Good copies

Underpainting going down

On Friday I ran the Paint-the-night event at the Vanguard Gallery in Moreno Valley – and had 11 students, many of whom knew each other, so they were enjoying the evening together.  We painted a scene from an open road through fields in the Ojai area – a painting I’d completed in watercolor many years ago and thought would work well as a paint night subject.

Filling in the grassland.

One of the thing that I tell students at these evenings, is that their painting is not going to look exactly like mine – which is why art forgers are paid so much.

 

 

Fences going in.

However this group all got really close to the painting we were working from!  The main difference was that I had yellow ochre deep – vs yellow ochre which I usually work with, and as I hadn’t used this before, I hadn’t realized how dull this color is compared to regular ochre.  I figure I learn something in every class too, so this was it for this one!

Most of the graduates. One had to go home because her baby was crying.

Who was Vincent?

Was it a dead end, or just a curve in the road?????

I thought This was a very interesting article about Vincent van Gogh – one of my favorite painters.  Maybe he was who we thought he was, maybe not!  Ah, now there’s something we can’t do these days – trade places with our twin, start afresh, stand at the crossroads and decide to disappear around the bend.  At least not in the technologically linked world – too much verification of ID. Not quite sure if I’d want to be anyone else anyway….

 

Confluence of Disciplines

Sometimes you can just answer a simple question with the first honest – and incomplete – answer.

Here’s my monthly mailing that explains why art forms can be so interwoven.

Co-la-la-lage evening

“Soft Light” at the top of the stairs at ‘The Loft At Liz’s’

 

 

Last Saturday I sped from the art fair in Sierra Madre over to the Co-La-La-Lage reception – a juried show of the Collage Artists of America at The Loft At Liz’s in West LA.  (Well, it started with driving at the speed limit but of course it was stop and slow through downtown and we slowed to a crawl on the I10 – there was a wreck just before my exit.  Ah, yes, I love LA.)  The upstairs gallery was crowded.  I think most of the 30 artists in the show attended the reception and brought others too.  There was an awards ceremony (no, I didn’t win anything), but having two of three paintings accepted into the show was an honor.

 

Gentle Storm at ‘The Loft at Liz’s’

 

 

One of the disappointments of the show is that the paintings did not have labels on the wall next to them.  I would liked to have added the cards that have the poems that each painting has alongside the card, but it just wasn’t an option.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was interested in some of the mixed media pieces as I have a collector/friend who is looking for a mixed media piece for a certain place in his home, so I took a few shots of these when I got a chance and the crowd cleared.

“Potus’ Bedroom”

 

 

This one was one of the prize winners.  The artist said that it contained everything that was apparently important to him.   Sadly the way that CAA sends emails I can’t open the content of all of them, so I’m not able to tell you the names of any of the other pieces shown (other than mine), or the artists’ names.  Ah, technology.

Success – and failure.

#1155 Approaching Storm. Mixed Media, 48×24″. $1500. The following poem is written for and painted into the painting: Approaching Storm We play before the approaching storm, the swirling air that lifts our wings We shelter from the coming rain but love the greening that it brings We know the drops will wash us clean and, too, the sky where we are kings

This month I was happy to have four paintings accepted into competitions.  Two were accepted into the National Orange Show – the county fair of San Bernardino, and two of three were accepted into Co-La-La-Lage – a show of Collage Artists of America, whom I have recently joined.  It just so happened that the take-in/judging for the CAA show and the reception for both were at times where I was going to be in the area.  Often this is a deciding factor on whether or not I will enter a show!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#1270 “4th”. Mixed media, 15×15″ $150. The following poem is written for and painted into the painting: 4th The fourth of July stars bursting against the night and raining color.

After having attended a 1-day conference about financing for non-profits, as one of the advisory committee members for Moreno Valley Cultural Arts Foundation, I was able to go to the reception and awards ceremony at the fairgrounds in San Bernardino.  I didn’t win any ribbons but made a couple useful contacts, some for me, some for MVCAF.  I was blessed with having had my paintings hung close together – and near the entry for the reception.  Those were the successes.  The failure was of my phone to let me know that it didn’t save either of the photos I took of them to put on the blog!  But here are the ones that were accepted.

If you’re in the LA area – perhaps you would like to attend the reception for the  CAA show which is this coming Saturday, 7-10pm at The Loft at Liz’s.  This time I’ll make sure I have the photos on the phone!!!

 

Newer work #50

I thought I would choose the raindrop shapes and the pink background for this one because we always think of rain/water as blue/gray/white.  So I thought I would be obstreporous and go the other side of the color wheel.

#1229 Love Rain II. Mixed media on pine panel, 17″ diameter. $300.

The picture of this in place gives a much better idea of the texture and sheen.

December’s monthly newsletter

Forecast cloudy…… click here to see why…