When Ken and I started going to our cancer support groups, the facilitators continually spoke of the “new normal”. Now I am attending a new type of support group and those councilers talk about that particular “new normal”. Two major changes in my life during the last 20 months have me thinking about the stages we all go through. Some have crisp, clean transition points. Others are a fading in or fading out. Some are bright and full of hope, some are fun, some are traumatic and dark, some are like a roller coaster ride. All of this deep thinking led to my most recent painting. For this painting I wanted to use the same techniques but, for the first time I used 300# Arches paper and a long narrow format. I thought the format might allow me to communicate better the idea of stages. I worked almost exclusively with primary colors and had fun developing this idea. Soooooo, I present to you – Stages 1.
Stages 1 - 300# Arches Paper and Watercolor
Linda Halcomb's Blog 
Linda, I am so sorry to hear about Ken. ((hugs)) It’s comforting to know that you are working through all the changes in your life in such an amazing way. I have watched how your art gave you a way to express some of these emotions throughout Ken’s illness. I LOVE this painting!! The title is perfect! Keep painting, girlie!
You were so much on my mind yesterday for some reason. Maybe the strength of this new painting traveled through the blog-o-sphere to tap me on the shoulder. 🙂
Beth, your kind remarks are exactly why I blog!
Triumph is written in every stroke of this piece.
Thank you Harriett. I like the colors and the energy in this one.
Your colors grow more vivid with each painting … perhaps a blossoming of spirit and self-discovery.
I struggled with the color choices a little. I wanted darker colors at each end to “frame” the painting but I hate to think of birth and death as negative so I chose blue and violet instead of black, brown or Payne’s gray. Working with primary colors keeps me cheerful.
The yellow in the center looks like a ‘light at the end of the tunnel.’
I thought of that and also as the start of a new day, as something hopeful bursting through.
Linda, I wish I could see this in real. Enlarged and looking from a distance it’s very special.
The painting is 30″ long and 12″ wide. I like the format and the way it turned out. Thank you for your comment. Two of my daughters saw it yesterday and it blew them away (that’s a good thing! Got to stop using American slang…).
Wow! I agree with your daughters – I love the vibrancy!
Thanks Stacia! I had fun painting this one.
Linda, i really enjoyed this post and it made me think of the different “stages” I’ve experienced in my life. Nothing as extreme as the death of a spouse, but I have dealt with cancer and the death of parents and other close family members. Your painting speaks to me saying that whatever dark areas we go through, we eventually end up in a light place. I hope so. I also really like your use of vibrant primary colors.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your journey.
Thank you Carol. I liked the process of thinking about this painting and what I wanted to do before I started painting. I have a tendency to believe things happen for a reason even if we don’t understand it at the time. There will be another Stages painting for sure. I liked working in this long horizontal format.
My heart is with you and the understanding of where your head and heart meet are so clear to me. I am blessed to have my husband, Thank you for that reminder.I would love for you to have met mother you sound so much like here and your work is so expressive…Art is the great communicator. Thank you for your words and your colors. Michele
wow! I love these! I’ve never been a fan of watercolor when used in landscapes and portraits, I suppose because of the way colors are washed out- although I did find the effects of mixing colors pleasant…. but these are amazing! The colors are so vivid and vibrant and deep! You may have changed my opinion on the media-