Huge changes and going with the flow

It has been awhile since I posted here.  Lots of things have happened and I chose to let my blog go in order to create and deal with life.  

The biggest news is that I am sad to report that the Carolina Artists' Colony has closed after almost five years.  It was a wonderful gallery for me and I have made some life long friends.  The owners and managers worked hard to make it a success, but it was difficult to keep it open. Considering that the Colony was open seven days a week and this is a small town, I can see the challenge, but they still did an amazing job for a long time.

I loved that I could hang my work and change it out any time I wanted and no one limited what I exhibited.  But that is all over and I must move on. 

During the month of September, I will be moving my work from the Colony to my studio. Rearranging my studio to hold my work will be a big challenge, but I will make it work.  I am a very organized person, but I have so much 'stuff' that I will need time to make the transition.

My temporary plan is to have a monthly open studio to show my work. Hopefully, after the first of the year, I will have found 15 local artists who wish to start a co-op and work a few days a month and rent space for their artwork. If you are a local artist and are interested in this venture, please email me.

I joined the Sanford Brush and Palette Club and will be exhibiting some work at the Temple Theatre the middle of September.  I also plan to participate in the SBPC's 52nd Annual Fall Art Show in October.

During September and October, I am working on a show that I will be the featured artist for November and December at Liquidambar in Pittsboro. I am attempting to make all new work for that show!

November is Art of the Carolinas.  I will be demo'ing Pebeo paints for the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild.  We have a Make and Take room and guild members demo products that are sold at the trade show.  If you live near Raleigh (or even if you don't), it is a good time to test new products and buy art supplies, take some workshops and enjoy spending time with other artists.

Here are a few images of recent paintings and experiments.

Enjoy!  

If you wish to be added to a mailing list, please send me your email address or snail mail address and I will keep you posted when I have open studio events!

The above painting is made with alcohol inks, and the large jellyfish is Pebeo paints.  It is coated in resin.

Below are some experiments using metallic paints with alcohol inks. 

The painting below has a new alcohol ink in it.

New paintings

It has been a busy year and I am behind, but gradually catching up.  I am working on a few commissions and that put me behind with my painting a day.

I also realized that to do the types of paintings that I do that it is next to impossible to do a painting a day. So now this blog will focus primarily on what I complete each month and what I am in the process of creating.

These are the completed paintings and a little info about a couple of other experimental projects.

#1628 Night Vision

16"x16"x2"

#1629 Metamorphosis

16"x16"x2"

#1630 Dream Patterns

30"x24"x1.5"

#1631 The Dance of the Jellyfish III

48"x36"x2"

SOLD

 #1632 Flow

#1633 100 Pendants or Charms

I made 100 charms or pendants using some oil paints and some blank metal frames.  I am experimenting with using oil paints similar to my process of painting with alcohol inks.  Instead of using different chemical compositions of alcohol inks, I am using solvents to make patterns with the oil paints.  These are small experiments. Notice the man in the top upper left.  I did not intentionally paint him there, but he just showed up. These have a resin coating on the surface that adds dimension.  All are highly reflective due to the resin so I could not get a good photo of them.

#1634 Don't Stop Now

I accidentally started pouring the resin on this prior to the inks drying. One type of alcohol ink 'chased' the resin away and pushed it over the edge of the board. I will use this technique soon on a painting that I have an idea to do. This painting is not for sale. Just wanted to show it to you. I experiment a lot and almost every day I discover something new.

February is flying by!

I must admit that my plans to do a painting a day did not pan out.  I am still going to pick up in March and hope to go ahead with the painting each day.  

I went on a trip for several days and have had to work on getting stock priced for my booths at an antique mall----and working on taxes! Many distractions this month, but I have still found time to paint every day except for the five days on the trip.

Several paintings are in the works.  I have finished two paintings that were on my table that I wanted to get out of the studio.

#1626

At the End of the Rainbow

Rainbow Mountains, China

24"x30"x1.5"

Oil

#1627

A Salute to Midnight

16"x16"x2"

Mixed Media

A Painting a Day - Second Report

I have not been able to complete a painting a day as planned, but the good news is I am not too far behind to still catch up.  I realize now that to paint a large painting is sometimes more than a week's worth of work so to add other paintings each day along with the business of being an artist, I was overly ambitious!  But that is my nature.

I am not going to alter my expectations just yet as I have more paintings in the works even though not complete.

To view my first ten days, you can see them here.

First painting that I completed this session was an oil painting. It is an abstract based on the Outer Banks Coastal Line.

24"x6"x2"

Outer Banks, NC

I taught a class in how to turn a non-porous surface into a porous surface to accept watercolors or silk fabric dyes. I completed these gourds for the class and the day after the class. # 1612, #1613, #1614

A couple of months ago, I sold the painting, The Dance of the Jellyfish.  I had two requests to paint two more jellyfish paintings by different people.  I started the new one at the beginning of the year and had just finished it on the 15th and had been holding it until the weather was good to get a good photograph. 

I delivered it to the Carolina Artists' Colony yesterday and it was purchased by the same buyer as soon as it entered the doors.  I am thrilled, but will need to stay focused on making another since this one had been started for others interested in a jellyfish painting like the first that had sold. Although I did not intentionally make this one to go with the first, they have a mirror image look to them and this one has a couple of seahorses.  They will be hung in a beautiful home in Florida on each side of the fireplace.

This photo is not good, but with the sheen to the surface, it is almost impossible to get a good photo without a sunny day.

  #1615

The Dance of the Jellyfish II

48"x36"x2"

A friend, (Hi Elena!) came to visit for a day and we decided to use some paints that I seemed to never touch. I was just getting the hang of the paints by the time I painted the third one shown here. We spent the day painting 6"x6"x1" paintings---hearts for Valentine's Day. 

#1616 The Dotted Heart

#1617 Every heart has a question(mark).

#1618 The Purple Heart

#1619

Deep in the Volcano

6"x6"x1"

#1620

Eye of the Feather

6"x6"x1"

#1621

I carry your heart in mine.

6"x6"x1"

I am testing new alcohol inks.  These three are 12"x12" and are not for sale until I determine how colorfast the brand is.  #1622, #1623 and #1624. It is very difficult to get an element this large so I hope it turns out that they do not fade over the next year after being exposed to my studio light and some sunlight every day. 

#1625

In Search of Gold

12"x12"

Update:  Today is January 31 and I ended up with 25 paintings completed for the month instead of the 31 that I had planned. Some of the 25 were small ones, but I also taught a class, and did numerous other things needed to keep home and studio flowing. I began a new series for February today and have two already in the works.  I will be out of my studio for a week in February so will need to work double time the rest of the month. Wish me luck!

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