Another Workshop

I'm leaving for Mendocino early tomorrow morning to take a 5-day painting workshop called "Bigger and Looser" by one of my favorite artists, Robert Burridge.  I'm really looking forward to spending some time at the beach and being among some talented friends.

I stayed home this past Friday working on some of the new canvases that I'd primed a few nights ago -- here are the results. 

The first one is acrylic on paper and is 11.25" x 7.75" called "Castle Rock."

The middle piece is called "Urban Snowstorm" and is a heavily textured canvas acrylic painting measuring 12" x 6" x 1.5"

The last painting is also on canvas, using lots of texture and acrylics and is called "Transitions"  It's 12" x 6" x 1.5"

Originally I had gessoed and textured three canvases to make a triptych single-themed painting but got caught up with the moment and started throwing paint around until I decided to separate them and make each panel an individual piece.  The other panels prepared the other night are still WIPS (works in progress) that I hope to finish soon. 

I'm hoping this class gives me some well-needed inspiration -- I've been a tad bit creatively challenged lately and need to get back into the creative mode.  I've got a glass show coming up at Arareity Gallery in December and am one of the featured artists, so I'd better get some ideas going so I'm ready to start cutting glass when I return!

Back to work

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post and let's just say that my work life kind of kidnapped my creativity for awhile.  I recently made an offer for a client on an office building in Roseville and with the due diligence period end approaching I've been a bit crazy playing both developer and broker in trying to make sure we expose any outstanding conditions before we move forward with finalizing the sale.  Next week will wrap up the final negotiations and with luck my right brain can kick into full gear again!

My beach trip over the first weekend of October was fabulous -- I visited about 15 artist studios and met some very talented people.  This coming weekend is the Encore Weekend for Santa Cruz County Arts Council and if I weren't already committed I'd make the trip to see some of the studios I missed and to revisit a couple that I visited.  If you get a chance check out these sites:

http://www.bdowns.com/
http://www.susanwagnerglass.com/
http://www.lilaklapmansculpture.com/
http://www.lynettecederquist.com/
http://www.theheartwoodgallery.com/

Today I'm heading back to the office for a short stint of work then off to the studio to paint on six small new canvases that I picked up yesterday at University Art along with two "do-over" pieces.  Here's a photo of the canvases -- early this morning I prepped them with modeling paste to add some texture and actually already started painting over one of them (yellow one) with a base color.  It really helps to throw down a layer of paint as quickly as possible before jumping into finishing the piece -- reminds me of staring at a blank white page when I was blocked and needed to meet a deadline to my editor.....once I started typing a few words then the word floodgates would open and I'd be done with the column just in time to meet the presses. 

I'm hoping the same happens with this new series I've got in my mind.  New paints and new canvases -- I'm ready to play!

Santa Cruz Open Studios This Weekend

I'm leaving this morning for a weekend at the coast and to see the open studio tours in Northern Santa Cruz County.  I can't wait to visit the artists and see their studios.--I went to this event last year and was amazed at the number of artists participating in the tour.  Here are two paintings of the beach that I did a week or so ago -- they're both on Arches 300 lb. watercolor paper and are 11.5" x 7.75" with deckled edges.  Both sport a small bit of a Seattle map that's been collaged on them and have a light gloss varnish finish.  The one with the map in the sky and the mountain range in the background is called "Above Sea Level" and the painting with the map in the middle of the ocean is called "Below Sea Level."

October Already

I can't believe October is here already -- where has the time gone this year??  I've had a busy week at my "day job" and was fortunate to get to the studio yesterday for a little rearranging time with Brenda, my studio mate.  We moved our work stations around and I love the new painting areas!  The move also gave me some more wall space for displaying work which now forces me to finish some pieces; sign and hang them.  I work on several paintings at a time and had been putting them up on the easel to work on one at a time....now I can use my 6' table which will hold 2 or more paintings plus the easel plus the wall if I want!  I'm in painting heaven.  Here's a photo of me working on a painting that was taken by a friend.  It's the old arrangement....will get shots of the new one and post later.

Two More Paintings

Two more paintings from my painting marathon last week.  The first one is called "The Journey" and made with acrylic paints, felt markers, pastels, tissue and charcoal on 300 lb. Arches paper -- 15.5" x 15.5"  

This one is called "Heading Down the Road" made with the same materials on a 12" x 12" canvasboard.