I married my wonderful husband nine years ago this summer.  He has been a joy and a gift to my life in countless ways -- and so has the privilege of honoring our partnership in a marriage.   And now, many of our dearest friends will also have the right and privilege of celebrating their unions in legal marriages.  I believe in the privilege of marriage so deeply that I've created several paintings over the years illustrating marriage in its various forms.  Here are a few of these paintings -- in support and celebration of the institution of marriage.

"Portrait of Sally and Donald"
Oil on Linen
25 x 25"

"Portrait of a Marriage"
Oil on Linen
18 x 24"

"Portrait of a Marriage"
Oil on Linen
12 x 12"

"Portrait of a Modern Family"
Oil on Linen
22 x 28"

I've been reading a monograph on the amazing realist artist Alan Magee.   I love his work and how deeply he reveals the essence of an object.   He writes "the beauty of a thing reveals itself with attention."

I have always felt this way about my own painting.  I relish the long hours of deeply looking at the curve of an object, or the many colors in a shadow.  And with all the hours, days, and weeks of looking, I feel that I get a little closer to the "unseen" that is always present in our lives.

                                          "At the Chelsea Flower Show (Begonia)"

                                           Oil on Linen

                                            20 x 20"

                                           By Elizabeth Barlow