More Art from LadyZ

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This is the first of two newer pages of artworks.....

Well, finally... after an extended search for a photographer for my paintings (with little or no luck), I decided that I would attempt to do them myself... they may not be the greatest photos in the world, but I sure am proud of myself for having done them... there are nine additional paintings here... more will be coming at a later date.

They are, of course, copyrighted works...you are welcome to download and print them for your own enjoyment but they may not be used in any other way.

Railroad Papa - Oil Painting

Railroad Papa
18x24, Oil
Copyright 1997, K. Weston

Of all my more recent works, this is, of course, the one I love the most. It is another portrait of my father, from a photograph taken not long before he died. He was 79 years old. I still miss him every day... and there will probably be more paintings of him because it is a way to keep him near. I know he watches over me and appreciates my efforts! It is called "Railroad Papa " because of the railroad book he was reading... it was given to him by my oldest daughter, Laurie, and he was really "into" it, which allowed me to sneak up on him and snap the photo. During the Depression, his father, all his brothers and he, himself, worked for the railroad - as carpenters and cabinetmakers.

I found this poem among my father's things following his death. It is a poem that was read at John Wayne's funeral and the author is unknown. Perhaps it is out-of-context for this page, but it reminds me of Papa. It's my page, anyway, so I'll put stuff wherever I dang please... LOL!

"Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow;

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight in ripened grain;

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awake in the morning's hush,

I am the swift upflinging rush

of quiet birds in circling flight,

and the softest star that shines at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there, I did not die."

The next three paintings are from the Mexico series... painted in early 1996...

Sueñecito - Oil Painting

Sueñecito
20x24, Oil
Copyright 1996, K. Weston

"Sueñecito" (sway-nyay-SEE-toe) means "a little nap" in Spanish... it's siesta time!

Las Flores - Oil Painting

There are many neighborhoods in Mexico where the houses are painted lovely colors... they remind me of a basket of Easter eggs or a bouquet of flowers. "Las Flores" (loss FLOW-race) means "the flowers" in Spanish, referring to both the colors of the buildings and the masses of flowers in the town square, on the balconies, in the window boxes, and so forth.

I'm very fond of this painting because of a strange experience that goes along with it... I had been selected as Artist of the Month at the local college where I lived at the time and I was to have an exhibition for the month of May, 1996. Since that is the month for Cinco de Mayo, I was painting more things with a Mexican theme... I started this painting one weekend... started to block it in... wanted to cast it aside, since I was wondering how on earth I would EVER handle all the perspective problems in it, especially since I had drawn it incorrectly in the first place and was painting over a bunch of incorrect lines... in the late afternoon on Sunday, I realized that the painting was nearly done...that it had apparently taken on a life of its own and had almost painted itself. What I mean is that I was there... with a brush in my hand and paints at my side... but I was maybe kind of lost in the process and unaware of what was happening with the painting...

On Monday, I began to tell my friend, Susan, what had happened. I told her the painting was called "Milagro," but that I didn't know why I called it that, and I began to describe it, "It's of the front of a huge old church down in Mexico and there is a big flight of steps leading up to..." She turned visibly pale and begged me not to tell her any more about the painting... she said it reminded her too much of a terrifying nightmare she had been having for years. I asked her to tell me about the nightmare and she started to tell me the story while drawing a little sketch of the scene in her nightmare... You can imagine the chills I felt when I looked at the sketch and realized that it WAS a sketch of my painting... except the pot of geraniums was absent...but I kept quiet...

In her nightmare, she said, something horrifying was chasing her up the steps... she didn't know what it was... she ran up the steps, through heavy wooden gates and up another flight of steps... then she came to some massive wooden doors...and they were LOCKED... she screamed and pounded on the doors while whatever was chasing her came closer and closer and closer. She hunted frantically around but could not find the key... if only she had the key... At that point in the nightmare, she said, she would awaken screaming and thrashing, terrified out of her mind.

I was at a loss for something to say so, of course, I had to make a joke... I told her that her sketch was the same as my painting except for the pot of geraniums and then I said, "Well, you won't ever have THAT nightmare again!" "Why?" she asked (looking extremely puzzled!) I explained, "Well, now you know where the key is." She fairly screamed at me, "Where is the key?????" "Susan," I said, "It's under the flower pot."

So we laughed and I kind of forgot about it until some time later. One day, she came to my house and the painting was hanging in plain sight. I became flustered and apologized for having it on display, explaining that I knew how it must affect her to see the horrible vision from her dream. She said not to worry about it... that she had never had the dream again.

Remember how I told that I didn't know why I called it "Milagro"? I thought it was because it had almost painted itself... and it DID name itself... but I was wrong. "Milagro" is Spanish for "miracle."

If you would like to see yet MORE art... some of my REALLY recent works... click below...

And yet MORE art from LadyZ

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