Listening

Lost in Translation, acrylic/collage on canvas, 5" x 7", ©2008

"A poet friend of mine told me that his poems know far more than he does, and if he listens to them, then they teach him."

-Madeleine L'Engle from A Ring of Light

Art (at the) Salon

Several of my recent paintings are now on display at Salon Rouge in downtown Bothell. Carole, my hairdresser and owner of this beautiful Aveda salon, has become one of my patrons and asked me if I would like to exhibit my work there. Said she wanted to be surrounded by my art. :) Happy to oblige.

All pieces on display, except for the one owned by Carole herself, are available for sale. To see them, and/or to make a hair appointment, give Carole a call at 425/485-5016. Or drop by at 10116 Main Street (part of Bothell's Main Street Mall, the main entrance is in the back of the building).

Obama, Obama, Obama!

I am distracted to say the least. I'm sure it's at least partly due to it being Election Day, and it's a big one. Since I voted last week, I thought maybe I could pretend today was just like any other day and just wait until tonight to see if our political future is truly history in the making, or, God forbid, more of the same.

Anyway, I thought I'd re-post this video from the beginning of Obama's campaign. It really captures why Obama got my vote - he brings with him a true sense of hope for a brighter tomorrow.



If you haven't already, get out and vote!

StudioTenshi: Small Works

Flight, acrylic/collage on canvas, 5" x 7", ©2008

As I said in my last post, I have a project I'm working on that was at least in part inspired by my small painting Purple Dusk. I say in part because it's actually an idea I've admired when other artists (most recently Tracy Helgeson, but I've seen many others as well) use it, and with the completion of Purple Dusk it finally got through to me that maybe I could do that too. (Really don't know what took me so long.)

So, here it is, a place to showcase my 8" x 8" and smaller artwork. It's in the beginning stages and still in need of some tweaking, but I wanted to share it. To celebrate this new venture, and for the holidays, I'm offering the pieces at a bit of a discount.

The first several pieces will be paintings on canvas, but in the near future I will also start offering small collages, monoprints, and paintings on paper. Limited edition photographic prints of the images I capture with my Diana+ lomographic camera are also in the works.

Head on over and take a look. And be sure to check back often so you don't miss anything. :)

Back in the studio

Purple Dusk, acrylic/collage on canvas, 5"x 7", ©2008

This is the last piece I completed before moving took over my life two weeks ago. As I re-entered the studio yesterday, I found myself working on more small pieces. In the past year or so I've discovered when I'm feeling stressed or unfocused or I've been away from the studio for awhile, that working on small pieces provides a gentle way to get back into it. The large pieces can seem too daunting and intimidating, while a small piece is non-threatening (in size and in cost of materials) and can usually be completed relatively quickly. Then, once I've done one or two of them, I usually feel confident enough, and focused enough, to get back to larger pieces.

In the meantime, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. Now that the moving process is winding down (though the unpacking seems endless), it's like my mind is being flooded by all the thoughts and ideas that were being blocked by the flotsam of the moving process, and they're a whirlwind in my brain! This makes it difficult to keep focused because I keep thinking of other things I should be, or simply want to be, doing. I had actually intended to write this post yesterday, for instance, but it just didn't happen.

I do have an idea that was inspired, at least in part, by this painting and I hope to be able to implement it by the end of the week, so check back.

endless sea of boxes

Ah, look at these innocent boxes. The first I packed a couple of weeks ago when we decided to move house. These turned into a sea of boxes which we moved this past Saturday and that I'm still working through as I unpack our lives into our new home. I finally finished the kitchen yesterday and today I've made good progress on the livingroom and my little home studio. My computer is now in it's armoire and I can sit down in a chair to use it - that's definitely progress.

And my brain is slowly emerging from moving mode and I can see some glimmer of it getting back to art again soon. My goal is to get back to my regular studio schedule next week. I might even be able to go in tomorrow for a couple of hours! Don't know if any paint will meet canvas, but it will be good to at least be with my supplies again.

Even immersed in the sea of boxes, I did manage to hear a lot about the plight of the economy, and so far I think this solution makes the most sense:

See more Natalie Portman videos at Funny or Die

Brushes with the Land opening reception

Me next to the four paintings of mine in the show.

View of part of the gallery. It was a packed house!

Went to the opening reception for Brushes with the Land at Gallery by the Bay in Stanwood last night. Lots of great art (57 artists had work accepted) and a bustling atmosphere. It was a very impressive turnout, especially considering that Stanwood isn't exactly in the middle of things. I got to meet and converse with some wonderful Northwest artists, including Graham Fracha, Janice Kirstein, Pat Clayton, and William Turner (no, not that William Turner!). A good time was had by all.

The show will be up until November 16th, so if you're in the area, go see it. :)

Now back to art

Veil IV, acrylic/collage on canvas, 12" x 24" ©2008

I finally made it back to the studio today. It's been hard going, but I felt some of the ol' magic returning this morning, so I have hope.

The pictured painting I completed a month or two ago following another rough patch in the studio. After going to the studio day after day, starting canvas after canvas, struggling to make art for over a month following the art show in New York, I completed this and 4 other paintings in quick succession. And I really feel they are some of my best work yet. It was a real lesson in keeping at it even when it doesn't seem to be working.

I finally got around to putting them on my website today.

...and a new home

Still feeling a bit off kilter - so much stuff demanding attention from my brain. Not the least of which is that we just signed the lease agreement for a house, so now we're moving! I fell in love with this house when we first moved to Bothell 3 years ago. It had been on the market for quite a while, but in a price range that was just way beyond our means. Then, a little over a week ago, we drove by it and saw the For Rent sign in the yard! Barely daring to hope, we wrote down the phone number and gave the owner a call.

A week later we got a chance to meet with the owner and tour the house. We got along great with him, loved the house, and we all agreed that this would be a great match. We'll be moving in by the end of the month! It all happened so fast.

So, now we pack. No matter how great and welcome a move this is, moving is still so stressful, and I'm having trouble getting into art-making mode. I'm hoping that since my studio doesn't have to be packed up in order to make this move that I'll be able to get back to creating soon.

new look

Well, this is my new look. Thanks to my hairdresser and the magic of chemistry, after 40 years of being blonde I am now a redhead. And I picked up my new specs this morning. If you want to see the before, visit this post from January.

So many thoughts, and so much I've been wanting to write about, but I just can't seem to organize my thoughts well enough. Same problem in the studio lately too. So, for today anyway, I've decided to stop fighting it and just go read a fun book (primary characters are werewolves) for the rest of the day and hope that the break will help my brain reset itself.