Utah Sunset

 Last week I  returned from a great trip to Utah for the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies Exhibition. My friend, and fellow past WSO President, Jayne and I had a great time viewing the terrific art and meeting old an new friends among the delegates and artists in attendance. The Utah Watercolor Society did a great job of hosting the exhibition, and really made all of us feel welcome and honored.  The above photo was taken from the deck of a beautiful home overlooking Salt Lake City where we had a wonderful welcoming dinner.

As you can see, the view was great!

 Some highlights of the trip…..

The Delegates & Alternates from all Eleven Groups

Dave & Debbie Cook, New Mexico Hosts next year

Jayne & I at the exhibition reception

Salt Lake City Hall

Jamie Wyeth Exhibit - Seven Deadly Sins

Touring Temple Square

The Texas Contingent: Gale Webb, Jim-Bob Swinney, Jonesy McConnell and Bonnie's daughter Dawn

Jim-Bob and his daughter Dawn were there for the presentation of the Bonnie Swinney Memorial Award. Bonnie was the delegate from Lubbock for years, and this is the first time I’ve attended a meeting without her smiling face. She was terribly missed, but I know she was looking down on the whole thing with pride & joy.

I stayed a couple of extra days in Salt Lake with my cousin Lucy & her husband Drew. They were the perfect hosts… and it was fun to see their construction project… a new addition for kitchen and master suite! Lucy & I shared gardening ideas and I got to see first-hand the dedication that goes into her fabulous racing success. Read more about the Intermountain cup and all their biking adventures on their blog.

While in Salt Lake City, I took the opportunity to do some genaology research at the Family History Library. What a fabulous place! Unfortunately, I found answers to some questions… but they only raised other questions. I ruled out some clues that I had found, but didn’t really locate any information on my great-grandparents, who emigrated from Germany. The search continues!

Of course, the best part of any trip is coming home. While I was away, my sweet husband put together my new Greenhouse! The weekend and yesterday we spent time laying weed-block and installing raised beds. The next phase will be building the deer fence, then I can finally plant my garden!

Nice & Dry inside!

Soil for 4 raised beds = BACKACHE!

Curly, Larry & Moe Welcomed me Home

I’m ALMOST glad it’s raining today so I can spend some time getting caught up with paperwork and get into my studio! I hope you can see how rich and wonderful our soil is for the raised beds. It came from the composted manure pile near the barn…. thanks to the first owners of this home who had horses! I hope everyone has a special Memorial Day weekend planned. I will be spending it in the garden

"Song" Original Watercolor & Gouache

Ahhhhhh Summer! Time to get yourself to Salem to take in the Art Fair!

Why?

1. To see all the new art I’ve created in the past 2 years (Booth 10- say hi!)

2. Art from other artists from across the region 

3.It’s the largest and oldest art festival in Oregon

4. To enjoy the beauty of Bush’s Pasture Park: shady oaks, green spacious lawns, historic Bush House

5. Great Music & Entertainment

6. Fair Food and the beer & wine garden

7. Fun activities for the kids

8. Mail art show at Project Space II on State Street while you’re in Salem!

9. Participate in the 5K Walk & Run for the Arts

10. Add to your art collection at great prices…. everyone needs original art! 

Shuttle Service is available:

The HUT Shuttle departs approximately every 20 minutes from South Salem High School, the Pringle Parkade and the Marion Parkade on Saturday from 10 am to 10 pm and Sunday 10 am to 6 pm.

Schedule

This morning I missed my dental appointment (I totally forgot!) but I did get to snag my first Etsy Treasury! Take a look and let me know what you think! I called it “Very Cherry” and included some of my favorite finds.

Mini Buebird on wood block 1 1/2″x  2 1/2″

I had some wonderful news today! The biopsy on my breast was clear… no sign of cancer What a relief – phew! Thanks to everyone who emailed or commented with fingers crossed and good thoughts for me.

The image above was a little warm-up painting that I did on a piece of scrap wood. It goes to Leigh, who won the contest on St. Patrick’s Day I have two more to find homes for… one will go to the winner of yesterday’s contest. There is still time to enter HERE.

I have finally, finally restored my blog! Yay! My host’s server crashed last week, and all data was lost. Luckily I had recently saved everything. Unluckily, restoring my blog seemed to be harder than actually creating it to begin with. (Notice I still don’t have my header updated, and many images seem to have vanished.) Thank you for your patience as I try to restore everything.

I’ve spent a huge amount of time trying to get it back up…. mostly due to my general technological ignorance. So for right now, I’m thinking I will leave it for a couple of days. Mostly because I am seriously considering changing the look from a dark background to light. I think it is a bit easier to read blogs on light backgrounds. Any thoughts on this? Leave me a comment with your vote!  I will pick one comment at random on March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day!) to win a fun surprise piece of artwork from my studio. To enter this contest, leave a comment with your vote: dark or light background? and your name so I can let you know you’ve won. I will announce the winner at 9 pm on March 17. Good luck!

Although Michele Joseph is not my most prolific collector (she owns three of my paintings), I wanted to profile her in order to break the stereotype that only attorneys and doctors and those with lots of disposable income have the ability to collect art.

I met Michele through my sister, Jeanie, and she has become a close friend. After I finished painting today, I visited her at her home in Lake Oswego to photograph some of her beautiful decor and interview her. Michele does Floral, Interior and Garden Design, supplementing these with a house-cleaning business and painting (walls).  When I had my back surgery this fall, it was lucky for me that Michele had found a recent painting that she needed for her collection. She was able to finish up a lot of the painting upstairs, and I hate to admit how much of my holiday decorating resulted from her handiwork and ideas.

'Forest Edge' framed without glass and floated

When Michele first viewed my art, I noticed the passionate, determined way that she admired it, and set about looking for a way that she could acquire it. Her enthusiasm and desire were contagious, and she found a way that worked for both of us. Our first transaction involved both cash and trade. In exchange for a downpayment plus several weeks of house-cleaning (which was desperately needed here) plus some furniture refinishing, Michele acquired “Two Together”.

Michele with "Two Together" in her Living Room

Today, I asked Michele: “When did you first become interested in art?”

Michele: I’ve always been interested in art, since I was a teen. I’ve always had friends that have been creative people and artists. I had a friend when I lived at the coast who did scrimshaw and painted. His mother was a big influence on me and taught me about different types of art; she was a collector.  After High School I traded with quite a few different artists, doing macrame. In that era I think people had more time and were more willing to help each other. In my early 20′s I worked at Thelma Pearson’s art gallery at the coast. I’ve also worked at a frame shop and I’ve volunteered at the Portland Art Museum Rental Sales Gallery more recently.

Question: As a Designer, what do you think original art does for a home?

Michele: Art is the best way to express someone’s personal style. Because art appreciation is such an individual thing… those who purchase it really love it, so it is a way to express yourself in your home. For instance, I like to travel. I’ve collected art in Italy, Warsaw, Mexico…. small paintings, weavings, carvings, things that were easy to bring home. I’m discriminating. I don’t just love or buy everything. But when I really love something, I try to find a way to have it. But I believe in the law of attraction, too. Visualization is a powerful tool. I’m a networker. I will find a way to get it or find someone to help me get it if I really want it. I’ve bartered for hair services, gym membership, acupuncture, massage, furniture, housing… you name it.

To illustrate what a special person Michele is, let’s just say she is one of the handful of people that Lola (studio dog) just adores! Lola was so excited to visit Michele today

Lola & Michele, One of my earlier still life paintings in the background

If you’re one of my collectors who would like to be profiled on this blog, just leave me a comment! I think it could be a fun series of posts. And if you are looking for some help with floral design, decor or just household cleaning or maintenance, drop Michele a line: mlj (underscore) designconsultant (@) yahoo.com (remove spaces & parenthesis for email) Most of all, if you see a piece of art you love, feel free to talk to the artist or gallery about ways that you might acquire it. Most artists are happy to work with collectors to arrange payment plans, barter or find other ways to help you get their work in your hands. After all, connecting with the viewer is what it’s all about.

She was beautiful... Even with a Tear

One would think that I wouldn’t have had any trouble staying in a positive frame of mind today. The sun was out, and it felt positively spring-like! My crocus popped their heads up this morning on the east side of the house. Such a wonderful harbinger of the coming warmth.  I took a few minutes this morning to watch ‘The Red Balloon’ on Netflix. I have vivid memories of watching this beautiful film in high school. Our French teacher, Madame Tellvik, thought it would be a good introduction to the life of a french school-boy. The color in this film is a palpable memory, but the ending was a pleasant surprise. I had forgotten how uplifting the message was.

The hard part of the day was dealing with the negative thoughts that creep in… when someone dissappointed me, when things didn’t go my way… when I wished someone had considered how I felt,  I tried very purposefully to remember the end of the movie this morning…. that even when the joy of the red balloon was gone, there was even more joy in store for the hero of the tale. I have been thinking of this mostly because I deal with a few people who are not positive, and it can become annoying, reminding them to keep it in perspective, listening to their constant saga. All I needed was a red balloon, following me

Another bright note was the opening of the 100 artists show at Mary Lou Zeek Gallery. My husband & I had been pouring over the images of the altered books all weekend…. picking our favorites. Last year I was one of the first to bid on a piece… one of my favorite artists, Jed Thomas. I have enjoyed that painting so much…. And I’ve been debating back and forth if I needed a piece from this year’s show. I held off calling until almost 12:30…. but finally gave in. When I found out my favorite (Chris Giffin) was still available, I caved My husband & I decided to give it to each other for Valentine’s Day.

I don’t want anyone to think that I can just go around buying art whenever I feel like it. This is always a significant investment for me. We don’t take annual expensive vacations, etc. While we are not suffering financial hardships, we also still have to prioritize our spending. For me, art is a valuable investment. I feel so lucky to be able to afford it!

I had lots of little errands/busy work to do today. But I also finished my assemblage… or if you will, my found object collage. I used an image of my grandmother from the 20′s, an old brownie camera, an old seed/fertilizer spreader, handkerchief, a light bulb, feathers, lights, bits of slide film and paint. The piece lights up from inside, illuminating a tear in her eye when lit. Also, I added fibers of light inside the bulb which can be switched on seperately. It was difficult to photograph… wish I was better at that.

I dropped off my print rack in Beaverton for the Arts Commission Showcase this weekend…. made flight reservations for the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies show in San Diego coming up in May…. picked up the keys to my husband’s truck (he got the brakes redone)…etc. Lots of running around.

A Closer View... It's hard to see that the light is on

I really enjoyed my book club meeting tonight… great discussion of the book Dirt Music by Tim Winton. Maybe I was a little hard on it…. His writing was beautiful, I just thought the characters were all so flawed. And the male perspective of a male dominated society…. well. I may have a few prejudices about Aussie males, let’s just say.

I notice many people participate in blog give-a-ways as a way to expand their circle of readers. I’m trying to sift through how I feel about this. On one hand I like the idea of giving back to a community of people who share their daily lives and art so freely. On the other hand, I don’t like the idea of giving my art away, unless it will benefit a very good cause. Because I sell my art, I feel rather protective of those wonderful souls who part with large sums of hard-earned money in order to live with my creations. I am still trying to sort out the pros & cons of participating in give-a-ways… so if those of you who have done them have tips (pro or con) I would appreciate your wisdom in the comments forum…

On the same topic, the 100 Artists show at Mary Lou Zeek gallery is one cause I donate to every year. I have been having an obsession with checking her site daily (ok… 5 times daily) to see the creations as she posts them. (here is the direct link to the page with 100 Artists ) At this point she has about 50 artists work posted, and keeps adding new ones each evening. I love seeing what people came up with, reading their artists’ statements, etc.   I was struck by how many artists, like myself, had trouble breaching the sanctity of the book. Yet many broke through this and actually damaged pages, removed them, took off covers, painted or collaged over pages, etc.

In working on mine, I was worried about destroying it or doing something that couldn’t be undone if I didn’t like it, so I experimented with a book that I was going to get rid of anyway. I had no trouble destroying that book, but still couldn’t bring myself to rip into a book that I loved so well as a child. I ended up altering the cover of my book, and making it possible for a child or an adult and a child to still enjoy the story inside: Heidi

Now that the images are going online, I will reveal the finished project here :

A Bird does not sing because it has an answer — it sings because it has a song. — Proverb

I spent the afternoon in my studio, puttering, trying to find my song. I’ve been quiet artistically for so long, I can’t quite remember where I left it. I started out today with just a little humming…. Nothing impressive. I could not for the life of me get an idea for a painting, try though I might to look through old paintings, sketch books, photos, etc.

I decided to finish up another of my ‘assignments’… this one is an apron that I agreed to decorate. It will be in an auction to benefit Creative Arts Community, the group that sponsors workshops at Menucha retreat each summer. I wanted to do something with a butterfly. I’ve been attracted to that image since seeing ‘Spring Awakening’ this fall. It was one of the set decorations that affected me strongly. Loved the musical, if you ever get a chance to see it….. Such beautiful music! I wasn’t prepared for it to be so beautiful.

Then I worked on some tiny little blocks of wood in acrylic.  I don’t usually paint in acrylic, but this seemed like the thing to do today… start small. They are just little doodles in color really. But it is a start. I’m hoping that tomorrow I will be all warmed up and ready to go after I get done at the physical therapist’s.

If not, I have one more ‘assignment’ to do before I jump into my own work. I agreed to participate in a show called “Perceptions of the Past” in Southern Oregon. I have to read a description of an historic photograph from a collection and make a painting responding to or interpreting it. I don’t get to see the photo. I think my photo must be of a native american child and her family from the description. When painting my wood blocks today I had something emerge that might work. I’m going to let it cook for a while longer, possibly do some sketches, etc.