Frosted Beads

Here's a handful of beads that I finished yesterday -- I just love the new purple ones! The glass I used is from Germany called "Effetre Glass" and the color is "Crocus." These new beads will soon be turned into pendants and maybe a key chain or two.

New studio space

The past week has been a blur in the quest to get things ready for the new studio at The Foundry. We officially open on September 1st and spent today getting things organized and setting up our work spaces. Here's a photo of my new painting area -- I'm so excited to start painting on site.....the morning light in this space is fantastic.

I've also been working on getting my website up and running. It's been challenging to say the least but I'm finally getting it to the point where I'm not embarrassed to hand out my new business cards with the link! Check it out and let me know what you think:

www.comingabstractions.com

Mo' Beads

Went to a Gem & Bead show this afternoon and picked up some display trays for my bead sets. I'm not 100% sure this is the ultimate way to show these at the new gallery space but it's a start. I think I'll go back tomorrow to get some more trays in black......that might set them off a bit more.

Exciting news

I'm renting a studio space at The Foundry Building in Sacramento!! I'll be sharing space with another artist friend Brenda Boles and we'll be open for business September 1st. Additionally we're on the open studio tour for Sacramento that will be held on Saturday, September 12th which is also 2nd Saturday. Be sure to come by and visit us!! In the meantime I've got lots to do to get ready for the opening......here's a new painting to grace the walls. It's called "Golden Fields" and is a 16" x 2o" acrylic painting on canvas.

Ursula O'Farrell workshop

Last weekend I was in Aptos taking a 2-day workshop from Ursula O'Farrell. Besides being a fabulously talented abstract figurative artist -- she shared a wealth of information and techniques with us. Here's one of the paintings (work in progress) that I started in class:

One of the most exciting things I learned from Ursula was how to mix my palette and utilize the neutrals created by mixing opposite colors with blacks and whites. It was difficult at first getting used to working with "dull" colors for me but I quickly realized how efficient this technique is! There's still a lot of trial and error on my part but I like the effects that are created when using a solid color against a blend of its complements. This painting was made from a palette of Pthalo Turquoise and Cadmium Red. Here's a link to the awesome website that explains various palettes and mixing of colors along with Ursula's website -- check them out!

http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/water.html

http://www.ursulafineart.com/