I thought I would ask you, my readers, to help me title them, so they do not stay in a state of untitledness forever.

There is no story or narrative for the paintings. When you look at them, what comes to mind? Emotions? Musings? Reflections? Memories? Connections?

Title the Untitled. One, two, or all three. Give it your best shot.

Here they are, with a detail of each.

#1269 Untitled, mixed media acrylic painting on panel, 24x24", 2013

#1269- 2 Detail

#1270 Untitled mixed media acrylic painting on panel, 24"x24", 2013

#1270-2 Detail

#1271 Untitled mixed media acrylic painting on panel, 24"x24", 2013

#1271-2 Detail

Get the naming rights. I’ll select the most intriguing titles and give a shout out to the winners by noting your initials and city in a future blog. You’ll know who you are and the painting, formally known as “Untitled”, will be sporting a new name.

Contests. Love them. Title away!

Inspiration, for me, is everywhere. Springtime at the Dallas Arboretum provided just the right burst of color needed for a series of collages I made called “Springtime Suite.” I built the collage on an acrylic painting on paper. I let the painting dictate the overall composition and color scheme of the collaged papers which included my own re-purposed prints (monotypes, collagraphs, etchings) and found paper. When you look at all seven of the Suite you’ll notice the differences in directional movement from one collage to another. In these collages negative space, the areas in and around the collage, are as important as the collage itself.

The seven collages in “Springtime Suite” express the joy I get from working with color inspired by the spring landscape.

Here are “Springtime Suite 1-4.”

#1259 Springtime Suite 1, acrylic painting on paper with collage, 22x30", 2012

#1260 Springtime Suite 2, acrylic painting on paper with collage, 22x30", 2012

#1261 Springtime Suite 3, acrylic painting on paper with collage, 22x30", 2012

#1262 Springtime Suite 4, acrylic painting on paper with collage, 22x30", 2012

Intrigued? To see the complete Suite 1-7 go to my website www.studio7310.com and click on “New Work.” Check out the rest of the website while you are there.

I hope these collages add some sunshine to your day.

Here they are – some of the warm and friendly people met on the Overseas Adventure Trip “Chile and Argentina: The Andes to Patagonia.”

Wonderful people!

Buenos Aires, Argentina acted as bookends for the trip. We started and ended in that vibrant city. What better way to start than with a tango show. So chic, so smooth.

Tango, Buenos Aires

Beautiful old buildings stood in contrast to the eccentric area known as La Boca where brightly painted houses, especially on Caminito St. screamed for attention.

Buenos Aires

La Boca area, Buenos Aires

La Boca area, Buenos Aires

For a change of pace go to Recoleta Cemetary where the mood is pensive, even with crowds. Remember Evita Peron, “the” Evita? She is buried there.

La Recoleta cemetary, Buenos Aires

We left the hustle and bustle of B.A. and headed for Bariloche on Lake Nahuel Huapi. This is Patagonia’s Lake District where a chairlift takes you up to the top of Campanario Hill. At the top you can look down on the very, very blue lakes and snow capped mountains.

Vista from Campanario Hll, Bariloche, Arg.

There are always “off the itinerary” fun stops with OAT. The Moncopulli Auto Museum in Chile was a treasure trove of antique cars, some restored, some, like this one, waiting for someone’s TLC.

Auto Museum, Moncopulli, Chile

Eating “local” is a given. On Chiloe Island (Chile) we participated in one of the more exotic (for us, anyway) cooking methods for preparing dinner.The “curanto” is a way of layering mussels, chicken and sausage on a bed of hot coals. Everything is covered with huge leaves. Then, you wait. At the right moment (determined by the cooks) the whole thing is uncovered and, voila! Dinner is ready.

"Curanto" dinner, Chiloe, Chile

"Curanto" dinner, Chiloe, Chile

The capital of Chiloe is Castro, where brightly colored houses on wood stilts called “palifitos” line the water’s edge. They’re referred to, simply, as palifitos.

Palifitos - Chiloe, Chile

A visit to an Argentinian estancia (ranch) introduced us to the art and skill of sheep shearing. Also hanging around were these four footed cuties.

Sheep Shearing, Estancia Fitz Roy, Chile

Estancia Fitz Roy, Chile

No trip to Patagonia is complete without some quality time with the glaciers. We got that in spades in Los Glacieres National Park. These babies are BIG!

Glaciares Ntl. Pk. Argentina

Glaciares Ntl. Pk. Argentina

Back in Buenos Aires we traipsed through the San Telmo market. We didn’t score a special treasure but enjoyed poking around. Great people watching, too.

San Telmo, Buenos Aires

Wherever we travel, it’s the people I remember most. I invite you to return to my blog to meet them.

I have selected “Romantic Allusions” for this month’s Art Pick. Not only is it colorful, but like the flowers revealing themselves in the garden, this mixed media work on paper also reveals some hidden elements. Among the collaged papers and painting are sections of colored oil pastel crayons which were initially covered by black pastels. The black was scratched away revealing the underlying colors.

Enjoy whatever is popping up in your garden and add this month’s Art Pick to your collection.

It is available all month at a 30% discount.

#370 Romantic Allusions, acrylic, oil pastels, collage, 22x28, 1989

Price – $800 less 30% = $560. Free shipping.

I have always liked working in series. It seems that an idea needs to go through a range of possible expressions before I am satisfied that it is “finished.” Sometimes a group of related work consists of a few pieces, sometimes many over a long period of time.

This month’s Art Pick is one in a series of fourteen acrylic paintings on paper with embossing. It is number 7 of 14. It is typical of my work during the 80”s when I was also making large acrylic “stain” paintings. Instead of pouring on canvas on the floor, (which made my studio look jazzy) I poured the paint on paper. I embossed the paper front and back (convex and concave lines) using heavy cord or lightweight wire and a press.

Here is “Fourteen 7”.

#215 Fourteen 7, acrylic, embossing on paper, 22x30, 1982

This is a painting from that period.

#260 Now You See It, acrylic ptg, 71x61, 1984

Here are three more from the series. You can compare and contrast them to “Fourteen 7”.

#211 Fourteen 3, acrylic, embossing on paper, 22x30, 1982

#214 Fourteen 6, acrylic, embossing on paper, 22x30, 1982

#222 Fourteen 14, acrylic, embossing on paper, 22x30, 1982

When is a series finished? Usually, when other ideas intrude.

Remember – the Art Pick is available all month at a 30% discount. $850 less 30% = $595.

Richard Serra’s Cor-ten steel sculpture “Vortex”, at more than 67 feet, towers above the museum at one end. It was acquired in 2002, the year the museum opened.

You walk up to it from the parking lot. It doesn’t seem that tall from a distance, but it increases in size the closer you get. It has weight. It is solid. It’s like a sentinel, guarding the building, its graceful, arching steel plates intersecting and almost, but not quite, meeting at the top,

Richard Serra "Vortex"

An opening allows light to pour in, more or less, depending on the weather. There is no “Do Not Touch sign”. It is a kid’s delight. They race around it and through it, yelling and calling out to hear the echoes of their voices. Adults usually can’t resist and join in the fun. It’s a powerful statement with a joyful, interactive quality.

Another sculpture has been temporarily installed at the entrance to the museum and will be gone in a few weeks. The big guy is called “Companion (Passing Through).” It is by Brian Donnelly who calls himself KAWS. He is a multi- faceted artist who started out doing graffiti, then added designed objects, illustration and toys, frequently referencing Pop-culture. “Companion” sits up a box, eyes covered by gloves with KAWS’ signature XXs on them. Think Mickey Mouse – shorts, gloves, shoes.

KAWS "Companion (Passing Through)"

Is it cute? Menacing? Sad? Its cartoon-like character was perfect as an inflatable balloon in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

The newly acquired piece is stunning. It is a site specific installation by Jenny Holzer called “Kind of Blue.” Holzer is known for her provocative texts such as “Money Creates Taste” and “Lack of Charisma Can Be Fatal.”

Holzer "Kind of Blue"

Unlike many of her LED moving text artworks placed on the wall, this one, in Ando blue (for the architect Tadeo Ando), has text moving in parallel lines along the floor of the gallery, stopping at the glass wall facing the pond. The text repeats in an endless loop and seems to both penetrate the glass and be reflected in it. It is physical, yet ephemeral. It was acquired for the 10^th anniversary of the Modern and is the first by Holzer for the museum.

Two sculptures and an installation. They made my day.

Photos by Cecelia Feld Copyright 2013 All rights reserved.

I made a set of six drawings with transfer photos, which I called “Suite Dreams.” The drawings had tangram-like figures in various poses interacting with the transfers, which were decidedly more “human.”

Here is Suite Dreams: 3, the February Art Pick.

Suite Dreams III, pencil, chalk,transfer, 12x12, 1977

Price $500 less 30% = $350. Free shipping!

Contact me to purchase: cecelia@feld.com

If you would like the other drawings or the entire set let me know. I will be happy to send images via email.

#1135 Untitled acrylic, collage on panel, 13x13" 2006

Another year has sped by and here I am again trying to capture those moments, all of which have added up to make 2012 a memorable year. Big moments, like celebrating my 70^th birthday in San Francisco with my family, small ones like finishing the Neef’s baby blanket before baby Kate was born. Most of the moments are modest in size but added together they speak to my life, active, inquisitive and hopefully creative.

I’ve always believed the journey is more important than the end, for what is there when the “end” is reached?  As I enter the next decade of my life I hope I will continue to explore and try new things, possibly (probably) failing here and there, but always moving forward. I have no doubt that some of the books on my shelves will go unread (I’m good about putting only one at a time on my iPad), there will be canvas left unpainted and my yarn stash will be diminished only to be replenished. I’ll hope for patience in these and other matters. The tragedies that abound in this world makes us realize how little is in our control. We must experience joy in the things we do and with the people we love right now, as we may not get second chances.

This was the year I started my ArtEveryday blog. I have a tendency to drag my feet when it comes to new technology (just ask my man), but with encouragement (pushing?) and help, eventually come around to embracing the new “new.” Sharing my passion for making art and my love of all things artistic with a wider audience has been fun and rewarding. Once a month seems to work out well. More to come in 2013. Stay tuned and keep re-tweeting!

My family’s blogs have helped me keep up with the world of healthcare, fashion, business, technology, travel, food, books and education. Dan, our non-blogger, has kept me supplied with pictures and videos of granddaughter Sabrina’s activities, which makes the time between visits bearable.

We’ve traveled a lot this year, here and abroad. I would dearly love to finish working on January 2012’s Chile/Argentina pictures before our trip to Iceland in June. Keep your fingers crossed.

I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions (too much guilt associated with not keeping them) but I recently saw the following list (author unknown) and thought it expressed my desires for the New Year beautifully. I’ll call it my list of good intentions. Maybe it will be your list, too.

Dream             more

Complain        less

Listen             more

Talk                less

Love              more

Argue            less

Hope            more

Fear              less

Relax            more

Worry           less

Believe         more

Doubt          less

Play            more

Work           less

For all of you I hope that 2013 will be a year of great expectations, successes large and small, and many joyous moments.

I’ll begin the New Year with this poem with words of wisdom by Shel Silverstein.

HOW MANY, HOW MUCH

How many slams in an old screen door?

Depends how loud you shut it.

How many slices in a bread?

Depends how thin you cut it?

How much good inside a day?

Depends how good you live ‘em.

How much love inside a friend?

Depends how much you give ‘em.

From me, remember to make your life a work of art.

This Must Be Your Lucky Day collagraph collage, 8x11" on 15x22" paper, 2009

We beat the traffic and drove up in the rain that preceded the snow. The first snowflakes started to fall shortly after we arrived. It’s not often that we get a real snow, maybe once every four or five years, more likely at Woodcreek than Dallas. Snow on Christmas day is even more unusual. But here it was. Not the biggest, but definitely more than a dusting.

Snow on the pastures, snow around the ponds, on the trail. Whiteness everywhere. Quiet.

Reflections On A Pond

Snow On The Water

Edge Of The Woods

On The Trail

The Tally-Ho Trail

Winter Pasture

Looking Northward

Patterns In The Snow

December 26. The sun is out today. Temperatures are rising. Soon it will all be gone. But this year we had a white Christmas in Texas. Yes!

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y’ALL

Photos by Cecelia Feld. Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.