Azalea

Azalea by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

Youtube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=bSp0U9OE4_E

oil, 20x24

I saw an old farmhouse, neglected and slowly succumbing to rot along a quiet dirt road in New Hampshire. Beside this sad house was an azalalea bush in full glory. There was poetry in the juxtaposition of these two old spirits.

Grand Sire

Grand Sire by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSp0U9OE4_E

We had goats for years. We named them Bob and Pete after my parents-in-law. (My mother-in-law's nickname is Pete.) They crossed the line from being cute to being a real inconvenience after an ice storm broke chinks in their fence and they were out more than in. Goats are smarter than humans in many ways.

Beachin'

Beachin' by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

6x12, oil

The beach slowly populates as the morning passes. Lounging in a beach chair with a novel, I can't help but observe the patterns of the people around me. My attention mostly follows the families with young children. There is something delightful about watching children at the beach. Children are very enterprising with their red shovels and blue buckets. The children and babies need constant attention. Parents work double-time watching, feeding, smearing sunscreen, comforting tears and encouraging naps on sandy beach towels. They eventually leave the beach exhausted. In the car, everyone falls immediately to sleep as Dad drives the long drive home.

Tidal Marsh

Tidal Marsh by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

4x6, oil

Per square inch, the salt water marsh has more life than any other habitat on the earth.

Cool fact.

Goldfinch

I know this sounds like a cliche but it's so true. We've been having some very intense thunderstorms every afternoon. The blue sky is obliterated by these dark purple rolling beauties, the wind rips, lightening strikes and and thunder booms, Huge raindrops pummel the ground... and then the sun peeks out. The earth becomes hazy pink and soft all over.

Goldfinch by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

YOUTUBE: http://youtube.com/watch?v=bSp0U9OE4_E
12x9, oil with palette knives

Delphiniums

Delphiniums by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

YOUTUBE: http://youtube.com/watch?v=bSp0U9OE4_E

6x4, oil with palette knives

We have two puppies who select delectables from the dirty laundry and carry them all over our house and yard, dropping them randomly. We aren't passive people and we keep our rural home clean, I guess none of us find this behavior worthy of hasselling about. Unexpected company may wonder about the underwear in the yard...

Boat Launch on Sunapee

Boat Launch on Sunapee by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

Youtube video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=bSp0U9OE4_E

24x30, oil with palette knives

I have read that we can set up our day by stating five things for which we are thankful. Here goes: I'm thankful for the much-needed rain last night. I'm thankful for the families of hummingbirds that come to my feeders. I'm thankful for my husband who is my rock and my comfort zone. I am thankful for this amazing passion that makes me an artist. I am thankful for my children and all children who are our hope for the future. Done! I feel...good.

Glads for Sale

Glads for Sale by Alison Vernon
www.alisonvernon.com
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSp0U9OE4_E

24x30,oil with palette knives

The morning sun spots our floors. Carrying coffee, I stroll through the the garden...peonies, daisies,irises all in their glory. Our two pups have gone back to sleep after the usual morning frenzy of peeing/pooping/eating/and barking at the chickens. On these sublime mornings, I find myself thinking about the hardships facing our flood-ravished Iowa countrymen and women. Their morning must be the opposite of this. My appreciation for this NH morning is heightened but with a counter twinge of despair.

Fall Light

Fall Light by Alison Vernon

http://www.alisonvernon.com/

30x40, palette knife oil

Yesterday was the happiest day of the year according to some psychology researcher in England. And I felt very happy yesterday. Today is the day AFTER the happiest day and I'm nervous. Will I be happy today?

Please check out my youtube painting....it would make me very happy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSp0U9OE4_E

The View from Mount Kearsarge

The View from Mount Kearsarge by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

16x20, palette knife oil

Mount Kearsarge is the mountain that anchors our small world to the globe. It's our geological grandfather here in central New Hampshire. Etched into the top are hundreds of dates, initials and hearts, some from the early 1800's. We all have our own story to tell about this magnificent mountain that is the symbol of home.

Lighthouse on the Point

Lighthouse on the Point by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

5x7, palette knife oil

The hummingbirds are buzzing between our three feeders this morning. Soon their babies will fledge and we'll have dozens zipping around our home like teenagers with new drivers licenses. This experience, along with July 4rth and certain birthdays, is a marker of the passing of summer days.

Turtle

Turtle by Alison Vernon

www.alison vernon.com

12x24, oil painting with palette knives

Kayaking on a small river in Florida we came upon this old guy sunning himself on a log. It dawned on me that when he's not sunning himself, his comfort zone is murky alligator-infested water with virtually no visibility. In that he's my polar opposite and yet he's like an old familiar family member.

Path to the Beach

Path to the Beach by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

20x24, oil

The other day we walked two miles along a trail to a beach in Maine. The beach was huge and empty. That meditative crash of waves and soft air made the day's worries drift away. We had bought our lunch at a farmers' market so we had fresh bread, a variety of cheeses, carrots and beer with cool labels. The water was numbing but we all went in. It was a great day.

Bunker Hill Apple Tree

Bunker Hill Apple Tree by Alison Vernon

40x30, palette knife oil

There are a few places that are so lovely on a deeply personal level. This is one such place. This is a painting of a hilltop near our home. The hike up is a good workout and the reward is this open field with vistas, old cellar holes, lilacs and daylillies. The trail down is steep and curls around a beautiful brook. At the end of the hike, my muscles are tired and my mind is clear.

Red Barn

Red Barn by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

4x6, oil with palette knives

I have never been so tuned in to the earth's perfume as I have this June. Maybe the unusually long hard winter has heightened the fragrance. The loamy smell of fields and the sun-warmed forest floor is heady, almost intoxicating.

Barbara's Backyard

Barbara's Backyard by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

6x12, oil, $400

Barbara is a woman with humor, grace and wisdom. She is a friend and was once a colleague of mine. Barbara is, among many other titles, the Hospice Coordinator at the Visiting Nurse Association where I once worked. As such she has the delicate position of leading her team in the care of the dying while ministering to her staff. She has done this for years. This painting is her backyard. No wonder she is so spiritual and no wonder this is her backyard.

Lake Sunapee

Lake Sunapee by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

20x24, oil

The New Hampshire lakes have a magical draw. The water is dreamy. Last night, after a day in the 90's, we all went to our favorite (secret) place on Pleasant Lake and dove in. The worries and stresses of the day washed away. Our body temperatures cooled to normal and, that night, we slept like babies.

Dinghies

Dinghies by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

5x30, oil

commission

We canoed on the Connecticut River yesterday. The sky turned purple with bright white zigzagz of lightening at our heels. We just made it to the "take out" when it let go. My husband and I turned our canoe on its side and tipped it to make a shelter. We hunkered down staying remarkably dry as sheets of rain ripped across the river. Lightening struck BOOM all aorund. It lasted about ten minutes and then the sun peeked through. The world was soft and pink. And then a rainbow.

Boats Ashore

Boats Ashore by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

12x24, oil

Remember school summer vacations? Summers spread wide open before us. Long days, novels, screen doors slamming, forts and naps... Devine purposelessness.

Water Lily

Water Lily by Alison Vernon
www.alisonvernon.com
20x24, oil

It's my birthday today! I'm 51. Yesterday my hairdresser put two purple streaks put in my hair!

Cows on a Hillside

Cows on a Hillside by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

20x30, oil

I really loved painting this painting. Cows have such craggy bodies. Basically I painted blobs with lumps and legs and then added accents. Moo!

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

24x32, oil

We woke one misty morning on an island on Lake Umbabgog in northern NH. We looked out into the mist sipping our coffee. It was quiet except for the call of a loon. Suddenly we heard a whoosh whoosh whoosh; a bald eagle winged just over our heads and disappeared into the mist with a second bald eagle hot in pursuit. It was very cool.

Twelve Spotted Dragonfly

Twelve Spotted Dragonfly by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

12x6, oil

I was a nurse for 17 years before I went full-time as an artist. I provided a lot of hospice care. The dragonfly is a symbol of the movement from life to death and is often used to explain death to children. The story is this: dragonfly larves lived in the murky pond. Now and then a larve would climb a grassy reed and disappear. The larves agreed to that the next one to disappear must come back to tell the others where they went. Soon, a larve climbed a reed and disappeared. When he awoke, he found himself on a lily pad with long elegant wings. He took flight into the blue sky. Later he flew over the murky pond and remebered his friends. He tried to dive down to show them his beautiful wings but, alas, he could not break through the water's surface. Away he flew into the cloudless sky...

Rooster with a Red Comb

Rooster with a Red Comb by Alison Vernon

www.alisonvernon.com

20x16,oil

Personality and attitude...roosters are tough birds. I've seen 200 lb men racing up the driveway with a 2 lb rooster chasing at their heels. How much fun is that?

Where can I get some of that "tude"?