Memories, Abstractions and expression
Sweet summertime...I have such fond memories of the long summer days of my childhood spent in the enchanted yard of my papaw and grandmas house, which was always more fun when all my cousins were there. The rows of sweet corn made the perfect maze for hide and go seek, and the crabapple tree tempted us each year with the forbidden fruit that would for sure give us all bellyaches. We would soak up the sun catching crawdads in the front yard ditch, pluck the soft feather like pink flowers and sleepy leaves off the mimosa tree, and wait all day for dawn so we could fill our mason jars with lightening bugs. The interior room of the massive magnolia tree made the perfect fort, boasting it's own ladder of branches. The waxy green leaves brushed across our faces and the fragrance of the delicate white flowers lured us higher, as we braved the climb to sneak a birds eye view of the whole neighborhood. My grandparents would give us a handful of dimes and quarters, and we would race to the small convenience store down the road to buy orange push ups, red, white and blue rocket popcicles, and peanut and chocolate drumsticks. After a delicious home cooked meal of fresh creamed potatoes, biscuits with sorghum and real butter, grandma would cut up fresh peaches and make home-made ice cream on the back porch. We would dare each other to eat the rock salt Papaw would sprinkle over the ice. Her ice cream was the bomb--fresh and juicy, brain-freeze cold and a dreamy luscious tinted peach color. 
Summers were also a great excuse to beg for the every-once-in-awhile trip to Baskin Robbins where I'd order two scoops; one of mint chocolate chip and one of pink bubble gum, always in a sugar cone. We would sample all our other favorites first with the mini spoons-pistachio, pineapple, peanut butter chocolate, raspberry sorbet and pecan praline.
My childhood memories are flooded with color, flavor and smells. Just putting these into words makes my mouth water and fuels a creative fire that begs me to pick up my brush. This is what I love about abstract art--being able to express what's in my head without getting bogged down in details and losing the moment. I don't think until recently I understood painting abstract art, but the more I have a creative practice, the more it makes sense. It's more than just creating a cool design or art that matches a decor, but a way to expresses all the things that flood my mind; and the more I continue on my creative journey, the more the ideas flow in the form of shapes, color and movement.
I hope you can get a sense of my memories in some of these paintings- I've tried to capture the flavors, colors, sounds of my childhood summers.
Shop my available art at www.stacyspanglerart.com.