"Daffodils & Hope"

Daffodils & Hope, Looking Back, Looking Forward

Sometimes it's hard to stay positive. When the rain comes, day after day, and the skies are grey. I often have a hard time keeping a positive outlook, knowing the possibility of difficulty that lies ahead, looking back at mistakes that may have made a difference, if only they hadn't been mistakes. Then again, maybe those mistakes helped me learn enough to make a difference.

The world can be a difficult place to be....to exist....to prosper. We face multiple decisions every day. Choices and chances, all of which could lead us to a positive beginning, or if we choose not to go there, close the door on something that could have taken us further than we'd ever dared dream. How, in the grey mist, do we choose the right path?

Simply turn on the news, and you'll find story after story of tragedy, heartbreak, suffering. Yet, once in a great while, there is a reminder of the things that are truly right with the world. A glimmer of something wonderful comes through the screen, and hope is renewed. Someone saved a life today, someone offered a helping hand, someone made a difference....someone cared. Yes...hope.....it is more than just a powerful word. It is what helps us believe in ourselves, believe in our future, and in the prospect of whatever lies ahead. Hope.... allows us to believe everything will be OK.

There's no doubt, we're in a difficult time. It won't be said that the year 2009 was the best in history. Yet, we can make the choice to look at this time positively, as a chance to grow, to flourish, to bloom. We can choose to wallow, or we can pick ourselves up, and choose to utilize this time to do something good. What if... we were to become something new, something exciting, something we've never imagined possible? What if... we could step through the rain, watch the clouds drift away....and slowly and steadily reach our tiny pedals into the warmth of the sun. What if... in some small way, we could help someone else get there, too?

The lessons in looking back are valuable, they teach us where we no longer want to be. They help us to understand where we are, and how we got here. But, dwelling there can not be an option. Our choice, is only in looking forward. So...we gather those lessons, and set out into a future that can be scary, and shadowed, with many unknowns.

We may not have the answers....or know where we are headed. But, hope will help us to break out of the clouds. Can we find the sun.....the yellow, in the grey? I think I'll go look for the daffodils. They're blooming all around us, despite the rain.

"Daffodils & Hope", Blue Butterfly Series #4
8 x 10 Original Oil on Canvas
$150.00 (40% donated to community cause)

Email to purchase by phone
or purchase online at BrendaLBKenney.com

"Water Lily"

With the warmer weather this past week, the ice went out of Lake Francis, and I started thinking about getting out my kayak. I love getting out onto the lakes and streams whenever possible. There's always something to see when you're on the water, and I usually take my camera along, to capture those fleeting images that may someday turn into paintings.

A couple of years ago, I was kayaking on an inlet to Third Connecticut Lake, where the water was calmly flowing in a gentle current into the lake. There, growing from the shallow depths of the stream, were yellow water lilies, floating and swaying as the water drifted by. One particular lily caught my eye, and my camera forever captured it's simple elegance. While the other lilies, bobbed and dipped in the gentle flow, this lily rose out of the water, above floating green leaves, as if to say, "I will stand tall, and show strength amidst diversity."

If only we could embrace that elegance, secure in who we are, daring to be different, and allowing others to be who they are. Acceptance, can only be found in the strength of one's inner self. Mother nature has a wonderful way of teaching.

"Water Lily"
Blue Butterfly Series #3
8 x 10 Original Oil Painting on Canvas
$150.00 (40% donated to community cause)

Email to purchase by phone
or purchase online at BrendaLBKenney.com


Visit ArtRECreation, my art and history blog to read this article about the series of water lily paintings created by Claude Monet.
French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926), a diversity in water lilies.

Nature's Kittens

When I was a little girl, I remember walking along a neighborhood roadway, looking with anticipation for the first pussy willows. It was always so exciting to find them, tiny little puffs, soft and fuzzy to the touch. I loved stroking the the little pods. They reminded me of baby kittens or bunnies all lined up along a branch. And like seeing the robins return, we knew when the pussy willows popped, spring had finally arrived.

I still get excited when I see pussy willows. What a pleasant surprise it was, when my husband came in last Friday with a handful of them, and presented them to me like a floral bouquet. I placed them in a clay pitcher, to display them with honor, as I remembered the excitement of finding them as a child.

Spring flowers are pleasant this time of year....with the celebration of Easter, and the anticipation that winter is finally retreating. But, I can't think of any arrangement that would look better to me, then the gift of pussy willows shared by my husband.

Wishing everyone a happy and joyous Easter.

"Nature's Kittens"
7 x 5 Original Oil on Canvas
$100.00 (40% donated to community cause)

Email to purchase through Paypal or by phone.

Purchase online at BrendaLBKenney.com

Sculpted Birches

"Sculpted Birches"

Blue Butterfly Series #1

10 x 8 Original Oil on Canvas

$150.00 (40% donated to community need)

Unframed: framing options available

Email to purchase through paypal or by phone.
Purchase online at http://www.brendalbkenney.com/

What is the Blue Butterfly Series?

Each of the paintings featured on this page are part of the Blue Butterfly Series, a collection of paintings created for the purpose of community support. Hidden within each painting, is a tiny blue butterfly, symbolizing the painting's inclusion in the series.

The concept of the Blue Butterfly Series was born from several different ideas, mulled over for several months. First, I've always wanted to find a way to use my creativity to help others. Second, I felt the commission of 40%, which is the average amount charged by most galleries to market an artist's work, could be used for a much greater purpose.

So, I thought, why not create a series of paintings which would help people in my community, and elsewhere? There has always been a need, but even more so now, with the current economic crises. This was the right time to move forward, and the idea for the Blue Butterfly Series began to materialize.

For each of the Blue Butterfly paintings purchased, 40% of the proceeds will be contributed to either a local community cause, or donated to another worthy charity.

But I would like to give each buyer the opportunity to decide where the proceeds from the painting they purchase should be used. Here are six community based causes currently in need of support.

1. Regional scholarships - Support of students attending a 2-4 year school of higher education. Preference will be given to those students pursuing an arts related degree.


2. Fire and Rescue - Support of local fire and rescue squads. Funds may be use in purchasing equipment, gear, and/or training.


3. Support of Low Income Families - Help with providing food, shelter, heat, paying bills, and holiday purchases.


4. Medical Support of Local Families - Help with care givers, medical bills, prescriptions, and travel expenses.


5. Animal Rescue Shelters - Support of abused or unwanted animals.


6. Other Charitable Foundations - Support of the United Way, Make-a-Wish Foundation, or the American Red Cross.

When you purchase one of these paintings, you will be given the choice of how you would like your 40% contribution to be used. I will also be posting a tally of the total funds raised in support of each of these causes. When a contribution is distributed to the recipient, a card will be included specifying the donation was made possible by a collabrative effort of artist and buyer through the Blue Butterfly Paintings project.

I hope to complete at least one Blue Butterfly painting each week, and will post them here as they become available. If you would like to purchase one of the Blue Butterfly paintings, and partner with me, in support of one of these worthy causes, please send me an email. Transactions may be processed through paypal, or through credit card by phone. Paintings in the Blue Butterfly Series may also be purchased online at http://www.brendalbkenney.com/.

Please check back often, to view the new paintings as they become available, and to see how the project is progressing. Better yet, please subscribe to the blog, to receive notifications of postings as soon as they are added.

Thank you, for taking an interest in the Blue Butterfly Paintings Project, and thank you, for supporting my work and the needs of our local communities.

Brenda