Jeffrey Dunne's beach sunrise photo inspired my newest oil painting

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Jeffrey Dunne's beach sunrise photo inspired my newest oil painting

I'm a morning person. If I sleep past nine o'clock I feel I've 'lost' a whole day. Fortunately, I have a Facebook friend in Florida who is a 'real deal' morning person. He gets up before daybreak every single day of the year to be on the beach at dawn and photograph the arrival of the morning. He shoots hundreds of shots, then returns home to edit the work. Afterward he puts three to twelve of his best shots on FB before eight am. WOW! He generously asks his friends to use, or copy the ones they like or want. 

I want to show you one he recently posted.

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Listening to a talk by Mariyah Sultan at High Point University→

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A couple of weeks ago I went to High Point University to see Mariyah Sultan's interesting art show called Elemental Emulsions at Sechrest Gallery. This was a body of work she had done over the last three years. Boy, was I blown away by so many things... her art, her personality and the musicians she had chosen to play for the three hour reception! 

First, her art just has to be seen to be truly appreciated, but here are several photos I made that night. Some are close ups and the ones from a distance are to show you the size of two or three pieces. 

Mariyah (which is pronounced the way we'd say "Maria") calls herself an abstract expressionist, and was trained at The Art Students League of NY and Woodstock School of Art. And she describes her work: 

“I paint and draw intuitively – flat planes, extreme splashes of rich color, the subtle variance of grays, straight-up magenta, small elegant childlike lines that read as a language, a forceful linear structure, and the beauty of the female anatomy all find their way invariably into my work. I am a lover of truth and prefer everything layed out on the table, exposed to the light, filled with nuance and detail. My paintings reflect the balance between chaos and peace. Mostly though, I have gratitude every single time I reach for a pastel or pick up a pallet knife…..thankful for every stroke of the brush.”
— Mariyah Sultan's Artist Statement

The talk was so vibrant that Maxine Campbell, director and curator of the Sechrest Gallery expressed disappointment that she hadn't recorded it. And I agree with her. 

In the photo Mariyah is the gal on the right, listening while one of the many guests expressed excitement about the various pieces. 

Then there were the musicians. She had them playing soft jazz as we walked around to view this magic! To my mind it was the perfect match to the wonderful art we were enjoying.