The Puppy project

Riverside Art Museum is holding a fundraiser called Art Bark in the Park to which I applied and was assigned a pup. I decided to paint the pup in oil – a skyscape with lawns on the bottom of each paw with dogs on, and my sonnet about dogs painted into the clouds.  So far I’ve done the sky and the lawns.  I will need to wait a week or so until that is dry enough to add the dogs and poems.  I didn’t know until I picked up the dog that I was getting a beagle.

The blank canvas. I’d had to fix the undercoat in a few places. The difference in undercoat color won’t affect the painting.

My fellow artist Mary Foote came over to see this as a demo so took some photos of me in action

I was showing Mary how to blend clouds in oil

Photographed this one at an angle to get the entire dog in.

And it’s possible to paint on the back, so I have another canvas to dream up!

A show goes up.

It has been a little while since I blogged – sorry – busy then away for a while.  Actually ‘off the net’ which pretty much equates to vanished!

Tuesday June 4th I set off for Escondido Municipal Gallery where I hung a solo show in a single room that, when I first stepped into it seemed small, but yes, the dimensions did work out as the plan said and all the paintings I bought fit in nicely as planned.  Actually I had some extra space on the outside I hadn’t know about, but that was easily handled because I brought more smaller paintings than I thought I’d have room for, so it ended up perfect!  Just took me two hours instead of one.  Then it was pedal to the metal to catch the plane (which was eventually cancelled and I ended up leaving the next day, but that’s another story entirely).

Box city arrives

…and a little table for promo materials and a bin.

Now it’s starting to take shape.  At this point one of the local artists came by and liked my work and wanted to buy a book. 

…line em up!

You can see that I like to work barefoot where possible.

Now that looks like a show

One on each side of the door

Looking good!  Books and cards went into the gift shop at the front.

The back wall is concrete and the gallerists gave me special nails that go in the wall, my regular nails were turning into L-shapes!

I spent so much time getting the quadtych level! It’s so much easier in a booth.

Almost ready. One more sign to go up, and that box of nails to go back into storage

Indio Senior Center

May 1st I went over to Indio Senior Center and hung 21 paintings.  Or more accurately, Nancy Vance, the community program administrator hung them after I opened boxes and set them out against the wall.  And we put up the prices and signage and photographed the show.  In 45 minutes.  Talk about knowing what we’re doing!

Looking good!

And we had compliments before we’d finished.

…from the other direction…

The fastest hanger in the west, Nancy is going to put them on their facebook page.

A nice little surprise.

When I went to pick up my paintings yesterday from the Riverside County Fair – also the National Date Festival, I had a nice little surprise. Of the three paintings I entered, two came home with ribbons, and I came home with a nice little check.  ‘The Setting Sun’ had taken an honorable mention in the Theme of the year, non-traditional, and ‘Gentle Storm’ had taken first place in the same category.  Well, the theme of the year was clouds….

Two winners at the National Date Festival.  Oooh, look at that big fat bow.

Painting the morning in the night

Last night I guided a small group through a paint and wine class at Vanguard Gallery in Moreno Valley.  One of my students had already taken classes with me, including the Absolute Beginners class and was happy to work through this painting  of winter solstice sunrise across the Salton Sea to hone some of the skills.

We’re doing an underpainting to get rid of the white so in the final painting we’re not strugging with that aspect

We’re painting the sky part of the top coat

It’s easier to paint the bottom of the panel when it’s upside down.

Adding the sun.

All done!

 

Newer work #85

First of three.  These were painted together – small panels that would fit between doors in a hallway.  However, I’ve hung them together in the booth and some people have considered they would make a nice triptych.

#1364 “Just us Three”. Refractured watercolor on panel 18×5″ $60 inc shipping!

Anniversary at the Vanguard

My strong association with the Vanguard Gallery in Moreno Valley – I teach there, curate about a third of the year’s shows and sit on the advisory committee – goes back pretty much to its inception 7 years ago.  For August Rick didn’t have a theme he wanted to work on and I couldn’t find another artist so I had to fill the walls myself.  I had lost track of the years, but the reception is going to be the 7th Anniversary of the Vanguard.  A few special items will be scheduled, including a mini petting zoo with some rabbits and birds, and probably Rick will come up with some other things between now and then – then being August 11th 5-7pm.  In the mean time, here’s the show wall of the gallery.