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Just Released!

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The Butterfly Carpet Murders, the latest addition to my Bella Sarver Mystery series, is now available on Amazon.com.

It’s been a long two years and the pandemic isn’t over yet, but it’s finally under control, thanks to vaccines, masks, and treatment options. Bella Sarver and her husband, Art Halperin, are thrilled to be able to travel once more. They’ve been so looking forward to visiting the UK, particularly, the Scottish Highlands, home to so much beauty and fascinating history. True to expectations, the Highlands are indeed beautiful, but they’re also filled with ghosts from the past, ghosts that insist on intruding into the present.  When one of their fellow tourists meets with an accident, Bella wonders – was it an accident? Or something more sinister? Could it really be the curse of the butterfly carpet?

Though Art is leery of his wife getting involved with the case, Bella can’t help herself. She just has to figure out ‘who dunnit?’ Doesn’t she?

Available in paperback and Kindle editions.

Coming Soon

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The Butterfly Carpet Murders

a new Bella Sarver Mystery

Bella Sarver is back! My husband and I visited Scotland last year and were fascinated by its beauty and especially, its long and complex history. Wouldn’t this make a wonderful setting for a new Bella Sarver mystery, I asked myself. The answer was ‘Yes, absolutely, ‘ so I got to work, and the result is The Butterfly Carpet Murders, to be released on December 14th, when it will be available on Amazon.com. Watch for the announcement!

It’s been a long two years and the pandemic isn’t over yet, but it’s finally under control, thanks to vaccines, masks, and treatment options. Bella Sarver and her husband, Art Halperin, are thrilled to be able to travel once more. They’ve been so looking forward to visiting the UK, particularly, the Scottish Highlands, home to so much beauty and fascinating history. True to expectations, the Highlands are indeed beautiful, but they’re also filled with ghosts from the past, ghosts that insist on intruding into the present.  When one of their fellow tourists meets with an accident, Bella wonders – was it an accident? Or something more sinister? Could it really be the curse of the butterfly carpet?

Though Art is leery of his wife getting involved with the case, Bella can’t help herself. She just has to figure out ‘who dunnit?’ Doesn’t she?

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Paradise Re-Found

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The pandemic affected all of us–young, old and in-between–in various ways, but I don’t think anyone was left unharmed. The most painful effect I experienced (besides contracting Covid. Twice.) was being deprived of my accustomed, almost daily, contact with fellow artists and writers. I always knew I valued those relationships, but I hadn’t realized how important they were to me until I wasn’t free to experience them anymore. One of the things that kept me sane (?) was watching episodes of Death in Paradise, not so much for the characters and plots but for the gorgeous, inspiring scenery. The beautiful, if fictional, Caribbean island of Ste. Marie reminded me that there was still life out there, and I’d get to see it again someday. So what better title for my recently completed paintings than “Paradise Found” and “Paradise Afternoon?” I hope you enjoy them.

Paradise Found, acrylic, 30 x 30, $1800

Paradise Afternoon, acrylic, 30 x 30, $1800

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About Consistency in Art

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Artists are often advised to present a consistent body of work to the public, for very good reason. If you’ve developed a following, you owe it to your “fans” to give them what they expect. But as an artist, this is easier to say than to do. Creative people naturally want and need to experiment with various art forms, different media, interesting techniques. Even if you absolutely love abstractions, as I do, there’s nothing to stop you from also loving detailed landscapes and intricate still lifes.

When I exhibit, I make sure to maintain consistency. But in my own studio, anything goes. Here are two of my latest efforts, one completely abstract, with lots of texture and one in which I tried to capture the misty chill of a Scottish Highland stream.

Seas A-Rising, Acrylic, 20 x 16
Scottish Highlands, Acrylic, 16 x 12

Painting Color and Texture

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Sculpture in Gray, Acrylic, 24 x 20

Maybe you’ve noticed–I love color. I love how different colors play off each other, sometimes soft and soothing (analogous colors), sometimes bright and jarring (complimentary colors). I often combine my colors with various mediums to create texture on the canvas, too. But for “Sculpture in Gray,” I decided to try something different. To begin, I just glopped on a pile of black and white paint loosely mixed with fiber paste and started spreading it around with a large palette knife. The painting sort of took off on its own from there. I glopped on more paint, dribbled on some silver, sprinkled a little glitter and–voila!

At first glance, you might think it’s just a gray painting, but as you look at it, you notice the swirls and layers, the shadows and lights, and you begin to lose yourself in the richness of the painting. I’ve been studying it in my studio for about a month now, wondering if I need to add any of my signature colors or maybe some defined shapes. But I’ve decided I love it just the way it is. Minimalism has certainly been around since at least mid-twentieth century, but now I find myself appreciating it much more deeply than I ever have before.

Inspiration

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Sometimes we all need a little inspiration, a little push to get us going again. The world is so full of colors, you’d think you’d never run out of ideas, but sometimes–you do. So I was thrilled to be able to spend time at MOMA last week, to see their special exhibit, Matisse’s Red Studio. I just love his spare shapes, bright colors, and the way he puts these elements together to create a mood and to tell a story. I wandered the galleries, trying to take it all in, and when I left, a couple of hours later, I really felt refreshed, and ready to get started in my own studio again.

I just finished an interesting piece, which I’m calling What’s Your Hurry? I thought about adding to it, giving it some embellishment, but then I decided I like it exactly as is. What do you think?

What’s Your Hurry?, acrylic, 14 x 11

An Old Story is New Again

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Riva’s Journey: a Memoir

When I researched and wrote Riva’s Journey: a Memoir (KDP, 2021), I never thought that the places and people I wrote about would become the topic of today’s headlines. Reading the latest news about Kyiv and Tarnipol and Lviv brings back pictures of the places my grandmother left more than 100 years ago. The spellings may be a bit different now, but the places are the same.

Ukraine has had an extraordinarily difficult history, situated as it is between Poland and Russia, which have fought over this land for centuries. My heart goes out to the Ukrainian people, who are continuing their struggle to claim their own space in the world. My grandmother would have been proud of them.

New Small Paintings

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I love working in a small, 12 x 12 format. It forces me to really think about what I want my painting to say, because the small space doesn’t lend itself to a lot of miscellaneous flourishes. Here are a few pieces I’ve done in the past few months. By the way, Facebook has somehow removed my page (and no–I haven’t been posting anything horrible!), and I’ve decided to just let it go, so if you have a comment, please post it here on WordPress, or just contact me directly. The pieces here are all 12 x 12, Acrylic and mixed media, framed and ready for display.

Inspiration
Midnight Dream
Oh, Happy Days!

Special Offer This Week

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A Wonderful Good Morning!

Special Offer, 1 week only – September 1 to September 8

Take advantage of the Kindle Countdown deal to purchase A Wonderful Good Morning at a discount price, only on Amazon. A Wonderful Good Morning is a mystery with a bit of science fiction thrown in. If you enjoyed Groundhog Day, you’ll love A Wonderful Good Morning.

Sometimes every day seems just like the one before.  Sometimes, it really is the day before.

Strange things have been happening to Tim for a while now.  Lately, his friends have learned to treat him very gently until he comes out of one of  his spells. His girlfriend, Natalie, decides a Rhine River cruise will be just what the two of them need to get things back to normal, but at the last minute, Tim is left to sail on his own. That’s when things get really weird. While he stares, yet again, at the very same clumps of algae in the very same stretch of the Rhine he’s been looking at for days, something finally clicks. Now the only problem is – how to fix it.

Meanwhile, Natalie and her artist friends back in Chicago wonder why Tim hasn’t returned from his vacation and why he doesn’t answer his phone. It’s not like him to just disappear;  he’s normally super responsible. They have no choice but to set off for Europe to find out what’s going on.

Click here to purchase.

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A Word About Genre

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What do you think of when you hear the words “Science Fiction?” I tend to think of things like space ships, little green men, and robots. Yet my new novel, A Wonderful Good Morning, contains none of those things. So why is it classified as “Science Fiction?”

The problem is that every book needs to fit into a genre, a known category, in order to be marketable. But how do you classify a novel that doesn’t really fit into any of the standard genres? I wish I had the answer to that question.

A Wonderful Good Morning is about climate change. It’s also a mystery story involving  travel and art and even a little romance. So why call it “Science Fiction?” Well, because in writing about climate change, I took what’s known about some aspects of our warming planet and created a story that’s grounded in reality but then takes off into a world of my own imagination. I suppose I could have called it “Fantasy,” but that word brings complications, also. It conjures up images of shape-shifting creatures and witches and demons, which doesn’t describe my book any better than the words “Science Fiction” do.

So if you think of a more apt genre with which to classify A Wonderful Good Morning, I’d love to hear your suggestion.

The title is available as a paperback and as an e-book on Amazon.com. Click here to purchase a copy.  

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Abstract Expressions, ca. 2021

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Hope Rising, Inspiration, and Welcome, Mixed Media, 12 x 12

My paintings and designs have been taking a whimsical turn for a while now, using a variety of different paints and applicators. Here I’ve used the marvelous Golden Fluid Acrylics, plus a variety of paint markers, to see what would happen if I just let ‘the spirit move me.’ My three most recent results say go with the flow and enjoy! Framed very simply, & ready to brighten up a corner of your room.

Riva’s Journey

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The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Emma Lazarus, November 2, 1883

I can only imagine what my grandmother felt when she first saw Lady Liberty as her ship entered New York Harbor on a spring day in1920. I don’t know if she ever read Emma Lazarus’ words; she couldn’t read English yet, although she was fluent in Yiddish, Polish, and German. But whether or not she ever read these words, she felt them every time she was confronted with anything marvelous and new in her adopted, much-loved, country. “Ay, America!” she’d exclaim, with wonder and appreciation.

Immigrants have very seldom been given the welcome promised by the words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty.  Each new wave of people has been greeted by prejudice and suspicion, admitted grudgingly. And each new wave of immigrants has contributed mightily to this country. Every person in the United States today is an immigrant, unless they’re descended from Native Americans. Yet as each group of people arrives, many of those who came earlier forget that their ancestors or they themselves were once in need of a safe harbor—safe from wars, poverty, tyranny. Lots of us remember, though, as we must. Maybe someday we can make Ms. Lazarus’ words a fact for everyone who still looks to America as a beacon of light to the future.

As I work on revising and polishing, Riva’s Journey, my Grandma’s story of leaving Europe to make a new life for herself and her children in America, I gain fresh appreciation of her incredible courage and determination. America didn’t exactly welcome her, but they let her in.

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The Indie Author

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As with most other aspects of life, there are both pros and cons to publishing your books independently. On the one hand, you have total control of your work, from start to finish. On the other hand, you have to take total control of your work, from start to finish. That means writing, editing, designing the cover, designing the content’s appearance, and–this is a big one–marketing. You can out-source some of these steps if you’re willing to pay for the services, but ultimately the trajectory of what happens to your book after you put it out there is totally up to you, the author.

I published my first novel in the Bella Sarver Mystery series, Painting Lessons, in in 2016. This was followed in subsequent years by Brush With Death, Paint a Murder, and Death on the Danube. Along the way, I’ve learned a lot about all aspects of writing and producing a novel, and I’ve been enjoying the process. It’s fun getting my sales reports from Amazon each quarter, and noting that my books have found readers around the world, including Japan. But it would be fun to see my books on the shelves of major booksellers around the country, too, and that won’t happen unless I go the traditional publisher route. So my plan for 2021 is to see if I can find an agent for the novel I’ve just completed to help me make that happen.

Researching agents is a tedious task and almost more work than actually writing the novel in the first place, but I’ve got my list ready and I’ll start querying everyone on it this coming week. We’ll see how it goes.

Happy New Year to all my readers. Stay safe and healthy. There’s help on the way.

Still Life

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Still Life with Turkish Pot, acrylic, 20 x 16

I bought this Turkish coffee pot in Istanbul years ago, in a little bazaar filled with rugs and leather jackets and the aroma of exotic spices. Today seemed like a good day to put it into a painting, using autumn tones but hopeful little flowers to help us get through the winter that’s almost upon us. When Spring comes again, we can hope that most of us will have been vaccinated, and we can begin to emerge into the light again.

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Balancing Act

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I like to read Heidi Stevens’ column in the Chicago Tribune she titles “Balancing Act.” She writes about the difficulty of managing to make good parenting decisions, pursue a career as a journalist, and balance both of those major areas with the rest of her life. I totally sympathize with her problem, as I’m sure most of us can.

No matter what I’m doing, I always feel like I should really be doing something else. If I’m writing, I should be painting. If I’m painting, I should be practicing the piano. If I’m practicing the piano, I should be working on my book. Of course, this doesn’t even begin to touch on the rest of my life as a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, citizen, etc. I suppose this is a good thing. Still, maybe it would be nice to just sit back and relax in front of the TV once in a while?

Or–maybe not. There’s nothing much on TV, and anyway, at least life lived as an endless teeter-totter isn’t boring!

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Whimsy

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A definition of “whimsy” is “playfully quaint or fanciful.” I think that aptly describes this collection of small paintings, on display at the Lisle Library now through the end of January. I’ve been having a great time creating them, using the simplest objects around the house or just my imagination as the starting point for designing the various bright and colorful compositions.

The Lisle Library, 777 Front Street, Lisle, will be hosting a reception on Saturday, December 7th, from 2 to 3:30 pm. Refreshments will be offered. So mark your calendars and hope to see many of you there.

Oils vs. Acrylics

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I just spent 2 very happy Saturdays at the Scottsdale Artists’ School Portrait Open Studio. It’s been 7 years since I was a regular there, every Saturday morning, and it was fantastic to be back again. And…I learned a new technique. New to me, anyway.

I hadn’t brought any paints with me, only drawing materials, but I noticed that most of the others were doing “value paintings” using an oil palette of white, burnt sienna, and viridian. I’ve done plenty of value paintings, but never with viridian, so I couldn’t wait to get back to my own studio, break out the oil paints, and try it for myself. Today was the day!

I haven’t used oils in a while, but using them again today reminded me of why I love them and used them for so many years. They are so easy to play with, and they stay workable for hours, so there’s no rush. I can relax, take my time and enjoy the process. For my first effort at the new technique, I decided to copy one of the drawings I’d done at the Open Studio. I’m pretty happy with it, though still not sure if I like the viridian or not. I’ll work on it some more tomorrow, but here’s the ‘first draft.’

Monica, 12 x 9, oil and Monica, charcoal on paper, 14 x 11

A Note on Self-Publishing

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There’s a reason traditional publishers earn the big bucks! I’ve just spent an exhausting several days attempting to update my website to include the latest novel in my Bella Sarver Mystery series: The Butterfly Carpet Murders. Having only the very foggiest knowledge of how to do all this, what would probably have taken a pro an hour or two took me forever, with lots and lots of trial and error. But finally, I think I’ve managed it. So check it out and see what you think. I’d love to hear comments and suggestions.

Hope you enjoy reading the book. I had a great time writing it!

Kaleidoscope, Acrylic/Mixed Media, 20 x 16

Sometimes my hands start itching, telling me I need to paint, but I don’t have any particular composition in mind. When that happens, I squeeze some paint on the palette and trust that the colors themselves will tell me what to do. I just ‘go with the flow’ and let the paint do its thing. After a while, an image begins to take shape. That’s when I can step in and gently nudge it in the right direction. The result? A kaleidoscope of color, sparkling on a beautiful fall day.

Kaleidoscope

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In A Mirror

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As you know, our grandson, Dillon Jennings, passed away last November. He left behind a legacy of photos and poetry, which I have compiled into a nice hard-cover book and published for him, in his memory. If you’d like a copy, it’s available now on Amazon.com. Any proceeds from sales will go towards a memorial bench for Dillon in his favorite forest preserve, where he spent a lot of time and composed his work.

Click here to preview or purchase.

Dillon Jennings 1994-2022

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My beloved grandson, Dillon, died almost three weeks ago. He was only 28 years old and should have had a long and happy life ahead of him. Instead, he somehow lost his way and couldn’t find his path back. Unbeknown to anyone, he seems to have spent much of the last year of his life roaming through the forest preserve near his home, taking wonderful pictures, and writing brief poems about them. To be honest, many of those poems don’t make a lot of sense to me, yet I can see a certain beauty in them, in his choice of words and images, in his rhythms and rhymes. Many of the others, though, are quite moving. Dillon thought a lot about the nature of the universe, about time, about God.

The photos, too, are well-composed and artistic. They aren’t merely snapshots, but carefully designed images. Dillon posted all his photos and poems on Instagram, where they were apparently seen by almost nobody. Not until after he was gone.

I have spent a lot of the time since he left us downloading all of the images and poems, and I am compiling them into a book, which I will publish when it’s ready. I’ve given it a title, based on one of the poems. In a Mirror—Reflections in Pictures and Poems. It’s all we have left of Dillon now. And our memories, of course. We—his family who loved him so much—will always keep his memory alive in our hearts.