Placidly, Amidst the Noise and Haste I

Highly textured & Sculpted Oil painting on canvas. 16 x 20 in.  Ready to frame or hang as is: 1.5″ deep stretcher – painting continues around sides.

The title for this painting is inspired by the opening line of a poem entitled Desiderata by Max Ehrmann. The line is: “Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.” I found this poem to be hopeful and instructive when it was given to me to read as a teenager. The title seemed to fit the juxtaposition of this calm daisy alighting over the sea of randomness. This is the first painting of a new series I have begun which I am calling “Palette Remnant Paintings.” Over several weeks, I unloaded my leftover paint remnants from my palette at the end of my painting day onto this little canvas. The background accumulated over these weeks until I felt it was complete. Next, I applied a unifying wash over the background and scrubbed it back to pull out the highlights. Then, I sculpted this sweetly peaceful daisy over the top of the mucky, globby palette remnants. The sculpting of the daisy alone took a couple days, as I had to built it in layers. Lastly, I painted the daisy and popped background colors to create cohesive fresh movement. It was a challenge, but SO MUCH FUN!!

This painting is currently on display in my solo exhibition, “Dazzling Dakota,” at Center for Western Studies (CWS) at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  The show runs through April 25, 2025. It is available for purchase.  Please, contact CWS at (605) 274-4007 for inquiries. CWS is located at 2121 S Summit Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57197. They are open Monday-Friday, 8:00AM-5:00PM or by appointment.

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