Windows to the Soul, or Souls Past and Present

The Morbid Details - Lynda Lehmann c 2010

Taken Over - Lynda Lehmann c 2010

Windows of an aging public institution, overgrown with vines, patched, boarded and abandoned, conjure many tales. I think windows and doors have always been iconic for the human species: they are among the archetypes or unconsciously-associated symbols that help us interpret human behavior and navigate the mystery of our existence in the cosmos.

It's no surprise then, that windows such as these have an almost horrific and shocking impact. At least, that's how I feel when I gaze at them. One has to wonder what went on there, in this abandoned complex of buildings at King's Park Psychiatric Hospital, on the grounds of what is now Nissequogue River State Park, and what spiritual forces may have been left behind. One doesn't have to believe wholeheartedly in ghosts to acknowledge that we haven't disproved their existence. Whose spirit might roam these grounds? Would you want to meet them? And perhaps most importantly, will we ever achieve a really humane society?

I posted some other shots taken at this site, last year. I love capturing these vintage/urban shots in spite of the fact that they usually don't evoke positive emotions. But they tell stories, and they have so much character. How well they mark the passage of time and the passage of the human stream, along with it! If you click on the photos you will see more of the details, like the shroud effect of the plastic sheeting on the top image, and the poignant gesture of the vines, in both shots.

At times, contemplating images that reflect a darker side of our collective reality, may make us appreciate the lighter side of the human condition. Things like love and beauty. Do you agree?

Images and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved. Reprinted from "Peripheral Vision" blog, by Lynda Lehmann.

This is the first in a series of paintings of trails I have explored on horseback.

Happy Trails No.1 Griffith Park, California

4x6 Watercolor on Montval 140# paper

My Latest Abstract Acrylic Painting: "Island Interlude"

Island Interlude - c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

I dance with my brushes until something happens. What happens is that colors and shapes interact to please my eyes. Some friends and relatives keep telling me to paint realism, because "that's what sells." But I don't paint for money; I paint for the love of it. I feel great joy each time a new visual experience is born, and I would not give up my excitement for anything. It's our passions that make life worth living. Of course, I do love a good sale!

What are some of your passions, that you couldn't live without? Besides pasta and coffee and chocolate, this is....

NOTE: I call this painting "Island Interlude," simply because I have to give my pieces a title. You will find in it, whatever you find in it. To me, it has a Caribbean feel. It's 14 x 20 inches, done in acrylic on Arches watercolor paper. I'm beginning a series of paintings on watercolor paper because of the cost of canvases. The heavy Arches paper takes the paint quite well and because of my savings, I can afford to sell these paintings at a lower price.

Image and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Envisioning a Web of Light

Web of Light - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Today was gray--a raw, damp, winter day. The solid stripes of snow slathered on the north sides of all the trees we saw along the roads we drove, had not yet melted or been blown off the bark by the wind. The dirty but otherwise undisturbed snow-cover gave the landscape a formidable look, reduced to a blatant, cold contrast of black and white. It was a day bereft of color and warmth. Snow and ice-sheathed and chilly, without a trace of color to behold in sky or forest, without the generous wafting scents or caressing breezes of spring.

Old Man Winter really is a stingy curmudgeon! I had to close my eyes to find an image that was warm and inviting, and I remembered summer days spent dangling ankles in river water and staring into endless reams of light thrown upon the lake by the nurturing sun. I came home and had to upload this image, to remind us all that warmer, more gentle and affirming days are on their way....

Impressionistic images like this are among my favorites. I could spend hours or days filling my "cup of beauty" with the shimmering patterns of sunlight on water and the pebbles underneath.

Image and text copyright Lynda Lehmann. All rights reserved.

If you would like to view my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Baby Snow Leopard

Most people can tell that I love wildlife just by looking at my paintings. Animals are a beautiful and precious gift from God, and the world would be a bit boring without them.

This is my latest painting, Baby Snow Leopard. It is a 16x20" oil on stretched canvas. Sides painted as a continuation of the painting, so no frame needed. You can find it on my website and etsy shop shortly.

Reference photo by photographer Daniela Pintimalli, you can view her work here.

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Have a glorious and Blessed day.

Work in Progress....

Hmmm...been a bit quiet here lately, I better let you all know what I have been up to !
Most importantly I took last weekend off and went to stay with my gorgeous cousin whilst enjoying a bit of a shopping spree! That out of my system and truly relaxed and refreshed, I have returned to finish preparing for a really exciting event beginning this weekend at Seiner's Bar in Perranporth, Cornwall. The Spring Art Exhibition begins this Saturday and I have been invited to exhibit-yey! I have some new paintings ready for the show so will update this week here on my blog with some 'in progress' photos, followed by shots of the completed pieces and then hopefully some photos from Saturday's launch night-very exciting stuff! This photo is a snippet of the first layers of a mixed media painting entitled 'Steeped in Inspiration'....I am so pleased with this, can't wait to share the whole thing :) More tomorrow!