"How do I love thee?"

"The Proposal" - commissioned oil painting by Alan Zawacki

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..."

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with a passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

I Just Love Sunsets

I recently pulled out a large sunset painting that I had from a while back and was inspired to rework it into a more updated composition. Based on memories and photos from my latest trip to St. Thomas and St. John in July, I recreated the sunset from the perspective of looking out at St. Thomas as we departed from Cruz Bay in St. John. A ferry makes hourly trips back and forth between the two islands. We were returning to St. Thomas after a day-long charter boat trip (that’s a whole story in itself) as the sun set.

This original oil painting (Cruz Bay Sunset) is a 40”x40” oil on canvas. I will frame it soon and make it available to other St. Thomas / St. John lovers.

In the meantime, have a great holiday weekend,

Alan

My Working Vacation

I sometimes have to pinch myself when I realize how lucky I am to be painting in such beautiful locations. Last week I pinched myself several times on the beach in St. Thomas USVI. I sat at a picnic bench under some sea grape trees and painted plein air. The scene that captured my eye was the meandering branches of a tree that partially framed my view of the left side of Magen’s Bay. The lush green trees on the mountainside sloped down to the rocks at the shoreline. Houses overlooking the bay dotted the mountainside.

This beach is probably the most famous in the Caribbean. And, I have been fortunate to visit it quite a few times. This was a “working” vacation, as are most of my vacations. I never go on vacation without taking my paints, brushes and a few canvas panels. I find that traveling with acrylic paints is far easier than carrying oils and solvents; first, from an airport security standpoint and second from an easy water clean-up situation.

This 11”x14” acrylic plein air on canvas board, entitled Tree at Magen’s Bay, was a joy to paint.

And, when I get done working for the day, I can cool off in the clear, turquoise water of Magen’s Bay. Not a bad office.

 

 

I hope that your week is a great one,

Alan

Creating That Caribbean Vacation Feel in Your Home

Do you ever dream of being able to live on a tropical island paradise year-round? You wake up in the morning with the warm, tropical breeze gently flowing through your window. You finish breakfast on your deck and make your way a few sandy steps to the beach. Standing in the tranquil, crystal clear, turquoise water, you savor the last sips of your cup of coffee and listen to the soft melody of a reggae tune in the background. As the sun rises over the palm trees, your day is just beginning and you look forward to enjoying each and every minute of this beautiful location.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could bottle those feelings and memories to relive whenever you like--- especially in the dead of winter? Other than actually leaving it all behind and moving to an island, you can still capture and preserve those moments with a bit of creative Caribbean décor in your home by infusing plenty of bright colors combined with sun-bleached white accents and a “beachy” flavor. You can design the entire house interior with a tropical flavor or merely concentrate on one “tropical escape” room.

The tropical colors that you may choose to include are yellow, turquoise, blue, green and sandy off-whites. The Caribbean is a mixture of several cultures including, Spanish, French, African, Dutch and English. All of these cultures mix together to bring a rich bouquet of design choices.

Finally, selecting tropical fine art paintings for specific focal points in your home can bring an “almost-there” interior design to completion as a welcoming, tranquil, and warm, masterpiece. A large, well-done original tropical painting can add the grandeur of the Caribbean to your home like no other design piece. The painting can portray a favorite island vacation destination or a more generic tropical scene that just relaxes you.

So, how have you brought your favorite tropical paradise into your home? What elements of that favorite place would you like to relive every day upon walking into the door of your home after a hard day at work? I would be very interested in your perspectives.

As always -- have a great week,

Alan