Lily S. May–Life with Art
In the 1990s, I made a series of gouache paintings for which I had no planned outcomes. I loved the bright colours of these water based paints and the enlivening process of surprise. I call this painting Fantasy because of its unconscious elements and have listed it in my etsy shop.
While I was travelling recently, I stayed in a house in the countryside. There, the owners had hung a lovely tiny antique dress on a wall. I don't know if it was a doll's dress or that of an infant. I first photographed the dress in full, but kept seeing it cut in half in… Continue reading Light and Lace
I have one of my favourite linocuts hanging in my work room. Here’s a photo of it, wrinkles and all. I made this linocut in 1990 under my birth name, so not to wonder what’s up with the name—if you’re interested in such things. I call this print The Rose Tattoo after a dream I… Continue reading The Rose Tattoo Linocut
This afternoon I learned that a friend's son in law had been murdered in a random act of violence. I never knew her son in law, but had heard about his death on the news in the morning without knowing their relationship. After hearing this sorrowful news, I was writing. On the wall opposite me the… Continue reading After Tragic News
Here's another photograph I took in Bay de Verde on my travels in Newfoundland in August. I liked the simplicity and starkness of this particular view which I photographed for the strong shapes and the atmosphere of the village.
Over the years, I've done several self-portraits. This one is from 2009, again in water soluble oil paints on canvas. It's one I enjoy for the freedom of the brush strokes and the feeling it expresses. I painted it directly while looking in a mirror as opposed to using a photograph of myself as the… Continue reading Self-Portrait
When my father died in 2007, I took up oil painting again after not having painted with oils for many years. I made the three paintings in this post to express some of my feelings about his death and my life. Each one includes a self-portrait plus a portrait of him. In the final painting,… Continue reading Portraits on the Theme of My Father’s Death
I came upon these two sketch/paintings I made in 1987. They're in watercolour with ink lines. I enjoyed making and, now, viewing these paintings because I made them with a certain amount of freedom. I didn't sketch the images first, but applied the watercolour and ink directly to the paper. The images turned out less… Continue reading Ink & Watercolour Paintings & My Several Names
This week I received beautiful mail art from Nancy Bell Scott in response to some work I sent her. A lovely surprise. The envelope is from old sheet music and the work inside is one of her wonderful collages. Thank you, Nancy! P.S.: If anyone wants to send me mail art, my address has changed!… Continue reading Mail Art from Nancy
On the theme of garden paintings, here's a fourth oil painting I did several years ago. The setting is part of the same garden I showed in my last post. This time, my husband is quietly taking in the healing of the place.
Arts of May 