Something New From The Easel

This may be finished. I need to step back from it a bit to know for sure.

December Snow

Backyard Bundt Cake Party, anyone?

Winter Chill

The tv stations are calling it the "Arctic Blast." It's pretty darn cold and although it was beautiful and clear today, tonight and tomorrow warns of frigid temperatures and the possibility of more snow. It's a great time for reading, playing games, and sipping a lovely port to warm the insides. In the event of another snow day, I look forward to the opportunity to be in the studio.

Sad News

Unfortunately, sad news also travels quickly. I am sad to learn of the death of Terry Toedtemeier in Hood River last night. He was a fine and warm man, a valuable part of the community, and a wonderful artist. My thoughts go out to friends and family.

Good News Travels Fast

I am happy to hear from Larry Elder from the Elder Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina, that 2 of my large paintings have been purchased by a local corporation. What a nice Christmas present! Nothing like sales to spur me on to getting to work in the studio. The work has been going well recently, so no external push was really needed, but I am nevertheless gratified when my work strikes a chord.

Thoughts of Summer

Now that the monsoons have returned this week, I am looking at photos from the summer and working to add some light and warmth to the fall. Here's my latest effort. The clusters of trees in the foreground remind me of a stage set; perhaps Midsummer Night's Dream?

Autumn Light

Although this recently finished painting was done after a summer trip to Opal Creek, the light through autumn leaves today evokes a similar feeling and quality of light.

Painting's Progress Continued

The painting has been completed this week, after 2 more sessions at the easel. The light through the trees has been heightened. Refinements have been made within areas to add more variety of texture and pattern. The intent was to create a corridor of light as a focus for the painting in contrast with the darker trees. The detail illustrates the spots of color combined to create the illuminated area peeking through the trees.

Painting's Progress

I thought I might document the process of making a painting. This week I began a painting informed by the Opal Creek Trail in Oregon. I am basing the work on photographs taken last August. The work begins in the studio with some preliminary sketches, and from there the image is loosely drawn on the stretched canvas. The first image shows work at the end of the first day. A bright yellow green was washed over the whole canvas as a ground. Then large color areas were established. The second image shows the middle of the next day. You can see that the color areas are being refined and augmented.

Summer Vacation Continued

Here is a painting informed by a hike in the Columbia Gorge this summer on the fourth of July. There are many wonderful hikes in the Gorge with countless waterfalls and streams. This is a nice reminder of sunnier days

Summer Vacation

I am beginning work on paintings that are derived from my summer vacation to Opal Creek. This painting is 36"x48", and focuses on the beautiful jade water that flows through the Opal Creek Wilderness. The area in the painting is filled with gorgeous imagery;rock formations, water paths and foliage. One could do a whole series based on this particular section of Opal Creek.

There's a New Dog in Town

Yes, it finally happened. We have a new dog. His name is Willie, as in Willie Mays, Willie Wonka,etc. He's half Lab and half Golden and a pretty sweet boy. He's fairly mellow for a 1 year old, but there is training to be done. Here we go!

Opal Creek Wilderness

My family and I recently returned from a few days near Opal Creek Wilderness. We spent a couple of days hiking in the area, and there are not enough superlatives to describe this magical place. The water is various shades of clear jade green, and the rocks and trees are exquisite. A trip to Opal Creek could probably be a day trip from Portland with an early start. The main trail is a wide gravel easy 3 mile hike to Jawbone Flats and the Opal Creek Education Center. There are cabins to rent, and various programs throughout the year.It's well worth the trip.

Tualatin Visual Chronicle

The advisory board has selected a painting for the Tualatin Visual Chronicle, and the next step will be a presentation of the work at the Tualatin City Counsel meeting in September. I will be curious to know where the painting will appear in residence. Details to follow, I suspect.

Mountain Views

My husband and I are just back from 4 days in the terrain around the Mt. Hood area. It was, in turn, invigorating, relaxing, and exhausting. Saturday we took an 8 mile round trip hike to Salmon Butte. It was a hot, dry uphill climb through the forgiving shade of the forest, with a spectacular clear view from the top of Mt Hood, Adams, St. Helens, Rainier, with additional mountains to the east. I'll have to look them up. Wild flowers too ; intense violet penstemon, indian paintbrush and lupine, to name a few.

A Toe in the Water

The first showing of my work in a group show at the Elder Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina has come to a close. I sold one piece to a collector there. For a first time exposure, I am happy to have had a sale and recovered my costs with some extra. Always good to make more than you spend. I hope this will be the beginning of a great relationship.

Opening in Charlotte

The new artists show is opening at the Elder Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday. I will have 6 paintings in the show. The works are up and on the website. The reds and greens are not exact, but it does give some idea of the paintings. You can see the work of the other artists as well. The website is www.elderart.com

Off to Houston and Back to Oregon

I've finished the commissioned painting for Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend. It is being shipped to Houston to American Art Resources, the consulting firm for the job. They will stretch it, frame it, and install the work in Springfield, Oregon. Seems circuitous, but those are my orders.

Here's to Emma

This week on Monday we put our sweet old girl, Emma down. She had a type of invasive cancer that progressively made it harder and harder for her to breathe. After a week of sleepless nights, we made the hard decision. She loved people and always gave a warm greeting to any visitor. One of her final acts was to hold out her paw to the stranger who helped with her death. She loved to hold hands and always extended a paw. She loved the beach and chasing balls and sticks, but most of all she loved to engage with people. She was my constant companion and I miss her terribly. So here's to you Emma, and your kind, outgoing way of greeting the world.

An Invitation

I'm posting an invitation for an open studio this weekend. I hope you'll stop by. I would enjoy meeting some new folks and sharing my art and that of my friends, Jason Greene, Stephen Leflar, and Mary Real. We will have a variety of prints, drawings, watercolors and paintings on canvas in a variety of prices. Come on by!

Good News

I received good news yesterday that my work will be included in the new Sacred Heart Medical Center Campus at Riverbend in Springfield, Oregon. The work in this post, plus a larger commissioned painting will be part of their collection. The facility is scheduled to open in August. It looks pretty interesting from the website. There are drawings illustrating the atrium which makes use of natural materials and has a grand hotel feeling. Efforts have been made to make people more comfortable, and the building has several "green" aspects. All of the patient rooms have a view of the surrounding landscape. It seems they've gotten the message people heal better when they can see trees instead of buildings. Interesting. I look forward to seeing it after it's completed.

Spring Comes To Visit

I hope you had a chance to enjoy a bit of spring on Saturday. I took the opportunity to wander around Forest Park with my camera, and have dinner with friends on the outdoor patio at Wild Abandon.I think it was so unusual, it caught us all off guard. Needless to say, our typical spring has returned with a vengeance;a smattering of snow, sun, hail and rain. You know what they say."If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes."

A Movie Recommendation

This weekend we rented the DVD "Goya's Ghosts." It was directed by Milos Foreman and stars Stellan Skarsgard,Natalie Portman, and evil incarnate from "No Country for Old Men", Javier Bardem. It is visually beautiful and terrible and places Goya's life and work into the context of The Inquisition, war, and all the atrocities he witnessed and expressed in his work. There is a wonderful quick sequence of the art of etching which quickly illustrates the process. Acting is first rate with Skarsdard as Goya, Portman as a model and victim of the Inquisition, and Bardem as a Catholic priest who breaks free and then is undone by his rebellion. I will say no more specifics about that. I highly recommend the film if you love Goya, history, or masterful filmmaking.

Taking A New Plunge

This week my work arrived at a new gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. The gallery is the Elder Gallery, Larry Elder is the dealer there. His response to my work was very positive, so we'll give it a shot.The gallery has an eclectic assortment of art from non-objective to classical Russian art. The website is www.elderart.com. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Spring Has Sprung

I see I'm many paintings behind even my once a week post. Three to be exact. Let me try and make it up to you. Let's face it. There's been a break in the monsoons, the daffodils are out, and the garden is loaded with things to do. I have been at work in the studio, however. Here's some of the results.

Perhaps A Painting A Week

I have followed with great interest the recent boom in Daily Painters and their blogs. Realistically for me with all the other balls I'm juggling, I'm aiming at a painting per week. So Here goes.

For Your Consideration

I just finished a great book on Chuck Close,"Close Reading:Chuck Close and the Art of the Self Portrait," by Martin Friedman. I became interested after a recent wonderful exhibit at the Portland Art Museum on Close's prints and the many amazing processes involved in his work. The show was a wonderful homage to printmaking as well as the art of Close. The book does a terrific job of following Close's life, thought process and the art of portraiture from his perspective as well as that of fellow figurative artists who have been his subjects. I am impressed with the man,his determination and perseverance. The book is well written, insightful, and sprinkled with an ample quantity of color plates. Have a look.

Something To Think About

Art and money never touch. They exist in parallel universes of value at comparable levels of cultural generalization: Art does nothing to money but translate it. Money does nothing to art but facilitate its dissemination and buy the occasional bowl of Wheaties for an artist or art dealer. Thus, when you trade a piece of green paper with a picture on it. signed by a bureaucrat, for a piece of white paper with a picture on it, signed by an artist, you haven’t bought anything, since neither piece of paper is worth anything. You have translated your investment and your faith from one universe of value to another.

--Dave Hickey (winner of the MacArthur Genius Grant), “Dealing,” in Air Guitar: Essays on Art & Democracy

Any thoughts out there?

Here Comes The Sun

Hi Folks,
We are having a break from the monsoons today. It's Saturday and there is time to rest, relax and rejuvenate. It's a great day to be alive.Get out and enjoy the world.

Moving Into the 21st Century

Yesterday I attended a workshop "Will Click For Art" taught by Mark Grimes, founder of Ned.com Lots of information about directing traffic to your website. As a Baby Boomer I have trouble wrapping my brain around all the information, but I am making small steps to improving things. It all takes time away from painting, but it seems important to keep your work visible. If you sign on to Ned.com and go to RACC, you may find some helpful links for yourself, and a few things just for fun.

A Master In Our Midst

I recently went to see the show of watercolors by Henk Pander at the Laura Russo Gallery. They were superb. I can always count on seeing the highest quality work from Henk. This group of paintings is no exception. They are a diverse lot. There are still lifes, landscapes, and an intriguing group of paintings of piles of bricks. No matter the subject, he is able to say so much with so little. This Saturday, he and fellow exhibiting artist J. D. Perkin will be discussing their work at the gallery. Henk is an enjoyable guide. Check it out.