"Evening Bouquet" Watercolor & Gouache 25x35"

I’ve been working on new paintings for the Salem Art Fair and getting them framed this week. The painting above is larger than my usual work, which means it is more difficult to frame. I feel like I’ve made a breakthrough though, in that I finally figured out how to cut mat that is oversized on my mat cutter. Today I will pick up the glass, and then the whole thing can go together! This painting has taken longer than many, and gone through many versions. I took my time, though in the finishing & I’m very pleased with it. I love the creamy colors you can get with gouache!

I hope many of you will plan to come out for the art fair this weekend. Not only is it a great chance to see art & hear music in a beautiful setting, but it is a valuable fundraiser for the Salem Art Association. The art association brings such wonderful programs to the community. One way you can tell, is by the fantastic volunteers that show up each year. I’ve been doing the show for quite a few years, and made so many friendships in Salem! I’m looking forward to seeing some of you See the link above for complete information… hours, maps, etc.

I’ll leave you with a picture from yesterday morning… as I was talking to a friend on the phone, this sweet young thing pranced into the lower pasture. I barely caught it on film before it was gone

Another reason I’ve been waking early is the chickens, or more precisely, the rooster. It seems we have a rooster in the flock and my godson has named him Benny. He is becoming more proficient at crowing, and recently practices throughout the day, beginning at 5 a.m. He’s taking quite a liking to his ladies too, and I’m hoping that signifies that they are reaching the stage when they may start laying. Here is a collage of some of these lovely creatures They are really fun to watch.

I’ve still been making time to paint… Here are a couple of new images.

"New Vista" - Watercolor & Gouache 15x22

"Contented Solitude" Watercolor & Gouache, 11x15 copyright 2010

I’m deciding which new paintings will be framed, which will be entered in juried competitions, which will need more work. My next show will be the Salem Art Fair & Festival, July 16, 17 & 18, 2010. I hope to see many of you there! Mention my blog for a 10% discount My gift to you! Directions, hours and a listing of participating artists are available on their website: http://salemartfair.weebly.com/visit.html

I’m also so excited to be readying one of my paintings for shipping to the Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition. The juror this year was Judy Morris, whom I respect & admire for her beautiful watercolors. The show runs from September 11 – October 31, 2010 at the Foothills Art Center in Golden, Colorado. If you find yourself in the area, stop in & see the show. It will showcase 80 of the top watercolor entries from across the United States & beyond.

Finally, I’ve been spending lots of time in the garden. The vegetables are up and need daily weeding, and we have finally finished the gate and fence surrounding the patch. I did lots of research online until I found a gate design that I liked, and my husband built a very close replica. Here is a link to the original idea which I found on the site of Kirsch-Korff.com. They have some beautiful gates! And here is the gate we made! We still need to install the arbor above…

Now we are hard at work on the hillside below the vegetable garden. This was originally lawn, but so steep I didn’t like to take the riding mower on it. A few months ago, we had the tractor guys, Bob & John DeNino, move some of the huge boulders from our pastures to the hillside. Last week they came back (now that it is dried out finally) to do some digging.

John & Bob, hard at work

Last night my husband & I took our little tractor and moved some more rocks, digging them in by hand to make steps and a path in the terraces. We have more to do, but here it is in progress:

Almost ready for planting!

It's hard to be patient till it is done!

I have been shopping for plants and have a good stash built up, but still need more This garden is keeping me fit!

Finally I’d like to thank all the new subscribers who have signed up for email updates. I’m sorry it has been so long since my last post! I guess I need to get up earlier!

"Wetland" Watercolor on Yupo at the Riversea Gallery

Recently at my opening at Riversea Gallery, I tried to make note of some of the questions and comments from the patrons in attendance. One question  I’ve heard before that came up was “What’s with the Birds?”  I guess this is as good a time as any to address that question.

I can’t remember a time when I was not attracted to birds. As a shy, introspective child I would sit apart on the school bus and stare out at the hedgerows and trees, searching for nests for the entire torturous duration of the ride. On visits to the garden center I hovered near the pet aisle, breathing in the happy chatter of the budgies and canaries and marveling at their brilliant color. They always seemed so exotic to me. I found peace and solitude walking  in the fields and forests, observing the redwing blackbird in the marshes, the raptors hunting over the grasslands, the goldfinches fluttering in bursts of brilliant energy on my grandmother’s dandelion studded lawn.

I’ve been a hobbyist birdwatcher, waiting each year for the return of the wild swans to the wetlands, marveling at the loud plumage of the Evening Grosbeaks, searching the cherry tree for the Cedar Waxwings dropping pits on the ground.  Each seasonal visit from the more unusual species kept me wondering where they came from, how far they traveled, what their winters or summers were like. My favorite perch as a child was a small bench in the crotch of the enormous cedar tree, away from the clatter and noise of our busy household.

When I began to develop as a painter, my initial focus was on still life. Many of my early paintings included bird imagery. Birds were a part of my daily life, watching them indoors and out… at various periods I kept a canary, a parakeet who learned a large vocabulary and a cockatiel. But I also loved the symbolism that birds offered, the allusions to literature or music offered by a blackbird vs. a canary. As I transitioned into a figure painter, birds showed up in even the earliest paintings.

Is it necessary for me to explain what the birds in my paintings mean to me, or is it enough that they hold significance and symbolism? In some cases, I don’t know. I only know that I feel compelled to include them. In general, I feel that when I include a bird in a figure painting, it allows the figure to be content with their solitude. The bird’s presence is voluntary, it is a gift given freely, though possibly fleeting. It reminds us of the beauty of nature, its power, its capricious nature.

The Swan

 

Did you too see it, drifting, all night, on the black river?

Did you see it in the morning, rising into the silvery air -

An armful of white blossoms,

A perfect commotion of silk and linen as it leaned

into the bondage of its wings; a snowbank, a bank of lilies,

Biting the air with its black beak?

Did you hear it, fluting and whistling

A shrill dark music – like the rain pelting the trees – like a waterfall

Knifing down the black ledges?

And did you see it, finally, just under the clouds -

A white cross Streaming across the sky, its feet

Like black leaves, its wings Like the stretching light of the river?

And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?

And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for?

And have you changed your life?

 

- Mary Oliver

 

This week I had some very good news! My painting “Garden Companions” has been accepted into the California Watercolor Association’s 41st National Exhbition. The show will run July 14 through September 19 at Gallery Concord, 1765 Galindo Ave., Concord, CA 94520, phone (925) 691-6140 for hours. If you’re in the Bay Area, check it out!

"Garden Companions" watercolor on paper 15x22"

If you like birds as much as I do, take a look at the new treasury I put together on Etsy last night… Happy BIRDday to me http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=125716

It all started with the orchids

It has been such a wet week here in Oregon! We had a good start on redoing our yard over the spring break holiday: large trees and stumps came out, we moved huge boulders from the pasture to the hillside for a future terrace, the greenhouse was delivered, we prepared the site, got dump-truck loads of gravel delivered… and then everything stopped.

Cherry blossoms at the bottom of the pasture

I am becoming well-attuned to the subtle variations of morning fog… one type of light promises clearing later in the day, but this week’s has portended steady gloom, wind and storms all day. My baby chicks are chilled in their coop in the barn, when last week they were out enjoying the sun.

Native Dogwood outside my kitchen window

I’ve felt the flush of excitement over our new accomplishments contrasted with the frustration of being cooped up and stalled by weather in wild swinging moods. I see why it’s called spring fever. I got out today to see my friend Sue’s baby goats… a few may come to live with us in a month or so!  Then I spent an hour or so at a friend’s nursery picking out plants, much to the detriment of my wallet. We’ve been watching eagerly for new fawns from our resident deer, but so far haven’t seen any.

I have a project to do inside, thankfully. I’m painting my daughter’s bedroom the most beautiful shade of robin’s egg blue! I custom mixed the color. I couldn’t find the right blue… one was too cool, the other too warm. So I mixed the two gallons together Voila! I’ll try to post pictures when the room is finished.

"Forest Song" Watercolor on Yupo

 This is the last week to view my solo show at the Riversea Gallery in Astoria. If you can’t get there this month, they always have my work up… it’s just nice to see them all spread out in a large room together! Thanks Jeanine and Terrie for making the show look so great

Also, if you’ve been thinking of signing up for one of my classes, check out my new listing on TeachStreet. You can sign up for the whole six weeks, or just a few.  The class will focus on color, and it runs May 20, 2010 – June 24, 2010
Weekly on Thursdays from 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM.  I’d love to know if you’re thinking of coming though… so drop me a line! Or, you can sign up & pay on the Teachstreet website… easy-peasy! I’m including one more image from my show at Riversea below… a nurturing one!

'Forest Whispers' Watercolor & Gouache 22"x15"

I’ve listed some originals on my etsy site that I unframed to make way for the new paintings going to Riversea this month. Buying unframed originals can be a great way to save money… buy the painting now, frame it later.  I have a couple more to list in the next week or so, so keep checking back! I’m also planning to list some note cards with my images soon.

Interested Patrons

Thanks to everyone who came to see my new work at Riversea Gallery on Saturday! Here are a few photos, snapped by my good friend Linda Rothchild-Ollis. Thanks Linda!

Julie, Annette and Jill from my Book Club

Dee Frank from my critique group

Diana Nadal and her husband were there

New Path - Another image from the show

The exhibit will run until April 6, so stop by if you get a chance!

Creative work makes me happy, but the subsequent pauses for rest are all the more painful, for then one begins to think things over. – Hugo Wolf, Composer

"Gathering" Watercolor on Yupo 25"x25"

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted! Tomorrow will be my opening reception at Riversea Gallery, and I’m both looking forward to seeing the work hung, and aprehensive. It is always a jittery feeling wondering how the paintings will all look together, whether any will sell, whether anyone else will like them.

When I delivered the paintings on Wednesday I was very excited by the feeling of accomplishment. It has been a good month getting so much work done, and seeing their positive response was gratifying. But now, on the eve of the reception, I start to have doubts. Thank goodness for the steadfast few of my friends who have promised to be there to ease my jitters!

There is so much to be said for making a public declaration. Once it’s out there, it really motivates a person to follow through! I recently sent an email newsletter to my email contact list. If you’d like to join, you’ll find a button on the sidebar to sign up! The newsletter has resulted in a few small sales (Thank You!) and a bit more productivity for me. I publicly stated that I’d be listing a few unframed originals on my Etsy site, and now I’ve done so! Also, if you haven’t checked out the new class listing on TeachStreet, be sure to do that. I’m trying to make it really easy to sign up!

Have a great Weekend

Hear the Author
Tickets Available Saturday, January 30 at 11 A.M.

Ivan Doig, author of The Whistling Season, will be speaking at Lake Oswego High School about “Passion, Precision, and Whistling a Work Song.”  This event is for high school age and older.  Admission is free but a ticket is required for this event.  Tickets will be available at the Lake Oswego Public Library starting at 11 A.M. on Saturday, January 30. There will be a two ticket per person limit and a Lake Oswego Library Card is required. Note: the tickets will be valid until 15 minutes before the event begins on February 17.  Seating is first come, first served.  Wednesday, February 17, Lake Oswego High School Auditorium, 2501 Country Club Rd., 7 P.M. Free but tickets are required.

Art Show 

Opening Art Show Reception:  February 4 at 6:00 P.M.

Imagine! How do you capture the essence of 345 pages in a single piece of art?  That’s what faced the 18 artists listed below from the Splash! group.  In their 4th year of meeting this challenge, their visions will be unveiled for the first time at Graham’s at the reception.  From Lakeridge High School, art teacher, Shannon McBride and 14 art students read The Whistling Season and have prepared 15 pieces of art interpreting what they read.  From Lake Oswego High School, art teacher Katie Brink and Artist -in-Residence Michael Orwick had 14 art students work in oil to re-create the scenery from the book.

Throughout February, the adult art will be displayed at Graham’s Book and Stationery and the high school art will be displayed at Chrisman Picture Frame & Gallery.  Opening Art Show Reception, Thurs., February 4, 6:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M., Graham’s Book and Stationery, 460 Second St. and Chrisman Picture Frame & Gallery, 480 2nd St.

Thirteen artists from the talented Splash! group and five invited artists have created images that came to them as they read The Whistling Season.  Their interpretations are imaginative and amazing.  Artists include:

1.  Ruth Armitage
2.  Kara Pilcher
3.  Susie Cowan
4.  Dave Haslett
5.  Mary Ellen Otten
6.  Anna Mastellos
7.  Dyanne Locati
8.  Janet Otten
9.  Lee Baughman
10. Patricia Schmidt
11. Jan Rimerman
12. Kathy Bethurum
13. Lois Larsen 
Guests

1.  Bill Baily
2.  Barbara Vance
3   Barbara Wagner
4.  Linda Terhark
5.  Deborah Marble

I also received a beautiful photograph from my cousin of my Great-Aunt Lois & Uncle Harry’s farm in Redstone, Montana which should get you excited to read this book! Thank you Carol!

Lonely Montana Farm - Carol Skiles

http://www.harcourtbooks.com/WhistlingSeason/interview.asp

 It was a challenge for me to decide whether to focus my painting on the characters or the setting of rural Montana. There were so many wonderful characters in this book that I had a hard time choosing, and finally decided that the landscape was the one common factor to their experience.  Doig has a great gift and I must borrow words to help me explain how this book made me feel:

Before me lies the edge of the world. I am on my way there running. – from a Papago song

I rarely do landscape, so this was both a challenge and a joy. Montana is a place that I love to visit. I have family there, and my impressions of its vastness are filled with nostalgia as well as the simple, natural beauty that emptiness and space can inspire. I hope my interpretation holds some of that emotion, through my exaggeration of color and my choice to leave any trace of human touch on the landscape out of the painting. Let me know what you think!

Smooth Buttered Plain 12x12"

While I was working in the studio for the first time in a long while, I got a call from the RiverSea Gallery in Astoria. They want to do a solo show of my work in March! (Of this year!) Oh My! That is coming right up, and I will have to work my tail off to get enough quality work completed. Yikes. I guess I needed a deadline.

Finally, I wanted to share some more links of artwork for the 100 Artists show at Mary Lou Zeek. Mary Lou has posted some more on her blog, and here are some other blogs of artists! Check them out! 

http://www.thesteelfork.com/wordpress/100-artists-show-the-honeybee/

http://www.jenworden.com/2010/01/06/january-means/

http://idolatrieartist.xanga.com/719573915/beans/