July’s Monthly Newsletter

Here’s my monthly Mailing, this time the story of Spool!

4th Annual Skies Exhibition

It’s my pleasure to announce that one of my paintings was accepted into the 4th Annual Skies Exhibition with Fusion Arts. I guess I have been working with Fusion for quite a while as I was accepted in the 3rd Annual also. And further joy, as they’re local to me, I was able to meet them a couple years ago – back when we met people IRL!

Anyway, enjoy the virtual exhibition HERE.

Monthly Newsletter

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#1451 “New Wave” 8×10 acrylic on canvas.

I have a tree painted on the back of my garage with leaves made from pieces of soda cans, stapled loosely so that they rustle delightfully in the breeze.  Against the trunk is painted ‘The wind of change may not blow you someplace different but it might shape you into something more beautiful’. 
I write this on the cusp between the Covid shutdowns and the George Floyd riots.  Many businesses have been shuttered so long they may not survive.  Some have been so impacted by the new health restrictions imposed on reopening, they have given up.  Now we see others burned or looted out of existence and yet others may be unwilling to continue in some neighborhoods. 
I have a friend who has been through several careers.  She describes the changes as getting to a point where she needed to reinvent herself.  This year it seems many will need to reinvent themselves or make adjustments to how they live or work. 
One of the adjustments I’ve been considering is to make some work more easily shippable, so it is less prohibitive to sell online.  I decided to experiment a little with refractured acrylics on canvas; lighter weight than panels, but also a different medium for the refractured part.  The first experiment (above) was relatively successful. 
Another couple items that came out of spending time at home was an update to ‘Busting the Bard’.  This is now available in paperback and kindle from Amazon.  And the fourth poetry and painting book ‘My Next Breath’ is close to being complete. (Click here for links.)  It is available as a paperback but my proofreader and the person writing an intro on the back have yet to have time to do this, so there will be an update hopefully by the end of this week and I’ll create the kindle version then.    I’ll order hard copies once art fairs restart or other outlets need restocking, but if you’d like to get a signed copy let me know.
 
I will have work in two online shows:
Jun 6-Jul 12: 6x6x2020 Online fundraiser for Rochester Contemporary Art Center
Jun 2^nd-Aug 30^th (approx) The Planet of Joy at Lark Gallery Online.  This may develop into a physical gallery show next month and I should be on a Q&A Virtual Art Talk on Zoom soon.  I’ll send another email when this is set.

Newer work #106

Golden Sunset is not only called that because of its color but because I created it during a Golden Paints seminar in which we were given samples of a bunch of different paints and textures and encouraged to play with them in a guided creation that showed different ways to use most of the products.

Inevitably I worked on it further once I got home!

#1439 Golden Sunset.  Mixed media on canvas panel. 20×16″ $200.

Newer work #101

This is on one of the panels I cut when at my friend John Weidenhamer’s place (he has a great workshop) from some upcycled  kitchen panels.

#1431 Chameleon Sky. Mixed Media, on solid panel, 30×15″. $250.
Contains the poem:
Chameleon Sky
Protects us from space’s harm
and colors our souls

Spider day 7

I used my rusty knowledge of six legged things to come up with head, thorax, abdomen.  I was thinking of a straw colored spider.

Then I went and did a bit of research – spiders don’t have a separate head and thorax, so there was a bit of a rework in order to make this anatomically correct.

Then I realized I’d put the legs on the abdomen, not the thorax, so a bit of reworking again to make it correct.

Fixed all the booboos and starting to work on the cast shadow.

Shadows in and the eyes.  All I need now is the twinkle in those eyes.

The full view.  And you can see I’ve also completed the maintenance on the edge of the roof.  Of course now Ken’s thinking I should add some markings to make it more dangerous looking.  Maybe.

Monthly newsletter

Here’s April’s monthly newsletter.  Despite the fact that all shows and classes are cancelled there’s always something to do around the studio!  More spider tomorrow!!!

Spider day 6.

I wasn’t happy with the shadows, still.  Thought they were too dark.  I experimented with going over some with a thinned down layer of Kilz2.

It’s subtle but the shadows on the lower part and the left are ligher, and I’m happier with them.

Lightened all the existing shadows and finished the rest.  Then my sweetheart tempted me with an offroading bicycle ride, so I decided the Spider itself can wait.

 

Spider day 5.

Well, I’m saying spider but I’m actually still on the web.  No pun intended.

Today I had company.  There were two water main breaks in the area.  This was the one I located.

I continued working on the shadow this afternoon.  I’d spent the morning prepping other parts of the house for a lick of paint, sanding and putting in filler.

Can you spot the mistake?  I had to go white it out with Kilz.  Fortunately in the afternoon’s dessicating breeze, I didn’t have to wait long for it to dry.

On two occasions I had an audience as the workers vented the hydrant just outside the corner of my property and created a lake in the street.

The workers wrapped up just when I had finished the shadows for all the spokes, so it seemed like a good time to quit.

Spider day 4

Didn’t get a lot of chance to work on it today – other errands had to take precedence.  I started work on the shadows.  Spent a lot of time color mixing.

Really not happy with this, too dark.

So, back to the mixing pots in the studio.  I’m doing the mural using some craft paint that I was given – I’m going to paint something new in a year or two so not worried about longevity.  Amazing how difficult getting a lighter shade was.

Kilzed over the too-dark shadows.  Still think it’s a little dark.  We will see how it looks in sunlight in the morning.