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.

Mending Fences

I've been on a painting frenzy this past week.....a quick weekend getaway to Scottsdale inspired me in a big way. We walked through the galleries, ate fabulous dinners in the trendy restaurants and met some wonderful artists. The economy has really hit this art mecca hard but the artists who are surviving are optimistic for better times. They're gearing up for their "artist season" kickoff which happens every October -- I'm hoping to go back in a few weeks and join the celebration!

Here's one of several paintings I finished this week. It's an 8" x 8" x 1/2" diptych on canvas with acrylics, charcoal, pastels, and markers. I've named it "Mending Fences."

Fire Down Below

Last Wednesday evening I was working with several paintings on paper that had bright pastels and jewel tones. I was playing with the many glorious colors when I grabbed a tube of black acrylic paint to do an accent on one of the paintings. After I started brushing the black around on the canvas I realized I hadn't done a very good job of cleaning the yellow paint from the previous strokes. The combination of the black and yellow made a beautiful khaki green color and I decided to explore the mixture a bit more. "Fire Down Below" is the result and is a 12" x 12" acrylic abstract on canvas. Given the recent and ongoing fires we've had in California these past few weeks I feel it's an appropriate title.

Child's play

Now that I've got my painting supplies and everything out of my house and into my studio downtown I'm finding the strongest urge to paint when I'm home! I make an effort to paint in the studio at least 3 or 4 times a week but being the contrary Gemini that I am I want to paint at night before bedtime or early in the morning before leaving for work. After a couple weeks of this internal conflict I decided to bring some supplies home and give into my urge. My goal was to paint with abandon and stop thinking so hard about painting something concrete -- simply paint what I feel.

So....I reached for the first color that grabbed me fron my limited paint choices and squeezed a big juicy blob lime green onto my plastic plate palette. Brushed the color on then lightened it with some gesso. Grabbed another tube of paint and repeated the action. I was working fast and decided I needed to make more than one piece at a time so brought out another piece of paper and two small canvasses. Over the span of the evening I finished 4 pieces of art that I actually liked and thoroughly enjoyed making! This time it was the process -- not a preconceived picture in my mind that determined the finished product.

This is what intuitive painting is all about. It's going with your gut and grabbing the first thing that catches your eye. It's working fast without thinking. It's abandoning the rules and letting your inner muse out to play. It's like going back to kindergarten and announcing to the world that you're an artist and getting that confirmation when you proudly hand your masterpiece to your Mom & Dad who rush to stick it on the refrigerator for the rest of the family to stand around and agree to your declaration. It's standing back when you're finished painting and feeling a sense of completion and joy that you didn't let your inner critic come out and squash your artisitic spirits like a bug.

Big weekend

This coming weekend (September 12 and 13) is our first official 2nd Saturday at the new studio AND the Sacramento Artists' Studio open houses. My studio mate, Brenda Boles and I have been busily getting ready for the big event. I have to say I'm filled with my usual anxiety and nervousness that accompanies a show that I'm required to be present at. I can remember one opening I had at 20th Street Gallery several years ago where I actually snuck out of the gallery and came home a couple of hours before the reception ended because I was having a panic attack. Seriously -- a full fledged, paralyzing panic attack that came out of nowhere and I can remember coming home feeling foolish; upset and full of questions about whether or not I was cut out to be an artist. Since then I've rarely attended an opening where my art was featured unless it was a requirement of the gallery.

Well now I've gone and opened my own studio and being open for 2nd Saturdays and receptions is part of the deal. It will be interesting to see how this weekend goes.....my critical self keeps asking "is my art any good?" and "why am I doing this?" "Maybe I should continue to be represented by my wonderful and patient galleries and just let them sell my work for me?"

Most people know me as being a glass artist. But the past year or so I've resurrected my love for painting again and have fallen in love with acrylics. As any of my artist friends who have created with me will tell you I am a quick worker when it comes to painting. I work on several pieces at one time and am a whir of energy as I happily splash color onto various papers and canvasses. This also means I have a lot of work that needs to either be stored, sold, or given away. Opening my own studio seemed like a logical way to get these finished works out of my house and into another place to be stored; shared; and hopefully enjoyed by someone other than my friends, family and myself.

Getting the studio was serendipitous -- so many things just "fell into place" that it's almost scary to recount the experience. Bottom line is I'm now out there in my own studio and am learning the art business which is WAY different than the real estate world that I've been involved with forever. I can honestly say I feel alive and energized; my inner child is being nourished and is thriving again and I'm keeping my fingers crossed I won't have a panic attack and run out of my own show this weekend. Wish me luck :-)

New Beginnings

Today was the official opening day for our studio at The Foundary Building! I managed to spend about an hour or so there this afternoon before heading home after a busy day at my main job. Started work on two more paintings and finished two little abstracts on 300 lb. Arches paper. They're called "Waving Goodbye" and "Kindred Spirits" and are each 5.5" x 7.5"

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.