Windmill at Water's Edge Oval

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​Painted in 1967 - 20" x 16"
​​Oil on canvas

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Digitally ​created in 2013.

The most important question is...why?  Why paint a second version of Windmill three years later and in a different shape?  Was it for a gift?  Did Sydna think she could improve the work?  The colors are brighter in this second piece and the artist's perspective is lower to the ground.  Although Sydna created a number of paintings with flowers, this is the only painting we found that was a replica of an earlier piece.

​What are your thoughts? We welcome your comments below.

See more Sydna landscape pieces in our landscape gallery.​

To offer a replica, we created a modified, digital version that leaves the original piece in tact but fills a rectangular canvas.​   The modern version is available in our shop. But, if you're really interested in a reproduction of the original, please contact us.  We'll figure out a way to make it happen.

Windmill at Water's Edge

At 36" tall, this is one of Sydna's largest pieces. ​It's interesting that Sydna painted a number of landscapes but very few city scenes.  In 1964, she had lived in the Suburbs fewer than 10 years. For most of her early life, she lived in Manhattan and the Bronx - far from a rural experience. You would think she'd paint some street scenes, depicting her life in the big city. Yet, her urban works are from a distance, or from other cultures. I think it's because of her use of painting as an escape from her daily life and her past.  Her landscape works are lush and peaceful - no honking horns or shouting people - just the faint sounds of moving water and moving ​leaves.  Windmill at Water's Edge is another tranquil expression.

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Painted in 1964 - 24" x 36".  ​Oil on canvas.​

​Sydna's use of greens and yellows reflects the lush greenery and time of day.  Once again, Sydna used either the time around sunrise or sunset. Maybe she enjoyed the additional range of colors at those times. Yet, the mellow colors bring some sadness to the piece's lower-half - almost sallow in appearance.

​At the horizon, you'll notice a patch of red, leading the observer to believe it is autumn and the far shore is filled with maple trees.

​Once again, Sydna shows her strength in creating beautiful, luminescent skies.  Her mix of blue skies, wispy clouds, and gray shadows creates a wonderful 3D effect, bringing hope to the day, and a better tomorrow.

See more of the landscape collection here.​

Or, buy a copy of this work in our shop.​

Coffee Mugs!

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​Sydna loved her coffee - coffee ice cream, coffee candies, instant coffee, iced coffee, and the basic cup of joe.  We couldn't think of a better way for people to enjoy Sydna's work in a cost-effective and functional way.

So, starting today, we're offering 6 Sydna coffee mugs - each with its own Synda artwork. Mugs hold 11 ounces and, as always, shipping is free.

Click here to see our available designs.​

Shop is open!

​A brief note to start April.  We've opened our shop with three Sydna reproductions for sale - most available in multiple sizes.  We'll be adding more each week until our current collection of 21 pieces is listed.  Then, we'll go back into the Sydna vault to add more to our collection and store.  Follow us @ArtBySydna for the latest updates.

Rocky Coastline

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​Oil on canvas. Painted c. 1969-1972.
​​​Click picture for larger version

This painting does not have a signature or date. But, we believe it is certainly a Sydna creation.  It matches a similar brush style, reflected in other Sydna landscapes. And, elements of this painting's color palette are cimilar to Sydna's 1971 Sleepy Fishing Village.  Although we're slowly becoming experts on Sydna's artistic evolution, we accept this as a Synda landscape. - especially with its warm, muted tones, sunrise/sunset scene, and inclusion of water.

I am a little fascinated with the ambiguous emotions this painting draws.  The choice of an olive-type color, featured in the piece's lowlights (vs. highlights), invites peaceful, yet...ambiguous feelings.  Continuing to view the painting, I get no sense if it is set in a warm or cool climate.  Is it winter or summer?  Morning or evening? Humid or slightly dry? Desolate or lush topography?  In one moment, I visualize the rocks covered with algae.  And, in the next moment, everything appears desolate - including the larger land mass in the upper-right section.  So, in this respect, I find myself in a purgatory-type of reaction - neither loving nor hating it. But, I do notice when I look at it, I stay for a number of minutes.  I engage with the painting in a continuous attempt to determine if the piece is speaking to me or if I'm trying to give the painting meaning based on my personal emotional state at the time.  

See more of the Landscape Collection here. ​