Category Archives: Musings

The Studio Cat

I live in a log home in the foothills of the Alberta Rockies in Western Canada. Further to the south of me, as in much further,  are the mountain ranges of New Mexico. There are regions of New Mexico that remind me of my Canadian home, but still, I am drawn to the high desert county, and the various art and cultures in this Southwest state. So it is not unusual that its colours and themes seep into my work.

The Studio Cat Original by Wendy Dudley 10 x 12 $325

The Studio Cat Original by Wendy Dudley 10 x 12 $325

 

The feline in this art piece, called The Studio Cat, is modelled on my own orange cat, Kaila. She too often sits in the window, looking out, or if outside, balancing herself on the sill and looking in. If I were to have an adobe home in the Southwest, I imagine it would look like this, with Kaila ever-present in the window. For more information about this piece, or to purchase, please email me at dudleyart1@gmail.com.

The High Road Home

I often refer to the state of New Mexico as my second home, or my heart home. Its landscape, lighting, colours and cultures are a stung draw for the creative spirit. When I travel there, I always feel like I am returning to a place I lived in a long time ago. Whether studying the starry night skies of Chaco, scouting about the trails at Ghost Ranch,  touring the northern Hispanic villages, or venturing into Zuni country, my heart pounds with the beauty. Thus, I often honour this in my paintings, as in this one called The High Road Home. For more  information about this piece, or if interested in purchasing it, please contact me at dudleyart1@gmail.com.

The High Road Home by Wendy Dudley 12 x 16 $390

The High Road Home by Wendy Dudley 12 x 16 $390

News! The Lost American Art Gallery and Museum, Longview, Alberta

Great news!  Wendy Dudley now has her paintings in The Lost American Art Gallery and Museum in Longview, Alberta, Canada.  This is a unique gallery in cowboy country, in the foothills southwest of Calgary.  It is about as close to a Southwest Art gallery as you will find without crossing the medicine line. Pueblo pottery, turquoise, Navajo rugs, and where you can say the word “Zuni” without explaining what it means.  The gallery is also carrying my photo cards, art cards and my illustrated book, Don’t Name the Ducks.   Please drop by and say hello to Happy and Bob who own the gallery.  This is the real deal, folks.  Worth the drive alone.

These are the Wendy Dudley paintings currently on display and for sale in the gallery.

wendy dudley original painting, Lost American Art Gallery and Museum Longview

Waiting For The Storm To Pass Original 9 x 12 inches $325

His Magnificence by Wendy Dudley, Original Acrylic , 11 x 14, $375

His Magnificence by Wendy Dudley, Original Acrylic , 11 x 14, $375

 

Wendy Dudley art, Wendy  Dudley painting, paint horses, pinto horses, the Lost American Art Gallery and Museum, Longview, Alberta

Painting Clouds. Original Acrylic 36 x 18 $1000

 

From Inside The Raven’s Nest

Wendy Dudley painting, art, raven

Inside the Raven’s Nest 16 x 20 $575

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a baby bird, nestled deep inside your nest, staring up at the passing blue sky and bright sun? And then to have parent birds fly down, towards your gaping beak, as they arrive head-first. What a view from your circular world, built of moss, leaves and twigs, cradled in the branches of a towering tree. This is the feeling I sought to convey in From Inside The Raven’s Nest, the outer dark edges of the nest circular and open to the rising morning sun and pale blue sky. I was inspired to do this painting earlier this week, while watching ravens somersault through the blue, their groaking filling the valley in which I live. If you call out to them, they do answer.

If interested in this painting, please email me at dudleyart1@gmail.com

The Red Tails Are Back

The red tails are back! Walking the dogs this morning, the sky suddenly split with the shriek of my favourite hawk, the red-tailed. Last spring, they nested in my valley and I grew accustomed to their day-long cries until late autumn. Reaching the open meadow, I spotted the pair, circling above the high hill to the north, at times their wing tips almost touching. Their call is so distinctive, deeper and of a sounder pitch than the weaker imitation by the blue jays that have been playing the hawk-mock trick outside my kitchen window for the past week. The hawk’s call cuts to my core, taking me over the hills, viewing the world from such an expansive perspective. Oh, to soar on the hot afternoon thermals, and to view things in the big picture. Later today, I watched a pair of ravens drift in the afternoon breeze over my barn. I called, and they answered. They circled back, looking down. And then I heard the wind of powerful wings. From the open field came the red-tailed, diving down on the raven. They disappeared behind the spruce tops. And then the hawk circled back, and, once again, in full throttle, sliced the air with its speed towards the black birds. Minutes later, I heard the ravens’ distant groaks, and then the pair of hawks once again returned, wheeling and wheeling. For now, they own this space in the sky.

Her World 20 x 20ins Original Acrylic $800

Her World 20 x 20ins Original Acrylic $800

Down The Path Of A New Year

 

DOWN THE PATH OF A NEW YEAR

And so here we are, the beginning of a new year, and the changes it will bring as it must. It will mean something different to each one of us. For me, this is a year of exploration: A year to absorb, to listen, to contemplate, to live as I think. If we are fortunate, we all find our path. It is lit by many lanterns, but all mark the trail to enlightenment. Awareness. Compassion.

We all seek this; but each of us takes a different journey to reach the destination. And, as I have been reminded, the journey itself is the destination. Whatever I experience will no doubt find its way to the art canvas, as it cannot help but do so. As always, I derive pleasure from sharing my journey with you. The journey begins with self, but it sprouts branches, reaching out as a way to teach, to provoke thought, to show the different ways. It is there for the taking, or for the leaving. Or for the pondering.

As some of you have noticed, many of my paintings depict walking in solitude, though the lone human almost always has company, whether it be a dog, a horse or donkeys, or wild animals, some in spirit and some in absolute form. Because

The Road Home, by Wendy Dudley

The Road Home, by Wendy Dudley

my thoughts and images most often come to me while walking. As a writer, this is when I compose. As a painter, this is when I visualize. As a meditator, this is when I dream. I am never alone, for my thoughts and the Others, in whatever form, keep me company. If you like what you see, let me know. If you wish to share, please do so. If you have questions, please ask. Giving and receiving are mirror images. They are partners in The Dance of Sharing.

Stone Art

I am beginning a series of paintings, introducing stone art. The first of which is She-Bear: Ursus Major. At the heart of this bear is Sodalite, a stone of intuition and higher knowledge, truth and perception. A stone of communication; a stone of writers and artists. Among some indigenous cultures, the bear is said to be my birth totem. My heart beats like a drum, its rhythm singing in the forest. It reaches the bear, and she listens, her heart drumming back a message.

She-Bear: Ursus Major , with Sodalite stone Original by Wendy Dudley $950

She-Bear: Ursus Major , with Sodalite stone Original by Wendy Dudley $950

MIS AMIGOS

MIS AMIGOS
While I can have an idea of where I want a painting to go, it often takes a different direction.   Such was the case with Mis Amigos. It began with three donkeys, and a woman carrying a bucket. But as it took form, I added another donkey, and then thought, “Hey, I have four donkeys of my own. I will paint them to represent my little herd, thus a mousey-grey, a pinto, a blue roan and a dark brown/black. And then the woman became my reflection. I never carry a bucket to bring them in; I usually show up in the field and they follow. And I always have a walking stick (gentle on the hips, at this age!). Occasionally, I may go out with my rope halter, so I portrayed myself as such. I thought I was done, but something was bothering me. Where was Miss Lucy, my red-headed misfit mule? I could not do a painting without her. It would haunt me. And so I gave her the rightful spot, off the trail and to the side, taking in the viewer. This is exactly what Lucy would do, always attentive to something or somebody new, and always blazing her own path.
And so, this painting evolved into a self portrait of sorts. This is exactly the order in which they march in, little Peso always at the back somewhere. And thus it was fitting that this painting be blessed with a simple title, Mis Amigos.

Mis Amigos. 24 x 18 ins. Original Acrylic. $900

Mis Amigos. 24 x 18 ins. Original Acrylic. $900

 

Her World

She sits on the ranch crossbar, her mouth open, her scream a sliver embedded in the hot afternoon air. She has been here all spring, and now with summer, she rides the afternoon thermals, rising up, rising up, until she is a spanned dot in a cumulus cloud. For years, my valley has been graced with owls, particularly the great grey, a totem bird, frequently delivering its message of change. Other years the great horned owls take over, raising their squawking young deep in the spruce forest. But this summer, it is the red-tailed hawk. She brings her own messages from the universe, along with courage and illumination. She sees the big picture, like the valley spanning below her wings and sharp eyes. Her vision is beyond the trivial. She is of the sky world, a higher plane of thinking and seeing. A lofty level of consciousness.

Am I a hawk person? Do I hear the messages? Do I see things in a world view? Spiritualists say the Red Tailed Hawk is a special companion, never leaving you, accompanying you throughout your own life flight. I wonder, as I watch her soar the skies: Does she hold me in her talons?

Her World 20 x 20ins Original Acrylic $800

Her World 20 x 20ins Original Acrylic $800

Triple Crown: Triple Courage

Smarty Jones. Big Brown. California Chrome. I put money down on all of them, with the hope I would have a souvenir ticket stub from a Triple Crown winner. It was not to be. And this year I was too busy to bet. Of course, as luck would have it, we came up with a champion, 37 years after Affirmed won the coveted prize in 1978.

Watching the race was to witness beauty. A perfect ride. A clean and decisive wire-to-wire win with jockey Victor Espinoza. I knew right then I had to paint this horse, this bay thoroughbred colt with the faint star on his forehead. This personable horse named American Pharoah. He would be bold, strong and muscled with passion. He would be out front, with Frozen and Keen Ice coming from behind (they placed second and third, respectively). And he would be almost larger than life, so confident and so strong, there is no question that AP will be first to break the beams at the finish line.

In a back story, this painting is also a nod to a grandfather I never met. He was a jockey, and in those days he would jog while wearing a huge plastic bag over his running gear; this would cause him to sweat profusely, keeping his weight down. My mother has fond and vivid memories of spending afternoons at the track, while her father rode the horses. His name was Victor Jenkins. Another Victor. Horse racing has its own subculture, and in those days it was rife with alcoholism and womanizing and questionable tactics. I don’t know how my grandfather fit into this unique world, but I do know he spent a lot of time racing in Cuba. Of course, he has long since departed, and I have been told he is buried somewhere in Massachusetts.

Triple Crown: Triple Courage Original Acrylic 20 x 20ins $800

Triple Crown: Triple Courage Original Acrylic 20 x 20ins