Celebratory Paintings

For the past two weeks, I have worked on small pieces I call "celebratory paintings". They focus on fun and freedom of expression. I put my inner critic in a closet, and let the good times roll.

This painting's story: My daughter went to an after work get together at one of those places where you drink and are "taught" how to paint a specific painting. The leader/teacher had an art degree from a major west coast university. The image of choice was a sappy abstract landscape: solid black lined trees and faux fauvist dabs of color that were to be the foliage. NO DEVIATING from the original image. My artistic daughter got depressed that no creativity was allowed. She also imagined a younger me as the teacher, and wondered how that young woman settled on this humiliating occupation. She thrust the painting into my hands when she got home and said: "PAINT OVER IT!" I did.