Looking Back a Hundred Years, Homestead and Heritage, a Landscape Painting

Homestead and Heritage, a Landscape Painting

by Cindy Morawski

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I heard earlier this month that the drought in Texas is "officially" over. After driving on Loop 1604 this past weekend, I can believe it. I used the bluebonnet test for my measuring stick this spring. I found a sea of blue everywhere! Recently, I decided to check through my bluebonnet photos of the past. I clicked through my computer's picture files, and this is what I found. Last year's two photos showcased a group of only three random flowers in our community's greenbelt area. Of course, there were a few others in our greenbelt, but they had been nurtured. After lots of water, the protected ones finally bloomed. It was like looking at an endangered species in the zoo. That dang drought had done its damage! "What is that flower? Do you remember seeing it before?" I overheard someone say that as I was walking my dog down the greenbelt trail while shaking my head in disbelief. It wasn't until I went back three years ago into my picture files of 2007 that I found big-time bluebonnet evidence. My dog Phineas was surrounded in a thick blue carpet of neighborhood bluebonnets. I didn't have a small child handy to take a photo so I settled for my dog. Yikes! That drought did last a long time! Now I know why I appreciate this spring so much. I can't get over the many shades of green, the zillions of colorful wildflowers, and the gigantic weeds in my yard. It's truly amazing what a rainy season can do to San Antonio. After popping my allergy meds this past week, I've also said thanks every morning when I have awakened to all this beauty. Just Color My World!

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Therefore, with all this appreciation of nature going on, I decided to paint a tribute to Texas and to the Season of Spring through a landscape painting. Of course, I had to feature wildflowers, especially bluebonnets. I added trees, grasses, and a rural cabin along my horizon and entitled it -- Homestead and Heritage. Nostalgia, like Charles Dickens, can bring out the best of times and the worst of times. During the drought, I felt nostalgic for rainfall, all things green, and blooming flowers. And it just so happens that when I think of Texas history, I also get a little bit sentimental about log cabins and a simpler time. That's why I felt compelled to place the cabin in my painting.

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One of my favorite San Antonio landscape artists who happened to be a genius in painting bluebonnets was Julian Onderdonk. I saw his beautiful paintings in an exhibit featured at San Antonio's Witte Museum on Broadway awhile ago. In my opinion, one of his best was painted in 1912, "Bluebonnet Field." It features the Texas Hill Country in all its bluebonnet splendor. In 1912, San Antonio must have had a spring that rivaled ours. Onderdonk's spring paintings can also be a measuring stick that there was no drought going on in 1912. When you look at his art work, you can see a sea of blue in his bluebonnet landscapes. Almost a hundred years later, I can almost imagine how Julian must have felt gazing out at all those bluebonnets. Spring in Texas. Can it get any better than this?

When Road Met Sky, new spring landscape painting

When Road Met Sky

New Landscape Painting by Cindy Morawski

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Do you remember lying in the warm grass and looking at the sky's clouds when you were small? I do. Since I liked animals, I could spot an elephant or a dog immediately. That big sky and all those swirling clouds made me feel dizzy with life. I felt completely in awe of the world, but I also sensed that I was a part of something much greater than myself when I gazed upward.

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When I was driving north to Santa Fe, New Mexico, last spring, I just happened to get distracted. No, I wasn't yakking it up on my cell phone. And, I wasn't riveted by a favorite song on the radio. Nor do I send text messages while driving; I'd like to get to my destination in one piece. I was completely smitten with the sky! "Clouds in my coffee." I could hear Carly Simon singing in my head. After I drove out of Albuquerque, the highway flattened out for quite awhile. But, as I neared Santa Fe, the elevation started rising, and the road met the sky while I motored down a scenic back route. The clouds didn't signal bad weather. They just beckoned me to take another look. Hey! There's one that looks like a Volkswagon Beetle. And, over there . . . I'd swear that large puffy gray one looks like a giant dinosaur. It seemed that time stood still that day because before I knew it, I spotted the Santa Fe city limits road sign. That day I didn't mind having my head in the clouds!

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This landscape measures approximately 20 x 15 framed. It's also available in matted prints. I painted it with pastels on pastelbord. I started with a sketch, then moved onto a dry underpainting using hard pastels. Layering in my values and colors with soft pastels and adding details and perspective brought the road and sky scene to life.

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If you're looking for a Sunday outing on March 14th, try Boerne's Market Days in the town square. It goes from 10 to 5 each day. Every month's second weekend, the town of Boerne rolls out its Market Days on both Saturday and Sunday. There are lots of vendors with everything from tomato plants to cowhide rugs to paintings. There's also a band playing in the beautiful gazebo. Please look for me in my tent in the middle row, just a stone's throw from the gorditas, crepes, and other food vendors. I'll give you 2 dollars off your purchase if you mention this blog in honor of my "Luck of the Irish Sale" for St. Patrick's Day.

Happy Spring and Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

~~Cindy

Watching the Olympics and Getting What Makes a Perfect Day

November Sunlight at Vanderpool,

Landscape Painting by Cindy Morawski

Photo of my Tent Camping at Lost Maples Natural Area

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Painting Gold

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Whish-sh-sh--ss! Turning too quickly on the uneven pond ice, I remember that scary moment of knowing I was going to fall. I grew up getting ice skates for Christmas so I could enjoy skating the frozen ponds and marshes in the pasture below our Pennsylvania farmhouse. After watching the women's figure skating on TV this past week at Vancouver's Winter Olympics, I not only have a whole lot of respect for triple toe jumps but also for skating backwards faster than a speeding locomotive. Yes, I've been reminiscing and romanticizing about snow and skating and sled riding in a cold climate that also forces you to plan like a war general when you venture outside to run to the store. As an adult, I know that life is easier when you don't have to battle those severe elements, but when I watch the winter olympics every four years, I'm suddenly propelled through time to long for that stinging wind on my face, eyes watering, as I race down an icy hill on my wooden sled. Memories are funny like that.

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I digress. I meant to get right to the perfect moment of a perfect day. I'm sure you've felt it before. It's like there is some kind of universal alignment to allow you, a mere human, a glimpse of paradise. That's what it must feel like when an olympic athlete gets it more than right. That moment in the spotlight with the gold medal, while you're hearing your national anthem play. There are all kinds of perfection. It doesn't have to be olympic gold. In fact, I felt it that day when I was hiking with Paul and my dogs Phineas and Rusty. We had just descended from the highest point in the park and were following the Lost Maples East Trail. I felt that late autumn warmth on my face as I turned the corner to suddenly view a pond of water that reflected the November sunlight. It beamed to me the reflective beauty of that perfect day. I couldn't have been happier. I had just been handed the gold medal! Whether the ponds are frozen or not, they still have a life-long attraction for me. Not the ocean, not even a lake. Just give me a little pond, and I am reassured that life is good.

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My landscape painting comes from that perfect day. I entitled it November Sunlight at Vanderpool. It measures 11 x 14 and so far is unframed. The setting is in Lost Maples Natural Area in Vanderpool, Texas, a great place to camp and hike. Come visit me at my home's gallery, and I'll show you my latest paintings, plus, offer you a cup of tea and a dollop of conversation as well.

Happy Trails!

Cindy

Visiting and Painting Bandelier Monument in NM

Landscape View from the Long House at Bandelier

Frijoles Canyon at Bandelier, Landscape Painting by Cindy Morawski

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Now I know how religious pilgrims must have felt when they arrived at their holy shrine. The awe. The reverence. The goosebumps. I too experienced many emotions and thoughts when I arrived at the Bandelier Monument in New Mexico. I tried to imagine the Ancient Pueblo People who once inhabited those cliffs. Looking out at the valley from above, gave me a sense of some of that.

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The late spring day in 2009 when I arrived at Bandelier Monument Park in New Mexico, any given weather report could have covered what was in store for me. It started out gray and overcast, then it turned to sleet and hail. Before it was all over, there was a little rain, a little sunshine, and a bit of snow too. Waiting beside the fireplace at the Visitor's Center wasn't unpleasant, but I was chomping at the bit to get out there and hike the Nature Trail and to take in all the glory of the Long House and the Talus House from the site of the monument. Thinking about the lifestyle of the Ancient Pueblo and the beauty of the surrounding canyons, valleys, and mountains gave me a pause for reflection and a prayer of gratitude.

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After killing time at the Visitor's Center, I finally had a chance to break free when the clouds parted and the bad weather left. I meandered down the trail, camera in hand, taking in one scene after the other. Getting to climb up into the old cliff apartments by ladder, made the wait worthwhile. Gazing out over the valley, I knew that eventually I needed to paint one of these landscapes.

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My landscape entitled Frijoles Canyon at Bandelier measures 14 x 18 with double mats and a Lexington wooden gallery style frame. My New Mexico scene was painted on Colourfix Art Spectrum sanded acid free paper with pastels. It is currently available for viewing and for purchase in my home gallery and Mockingbird Studio.

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Hope to see you next at the Zion Lutheran Church's Spring Arts & Crafts Fair on Saturday, March 6th from 10 to 4. The fair is located by the church on 1604 and Braun Road. I'll be in my tent outside of the recreation hall in the parking lot.

Happy Trails!

~~Cindy

On the Road Again, Depicting Travel with Three Landscape Paintings

~~Almost Home

~~Country Lane and Hiking the Hill Country, Landscape Paintings by Cindy Morawski

All Roads Lead to Painting for Me

"Take me home, country road, to the place I belong" . . . I remember listening over and over to those lyrics in John Denver's song one time on a past road trip. Robert Frost's poem, The Road Less Traveled, reminds me of journeys I have taken, but it also reminds me of ones that I'd like to take. When I painted Almost Home, I was reminded of commutes that seemed endless and exhausting. I couldn't wait to get home. I'd look for my exit and beam when I finally arrived! It also speaks of vacations by car that go for miles. The time away is mostly fun, but on the way back, you just want that long drive to be over with. For those of you who know me well, you are more than likely familiar with my love of hiking. Give me a country lane or trail with time to hike and explore, and you will find one happy woman! My paintings entitled Country Lane and Hiking the Hill Country represent that inner appreciation of nature and hiking.

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In regard to the technical side of my art, here's some information that might interest you. These paintings were created on Art Spectrum sanded paper with pastels. Almost Home and Country Lane both measure 14 x 18 framed, and Hiking the Hill Country comes with a decorative gold frame and measures 9 x 12. They are available and for sale through my online and home galleries.

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If you'd like to see more of my art, please feel free to also check out my work at the Comfort Crockery at 402 Seventh Street in Comfort, Texas. It's an historic building that's been renovated into a beautiful gallery and shop that features fine art and useful original art. Plus, I'll also be a part of the Helotes Market Days on the first Saturday of March from 10 to 5 in booth #76 by the music tent. And, please don't forget, just call for an appointment (210.522.0706), and you can come by for refreshments and a gallery tour in my home at 8603 Waldon Hts. in San Antonio. I have original framed art, matted art prints, and art cards available for sale at affordable prices. If you mention seeing this online, I'll even give you a 20% discount.

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Hope all your roads lead to good places! Happy Trails!!! ~~Cindy

Dog Rescue Equals Forgiveness, a New Painting Entitled "Forgiven"

"Forgiven"

Painting by Cindy Morawski

When I look into my dog's eyes, I see a reflection of myself. I immediately know whether I have been fair to him or not. I know whether I've been forgiven for misdeeds or not. You see, my adopted dog Rusty came my way as an abandoned pet, one that I rescued before he ended up at the pound or worse. He's been down and out; I sometimes can see his disappointments in humans who he so desperately wants only to trust. I want to give him a good life. One that he failed to have from the beginning.

He arrived a broken dog last summer in early June. He was thin, dirty, and flea-bitten. I originally named him Dusty because of his dirty appearance. However, when I gave him a bath that all changed. I noticed he actually had a reddish-cast to this coat. He seemed reborn like a Phoenix. So, he became Rusty instead of Dusty. My dog had no ID and no history. Oh, I wish he could have talked; it would have made it so much easier. I did all the usual things such as checking to see if he had a microchip ID at the vet's office, and I put signs up with his picture in the neighborhood and at local vet clinics. But, he didn't seem to have anyone who was willing to claim him. Since I had recently lost a dog to cancer, I was still in the process of grieving and didn't think I could start anew with another pet. But that all changed when I looked into his eyes. I understood that he was giving humans a second chance. He reached out with those expressive eyes, he licked my hand, and the deal was sealed. He belonged to me. All was "forgiven."

This pastel painting was done on Art Spectrum sanded paper and the image measures 9 x 12. It's double matted and framed as well, ready to hang. I asked Rusty to pose for me in the studio, but he didn't exactly cooperate so I used photos to get started. He's resting on his favorite soft blanket. I sketched in his likeness, and then put on the layers of pigment to bring out the color values. With each step of the painting process, I hoped to set a mood and tell a story. My dog is important to me; I wanted to get it right.

This painting can be seen in my online gallery (http://www.cindymorawski.com/), and it's available as an original and in prints. Please consider visiting Mockingbird Studio and my home's gallery soon. Some of my work is currently on sale with 15 and 20 % discounts. I also am available for commissioned pet portraits. If you have a pet that you'd like to have painted, please contact me for more details.

Hope you'll consider adopting an animal if it's within your means. It could enrich your life and save the life of a cat or dog who has been abandoned or neglected. One simple choice could make that difference.

~~~Cindy

"Going Home" ~~ Little Fox Painting

" Going Home"

Going home to his den after a long, cold night's hunt in search of dinner, a fox is not much different than me so to speak. I can relate to the struggle, the longing, and the journey. Most of us have to make concessions in order to survive. The fox is my metaphor for all of that in this painting entitled "Going Home."

The life of a fox also parallels a human's life. Foxes live in family groups while the young are growing up. At other times, they live alone or in pairs. They play together and cooperate while hunting. Foxes cover for each other too. If one of a pair of foxes is chased by an enemy, its mate may dash out of a hiding place and lead the pursuers astray. These bushy-tailed members of the dog family also communicate with one another. Growls, yelps, and short yapping barks all contribute to a foxy-type language.

In reference to my painting, I modeled the fox from photos taken. The landscape was a cold one that I'd imagined from the chilly month of January from the northern part of the United States. I painted Mr. Fox on sanded Wallis paper with hard, medium, and soft pastels. This art work is also already framed in beautiful dark cherry wood. Please inquire if you would like to know more about this painting. It is ready for purchase and also available in a 12 x 16 print that can be matted and framed.

After record-hitting days last summer going over 100 degrees, it's hard to believe that San Antonio's weather will dip down tonight to a low of 16 degrees above zero. Hope all of you stay warm! Plus, Happy 2010!! Hope your New Year finds you happy and healthy!

~~Cindy