeze foretelling winters depths...

First leaves fall. Sunlight yellow Birch...

Autumn Trees and Leaves...

Weeping Birch Leaves

Oil on Canvas 6"x6"  PEP $30

On a walk with my little Chihuahua a few weeks ago we found irrefutable evidence that Autumn was coming in these few yellow fallen leaves. At that time the sun was still warming each delightful day. Then came last week and everything has changed. Since last Tuesday, we have had pleasant autumnal rain every day and a few wind storms. This morning started sunny and warm and has ended with soft rain and many leaves of every tree falling.

September

Oil on Canvas 20"x24"   Unframed $1250 Framed in ornate gold  $1600

Tree of Life images can be found in most cultures, times, and styles of expression. The ideas seem universal. In recent time, Piet Mondrian painted a series of wonderful tree interpretations which when viewed in chronological order as painted, give the viewer a greater understanding of abstract painting.
        My own "Tree of Life" is just outside my kitchen and living room windows. After I quite accidentally did a smaller version as a student demonstration, I really wanted to tackle this painting.
        As I have watched our family and others developing and branching, the imagery and personal interpretations have engaged my heart and mind.
        What do you see?

Tree

8"x8"sold

Thank you for looking at my paintings! I will appreciate your comments...

Slideshow of Studio Sidewalk!

What an exciting day! When I arose at about 6:45am, the all-volunteer crew was already here finishing details and readying the path from the street to the door of my studio, to become a sidewalk! It was fun and amazing to watch it all happen. These photos were selected from the forty plus I took this morning as I watched it all unfold. Everyone worked so wonderfully to make it happen! The craftsmanship is beautiful. It is a signed work! My neighbors, Randy and Kathleen came and assisted too. Randy brought a 2011 penny to put in the concrete. It shines! And the signatures and leaf prints made by Kathleen all look great. I understand it will be ready to walk on late this afternoon....so it will be ready for our studio tour this Thursday!

Found Feather

Found Feather
Sold

Crabapple Tree in the Evening

Oil on Cradled Canvas Panel  8" x 8"  $125

sold

This marvelous tree which I see out both the kitchen and living room windows was planted by my Mother in about 1950. I have loved painting its vibrant pink blossoms in the spring, but, though I look at it every day, all year, never thought  of trying to capture the poetry of the whole tree until now. The apples are ripe, ready to begin falling, dinner for squirells.

Peace Rose

Peace Rose
Oil on Canvas 15cm x15cm sold

Growing Peace Roses has been a family favorite for decades probably since the time my parents took us on a trip to the West Coast beginning in Portland, Oregon in time to visit the Rose Festival and see the Rose Parade in about 1949... Each year, my Father loved telling of his largest, "This size across....". rose. We have a photograph taken of my Grandmother Thompson looking lovingly at her first ever "Peace Rose".

        Since those days, there has always been at least one bush  of them in the little rose garden here. I was pleased to see this one a few days ago and record it in paint for all of us

Thank you for looking, Marilyn Miller

Desert Blossoming

Desert Blossoming

Oil on Cradled Canvas Panel, 8"x8" 

It is difficult at times to remember that we really are in a desert here... Our community Fathers did extraordinary work in making the valley beautifully productive by creating an irrigation system using our Snake River. The farming community and even we city dwellers benefit greatly from their hard work!

This rose was waiting for me in the garden this morning! I spent a wonderful tranquil afternoon in my studio exploring the rose and the day in paint!

 

Sunflower and South Hills

Sunflowers and South Hills

Oil on Cradles Canvas Panel 8"x8"
Sold

Years ago friends moving to the West from the Eastern Coast and were amazed and fascinated by the Sunflowers growing wild all along roads and farmlands. They loved them. The first time I drew or painted them was as a gift to them as a thank you for showing me their beauty. Because they enjoyed these "weeds," I saw them with new eyes. I am always grateful to those who assist me to see better!

  

Sunflowers

Sunflowers and Gold

Oil on Cradled Canvas Panel 8"x8"   sold

Second try with sunflowers from a neighbors wonderful garden. Looser... More casual..... like.... sunflowers....

 

Grain Harvest is going!

Fields White

Oil on Cradled Canvas Panel 8"x8"
sold

This time of year brings such visual feasting! I love seeing the colors of ripe grains both before and after cutting, It is such a glorious light vibrant yellow....

A few days ago I toured some of the farming areas around us and watched grains being cut, straw being bailed and trucks delivering and lining up for the next load. What activity! What beauty!

Summertime Still Life

Daisies and Fruit

Oil on Canvas Panel 8"x10"

This began as the first demonstration piece for my painting workshop. I loved the colors of the fruits with gold drape and so decided to finish it. I also love painting French Jelly glasses, and daisies are a favorite flower. It all makes for a happy reflection of good days.

 

A new Walkway to the Studio!

Part of a great working crew...

A few weeks ago my studio and I became the objects of a wonderful Service Project from the dear people of my Church! I had mentioned to a friend an impossible dream of mine to make a walkway from the street to my studio so that people visiting would be able to walk somewhere other than on the grass which is very uneven and dangerous.

Next thing I knew, I had a crew of people here laying it out and preparing it for concrete! I love it! It has a great inviting curve! I love the people who are making it! We are of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Burley 5th Ward!

From the street..... From the Studio door!

Seven Posts Challenge

My Most Popular Post has consistently been "Mourning Cloak on Crab Apple Blossoms". I can not find it in my files so this is a similar painting done this year without a butterfly. I do love painting these blossoms each year that they bloom. The tree is now very old (planted in about 1949) and only blooms every other year. One year, as it bloomed, I was sick and feeling so sad until a Mourning Cloak Butterfly appeared and flitted about the blossoms for a time leaving me full of joy!

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Most Beautiful Post ~ I lived with this painting for a few years before it found its home and I really enjoyed the serenity of the piece.

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Most Proud of this painting done as a commission piece for my dear friends in Switzerland. They have a home in the incredible little valley with these majestic surrounding mountains and they asked me create a painting of it. That alone brought me great joy! But while I was there, there were no mountains, just clouds. So I did it all from photos and what I felt as Karin and I took three separate tram rides to get to the summit of Mt. Titlis, the snow topped mountain on the far right of the painting. At the summit we met up with her husband, Daniel for lunch. He had climbed the mountain! It was great being there with them and seeing their encouraging responses as I made this painting. ________________________________________________

More Attention Deserved? I am not sure of that, but this is the direction I would like to be going with my painting and was just sure it would get a bit of notice.... _________________________________________________

This painting of Shoshone Falls has been Most Helpful to me because it was the first time in many years I had set up on location and made the painting there entirely. I found out I can do it!!! And I have done others since and love working outdoors, en pleine aire. I even purchased a French Easel and really enjoy working with it! _______________________________________________

I was Most Surprised by Success when this painting sold in the Auction on the Daily Paintwork site to benefit the catastrophe in Japan earlier this year. _______________________________________________

Because my faith (I am one of those dreaded "Mormons." Me and Mitt Romney..both very controversial...), I feel this, in today's world of unbelievers, might be my Most Controversial Posting. It was rejected from the Church's International Art competition in Salt Lake after many of my very dear and supportive friends encouraged me to enter the competition. I think I may have deleted the posting after the rejection. Still, it was a fine experience for me. Painting it was quite inspirational and a time of learning and of growing closer to my Savior. __________________________________________________

Nancy Laliberte and I were selected for a broadcast of "Artists Helping Artists"* last year and she has become a treasured and helpful e-friend. I enjoy a subscription to her Blog and she frequently comments on my paintings.

Recently she included me in a this Challenge. I was in the middle of a teaching project and could not get to it (partly because this is difficult!)

I received another artist's response to the same list today and it reminded me that I had not responded, so, here we go..... Thank you, Nancy! I almost found enough to do it....

In many ways, I think each painting I have done fits each category... Except I think I have never painted anything controversial.... I am a cautious old lady... and always have been. Perhaps some of my more religious paintings of Temples or of Christ. And I suppose anything can be controversial if the right, or wrong, person sees it....I have never had enough folks look or comment to make any piece "Popular". Four comments is tops anywhere on my blog.

* Great Blogtalk Radio show created and hosted by Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry, two wonderful painters, to assist all artists with the difficult task of marketing. They do wonderful work!!!! Click on the connection in my left column....Nancy's blog is there too...

In a Garden....

"Jim's Archway"

Oil on Canvas Panel 14" x 11" sold

One of my demonstration pieces from the recent Oil Painting Workshop taught in my studio. My dear neighbors allowed us to invade their lovely garden. It is beautiful in every corner. I find the Stick Archway very inviting. Choosing which way to explore is always difficult ~ colorful vistas in every direction! Humming birds are everywhere and Jim keeps track of them individually! His children explore here daily and play wonderful games. Truly a Magical place.

 

Snake River Canyon near Murtaugh, Idaho

Still a Work in Progress...

sold

The latest incarnation on my painting of the Snake River Canyon from near Murtaugh. Now all the steps I knew needed to be taken have been done. It is still not what I wish it to be so now I must look at it and let it tell me what is next....

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Let's Paint! Oil Painting Workshop July 2011

Merete with her Daisy Still Life Painting

Soni with her Daisy Still Life Painting Connor concentrating! Soni and Merete Drawing in preparation to painting in a neighbor's beautiful garden.

Already a week has gone past since our small Oil Painting Workshop, "Let's Paint!" I was very pleased with all that happened. What a great little group of painters! They were each happy to be painting and willing to try new ideas!

It was a first for me to try out some ideas for a workshop in Oil Painting. I was nervous, but I think it worked out and I am willing to try it all again! Each seemed to feel that it was a fun occasion, each seemed to feel they accomplished and learned. We had great times talking, working, and lunching.

I am very pleased with the paintings they each did, and pleased that each is individual!

A few comments from fine participants:

"This was the most fun time painting!... I plan on taking more classes too!"

"I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I believe I will continue to try to paint. ...I can do this ..."

"...a delight!!!"