THE PAINTING I AM LOVIN' RIGHT NOW

'If it really is'    acrylic on canvas    24x18   (c) Loren Fidalgo 2016

Hey guys...it's Loren here.  I have been thinking that after I shared some personal health stuff in my previous post that I would write about something that I am lovin' lots right now.  

I am in love with this painting.  Don't know the psychology behind it however, this painting really speaks to me. I am lovin' all the texture in it.  I also love the way the color moved around the canvas.  I some times do not like how I interpret color. I struggle at times with it and varying the shades of a colors when I am mixing on the palette.  It's not that I don't see the colors, actually it's quite the opposite. I see and feel colors so deeply it's as if I can feel them in my body. I often need to touch a color to understand it's meaning and message.  I am compelled to try to hold the colors in my hands, move and manipulate them and only then do I understand what they want to say and do.  I am just in between the colors, sort of a mode of transportation, and the canvas surface.  Color has a language all it's own and some times I can not make sense of it.  So I am challenged often by it's control.  I however, do not mind it.

In this painting, the buildings are conveying emotion to me. The texture is so thick on the canvas. I enjoyed painting the layers of texture. I used a palette knife for the entire painting. I think the buildings are painted in a way that captures my attention because of the layering of one on top of another. They are also painted partially there and partially not there, like they are playing, peek-a-boo! They are painted as if they have degraded and have been distressed on the canvas or to the viewer's perception.  I love moving the paint around the canvas with the palette knife.

I have been getting into creating shades of different blues in my paintings.  I try to see how many shades I can come up with.  It makes the process so much more fun and you can never have enough of that! 

So, that is a wrap up.  Leave a comment if you would like to.
Cheers, 
Loren

FORTY YEARS AGO TODAY I LOST MY DAD

Forty years ago today, on a cold and dark Oct 6^{th  1974}, my Dad tragically passed away from a massive heart attack.  He was only 40 years old!  I had just turned 14. There are no words to express the tragedy of my Dad’s passing and the chaos that my siblings and I went through as well as our Uncle Ron and Gram.  I started this post by writing about the details of the tragic day my Dad passed, but found that it was just too personal at this time and possibly too long of a story to tell.  All I can say is for me it was a nightmare that has had no end.

I want to share a story about my Dad from when I was a young girl. When I was in Home Economics class, I think it was 7^th grade.  We had to go to the store to get fabric and decorative ribbon for a tote bag that we were making in class.  Well, my Dad took me to the fabric store on Rte. 37 just by Hooper Ave.  I don’t remember the name but I can clearly remember the building.  Well, anyhow, we went in to the store and we looked at the fabric. My Dad was in his element, ‘color’!  He was so good at picking out colors and matching them up to each other. I could see he was in heaven with color and patterns.  We chose a bright shocking fuschia color for the outside. We chose a tiny flower pattern for the inside that matched up so beautifully.  Then we picked out the ribbon for the handles and this is where my Dad came to life even more.  I remember the ribbon being about 2 inches wide and it was so beautiful with flowers and shades of pink, fuschia , purples and metallic thread on it. When I think back, it was the most expensive of all the ribbon like it, but Dad wanted me to get it.  He would not have it any other way. He said to me, “ this is the prettiest in the store and I think you should have it”!  So off to the cutting table we went.

I share this story because it is such a reflection of the man, Dad, toy designer and son he was. What Dad in 1973 took their daughter to the fabric store and picks out pink, fuschia and flower patterned fabric? He was so natural and like he was where he was supposed to be at that moment in time.  My Dad was there, because he knew he had to.  My heart was relying on it.

To this day I don’t know what happened to that tote bag.  I usually save important things from people I love and I do, have some of the fuschia fabric and it is Vintage 43 years old!

I miss my Dad and I think of him in some way everyday.  He was a hard Dad to forget.  As my Mom has passed now too,  I hope they are sharing a life together some where in heaven, or if not somewhere in the Universe.  Someday I will see him again, and we will  be able to talk shop!!

Cheers,

Loren

 

MY 17th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

   

Hey guys...it's Loren here.  Today is my husband Paul and my 17th wedding anniversary. This photo is of our wedding day and my husband Paul loves it. I on the other hand am so, so about it. My bouquet of flowers was sooo..large and heavy and it kept tipping over. It was so big that it covered almost 1/3rd of my body!

Well, anyhow, Paul and I can't believe time has gone by so fast. We have actually been a couple since 1985 so that is 29 years! We have had a interesting journey up til now, with highs and lows, peaks and valleys, and back to highs again. We are so happy we took the path we are on no matter what or who has come our way. So today, we will celebrate our love and our enduring friendship in 'grand style'. (yes, pun intended) Can't say what we will do and we don't like to post our where abouts,  but, be assured we are continuing on our journey through our experience called LOVE!

If you are 'in love', make sure you tell your sweetheart that you love them and hug them tight. It increases endorphins and oxytocin (the bonding chemical) which produces feelings of well being.
Here's to love and loving!
Loren and Paul