Traveling a bit...

I just got back from some wine events and traveling in the wine country in California (well, somebody had to do it!). The day before leaving I needed to get rid of some flowers 0n our table that still had wayyyy to much beauty to just chuck in the garbage. Instead of packing, etc., I headed out to my studio for 'just one sketch' and here is what evolved. Needless to say I fell in love with this gorgeous bouquet and fell a bit behind on my schedule. My goal was to finish this the day after I returned, but a family emergency is taking me to the airport today, so this project will be waiting for me a week or so longer.

I will finish, photograph and enter this when I get home. In the meantime, my goal is to continue to get 'just one more sketch' in daily while I travel.

"Bon Voyage"

Amana Bamboo?

Last weeked I spent in the Amana Colonies studying Sumi-e painting with Karen Kurka Jensen. She has been practicing Chinese brush painting for 20 years and has studied under Susan Frame. Karen was fun, energetic and informative on the issue of Chinese Brush Painting. We painted orchids, bamboo and learned much about Eastern philosophy in art.

This was a study that I thought was so-so, until I did some negative-painting with sumi-e ink. By doing this the highlights in the bamboo just popped. I am happy with this piece; and am thankful to meet and study with another talented artist.

Pondering the Game

Tomorrow I am entering this painting in a juried show in Omaha. The show is centered around an Alice in Wonderland theme and is to be displayed at The Hot Shops Gallery in Omaha.

I have combined several techniques and am quite happy with the results of this process. This is an oil monoprint, with collage and an encaustic coating. I mounted this monoprint on hardwood and then coated the finished piece with beeswax and a damar varnish coating. I then had this framed in a matte-black shadow frame. I love the look! It is contemporary in style, yet the young Alice is a powerful piece. I will try this process again.

I am thankful for themed art shows. They truely are fun to prepare and paint for.

A Day in Ojai with Richard

Two weeks ago I spent 3 days in Ojai, California painting in pastels with Richard McKinley. What a wonderful, informative, intellectual and talented artist. He worked so hard at making the rounds, speaking, teaching, critiqueing, and painting with all of us. I also met many wonderful artists, most from the area around Ojai and Santa Barbara.

Anyway, this is a plein-air painting that I did on location while at Lake Casitas. It was a tranquil, sunny day. A good place to do compositional and value studies. I started with an underpainting in watercolor, and finished this with pastels. I will work on this more, but for now have this propped up in my studio while I ponder just what else needs to be done. I find that as I get more comfortable with my techniques, I need to think more and paint less. I could go on here ad nauseum, but will sign off as I feel this painting describes the day better than any words I could write.

Thank you Richard.

The Offering Basket- completed

This is the final version of The Offering Basket. I had an offer to buy this by a viewer, yet wanted to do something with the hard-white area in the middle. I found that a soft, sky/like background wash was a good way to both save the lights in the composition and pull this painting together.

I am thankful for people who value art enough to share their thoughts on my pieces or to even purchase a piece. What a validating and generous gesture!

An Unfinished Painting..........

Well, I decided to put both good and bad days/(weeks?) into this blog as this is reality in a studio- MY studio anyway. I have been trying to finish a painting that is to be auctioned off at a local gala in the near future. It started out as an exciting array of colors/forms and emotions (the abstract orchid from my last blog entry) but came to an abrupt stop when it came to finishing/tweaking the background. I have been in a funk/deadlock/or whatever you call it when you stand in front of your painting with your heart racing (due to deadlines and imagined faces of 100s of people standing in front of one's painting with faces of boredom as the auctioneer keeps begging for bids..........). How do you meet these deadlines without compromising your art? How does an artist appeal to buyers and still say what is in their heart? I really did not think this would be so hard.

Anyway, I have decided to leave this painting alone for now. Lesson learned. I am taking one of my other paintings (a favorite!) and placing this in the auction as I need to get started on yet another commission before the week is done. Actually, I am already planning that next painting as I type this. Ahhhhh, thank goodness for new ideas, a new day and a cup of tea.

"Happy painting!"

Khanh's Orchids

Today I finished (?) a painting that is going to be auctioned off in a week or so at the Des Moines Wine Fest Gala. It's propped in my studio at present so that tomorrow morning I can walk in and look at it with fresh eyes.

This painting was started approximately 24 hours ago as a release for my frustration. You see, my husband is president of Wine Fest this year and was walking through my studio as I painted, flipping through painting after painting for the "perfect painting" for a Wine Fest auction item. Well, this is not a comfortable scenario for me (and I think most artists!) so I told him I would "get right on that" and ushered him out of my studio door. I then pulled out a full sheet of YUPO paper, grabbed a gorgeous potted orchid & plopped it on my desk and jumped right into my fresh paint with the largest brush I could grab. Ahhhh, the right side of my brain is such a great place to go and just play...........

I love getting into the brushwork (Chinese or Asian style) of the flowers and leaves, then figuring out the design and composition as I go along. I am comfortable and stimulated by this style of painting, but it goes against what I have been taught by traditional teachers (by first doing value studies, choosing one's palette, sketches, etc). I am also finding that many of my paintings that I do in this way look similar to me. Sooooo, "is this my style or am I just in a rut?" Ooooooh! Such deep, philosophical questions..........