Butterfly Kisses, Passages and Any Way

These pieces resonate with me, and I think they will also work well in enhancing someone's space. I began to call the above piece "Butterly Greetings" then "Butterfly Kisses" came to mind. When I shared with a few other tweeters they liked Kisses best, so be it. This is a series of pieces that work together as one or separate. In addition to "Butterfly Kisses" is "Better Days" 8 x 8" acrylic and india ink. (we all need those)

Other pieces can be turned in any direction. See below..

This is fittingly titled "Any Way" 8 x8" acrylic
(laptops or handheld devices can be turned sideways to see)

                                                            "Passage" 8 x 8" acrylic

"A Date with Sunflowers" 6 x 8" acrylic and india ink

Go here to see an in progress all together shot on my Facebook Pics

Thanks! I appreciate that you are here.

United Arts Grant Recipient 2011

YAY!!! I am a United Arts Grant recipient for 2011!!

My grant is to be applied to a specific exhibit of paintings that I will have this year. My proposal included a section which also encourages participation by my social networking friends.(I will share more details later). The Gallery at Avalon Island will feature my paintings and I invited my friend Aurora to exhibit her sculptures. Women are the primary subjects of American Venezuelan artist Aurora D. Rincon. Aurora and I have been developing plans and are quite excited about this exhibition. Our exhibit is titled "Amalgamation”. 

The exhibit will be May of 2011 in Orlando, FL. Please contact me if you would like additional information for your publication or could possibly feature us in an interview prior to the exhibit.

I am very thankful to United Arts  for working to provide funds enabling the grant program for professional development. Special thanks to Margot Knight and Mary Patrick of United Arts for their steadfast involvement in elevating our arts community. I also want to thank the panel members Bonnie Hubbard, Rick Lang, Anna McCambridge, Dario J. Moore, Dennis Neal and Jeremy Seghers for their time and dedication.

Above painting acrylic on canvas by Robin Maria Pedrero

Alice's Bliss

I have a journal that I jot down titles that pop into my head, actually from the back of the book forward. Yes, odd. Sometimes I find a title right away, yet there wasn't one that suited this work I just finished. I kept going back to the first moment I made the drawing reminding me of Alice in Wonderland, one of my favorite stories. In coming up with the title I took the top magazine from my small stack and on the cover of Conde Nast Traveler the words "PURE BLISS". And voila! Alice's Bliss. Way too much fun!

Alice's Bliss 20" x 20" acrylic by Robin Maria Pedrero

The Birds are Singing It's a New Day!

work in progress

It truly brings me joy to have the birds chirping outside my studio windows. They peep in at me sometimes. I imagine they are thanking me for food, or asking for more. Their song enlivens me, reminding me that the day is fresh and new. I released my first newsletter of 2011. I have a blog site set up where I only post my newsletters. You can pop by to read them and there's also a subscription via feedblitz off to the side if you choose. Here's a link to the blog post http://robinmariapedreronewsletter.blogspot.com/2011/01/january-2011-robin-maria-pedrero.html

 

I have several projects where I am working with other women. I will kick off February with a demo at The Heathrow Women's Club. That will be a lot of fun! One upcoming exhibit, Nature's Muse is at the University Club in Winter Park with Abbe Arenson. Facebook event link

 

THEN Celebrations Gallery sent out a Call to Artists for a Dynamic Duo..and who could resist teaming up with my friend Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson again. BUT what's different here is we will actually be working on the same artwork together!! We will both keep you posted.

 

Monday Aurora Rincon and I will have tea and discuss our upcoming exhibit at the Gallery at Avalon Island.

 

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Yes I am sucha big excited kid!

 

Red Butterfly and Wildflowers in progress

I have just a little more to go on this piece before it is finished. I will mostly focus on balancing and  blending the background of blue and gray. I spent my day, Cezanne the "father" of  painting and Edgar Allen Poe's Birthday (long live the Raven), painting a series of florals. It was a nice day, so I was able to work with the windows open, had veggie eggrolls poolside for lunch, then back to my canvases and paint.. Since I began working early, painting all day, the studio overflowed with wet canvases all the way out on to the screened in porch. It's evening now, and I pulled my work back inside under the light of the full moon.

Large Florals

Having some fun with large florals!

The 20" x 20" canvas is filled with petals that are honeysuckle, pink and coral hues layered on grey, blues, lavendars and oyster background. The centers, stem and contour lines are dark chocolate brown. I used a resist in the centers and on the background. to accomplish the layers of colors and designs These are the preliminary shots for me to study the works, as you can see from the fence below.

Examination

As you may know I paint most often in a series. I am presently in the course of twelve 20 x 20"s, as well as 2 commissions and building work for 2 local exhibits. As I work I paint on the series, then step away for some distance. Physically. Sometimes minutes, hours, days, weeks or even months. I study the work while it is tacked to my wall in my studio.  I take my work outside and look pieces in the sunlight. Above are some blossoms on the fence. Literally. I study them. I use various distances, my camera, and various light, from sunlight to shade to indoor bulbs to daylight streaming through the room to "test" my work. Some piece are finished sooner than others and then sometimes a tweak here or there and five or more are done in a day. I mention this as I share work completed online and people comment assuming I finished 5 pieces from start to end in one day or one week, whereas these were started three months ago, working on them in increments, and I am glad several of this series are nearing closure.

portion close up....I've nothing but blossoms on a title yet....hmm think think think

Expand My Territory

Last year, although I didn't post a word for the year my focus was to expand my territory. 

 

In order to come up with my new goals I need to bounce off what happened last year.

In continuation from yesterday's goal post, highlights of my 2010 include an Interview by United Arts for their program Participation on Orange TV, I had a Solo exhibit at The Steinway in Altamonte Springs, FL, via the Art House I participated in the Sketchbook Project which was exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum. My art was accepted to several juried exhibits; Museum of Seminole County, Lake Eustis Museum, Florida Artists Registry, Neu America Gallery, and Scan Design. It's fun to have my Art on Chocolate Bar Wrappers. I expanded my Fine Art Bag line. It was quite an experience to attend Art Basel where the Florida International Magazine invited me to their VIP lounge party at Art Miami. I continued to help several charities donating and creating pieces for Chairs for Chairity, St. Judes, Norway Library, Museum of Florida Art, Food and Art for Thought Fundraiser, and Art with Heart Artbook for Cherie. I was interviewed on blogs and several podcasts including JBWEBB and Quality for Us. My USA art collectors map is filling in (I still need Washington, Idaho, Kentucky, West Virginia, South Dakota, Nebraska, DC, RI, Maine, New Mexico, Lousianna, and Hawaii). I now have art collectors in Great Britain, Scotland, Spain, Bahrain, Japan,Norway and Canada. I participated in twitter art events like Artswap and the Norway fundraiser.

Overall expanding my territory last year brought me into relationships with some awesome people, who I am very pleased to have encountered, in person and in social networks. I am honored to have my art a part of other people's spaces and in their lives.

The Social Network

Accountability for 2010 Goals

"Something Borrowed Something Blue"

In June I posted the Halfway Point of my goals. Here's what I proposed last January followed by the end of the year results in italics.

1. Fine Tune my artistic voice; Yes this is an ongoing process and I feel I made progress here in my acrylic works.

2. Apply for Museum shows; I applied to a few and was accepted to the Lake Eustis Museum juried exhibit, and my work is in their permanent collection. And also exhibited at the Seminole Museum and the Sketchbook Project at the Brooklyn Museum.  My work was in the Museum for Florida Art (fundraiser) Orlando Museum's 1st Thursday, and The Florida Museum for Women Artists Gift Shop.

3. Maintain present Galleries; YES, Celebrations Gallery, CT,Gallery 17.92, FL, Juxtapose, NJ, Galeria Tonatazin, CA,Wolfe Gallery, FL. I produced new work for several of these venues.(although 2 venues are no longer applicable)
4. Expand to new territory in other states (exhibits, shows, art centers, galleries, museums) I spent some time personally visiting galleries and venues in Chicago, North Carolina, New Orleans, Missouri, and Georgia. I researched yet have not produced or distributed packages to the galleries.  I was contacted by a Coffeehouse in Alabama, Heritage House,who now carries my mugs and art.

5. Exhibit at more Galleries and venues in Florida   I do want to expand to more galleries. I applied to a few central Florida venues for specific shows and was rejected. I lost my focus when I had decided to participate in an event which I later declined.

6. Create and document 80 new pieces of work (for sale not counting studies) - This is where I run into trouble with accountability, and if I wait for accurate totals I might not get a goal post in this month. My database shows 120 pieces entered for 2010,  knowing for sure I did not enter them all yet. It was hard for me to adhere to the listed goals as to specific sizes because the demands of the museums, galleries and venues determined many of the sizes I produced. I have several 16 x 20's ,18 x 24 's and over 15 20 x 20's in progress, with more than 15 30" plus, and I am just not sure how many small pieces, but they are numerous. I will arrive at the accurate numbers eventually.

7. Continue to market work online and in products -This was my main focus

8. Prepare EARLY for the Holidays and Promotions - I prepared works of art for the holidays, as well as promotional cards, note cards, postcards, bags and pouches. I did several email and USPS mail campaigns.

9. Organize and back up data - Yes! well somewhat organized, I photographed yet I fell behind in databasing my art. I did accomplish staying on top of my bookkeeping!! I am so very pleased with that! It made such a big difference in my business to do the bookkeeping every week.

10. Online Venues - Etsy - sell 100 items/1000 markets sell 15 -  I sold 65 pieces in my Etsy Shop and 2 in 1000 markets however 1000 markets closed

11. Build Capitol by Building Sales - I invested my earnings back into my business.

12. Visit more galleries and museums - YES, I traveled to Chicago and spent the entire time in galleries and art museums, The Harn in Gainesville, and many galleries in New Orleans, North Carolina, and Georgia.

13. Continue my positive practices; blogging, social network medias, newsletters, postcards, mailing lists, attending exhibits, build the tribe and pay tribute to patrons. Yes I accomplished all of this... my facebook fanpage has grown to 1660 "likes" and I have over 10,000 followers on twitter. My patrons receive tokens of appreciation.

14. Inspire, share, mentor and give Yes I continue to share and build relationships, encouraging in social networks, in my community and in my studio.

15. Maintain present Museum Gift Shops - Yes, Orlando Museum Of Art, Maitland Art Center,
Florida Museum of Art(the book sold, need to apply to have art in shop) PLUS I am now in the Florida Museum for Women Artists gift shop.

16. Prepare to make Dreams come true for NY and a Big Event.(not sure what it is)- Well I had a BIG Event and spent months focusing on it then I decided it was not right for me, I am pursuing more, yet it really preoccupied a lot of my time and focus.

17. Make more art videos - I did not complete this goal, small snippets, a few in progress pieces but not in line with my intentions. I did have a preliminary meeting with a professional video/filmmaker and we intend to make a How To Video.

Upcoming...accomplishments and I guess I'd better make some more goals....I haven't gotten to that yet. I am also considering a word for the year in following some of my friends' lead.  

Capturing a Voice

I enjoy to create works of art for people. Often a work of art has a special story, or depicts a personal relationship. I am honored to have created this piece "Blackbird Singing" for Suzanne. Her vivid description of her vision enabled me to capture it's essence.

"To me the blackbird has always been part of my survival. My childhood had some dark shadows which, though, were always lightened up by the singing from a treetop nearby.

"My" blackbird has this strength and the deep blues, that I love, both as an expression of a serenade filled with love, as well as the value of entertainment for a longing soul.

Robin has clearly with her painting caught the soul of the blackbird and the soft colors promise the new dawn to be close and light."

Suzanne Randrup Nielsen Denmark

The original will ship to Denmark this week.When I first shared the image on facebook I called it "Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night," as that was part of the way we had discussed the painting, although the song has meaning to the work Suzanne's story is prominent and I revised the title.  I have found since sharing the original people are quite drawn to this image. Reproductions are available in my Etsy Shop.
Robin Maria Pedrero Etsy Shop
Thank you Suzanne!!

My work on the Cover of Florida's Winter Park Magazine

I am excited to share my artwork on the cover of the Winter Park Magazine January 2011 issue!
It's a lovely magazine and the staff is truly a pleasure! The cover and beginning of the interview link

The painting on the cover is presently at The Gallery at Avalon Island in downtown Orlando in the juried members exhibit for the Florida Artists Registry, until Jan. 14, 2011.

The interview continues online here Interview in Winter Park Magazine

I did not have a clue as to their choice of cover image and I am thrilled with what they chose! They probably did not even know it but the inspiration for THAT painting "Contiuum" came from my friend's garden in nonetheless Winter Park! How apropros!!

Thanks for sharing in my journey.

Commission in Progress

At the end of the post How a Commission Works I mentioned I'd share more. The 30" x 30" acrylic painting in that post is presently in the window at Gallery 17.92 in Winter Park Florida. My art collector loves it however desires a piece for a space that is much smaller, a 16" x 12". So I accepted the "challenge" to make her something similar but much smaller. I only accept these types of commissions as long as the piece is similar and not identical.

 I created two, shown here in progress, and when complete, my art collector can select her favorite. She asked for some personal touches, which I will add in for her. I typically do not share the work in progress with my art collector until it is in a more finished state (like the piece in the top photo).

Here's an early stage. It is very important to use high quality art supplies as a professional artist. Each of my originals comes with a Certificate of Authenticity stating that I only use the highest quality archival materials. 

Not So Blank 2011

A blank book. A blank canvas. A blank, fresh new start. 2011. Exhilarating. Over the mountains of 2010, toasting to them with laughter. Literally. I skied for the first time ever this past weekend. Ok well I tried. Adding that to my adventurous year of zip lining and eating insects.

 "...But what do dreams know of boundaries?"  Amelia Earhart

Soon I will be posting my accomplished goals and projections. As shown above, I have numerous canvases painted white with texture ready to be dancing with color. My 2011 calendar began filling in back in 2009, it's very nice to have projects already begun and to proceed with new ones.

Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: "I am with you kid. Let's go." ~ Maya Angelou