Lisa Mahony is an American contemporary fine artist who loves painting scenes of California in oil, gouache and acrylic. She shows her original artwork in galleries in Ventura and in September in San Marino, California at The Old Mill.
Lisa's natural language is painting. Her earliest memories are of drawing and creating a storyline in order to paint. It is the easiest way for her to communicate all the beauty she sees in the world. Painting en plein air (on location, usually with friends) is a great way to meet people and get better together. I paint and sketch daily and I also enjoy painting challenges.
I have been painting a lot more lately because I am getting ready to start showing in November of 2020. Covid-19 has been so overwhelming, I am just glad masks, washing your hands, social distancing and shields have been so effective. Because of that, I am going to come out into the world once more. The gallery where I will be showing takes all of these precautions seriously which is a relief. I will be showing at Harbor Village Gallery & Gifts in Ventura Harbor Village along with nine other artists.
It has been exciting getting ready. Showing my work and chatting with people will be a nice change from just being around family members. I really want to give people the biggest selection of work to choose from. I have paintings that are 9 x 12 ( 22.86 x 30.48cm), 11 x 14 (27.94 x 35.56cm) and 12 x 16 in (30.48 x 40.64cm). I can paint larger but I do like working in these sizes too.
I am happy to announce that I have finished another wave painting. I just have to sign it and then varnish it and it will be ready to go.
Lately, I have been pursuing a more refined look. I had no idea how hard it would be to change my style. Mostly, it consisted of me training myself to make new marks. Varied marks and working on pefecting single, elegant strokes. My idea was that it would simply consist of slowing down. That seemed logical, what a laugh!
It felt like I learning to swim all over again. Ha, ha that is funny since I am painting water. I would be painting and suddenly my hand would simply surprise me and jog left instead of right. Where are you going? I would also fall into old stroke patterns and then I would have to go back and erase my mistakes. Come on left hand! Pay attention.
Muscle memory is what I was retraining myself to do. Sometimes, I would be completely wiped out from doing my “scales”. My husband would walk by and ask, “What’s wrong?”
My answer would be, “I am wiped out”.
“Well, if it was easy any one could do it, ” he said.
So true.
I am happy with the result and I am looking forward to adding more paintings to my shop and even showing them in some local galleries and competitions, now that more and more places are opening up. Painting sometimes evolves slowly but this wasn’t the case when I started this new series in acrylic. I have been working diligently everyday and slowly my left hand is skittering less and less. Dare I say, it is getting easier?
Follow me and I will blog about the next paintings in the series. I don’t know when I will finish the next painting but I do have ten more in the queue right now!
I know there is a pandemic and protests going on right now but since I almost never leave the house, it feels very far away. My problems are, how do I make the world more beautiful and peaceful? These waves are my answer.
