Images By Lee Rowell

I made the dreaded call today.  My mother has been sick for some time with a rare form of Diabetes and Parkinsons.  Since I live in Dallas and my parents live in Alabama and I have no other siblings, I decided to call a Home Health Care Provider.  Regardless of your past or present with your parents, I guess you just never think of them as getting older.  This is a realization to me that the situation has reached a critical level.  I certainly think anything is possible and this could all turn around tomorrow.  But, I don't know if my mother's spirit has anymore energy.  And that's the true sadness.  I don't want to ever be to the point where I give up.  I refuse. 

I ran across this statement somewhere and made note of it so I could share:

When an artist draws a new picture, a writer drafts a new piece, or a musician sings a new song, they all are giving birth in a sense to something that comes from the spiritual quest, from yearning and searching for their own truth.  The ultimate truth, the ultimate answer to any question, is love.  Love is the answer to all questions, at least our spiritual ones.  Love is the necessary ingredient to create something lasting.  Other emotions and thoughts can fuel the process, get us to question and express, but when we create, we touch the divine spark, our highest aspect.  The most wonderful creations come through us.  We are the vessel, the instrument of creation, but not necessarily the author.  The divine is the author of our actions.  And to touch the divine, we move through a sense of unconditional love, a connectivity to all things, everywhere. 

Wow - it snowed 12.5 inches yesterday here in Dallas.  Yes, I said Dallas.  It is unbelievable.  Of course, everything is a mess.  My power was off most of the night.  There are stil 175K people without power. 

But, with all the inconveniece aside, the snow is very pretty.  I love walking outside and listening to the stillness.  It's like everything just stopped.  Normally I hear the roar of traffic from the interstates, but not today.  It's great.  I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to live on a secluded mountain somewhere.  It makes me want to be Grizzly Adams - remember him?  Of course, I would need a satellite to stay connected.  lol

Anyway, all this has made me realize that I need to stop every once in a while and take in nature.  I take it for granted.  Sad - all the beauty that is around me every day and I just walk right through in a hurry to get somewhere.  Busy Busy Busy. 

I hope you have a wonderful day.  And, take some time to enjoy your surroundings.  This life will not last forever. 

This may sound crazy, but I hope that my work brings a little joy to someone's life.  Life is so hard sometimes.  Things are thrown at you from every direction.  Believe me - I know.  But, life is such an amazing gift.  Mine has been a wonderful journey so far.  Some would say that I should have given up a long time ago.  Never!  I am going to focus on the positive all my days and dismiss the negative. 

So, anyway, I hope at least one thing on my site makes you smile or gives you a sense of peace.  If it does, I want to hear about it.  Send me an email.  I love hearing feedback on my work - even criticism.  I'll always work to be better. 

Peace and Love to you and thanks for stopping by!

Good Morning World!  I'm going to try my best to post more blogs.  I don't know if anyone reads them, but it's always interesting to me to go back and read what I was thinking in the past. 

Well, first off, lots of changes are happening in my life right now.  At this point, all of them good - except one person that drives me crazy - but we won't focus on her.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Regardless, I seem to be really inspired lately.  If you look at this site on a regular bases you will notice that weeks go by when I don't post anything new.  But, some weeks I post 20 new paintings.  I guess that's the way it is for all creative people.  I suppose the creative juices don't flow all the time.  But, when they are flowing, they are on full blast.  I have so much in my head right now that I want to dump onto a canvass. 

I'm also really loving the digital and mixed media stuff.  I know some people think that digital art is not really art, but I disagree.  I like to take the digital images I've created and then paint them on canvass.  Sometimes, it is interesting to print out the image and do some highlights with paint or ink.  Either way, it's my creation.  I'm looking to buy a large printer so that I can do more prints instead of depending upon Staples to print them for me.  If anyone has any leads, let me know. 

That's all I have for today.  Everyone be safe and have a wonderful day!

Thanks for all the comments on the Digital and Mixed Media images.  I'm having a lot of fun with these.  They are all created uniquely.  Some are purely digital, while others are combination of canvass/print, ink, acrylic, oil, and/or a few other secrets. 

I've had a few requests to do more human torsos.  This will be the next project and will most likely be done in the Digital/Mixed Media. 

Cheers!

First off, I never intended for this to be a painting of Hydrangeas.  They aren't exactly my favorite flower.  But, as the painting progressed, it looked more and more like them. 

I won't tell you exactly how I create these types of paintings, but I will tell you that they are the most fun to create.  They are also the messiest.  I start by fully painting the canvas then remove portions of the paint in a couple of different ways.  It may look like water is used to dilute the paint, but I never use water.  There are a couple of other chemicals that I like to use that have a very interesting effect when viewed up close.  One creates a dull, smeared appearance, while the other gives me that bold, shiney appearance that I like.  I really like to experiment with these types of paintings because you never know what you are going to end up with. 

Right now there is one other painting on this site that used the same techniques.  It is 'Tears in the Garden'.  I hope to create more of these in the future because I like doing them so much.  Another interesting fact about these is that I don't sign them on the front.  They are signed on the back.  The reason - the image is open for interpretation.  Rotate the image 90 degrees or even 180 degrees.  Hang it however you like.  The image is different from all directions. 

I would like to sincerely thank everyone for all of the feedback I have received through this website.  I have received feedback from not only many US cities but also Russia, Germany, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Canada and the UK. 

My work means a lot to me and just knowing that others enjoy my work as well is a confirmation that I am on the right track. 

Again, Thank You!

Lee Rowell

rlrattlesnatch@gmail.com

If you know me, you know that I love animals.  Actually, I probably love animals more than people.  My chosen charity this year is the SPCA.  I know that there are charities that are equally deserving, but at this point in my life I strongly support organizations that protect animals against cruelty and abuse.  It is disgusting how many animals are killed or mistreated every day.  I would take them all in if I could, but my house is full. 

Over the past couple of years I have gotten to know this great dog named Shelby.  She turned 16 years old this year.  She is a black lab mix and is very sweet.  So, I had to paint her.  Her dad sent me a great black and white picture of her that was perfect for painting using a monochromatic color scheme (except for the eyes).  I suppose Shelby won't always be with us, but her image and memory will live forever.  Isn't that what art is all about?

I often like to create what I call fun abstract paintings as well as detailed human, flower and architectural paintings.  The architectural paintings have not yet been added to this site, but will in the near future.  I'm also working on something new called the 'Dream Series' which includes the use of gemstones on the canvas. 

"Kentucky Rain' is one of the fun paintings.  I basically began with lines of motion and circles.  The painting really evovled from there.  It has no specific meaning.  Although, I think it looks like rain.  I was listening to an Elvis song, 'Kentucky Rain' when I was finishing up the painting and decided that was an appropriate title.  When I think of Kentucky, I think of Blue Grass or the color blue.  I love all the colors in this painting.  Blues, Greens and Purples are my favorites - with blue probably at the top of the list.  The cool thing about this painting is that I see something new each time I look at it.  The lines make you follow the flows from one side of the painting to the other.  This one is also unique because it was created on two canvasses.  This is a great painting for a corner (which is how it is currently displayed).  Technically speaking, I could continue this painting over several more canvasses simply by continuing the pattern.  So, it could be as big or small as you like.  Or, you can display only one of the cavasses if you get tired of the huge size.  Lots of possibilities...