Trees finished

 

Here's the trees finished. There's something so freeing in these pieces for me. I love these colors. Trees have been a long time subject for me. I remember painting the big pine tree in our yard when I was 13. A blizzard took it years later. I spent my childhood enveloped in trees at our pond. These pieces resonate a timelessness.

 

Yes those are my fuchsia toes in the corner, I am usually barefoot.

Wet Trees

The wet trees are shown in progress. The process in these two paintings began with black, red and white. That is the underpainting. Then the blue green layers. As I paint it feels like a poem. There's a narrative. Sometimes the viewer gets to share in that underpainting knowingly or gets hints.It's the layers that give strength to everything else but sometimes it's not revealed it is camouflaged or enhanced. Without it however what you see would not be as it is. Such as our lives.

All four

Here's a photo I quickly snapped of all four outside just before the sun disappeared.

Today I had a fun day with the family. I made a feast, including a gigantic pot of black beans that I started yesterday. We love playing Catchphrase!

Entering my favorite season - autumn

My favorite season is almost here! I am so excited for fall. I began a series about four months ago and they have been in progress til now in my studio here near Orlando in Florida. I have layers of paint, acrylic products, oil pastel, charcoal and india ink on the piece featured above. This mixed media piece has 3 partners with a similar theme and color palette. These colors and this subject matter just make me feel all warm and cozy.

Wet Varnish

On a table wet with varnish are some small pieces I finished this week. I have several venues so now to decide which goes where, etsy, website, one of several galleries, a museum gift shop, or coffee house. I like to give my art collectors first option via my facebook page and sometimes personal emails. I will share better images without the reflected glare of wet varnish with close ups as I list them for sale. A different palette  images as the darker season draws near.

A Moment Alone

Here's a new work part of my Prelude to Berlin Series.(which is work created before Berlin)

 A small 5 x 5" acrylic.

One of my favorite jewelry designers Shaped by Hand  helped by suggesting a title on my facebook page.

She affirmed where I was with this piece by saying "

"First thing I thought of when I saw it was "A moment alone" or "Solitude" I just see this hanging in my reading corner while I read and drink a cup of black tea". I enjoy interaction and conversation over art and design. I think "Moment Alone" is perfect for this piece. I really like her work. Here take a look at this cool piece she did.

ShapedbyHand is on etsy too

Where I go ..when I go there

Not every day is an ease in the studio. Perhaps some non artists are thinking of spilled paint or paper cuts. Yeah we have our hazards too. I am referring to the days when you are pushing ahead in your work and it resists or turns or just doesn't finish or fulfill. I had one of those days, an hour no biggie but a whole day 9 hours. So the next day I got up anew and left the uncooperative work and took one of my many unfinished pieces I keep in progress on the walls or leaned along the sides of my walls,in this case the above piece, and went  via paint to where I needed to go. This is my sacred space. I painted and then my world was right and good again.Is this what "they" call art therapy. It's my life. I am an artist. This is what I do. I communicate in a visual language.

This piece is title Secret Solitary Bird. The original is 8 x 8" available for you to have via purchase in my etsy shop with FREE SHIPPING. http://www.etsy.com/listing/54485355/secret-solitary-bird-in-a-landscape-with

Mariposa Commissioned Artwork

"Mariposa" 30 x 30" acrylic on canvas

This painting is for one of my lovely art collectors. It is a commission. She saw a piece she adored on facebook however that painting had recently sold. She asked me to create something with a similar theme using a butterfly and garden however with her colors. I love to do this!! I like the freedom to paint given selected subjects,  including some specific colors with full reign to create. I have posted several in progress photos on this blog and on my face book fan page sharing various steps in this painting. That is also another aspect I really enjoy; sharing the updates with my art collectors. The relationship is a joy, like a dance, to make my moves in paint and have a collaborative partner respond. My art collector is overjoyed with this piece!  I will be shipping it out next week. Several of you have complimented this work so I plan to make a reproduction available in my etsy shop to share the image. (Mariposa is butterfly in spanish)

 

Moths and Butterflies

I am finishing a few pieces with moths and butterflies.

I just listed this piece below in my Etsy shop

"Unwinding"

8 x 8"

http://www.etsy.com/listing/54212457/unwinding

 

New Yellow Flower

Just listed this new original 8x8 acrylic in my etsy shop

http://www.etsy.com/listing/53979078/flor-amarilla

It looks really cool from the side too, which are painted black.
I painted on a handmade wood box, it has 2 1/2" sides which are 3/4" thick.

I posted a pics and the back of the box in my shop listing.

Mini Spanish lesson

Amarilla = Yellow

Flor = Flower

Flor Amarilla = Yellow Flower

Continuing to Share some AMAZING Adventures

I have to start off with my most favorite part of the trip. The Branson Zipline!!!

I explored the Ozarks via zipline then I went on the Blue Streak where the zip begins approximately 25 feet above the top of the mountain. As you soar toward the 100 foot zip line tower at the base of Wolfe Mountain, you will reach exhilarating speeds and an approximate height of 150 feet above the ground! Then You free fall...just walk off the 100 ft tower and drop! Incredible!!

This memorial is ingenious! If you are in NOLA it's a must see,not far from the aquarium near the river walk.

I was speechless at the Oklahoma City Memorial. I crossed the street to see the front of the statue whose back was to the memorial and found this.
At Christ's feet is the shortest bible verse "And Jesus Wept", so did I.

Here I am standing in Texas and Arkansas in the town of Texarkana.

 

Vacation was like Amazing Race!

One of my favorite TV shows is the adventure reality The Amazing Race. Our vacation had some wonderful fun, odd, poignant and classic American experiences. First we drove from Florida through Alabama, Mississippi to New Orleans. While there we had the odd experience of eating a cricket cookie at the Insectarium. Yup I ate it, and some meal worms, and a chocolate covered cricket from their kitchen which serves insects! When I look at this picture I can't believe I ate it! Bug Appetit by day and Cafe du Monde at night.

 

One of the eerie moments of the drive came as we traveled the bridges prior to eating insects...

 as you looked out on to the water there were no vessels...no people..it was vapid..sad...

I could not visibly see oil.... I was divided ... driving a vehicle

and felt helpless, deceived, angry and perplexed..all at once

then further into New Orleans the still damaged homes and buildings from Katrina

scattered and untouched. NOLA is one resilient town!

The race has just begun..vacation doesn't end here...there's still diamonds in them thar hills..

and super hero's not to be confused with superflys...(con't)

Success and Rejection

 I post a lot of successes, sales, awards, honors etc. I also share bloopers, oops, and rejections. I share this knowing my experiences might help someone else who reads it. A few weeks ago I shared on facebook and twitter that a local company decided my work was not a right fit for their business of print production for their hotel hospitality industry. While away on vacation I received notice of rejection from a show. I can't always win..or get accepted or fit every venue or product but I can try.

 

My process for applying for a show varies (gallery or museum). Fees, timing, theme, medium, ease, status, perks and investment all play a role in my decision to apply. Earlier in my career I entered a lot of award shows; hence I won many awards. I presently focus more on status, sales opportunities, or venue opportunities. Although I will admit the ribbons continue to line my walls near the ceiling, who doesn't like to win!  I remember awaiting some of the decision letters in snail mail years ago, it arrives with your own handwriting SASE, to reveal a yea or nea. Now... 3 or 4 lines in an email, which I reread trying to decipher where I went wrong, or how I could have secured a positive outcome for myself. Or a more professional email like the one I just received

 

The XXXXX Gallery would like to thank you for submitting your work for the XXXXX exhibition. Our jurors reviewed 246 works anonymously and chose 64 pieces for inclusion into the show. We were extremely pleased by the high level of professionalism, technique, and quality demonstrated in the entries by Florida artists.

Although we did not choose your work at this time, we hope that you will consider submitting again in the future. We welcome any feedback you have for us at XXXXXXon our process of the electronic application.

Please join us for the opening reception on Friday, XXXX and the exhibition will run through the month of XXXX. Thank you again, we wish you the very best in your professional artistic endeavors.



Sincerely,
XXXX

See that's pleasant enough..yes. And not too painful. You may ask don't they know you are going to exhibit in Berlin? don't they know bla blah blah..insert your own thoughts..well none of that matters. I am blessed to have been in the shoes of the judges. And as a judge and juror I know the process, and numerous elements in consideration.

So I dust myself off.

Next.