Art in the Park

Japanese Bridge in Ibirapuera Park

Did you know that São Paulo city has the biggest Japanese community outside Japan? In the 1940s free land was given to Japanese immigrants, to stimulate growth and agricultural development.

The arched Japanese Bridge decorates São Paulo´s largest park - Ibirapuera - São Paulo´s answer to New York City´s Central Park.

It is a favorite spot for joggers, sweethearts and dogwalkers. Oh yes...and artists. I used to meet there with a four other artists every Wednesday morning to paint different corners of it. This is one of my favorite spots.

Most of the paintings on my blog are for sale.

See more at www.mdiggsart.com

I´d love to hear from you at mdiggs@mdiggs.com

Autumn is in the Air



Jean

 September
by Helen Hunt Jackson
(excerpt)

The goldenrod is yellow;

The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.

From dewy lanes at morning

The grapes' sweet odors rise;
At noon the roads all flutter
With yellow butterflies.
By all these lovely tokens

September days are here,
With summer's best of weather,
And autumn's best of cheer.

 Autumn is my favorite season. Jean, a young Frenchman, prepares for it with his blue and yellow scarf. His far away gaze makes us wonder what he sees. The gold, green and red patchwork fields yonder, perhaps.

For more paintings, visit : http://www.mdiggsart.com/
Most of the paintings on my blog are for sale.

mdiggs@mdiggs.com

Time Out



Tranquility



 The story goes something like this: There was once an American businessman visiting Tibet. Climbing the mountain along side his guide, the two men meandered for three days before reaching their village destination. The businessman said, "You know, it would be so easy for you people to build a road directly from the town to the village. That way you could be there in 30 minutes tops." The guide smiled and  in a soft voice said, " But then, who would appreciate the lush green fields and listen to the babbling brook, or smell the wild flowers?"

I painted "Tranquility" as a reminder to take time out from our bustling lives. When I look at this painting, I feel peaceful and calm. I´m reminded that meditation is good and necessary for the soul.

In the Chinese culture the crane's symbolic presence in the home is believed to bring harmony, good fortune and happiness. It is also a symbol of longevity. I thought the cranes to be the perfect decoration for this quiet corner.

Most of the paintings on this blog are for sale.

See more  artwork on www.mdiggsart.com

Let me hear from you at mdiggs@mdiggs.com

Tea Time

My painting, KETTLES, just goes to show you how you can use anything for a composition. Originally, I was going to use only one, but as I was deciding which one, I just thought, "Why not all of them?"  This paintings is actually the main one in a composition of smaller paintings that go around it.  I did variations of the theme. The smallest frame is 3" x 3" and has only the little silver lid as the subject.

Kettles

The challenge here is to paint  porcelain, enamel, iron, ceramic, copper and aluminum.

Each kettle tells a story. The blue and white Chinese kettle was bought in Chinatown, San Francisco in the 1970s. The white enameled once belonged to my mother. If only it could talk!...Mom, who is now 90 yrs. old, remembers as a young girl, going fishing with her father and sipping hot coffee poured from it. The dark, heavy, Brazilian cast-iron kettle is as "old as the hills,"  while the artsy ceramic black and tourquoise one was a gift. I've never used the copper kettle; its for decoration. Quite the opposite of the small aluminum one that holds only 2 cups of water and I use constantly.

For more paintings, visit www. mdiggsart.com
Most of the paintings on my blog are for sale.
mdiggs@mdiggs.com

Souvenirs from the Sea

close up



Treasures of the Sea

 Remember Picasso's Blue phase, then Pink? Mine came at once and combined in "Treasures of the Sea".
 I could hardly wait to get home to paint the shells I´d found on the seashore. To my surprise, the colors had dulled in some. A little oil brought them back to life and here you see the way they were on the beach. The blue and white mug is from China Town in San Francisco, and the small bowl is a sample of Brazilian ceramics.

http://www.mdiggsart.com/
Most paintings on my blog are for sale.
mdiggs@mdiggs.com

She Sells Sea Shells

Still Life with Shells

Still lifes have endless themes to be explored. I painted a series in which all had shells somewhere in the composition. This is one of my favorities.

 The unusual formations created at the top of the white sea shells are intriguing and must be painted in a way to create their hardness and bumpiness. They contrast with the smooth white wax candles on the right.

The red berries make the greens pop. Artists are free to crop their paintings as they see fit. It isn't necessary to show all the leaves in the beige pitcher, for instance.
 Next time you go to the beach, take a good look at nature's little masterpieces!

For more painting: www.mdiggsart.com
Most paintings on the blog are for sale.
mdiggs@mdiggs.com

Home in the Gardens



The Corner of my Street

I´ve just come back from vacation. It's wonderful to travel, to see family, as well as new sights. But, it is always good to return home. For me, that is São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in Latin America.

 Here I´ve painted two common scenes only blocks from my apartment building, both dealing with flower sellers. Someone has just purchased  flowers from Antonio, our neighborhood florist who sets up every morning on the same corner. The lime green structures behind the lady buying the plant, are two public phone "booths" - the tall one is for adults and the short one for kids and wheelchair drivers. The tall buildings cast interesting shadows that create pockets of light. These contrasts enhance the composition of the painting.



The Flower Vendor



Just down the block is another seller, who is obviously not the owner, since she is relaxing against the telephone pole and probably miles away in thought. The stone wall behind her hides a luxurious apartment building in the "Manhattan of São Paulo", appropriately called the Jardins (Gardens) neighborhood.

For more paintings on this subject and others: http://www.mdiggsart.com/

Let me hear from you at mdiggs@mdiggs.com

Most of the paintings on this blog are for sale. 



God Was Certainly Inspired

Rio By Day

Have you seen the movie RIO, yet? It is a precious cartoon about a blue macaw who has to save his species by returning to his native city - Rio- from where he was stolen as a fledgling.

If you haven´t seen it yet, I encourage you to do so...and in 3-D if possible. If you have seen it, you will recognize this topography.

Rio de Janeiro is a special city. There's a saying here in Brazil...that God is Brazilian! ( Deus é brasileiro). That is debatable, but not the fact that he must have been very inspired when he formed the location of Rio.

http://www.mdiggsart.com/

A Work in Progress

Set up

Sketch using paint

Block in



Finished painting

Many people are amazed to see how a painting develops. Here is a technique that works for me and which I teach my students.
The first step is setting up a composition that is pleasing. This may involve a trial and error moment where you add  or subtract objects and rearrange them until you get what you want. I´ll make a small black and white sketch on a note pad (not seen here) to test out the composition, before I go to the canvas.
Once that's settled, I´ll sketch it in charcoal. If I still like it, then the charcoal is replaced with a thin paint sketch.
Blocking in the color is like putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
The best part is defining the shapes and making a flat surface look like it has three dimensions.
Oh, the challenge of painting! 

http://www.mdiggsart.com/

Angelic Souls



Tenderness

 Several years ago, my sister gave me a small terracotta statue, a replica of an 18th century French one. I found it to be so sweet that I made this drawing of it.

Have you ever heard the explanation for the the indention we have under our noses?

Babies live with the angels in heaven before coming to earth. Before they are born to their mothers, an angel seals the lips by pressing his finger there so the language of the angels will not be revealed.

May we mothers always recognize the angelic side of the souls entrusted to our care. Happy Mother´s Day!

http://www.mdiggsart.com/

Finding Models

The Moroccan

The Moroccan Sitting

I´d always thought that my doorman, Raul,
would make a perfect Moroccan, so when he agreed to pose for me, I grabbed my paints and went to work.

The portait study on the right prepared me to do the full-body painting. Its "unfinished" nature doesn´t detract from the strength of the face, and in fact, gives an interesting contrast.

An artist never knows where she´ll run into the perfect subject for her next work!

http://www.mdiggsart.com/
mdiggs@mdiggs.com

HAPPY EASTER!

I Come To The Garden Alone - Hymn 

Easter Morning


I come to the garden alone

While the dew is still on the roses

And the voice I hear falling on my ear

The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me,

"He Has Risen"

and He talks with me,


And He tells me I am His own;


And the joy we share as we tarry there,


None other has ever known.

This old hymn was the inspiration for "Easter Morning". Mary Magdalene encounters Jesus alive and mistakes him for the gardener.
"Why are you crying?" He asked.
Mary responded, " If you have taken Jesus away, please tell me where you have placed Him."
"Mary!" He gently replied. That was all He needed to say! It was as if the scales from her eyes had been instantly removed. Any questions, any doubts that she had were gone! She knew this was Jesus, the living Christ, standing before her.

HAPPY EASTER

Marilyn Diggs

http://www.mdiggsart.com/

Home is Where the Heart Is

Afternoon Light

I´ve lived in over ten different apartments and five houses during my life - so far. Some homes speak to us more than others. Each has its own energy and reflects the lives of the people and animals growing up inside it.

People say they feel good inside my latest apartment of eleven years. For me, it is a refuge inside my neighborhood, called the Manhattan of São Paulo. I want to always remember it, since my plans for the future have yet  been laid. Here's a peek at a corner of it.

Several pieces are from Chinatown in San Francisco, California, my home before São Paulo: the wooden horse, black floral vases and wedding  basket  that doubles as a sidetable. Each compartment of the basket holds a gift for the happy couple and can be carried to them by the handle you see. The silver service is a family heirloom and  rests beside some art books resting on the glass-top coffee table. Across the street is another building in the concrete jungle, where groups of small lime green parrots play tag, soaring from tree to tree on the avenue.

I set up my easel in my living room and took my time, relishing each brushstroke that recreated on canvas my safe harbor. This painting won a medal at the Association of Fine Arts in São Paulo, a few years ago.

For more paintings, visit http://www.mdiggsart.com/
I´d  enjoy hearing from you at mdiggs@mdiggs.com

Capturing the Spirit

South American Aristocrat

Faces intrigue me. They always have. Considered by many to be the most difficult challenge for an artist, I welcome its calling.

Brazil has a tremendous mixture of races. Everywhere I turn, I see a subject that I'd love to paint. My portraits include people from all walks of life - from a street sweeper to aristocrats.
In some cases, I´ll see beyond their present situation. A noble look in a doorman´s face might turn him into a Morrocan prince.

Depending upon the subject, I´ll use different techniques to paint it. Sometimes a carefree brush stroke and unfinished background is just what I need to portray my subject.

But sometimes, as in this case, I want a more traditional treatment to show the grandeur and the austerity of landed gentry. In preparation to paint this way, for one year I studied and copied the Old  and New Masters  - Velázquez, Rembrandt, Holbein, Sargeant, among others. That involves, among other things, first painting this woman in only shades of grey! Yes, underneath the color, she is entirely grey!

The daughter of a wealthy rancher, Cristina's blood runs blue. Her Spanish ancestry is obvious. A sublime misture of intelligence, determination and of course -sensuality, for which Latino women are so famous.

For more information about this painting, get in touch with me at mdiggs@mdiggs.com
More paintings on: wwwdiggsart.com

Husband Hunting? I´ve Got What You Need!



Peonies

 Does Feng Shui intrigue you? The Chinese culture has all kinds of symbols of good fortune to jazz up your love life,  make you live to a ripe old age, improve your career, nurture a great family and become seriously rich. One of the good fortune flowers is the peony.

The peony symbolizes beauty, romance and purity.  It is considered the flower of the summer and when displayed, brings good luck, happiness and good fortune.

Young ladies of the family find a good catch  in matrimony if they keep peonies around, whether on the wall or in a vase.  But be careful,  flowers must be disposed of immediately when they start to wilt or fade in the case of artificial ones.

Personally, I just like the way they look!

For more information, contact me at mdiggs@mdiggs.com
www.mdiggsart.com

Rio Has No Rivals

Rio de Janeiro has one of the world´s most beautiful skylines. In 1975, a dream came true for this young American bride, as I flew over the picture postcard of Brazil. It was love at first sight. How to drink in so much beauty?

Rio Seen From the Ocean

My feelings manifested themselves on canvas. I have painted  Rio dozens of times, especially Sugar Loaf mountain (on the right) and Corcovado peak  with the Christ the Redeemer statue (on the left).

This angle is a privileged one - from the ocean. It is late afternoon. The sail boats will have to head back to Guanabara Bay for the night.  Billowing clouds mimic the mountains' soft peaks, capture the setting sun´s rays and  toss them into the ocean below.

It is no wonder that Rio de Janeiro, known as the Marvelous City, has inspired  so many songwriters, poets and artists!
http://www.mdiggsart.com/
Are you interested in knowing more about this painting? Contact me at mdiggs@mdiggs.com

Timeless Elegance in "Antique Silver"

Antique Silver

I´ll never forget a friend of mine saying that when she buys paintings, it gives her a chance to own exquisite pieces portrayed in the picture. Even though it is not the real thing, it is as though she had the actual piece.

Antique Silver features an  exquisite English  food warmer whose lid raises to reveal the goodies inside. The bottom half holds hot water. I remember my mother serving us scrambled eggs from this once, when I was a little girl living in Canada. I felt very chic.

In compositions nothing should  happen by chance. The pink roses give a soft touch that contrasts with the cool, hard sterling silver container. Three Granny Smith apples balance the roses in the composition. The green of the apples and grapes creates color harmony with the pink roses. (Green and red are complimentary colors.) The books make for a creative support and puts the height of the turqouise vase where I needed it.  The white cloth hanging vertically breaks the horizontal line of the polished antique wooden chest that reflects the fruit. The silver piece reflects all its surroundings and brings the colors together, like so many jewels.

I hope this painting  transports you to moments of elegance. I can almost hear classical music playing!

http://www.mdiggsart.com/

Carnival in Rio - the Biggest Party on the Planet

Carnival

IT´S CARNIVAL IN BRAZIL!

During Carnival, samba schools parade down a half-mile avenue in a spectacle of movement, color and light.

Each school´s flag swirls with a dancing couple, whose performance is crucial to winning the contest. For four days in February or March, a million-plus partygoes take part inthe extravaganza.

Feel the excitement in my painting "CARNIVAL." Fans in the bleachers join in, singing the song each school had prepared for the year. They cheer as the samba school passes. Behind the couple are more dancers and a float, making its way down the avenue.

See more paintings at www.mdiggsart.com
All paintings on my blog are for sale. For details write me at mdiggs@mdiggs.com

The Beauty of the Orient



Oriental Treasures  100 x 80 cm.

 I´ve lived in San Francisco, California at three different times in my life. One of my very favorite haunts was Chinatown. It seemed like every time I went there, I couldn´t resist bringing back a treasure. They inspired me to paint this big picture that combines elements of Feng Shui with some of my favorite pieces.

close up  - detail

The overriding local color is red, which in China not only serves to express joy but also, to ward off evil. (Did you know that traditional Chinese brides wear red instead of white?) A small Persian rug draped over the table, poppies, and the wooden basket in the back set the tone. Cool silver pieces and the blue and white Japanese tea service counterbalance the warm color scheme.  The green silk hanging on the wall complements the red and creates harmony.

The bronze statue stealing the stage is the Chinese philosopher, Confucius who traveled all of China riding a water buffalo.

Yellow passion fruit ( maracujá) is popular in S.E. Asia, as well as Brazil, and contrasts with the rich dark grapes resting in a silver bowl. In Ancient China, the chestnut trees were the homes of the gods of the west.  See the nuts at  the base of the silver piece?  Poppies, in Chinese art, represent loyalty and faithfulness between lovers.

Visit http://www.mdiggsart.com/

Animals in Paintings



My View of São Paulo

 I broke my foot not too long ago, and had to spend time in bed. Here is the view I saw from my terrace window during that time.


Detail

My faithful schnauzer probably wondered

why I couldn´t take him out for his walks!

Animals and people, especially children, steal the scene in paintings, no matter what the subject is.

Several of this painting´s admirers and  some of my students questioned why I didn´t put this cute dog facing the spectator.

If I had, it would be just one more painting of a cute dog. By having him look the other way, onto the street, it creates a psychological interest. What has caught his eye?

What is going on down there?

Pretty sneaky, right? It is all about holding the viewer´s attention to the canvas as long as possible.

For more paintings by the artist, visit: www.mdiggsart.com





Inside an Artist´s Atelier

In the Studio

Close up

The holiday season is over and it is time to get back to work! For artists it is no different, except for us work can be done in our studio, or atelier, instead of an office. Here I´ve depicted a model talking a break from her poising. Modeling accessories hang from a dressing screen in the background. Her poise is relaxed and she has a book on the sofa. The light from the window casts an interesting light on her right side and illuminates her feet.




For more paintings, visit: www.mdiggsart.com
All paintings on the blog are for sale. Contact Marilyn at mdiggs@mdiggs.com

Happy New Year!

The Offering

Each country has its customs for insuring that the upcoming year will bring abundance in health, happiness and wealth. In the States, we eat black-eyed peas on January 1st.


New Years is a very special occasion in Brazil. Everyone wears white. Several rituals  have to do with being on the beach, so Rio de Janeiro is a favorite celebration location.

While Brazil claims to be a Catholic country, the African influence is undeniable. Their gods and goddesses mesh with Catholic saints.

Here a Bahian lady offers flowers to the most popular African deity - Iemanjá, Queen of the Sea. At New Years Brazilians and tourists alike, throw flowers into the ocean for her to bring them good luck.

Other traditions are: jumping 7 waves, eating 7 pomegranate seeds, saving 7 pomegranate seeds inside a tiny red cloth tied up with red string, eating lentils...OK, the list goes on and on, but you get the picture. Fireworks explode in the skies and people toast the New Year with champagne!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  ( PRÓSPERO ANO NOVO!)

All paintings on my blog are for sale. For more info write me at mdiggs@mdiggs.com
Visit: www.mdiggsart.com, too.