Weekend time

I'd say I was influenced by the color orange this weekend!

Must be the brightness and warmth of the sun.

inside cover for my new sketch book (9x12") of
Claremont sketches and paintings

"Poppies"

CA natives

I wanted to paint a sampler of CA wildflowers in bloom now and decided on 4x6" image size in case I wanted to print them as postcards or put in photo frames. Each subject was treated differently, but using the same palette of colors: loose wet-on-wet/ iris, washes/ manzanita, neagtive space/ lupine, O'Keefe close/ poppy.

Next, I'm trying to decide if I want to add thin borders and botanical names...

Douglas Iris, Manzanita, Lupine, CA Poppy

Finished hand-painted CA native plant series:

 2 postcards, a photoframe card and a mounted card sprayed with fixitive for protection.

Music & art

 I found myself completing some long standing projects at the end of March... A triptych and cello front for the Claremont Community Music School auction, a painted VSO (violin shaped object) for the Claremont USD District Office, and a watercolor entry for the annual Celebration of the Arts Show in La Verne.

"Trio"

"Arioso" cello front

"Harmony" back

"Harmony" front

"Watercolor Calla"

Making time for art

Looking at tutorials to try and learn about watercolors. This was the result of time and patience. (Negative space painting/layering washes)

Study in Negative Flora

Most recent paintings (2013 to present)

Paintings completed since starting my classes with Lynn McCallion, La Verne artist.

garden tomatoes ~ acrylic

cactus in bloom~ acrylic

California mission~ acrylic

moonrise ~ watercolor

landscape #1~ acrylic

the grove ~ watercolor

vase with oranges
(after Matisse) ~ acrylic

Otago lighthouse

Sherlock (adopted summer 2015)
~ acrylic

Magic (adopted summer 2015)
~ watercolor

Art folios...

While trying to solve a current problem (what to do with all my drawings & watercolors longterm) I decided to find my old porfolios in the garage. Wow... a virtual time machine of my artwork back to 1969! And under three names: Crandall (maiden), Norris (first marriage), and Kuenning (last marriage). It's so interesting to look back and see what I was doing then. I'll try to create a little slide show to post eventualy.

a new year

A new year brings us hope, change and the never ending resolutions (rarely acheived) we promise ourselves. Mine will be to try creating art (in addition to music making) as part of my every/other day life. I'd like to start a digital catalog of my art, from as far back as I have, (which requires physical organizing first) and to post some of my most recent endeavors.

Fall colors at last

Seems the change of season is so late this year; still in the 8o's most days, apple tree still in leaf (very odd), & butterflies still in the air. Autumnal colors inspire me to continuing my painting efforts , and so when an assignment of an Old Masteres dark underpainting style painting was given to me, a pet portrait of our new pup Sherlock was in order. 

time flies...

Hard to believe our one & only child is off to college at the ripe old age of 17!  Not only has she decided to attend Northeastern U in Boston (the opposite side of the country), but her first semester will be in Dublin, Ireland. Having gone on our "womenfolk" tour of Eire & to Usk, Wales this past summer,  I'm pretty comfortable with her being so far from home (it helps to have cousins just an hour away by plane). Even though we'll miss her terribly, I know it'll be a great adventure for her.

Mid-Winter nights

* * * 

At least we are now past the winter solstice and the days are growing increasingly longer.  This is the time of year for a rash of winter concerts in Claremont beginning with the Claremont Symphony Orchestra this weekend, the CSYouth orchestra in 2 weeks after that, and in another 2 week span we hold the the Claremont USD concerts. I begin to wonder how I got so involved in all of this!

To take my mind off of present things and create some light at the end of the tunnel, it seemed like a good idea to plan a "womenfolk" tour of Ireland next summer with my sister and daughter. Since Xandie will be headed of to college next fall I thought this would make for a memorable grad present and create some lifelong memories. More on that as it develops...

Autumn equinox

In 2014, the autumnal equinox brings the fall season to the Northern Hemisphere on: September 22 at 10:29 P.M. EDT. (7:29pm west coast time)

I look forward to the changing colors, but not the shorter days...

Ginko Leaves: P. Kuenning

I'm also looking forward to: time for gardening, hot meals once again, cooler weather, getting out my warm & snuggly sweaters and holiday gatherings.

"In spring when maple buds are red,

We turn the clock an hour ahead;

When autumn birds in flocks

Fly southward, back we turn the clocks,

And so regain a lovely thing,

That missing hour we lost in spring." ~ Phyllis McGinley

Summer...

If nothing else, I thought I would post quarterly for my own benefit. It's been a busy summer for some of us and relaxing for others in the Kuenning household.

Washingtom Monument~2014

Schwabish Hall

Pat's tomatoes

Daughter was off for 2 weeks to study journalism/communications at American U. Had a quick roundezvous with cousins Tom & Shelley who were kind enough to meet her at Dulles Airport and transport her to DC after an overnight visit.


In the meanwhile, husband Geoff was socked in with summer research at Harvey Mudd but did get away for a quick conference in Utah at Snowbird which, in the summer, has none (snow).


Daughter returns home for a week and then is off to the Goethe Institute for 3 weeks of German language and culture study in the picturesque Medieval German town of Schwabish Hall.

My summer has been a mixture of teaching cello, catch-up appointments, gardening, and home projects.

It has been somewhat of a preview of next summer when Xandie goes off the college of her choice and we truly become empty nesters.

Spring...

A one week break before the end-of-year onslaught of activities! Looking forward to slowing down my teaching activities but will be "on the go" with the visiting German exchange high school students.

 The patio project is now complete (after the sad demise of the largest acvocado tree) and we'll be able enjoy the redesigned space as the good weather approaches. A small potager garden is also in and I hope to keep salad vegies and herbs coming through the growing season ;-)

purpose

I saw this photo today and it made me stop and reflect on the power of music on many, many levels.

Image credits: salvemasnossascriancas.blogspot.com

"Diego Frazão Torquato, 12 year old Brazilian playing the violin at his teacher’s funeral. The teacher had helped him escape poverty and violence through music."

Seasonally yours

Autumn.
It sounds so much more poetic than... fall.

And where has the time gone since I visited my blog? Too busy with family (pre-college trip in the summer) and work (pre-program prep in late summer/early Sept.) to be able to slow down and reflect on day-to-day living.

The hectic rhythms of the school year have begun and I've just finished week two of string classes, have all my private students scheduled again, and I'm about to play the first symphony concert of the season this coming weekend.

With many of our peers looking toward or experiencing retirement, the desire to slow down a bit hits me every so often. But once I readjust to the "busyness factor"of teaching and playing, life seems manageable once again.

Spring

Wow, spring break is at an end and I'm so looking forward to summer at this point in the school year! 

The next 2 months will see me accompanying 35 children to the annual LA Phil field trip at Disney Hall, collecting/counting PlayAThon donations from a district-wide music fundraiser, preparing for the Spring concerts in May and finally, progress reports, music participation certificates and year end school instruments inventory.

Then there are my private cello students to tend to, a few more Claremont Symphony concerts, and a possible joint string teachers recital to go. I must remember that I'm thankful to "just be teaching strings"!

music mug and roses from thankful students

Boxing Day "Tea"

Ready to celebrate the holidays at last! The shopping is done, presents wrapped, concerts played and now I can finally enjoy time with family and friends. While Christmas is anticipated with excitement and wonder, one of my favourite (UK spelling) celebrations of the season is Boxing Day, observed the day after Christmas. 

We hold an annual Boxing Day party for those near & dear to us and share a potluck buffet, gifts for children, and a $10 or less gift exchange for "grown-ups". The main idea is to make it a fun and stress free afternoon for all involved.

Informal Boxing Day Tea

Not this! ~ Formal Tea 

But if the weather's warm ~  Outdoor Tea?

One of the BIG ones (birthdays)

OK, I know that aging is part of life and thought I had come to terms with the process, but big numbers are scary! What makes it much less scary is fun. . .  and surprises!

Turns out I had lots of both this weekend starting with returning home from teaching on Friday evening to the sound of "Happy B-Day" coming from a wind-up music box in the kitchen. What I didn't know was who was playing it. My sister, Carolyn, from Seattle had secretly flown down the night before to be here for my special day. After that shock wore off, Geoff arrives home from "work" with my bro-in-law (I didn't know he had also flown down at that point) and with Chinese take-out. This was somewhat strange because I had been told we were going out to dinner in LA; turns out the continuing surprise plan was to go to IRIS (cirque du soleil) in Hollywood :~)

A great time was had by all but the next day, after lunch at Maniac Mike's Cafe at Cable Airport, I arrived home to another surprise; a houseful of family and friends. Turns out a party and BBQ was in the making and it went on 'til the cows came home. It was wonderful to spend time with so many people close to me and I was truly taken by surprise; twice!

The B-Day girl

(photo: C. Van Ryswyk)

Road trip

It's been many years since we've done a proper road trip. This summer we needed to move Geoff's mom to a more intensive assisted living residence and so I suggested we drive and take our time along the way to see my sister in Seattle and weave our way back from Montana through Utah and Nevada.
3 weeks later we had many memories and photos to remember our Great Road Trip of 2012.

California

Oregon

 Seattle, WA

 Montana

 Utah

Vegas!