Do You Remember.... in September?

I felt this nostalgic mix of happy and sad when I visited a sculpture by Stuart Fink on the University of Cincinnati’s campus, and a mural inspired by Frank Herrmann’s paintings that wraps around the outside of Frank’s studio building in Northside. But the joy of shared stories, laughter, and hugs is what I will remember. September was also was full of tomatoes, dahlias, and a show up in Gallup at Gallery ART123, Fall is in the Air. I created a suite of paintings for this show with an autumn-inspired palette, and each with a silhouette of a local animal paired with an object representing the human presence in the landscape. For example, the hummingbird is juxtaposed with a clothesline, as I often see them perched on the line— or even going after a brightly colored clothespin or fabric design. I did sketches for these paintings when I created the Pronghorn and Ladder painting a year ago, and I was happy to bring them to life for this fall show. Other photos this month include some dramatic skies. We have gotten a lot of much needed rain recently, but the torrential downpours don’t seem to seep in— the water just rushes down the hills, carving canyons and flooding roads and homes across the state. Yesterday— in the middle of the rains from Hurricane Polo, I delivered a painting for a show in Corrales (west of Albuquerque) at the Old San Ysidro Church. The show will be up during Balloon Festival, and I am pleased that a painting of mine, Cerro Pedernal (Coyote, NM), was chosen for the show. The pups are not fans of the muddy fields, but I spotted two roadrunners just beyond our fence the other day! Also in September, created a 2027 wall calendar that is available to order on lulu.com. The theme is flowers, and I hope you will find it both vibrant and relaxing. Here’s the link to order 2027 Star Garden Gallery Calendars: https://www.lulu.com/shop/andrea-sparks/2027-star-garden-gallery-calendar/paperback/product-658qm79.html?q=Star+Garden+Gallery+2027+Calendar&page=1&pageSize=4