Every day you get a chance to start over….

#1432 “Joy of newness”, mixed media on panel 18×10. $180.
I just wondered whether I’ve now written more haiku than sonnets….
Every day you get a chance to start over….
#1432 “Joy of newness”, mixed media on panel 18×10. $180.
I just wondered whether I’ve now written more haiku than sonnets….
Today’s inspiration. I just love living here.
I had a painting accepted in the Sunrises and Sunsets Art Exhibit, held by Fusion Arts. There’s no excuse for not seeing this exhibit, despite the current closure of most facilities, because it’s online. Happy to see that my friend Diane Morgan won one of the awards.
Last week I went to the monthly meeting of the La Mirada Art Club to talk about my work and demonstrate part of my process for them. I was fortunate that one of the members agreed to take some pics of me working while I was assembling the refractured watercolor.
Here’s the empty room, just when I’d set up.
After having watched me brutally hack up my painting, I start by assembling the horizon.
I usually am looking at the sky the ‘right way up’…..
…and I usually start with the top of the sky….
Now it’ starting to come together.
Sliding some deeper blue under other pieces.
Well folks, that’s all we have time for tonight.
This is the layout that I created at the demo, but I just picked up the pieces without marking their places.
This is the final product
The poem in it reads:
Dawn leaves me speechless
These gold and turquoise jewels
precious beyond words.
Last weekend I was at the 29 Palms Art Gallery pretty much all weekend. On the Saturday we had an art fair during the day and in the evening was the reception for the Membership Show, which was a judged show.
Some of the Artwork in the Main Gallery
Sometimes I had to wait until the people moved around.
There just wasn’t a good angle on this one for the camera.
The Pickering Gallery had a nice selection. As I was looking around the show early in the morning, I was approached by someone who wanted to buy one of the artworks in there.
There was quite a bit of 3-D art. This one won a ribbon.
The West gallery contained something familiar. Again, I was struggling with glare…
I’d seen David’s work before and it was good to finally meet him because he had a booth at the fair that day.
On Sunday my co-worker at the gallery was Miri, whose painting is on the left here. She is also a singer and sang at the reception when I had my first show at the Glass Outhouse Gallery a couple years ago. I have a CD of hers.
Earlier in the month I’d encourage Tim to create something to enter the show. He won best of show!
Posting my monthly newsletter promptly seems to be a good item to have on the New Year’s Resolution list.
#1404 “Stretch” 7.5×5.5 watercolor collage in mat to 9×7. $45
“Stretch” is reminiscent of a painting I did in the early days where the tree reaches into the sun. This one though has a poem – a haiku – written for it and into it:
Stretch into the light
My leaves are needing the sun
Food comes from the sky.
A few years ago I was introduced to the Glass Outhouse Gallery in Wonder Valley – just east of 29 Palms. It is in the middle of nowhere, even more than I am, and has a small gallery where Laurel and Howard hold month-long 2-artist shows, and a sculpture garden made of recycled material art, created by Howard.
Four skies in the Glass Outhouse Gallery
I had a show there a few years ago with my Mixed Media work and am scheduled to have another show there with that medium in January 2021. Yes, artists do plan ahead.
The cart shows that this is a hanging day.
As I have another body of work and enough Mixed Media to run two shows concurrently, I’m on their ‘waitlist’. A list of artists who, in an emergency can put together a show in a couple days. Last week I got the call.
The outgoing artist hadn’t picked up her work yet.
I had planned to take my oils and acrylics to the show in Monrovia this weekend, but with a quick call I managed to get that changed and this body of work was available for the month.
Nice little row, the last 4 ‘diamonds’
My fellow artist is Tami Wood. We both joked that our names are two four-letter words. Her work is made exclusively of recycled materials. We’ve called our show ‘Fleeting Passions’ because we both explore ephemeral aspects of our environment.
And room for the bin, that holds paintings I did in or for paint and wine evenings that I’ve taught.
After the show in Newport I brought everything up and hung the show. Howard will pin up the prices later.
I’m surprised the one on the left hadn’t sold at Newport, it had a lot of interest.
Because of existing commitments (Monrovia), I can’t be at the reception but Tami will handle that and I’ll do my share of gallery sitting during the month.
The painting on the right is one from my house – I’m down to the last few oils and acrylics and am selling at discount prices!
What I didn’t realize until I told another friend in 29 Palms about the late arrangement, I’d scored a show during the Highway 62 Art Tour – three of the four weekends in October, and the Glass Outhouse Gallery is one of the stops. Wow, I’m sure glad I decided to go for it!
Almost exactly the right amount of space, there was only one suitable painting I didn’t put up!
I feel bless that because of various issues outside of my scope, I now have a show with both bodies of work on the Highway 62 tour – I have Mixed Media work at the High Desert Medical Center!
I was happy to learn recently that in the 3rd Annual Skies Art Exhibition at Fusion Arts I received an Honorable Mention for the painting below.
“Sunrise with Creosote” Oil on canvas 30×40″. $1500.
A recent sale of one of my larger paintings resulted in this young couple hanging a beautiful view over their dining room table.
“Away we go” has the following poem written for it and painted in just below the horizon. (The birds that it refers to aren’t easily seen at this distance.) The days approach the dawns’ bright glow we stretch our wings away we go.