"Last to Fall"

The last day of the year and I've spent the afternoon finishing several paintings and tidying things up in the studio.
Earlier, I  'took down' some of my work that was in a  'holiday show'.  As I packed those paintings away, I wondered where I might show them next.  I also noted how  much I do want my paintings to find homes...and then my 'muse' suggested that I create an "adopt a Painting" program.  "Ha!", I thought... "something to consider!"

Thus, I am floating the idea...

Successful Show

Our Art Salon Holiday Show  yesterday was a great success!  We had a wonderful turn out and red dots were everywhere!!!  I'm pleased to say I sold 9 paintings!  YEA!!!! (Most were from my 'Studio Clearance' Bin, but I'm delighted that these found loving homes!

This Sunday, 'Art Salon' Reception and Sale, Sale, Sale!!!

My art salon group is having a great little   pre-holiday sale/show this Sunday, Nov. 15th, 3-7pm at the  Union Street Art Cooperative Bldg., 1100 Union, Seattle, Wa.
You are all invited!!!

It should prove to be great fun and a chance to see and purchase wonderful and wildly diverse paintings....and who knows who you'll meet there!  .... Plus  lots of affordable art!

We are a group of artists that meet monthly to discuss painting,  marketing, and lots of artsy geeky gab.

Members include:
Robin Stacey Richardson...  master expressionist! ...large canvases  with rich and sensuous  layers  of paint/ color / surprise / intrigue! .... a must see!!!!!

Jennifer Randall...  an incredible designer of space, placement and color ... and when she puts her hand to a brush, magic happens!
Randy Hillam... a true artisan with pigment and paint!  He often pushes his paintings  to  their fullest  with results that are subtle and beautiful!
Marti Force...another gifted designer  and textile artist with incredible talent.  She  also paints with both oils and watercolor.
Mary Bennett...  a creator of  wonderful abstracts that evoke familiar  yet mysterious feelings.
Kate Anthony.....a master sumi painter and print maker.... she has expanded into the world of acrylics....again with  an abundance of talent and aptitute!
Jerry Greenblatt...Although relatively new to painting, he demonstrates a talent few possess...You must see his work!
Linda Brady...The essence of both class and spunk!  Linda has an amazing talent for finding  elements worth focusing on...using both abstract  and expressionist approaches, she is a rising star worth watching!
Randi Startup.... a  multitalented dedicated  profesional artist, gifted in iconic painting as well as pottery.
 Marti Lyttle...
An artist  with a fickle muse...I love to experiment and explore the  possibilities of acrylics and mixed media.... there is so much to say and so many ways to say it.

Come to the show and enjoy the  art!

Deer Harbor

I recently enjoyed a little get away on Orcas Island, WA.  We stayed in a resort in Deer Harbor.  This painting was inspired by a late morning walk along the beach at low tide.  The fog bank was just burning off.  

Sold!

Thanks to Facebook and blogging, I sold (more truthfully, I bartered) this piece !!!!!!!!   (Please see my last image of Lilly Leaves!)

I guess there really is something to this blogging thing!

I think I've finished another painting in my "Garden" series.  This one was the most challenging for me to paint with the leaves so large, but fun.

Return to the studio!

I finally had a chance to paint again today (after a hiatus of travel and commitments)....it felt so good to be in my little studio again and start a fresh canvas.... yahoo!... I imagine other artists know of what I speak.  I felt grounded and centered....a coming home if you will.... its time to further my garden series as well as the abstract project that seems to have a will of it's own!
Here is one of 3 "Vessel" paintings to be shown at our Art Salon Holiday Sale and Party in November.

Tech impaired! Help

I'm busy trying to figure out how to link my blog to facebook. Any hints?

The past few weeks have been full with commitments that have taken me away from the studio. Yet, I've been continuing to push a few older paintings to completion. "Ode to Martha Stewart" is one such painting that I think is resolved.

My Muse Tricked Me, Again!

My stream of inspiration has been circling around for awhile, as if eddied, with no clear sense of direction. So I decided to revisit some old canvases and earlier work that I've been storing in the studio. As I went through the piles I began to see how some of the pieces could be reworked and or worked further. After a few hours in the studio (here and there hours) I started to feel the inspiration returning. I chuckled to myself as I realized my Muse had tricked me again. She'd been whispering in the back of my thoughts, "You really should revisit those old paintings." I'd been holding it as a "should" instead of an "I GET to do this"! Now I'm eager once again to dive into the work.

New Show

I'm delighted to announce that I'm showing a series of my abstract

landscapes in the current Women Painters of Washington Gallery (701 5th Ave., Columbia Center Bldg., Seattle, WA). I'm also delighted that they choose to use my "Madrone" painting (see right) for their poster!

Gardens of Delight

So taken, am I, with the many spaces in our garden, that I've begun painting little glimpses of it. These are corners, structures, foliage, colors, shadows and light that I witness daily... forever changing.

These are "Blue Bells" and "Blue Birdbath".

Random Bits

Studio time has been spent finishing up one series (abstract landscapes) , and adding to another (more traditional landscapes). I'm getting the abstract landscapes ready for my first showing with the Women Painters of Washington's gallery here in Seattle. It will open in early August.

All the while, I've also been very involved with our garden(s)...watering, weeding, moving 'starts', and trying to shape this little piece of earth that we steward. I wish I had more time for it.

This evening I had the pleasure of watching one of our local raccoons traverse across "our" property. It stopped and climbed (all 4 paws) into our little reflecting bowl, then it scurried on, across the multiple terraces which secure us onto this hillside. These are experiences that I relish.... simple, yet rich. (Perhaps I'll try to paint the raccoons... to be considered.)

Art Salon

Last evening I got a chance to host my Art Salon's monthly potluck. We are a group of about 9 'serious' artists of various persuasions who get together regularly to talk, swap tales, critic each other's work and support one another.... it is fast, fun, and festive. I must admit, I was delighted to be able to show off our gardens, the ample light and views from our deck and the cacophony of bird calls that we enjoy here. I was also pleased to share my work in progress in the studio.
I love the critiques! They always lean toward encouraging, yet the truth gets told. It's hard to get away with much. It has taught me a lot about receiving and giving constructive criticism.
Thank you.

Reception at Oasis Art Gallery

I'm excited about the opening and reception at Oasis Art Gallery this evening (6-9pm). It is the first time I've shown there and I'm pleased with being able to show my collection of "Boats" there. It will be part of the Wallingford Art Walk. You are all invited! (http://www.oasisinseattle.com) .
Additionally, here is my latest 'Boat' painting, entitled "In The Pink".

Two Additional Abstract Landscapes

Here are the other two paintings from my latest "Quad" series/study.

New Mini Series

I've just completed another little mini series...4 paintings to explore and study a new technique or theme. I call them "quads" (series of 4). Anyway, these are all done using gold gesso and layers of acrylic paint. I was also focused on simplifying the image to it's bare and basic patterns. Trees, mountains, water and sky are the elements I limited myself to. It was great fun and I'm debating whether to do more.

YES!!!

This morning I dropped off 5 paintings to be juried by the members of "Women Painter's of Washington" for consideration into their Association. (WPW has been around since 1930.) I selected 5 paintings from an upcoming show at Oasis Gallery in Seattle. They are part of a larger series entitled, "Along the Water's Edge" . These paintings were all "Boats"! I felt confident driving there, knowing I'd selected the best of the group to represent myself. However, the moment I entered the place to set up my painting I was ALL-EYES towards my competition. They were really GOOD! I started to feel weak in the knees and scrambled to do my set up and get out of there (which was the protocol). Admittedly, I had to talk myself down from a bit of 'high anxiety' as I drove myself to work.
This afternoon, I drove back to pick up my paintings and learned that I would be called "today or tomorrow", or get a letter in the next 2 weeks informing me of the results. (OK... at least I knew that if I didn't get the call by Friday...forget it!)
Anyway...as I drove home I received a call that I WAS ACCEPTED!!!!! YAHOOOOOOO!!!!!! YES! YES!
I was soooo excited! I'm not much of a "joiner", but this was a group that I've wanted to join for awhile... I knew I wasn't ready before. I'm glad I took the chance.

Good News!

I received a letter today inviting me to submit for the Women Painters of Washington, Assoc. (This means that I passed the first tier of approval. I have now been accepted to be 'juried' by the entire WPW Assoc! .... I have never had to be juried to be juried before...) Anyway, I am pleased and now I have to select and frame 5 paintings to be viewed and juried by the membership at large. I plan to follow through with the process and hope for the best. I will blog the results! I promise!

I also had a few hours to start a new painting! YES!!! It is a storefront scene of a wonderful old building in Port Townsend, WA. That was the best part of the day!

The Work

Today was spent doing "the work" of being an artist. I worked on a couple of paintings that are evolving; varnished a few paintings to ready them for a show they will be in soon; revisited and worked on an old painting (that I never resolved) with fresh eyes; and spent some time preparing my files to do my taxes. While working these tasks, I realized that I really am following my passion. This is work that I'm not getting paid for, but am driven to do. I actually enjoy doing the mundane (all but taxes) tasks of layering varnish and slowly moving a painting forward. I guess you would say I'm following my bliss. YES!

Odds and Ends

Today was filled with errands, chores, and preparations for an art workshop this weekend in Port Hadlock, WA.  The workshop is being lead by an artist by the name of Don Tiller (http://www.dontiller.com).  I've been intrigued with his work, because of his whimsical themes and use of layering glazes.  I've been teaching myself how to use glazes and  enjoy discovering the effect and love the depth it adds to acrylics.  I anticipate learning a great deal.

I did manage to spend an hour or so adding more layers to  a small series of "guitar players" that I began last week.  I will post them later.  

Pretty Birds

I  completed a group of 3 bird paintings.  (I tend to work on a particular series for awhile, then switch to another for a change.  I later return to the series and continue to add to it.)

My "Pretty Bird" series began about a year ago with  an experimental piece I did with acrylics and mixed medium.  I knew I wanted to paint more of these, but it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I knew what was to follow.  I was surprised with the urgency in which I painted these.  It was like a gestation...when it is time for the paintings to hatch, I must attend to them. 

The Blue Window

I've been busy painting, marketing, and giving birth to my "Studio Notes" blog.  

Paintings first, I finished the painting I began when I started this blog and am happy with it.  It was challenging for me Not to get too caught up in details too early in the painting....see "Blue Window".  

New Start

1/17/09

Today was a great day in the studio!  First and foremost, I now have adequate lighting!  I am SOOOOO happy!  Alex put up the track lighting that I bought a few months ago.  Creating a studio is akin to creating a painting.... progress is sometimes slow.  

I was so excited to have the lights up that I promptly started a new painting that had been gestating in me for months.  I dove into it and had a very nice "beginning" stage set for the painting in just a few hours.  I sometimes think this is my favorite stage of a painting.  It usually goes quickly and I get a good idea  if the composition, values, and pallet are going to work or not.  This is the time to re-work any of these elements, before I push it too far.  I gave myself a "thumbs up" on this one.  

The painting is a scene from my sister's guest room window looking down onto her neighbor's home. It caught my eye when I last visited her, so I snapped a few photos of it, knowing then that I wanted to try to capture it on canvas.