The Hills of Andalucia

This piece was inspired by the majestic hills of Spain. Look closely and take in a deep breath of the sea. Watch the verdant grasses blow in the wind. Bend over and pick a wildflower of striking color. This is Andalucia in marvelous abstract form.

Hills of Andalucia 12x16 $400

Art Show!!!

I will be participating in Portland's First Friday Art Walk on January 7th from 5-8 pm. The venue is Dock Fore on 336 Fore Street. The event is FREE and although my art will be showcased for the entire month, the 7th is the official opening. I plan to discuss my work and greet friends, family, and local patrons during the evening. So stop in for a drink, some conversation, and of course to look at the fabulous art!

It's Geometry 10x10 $250

The Great Paintstik Experiment

I am happy to report that my Shiva brand paintstiks are working marvelously in place of the pastels. Although I am still getting used to the drying time of oil paints, the paintstiks dry a lot faster than the tubes of oil paint that I bought for background work. I can still color in details, use layers of color to create texture, and etch out areas I don't want, just as I would with pastels. The only thing I really miss about my old medium is the ability to smudge and blend colors, which isn't possible with paintstiks. However, having been forced into a new medium out of necessity, I am really proud of the work I've been creating.

The piece below is titled, Enter the Cosmos. Like a lot of my work, this is based from a previous sketch I had done. I am always interested in studying the way color relates to blank space -- the calm amidst the chaos, if you will -- hence all the etching work I did inside the bubbles and the expansive red background. This piece takes me directly into galaxies far, far away. I love this piece as an individual work but it is actually part of a triptych. The complete set of Enter the Cosmos will be exhibited with other pieces at my First Friday show on January 7th.

Enter the Cosmos three 6x8 panels $450

I am so stoked to have gotten new art supplies today! I will be posting photos of my new art pieces as I churn them out. Although I've been looking forward to my new work, I always enjoy viewing some of my previous art. This is one of my favorites. I call it, At the Circus. The fun, bright colors remind me of being a kid and going to the circus with my folks. Ah, the memories.

At the Circus 21x28 $375

The Story Begins

In September I made the transition from housekeeper to full-time artist amidst cries of, "Oh no, but what about the economy!?," "Artists never make money," and "You're making a terrible mistake." Three months later, every time an expense comes up, my partner will ask, "Are you sure you don't want your old job back?" to which I emphatically reply, "No!" Although it did provide a steady paycheck, my former job left me feeling empty, exhausted, and like I was going nowhere. Eventually my personal feelings far outweighed a steady paycheck and so I took the great leap and haven't looked back.

Immediately I started telling everyone I knew about my artistic pursuits and I was overwhelmed by the donations of hand-me-down supplies ranging from pastel sets and paper to paints and brushes. Of course, being new to the art game, I had no idea about things like archival quality, how to hang my work without damaging it, or even which medium would be right for me. However, I now had materials and making use of what I had available, I jumped right in with oil pastels.

Although they can be messy, the flexibility to create depth and layers of texture, to etch, and to get fine details just right are all integral to my pieces. I fell in love... hard. In some ways it's too bad that I've decided to not only be an artist, but to be -- god, this sounds horribly cliche --the best artist I can be. I started investigating the archival qualities and lightfastness of my precious pastels, which in simple terms, means how well the color will last over time. Unfortunately, the hand-me-downs were given for a reason. The quality was terrible in terms of archiving and how could I conciously sell, give, or display a piece that I knew wasn't of the highest standard? I couldn't.

So okay. Deeeep breath. I discovered pastels that were of a higher quality and decided that when I had the money, I would try them out. And then it happened. I got an email stating that I was selected by Dock Fore in Portland to display my work for the month of January. Yippee, my first exhibit! And then the panic set in. How do I display my work? What materials should I use? What about pricing? How large should the art be?, and on and on my mind went in total freak out mode. Although I adore my pastels, I realized that I couldn't exhibit them without proper framing and being a poor out of work artist (at least, at the moment), I just can't afford it. My heart is broken but with a show one month away, I have no choice but to switch mediums. Besides, I rarely back away from the chance to try something new.

I tried using acrylics but it was immediately apparent that I am not a painter and acrylics couldn't give me the desired depth or etching qualitites I love and I'm not ready to tackle oil paints, though I suspect I would run into many of the same issues. With four weeks until my Dock Fore debut, I still have to buy materials and get down to work. I am hoping to have better luck with paintsticks, and perhaps reserve acrylics for background work. By mid-week I should have some photos of my paintstick experiments but until then, I shall post some of my pastels, if only for the memories.

My Lovely Birches

A friend once told me of a dream he'd had which featured some very abstract birch trees. In the dream, red, yellow, and orange were displayed beautifully. I quickly set to work studying the shapes of birch trees and designed what I call, "My Lovely Birches." Thanks, Marc!