The Girls

The Girls
encaustic on birch 18 x 24

These girls went to the art show last week.  I decided last minute to enter a second show that was the same weekend.  It was pretty fun for me to go and see my paintings hanging in the exhibit.   I met my goal I had set for June.  I wanted to get my stuff out of the house and into the world if only for a weekend. 

It helps to set intentions.  It helps me anyway to have something to shoot for.   I aim high, always.  Why not?  See what happens.  Sometimes we hit the target dead on and its an amzing thing to realize that you hit it!  Yet, I can't tell you the number of times I've aimed a little too high and things fall to my feet like the leaves in the autumn.  I can't say I've ever hurt myself by setting high intentions.  I've been disappointed yes, but that's part of the process.  It's the stepping stone and its OK to fall.  Even when things fall flat or short or the aim is too high, it seems like there is something that is invaluable about the experience.  There is a lesson, or a small golden nugget laying within the downfall.  That nugget is what keeps us going for the next try.  Do I sometimes overlook the nugget, the good thing that comes from the mess?  Yes, its easy to do.  But, even through disappointment we need to sift and find the one good thing that's there.  There is always a good thing - always.

The show experience for me was a target hit - dead on.  Met my goal to get the paintings out there.  Got accepted into the shows.  Even sold one!  Two more hits - bam, bam.   The disapointment - the Girls didn't make the cut and never left the back room of the show.  Mrs. Finch and Mint also didn't make the cut.  My golden nugget?  Whisper (my header painting) got seven votes for people's choice award.  That meant a lot to me.

Thank you to all of you who helped me select the paintings to go to the shows last week by giving feedback on the choices in my post last Friday.  I SO appreciate all of you and your kind words.  Happy Paint Party Friday everyone!  Can't wait to blog hop and see what all you are creating!

Portland, Baseball Nut and Hip Hop

Hip Hop
encaustic on birch 8x8

I've been in Vancouver, WA for a couple of days which is just across the Columbia River from Portland, OR.  Its fun to get out of town and make a road trip.  Just 3 hours away and an easy drive.    Hip Hop made the journey with me.  She now lives happily with a very good friend of mine.  She's also my ice cream inspiration this week with her black raspberry and vanilla colors. 
I have to say that I really did love Portland.  Its quirky and fun.  Have you ever watched Portlandia? - well... its kinda true in a good fun way.  

 

Its Baseball Nut flavor over at Summer of Color2 this week.  Vanilla and black raspberry swirl with cashews.  Sounds pretty yummy don't you think?  Its also Paint Party Friday!  Can't wait to make the Hip Hop and see what everyone is up to. 

M is for....

M

Its the midway point at FILM26.  That means that I'm half way to my goal of shooting film for a year.  I'm halfway to my goal of making and collecting the 24 letter tiles that appear in the film photos.  I'm also kinda biased to the letter M, since it is my initial.  I decided for the M letter photo that I would have it be me... jeans and chucks. 

 M also is for magenta, which is one of my favorite colors.

 M is also for Mexican Food, which I love.

I'm celebrating M and all its marvelousness.  Happy Solstice.  Happy midway.  We're half way there.

Mint

Mint
Encaustic on Birch 10x10

Sometimes we have to experiment.  Try something new.  Take a leap and hope we sprout wings before we hit the ground.  I've decided to do just that.
I set a personal goal that June was my official unofficial deadline to do something with the art I am creating.  I'm going to enter my first juried art show since I was a kid.  I drop of my paintings tomorrow - fingers crossed.  It'll be the first time my encaustic paintings have left my home.  The first time for people to see them in person.  And, oh my gosh... they are for sale too.

My Dad was an artist and he entered lots of shows.   The Ocean Shores Art Show was the local event and being that we lived in the community, he would enter.  So, I entered too.   I remember going to the show for the opening event.  There it was, my painting.  It was a lovely brown horse with a saddle, blue sky and green grass.  And hanging next to my painting was a big blue ribbon!  wow.  I was 7.  I entered every year with my Dad until I was about 14 and I felt I had better things to do.

This is Mint.  Over at  Summer of Color 2, we have moved on to our next ice cream inspiration::
Chocolate Chip Mint.  One of my personal favorites!!  Of course B and J's Cherry Garcia and Salted Caramel from Molly Moon in Seattle are my all time favs.  However,  Chocolate Chip Mint is a close runner up in my mind.  In keeping with trying something new, I decided to try a tonal portrait and just focus on the shapes and values that make up the face.  Also, wanted to keep with our inspiration colors.   I kept the palette simple with black, white, raw umber and raw sienna and alizarin crimson for her lips.  This experiment was SO helpful for me who gets a bit tied up in the color.  So, I think I'll try another, a little bigger and easier for detail work. 

I'm asking all my friends to send happy vibes to the judges of the show so they will pick my paintings to hang on the walls of Bastyr University for the Kenmore Art Show, June 21-24. 
Also, I would love your help to decide what paintings I should take.  I can take 3 paintings.  I have grouped them in potential sets of three - four choices.  What do you think?  Option 1,2,3 or 4?

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Thank you to all of my Paint Party Friday friends and my new friends at Summer of Color 2.  I so appreciate the inspiration you provide to me with your beautiful artworks and kind words.

Rainbow Sherbet, Mrs. Finch and the Artful Journey

Mrs. Finch Takes a Walk with her New Umbrella
encaustic on birch 8x8

The shortest distance from A to B is a straight line.  Even the great circle route is short and straight as it curves over the globe.  Do you remember as a kid stretching the string from your hometown to somewhere in Europe?   For me, the art process usually starts as a visualized straight line - A to B - simple as that.  However, it can take many twists and turns along the way and really sometimes, I never end up at B.  I sometimes go right on by, or miss the turn, or take a detour.. anyway, what I'm saying is that I don't end up at B or at least my visualized B. 

This painting went that way for me - no B - not even a Plan B.  The idea is to use the color inspiration for The Summer of Color 2 - Ice Cream Inspirations given by Kristin over at Twinkle, Twinkle - that's A.  Then, create a work of art using the color inspiration for this week of Rainbow Sherbet - that's B. Easy.. a straight line, the straight and narrow.

In my mind - B (the work of art) didn't look anything like this.  For one thing, there was no bird involved.  I started with a very cool background and moved on to a great photo transfer.  I painted in the umbrella which I loved... but then things took a turn.  My car went careening in a downhill spiral.  I managed to pull it out and take a side road.  Then an enormous pothole bounced me in a new direction.  I overheated on a huge uphill climb - and coasted down windy switchbacks to find a bright orange detour sign pointing a new direction.  Then, finally a straight flat road was visible once again (not the same one as I started on, mind you).

Sometimes, our best works begin with a vision and they stick to the plan A to B - the straight and narrow.  Other times, the road map gets thrown out the window at some point in the artful journey.  Mrs. Finch is the outcome of the zig-zag process we lovingly call art - a detour here, a side road there, switchbacks, steep inclines and treacherous pot holes that can easily bump us off the road. 

Mrs. Finch is inspired by the work of  Olaf Hajek.  His art is a personal favorite of mine.  In Olaf Hajek's world, Mrs. Finch would be wearing a black cocktail dress rather than a raincoat.  However, Mrs. Finch is a product of Seattle, and a black cocktail dress is hardly practical for the weather. 
Go check out and join in the FREE fun at Summer of Color 2.  Its 6 weeks of Ice Cream Inspiration starting with the delicious colors of Rainbow Sherbet - oranges and pinks.   Happy Paint Party Friday everyone. 

Welcome to June

I bought this way cool French Market Basket from this place.  Can't even begin to tell you how much I love this.  Originally, I thought of it as a birthday gift for a girlfriend of mine.  She's one of those friends that I have known longer than I haven't known her.  She's tough to buy for, really tough.  She's a huge Farmer's Market shopper, and I thought this would be a good gift for her.  I ordered two. 
June is the month that kicks off the Farmer's Market season in Seattle - which really means that summer is just around the corner.  Some markets have been open for a few weeks now, but really - June is when they are in full swing.  I'm ready with my cool French Market basket.  Although, now I have to empty all the camera gear out of it... or buy another.

FILM26 - The Letter L

L

Its time for the letter L.  I decided to shoot color this time for the FILM26 project.  I've been kinda hooked on black and white for a while.  For some reason, I associate film photography with black and white.  I'm actually happy how these color photos turned out.  I did shoot color one other time, and it seemed so bright.  I prefer the colors to be a little more retro perhaps.  I think I will experiment with some different kinds of film.  There are some really cool film choices at this place.  They have surprise packs and mixed bundles.. Sounds fun. 

L is for... 

Me and L

 I was looking in on my friend's dogs.  They have a really beautiful yard that I could set up my tripod and play around. 

Links

 This is a copper rain chain that serves as the downspout from the house gutters. 

Landmark

 I took a spin around Capital Hill area in Seattle.  Its where I go to get my film developed.  There is never a loss for things to photo in this area.  I had a few shots left on my roll of film and was happy with the results.  Glad I took the time to take a few more shots.

Local Color

Latte

Photo Heart Connection::May

The end of May has come and it is time to look back through the month of photos and find the one that speaks to me.  Its time for Kat's Photo Heart Connection over at Kat Eye Studio.  This is such a good exercise.  Its not about the best photo I took for the month, its about finding the one that reflects a photo-heart connection. 
Hot tea in a pretty cup.  Yes, this is the one.  I love tea.  Its fascinating to me - how the leaf from one kind of plant can be changed so many ways - white, green, oolong, and black.  So many ways of making one thing different - drying, steaming, wok frying, crushing, oxidizing.  The world of tea parallels photography in a way.  We take one thing - a camera and we can create so many different things from it.  Both stimulate our senses, both are nurturing, and both quench a thirst - one for our body and one for our soul. 
Happy PHC everyone.  If you are interested, this is where I get my TEA.

 

Friday:: Making of a Mandala

Mandala
encaustic on birch 16x16

The making of the Mandala.  Have any of you every made a Mandala?  I made this one for a friend of mine.  She is hosting a Mandala making class that I unfortunately can not attend.  So, I decided to participate anyway and make a Mandala for her.  Now, I don’t really know if that’s how it works, that you can make a mandala for someone else.   A mandala is meant to be a reflection of your inner self, therapuetic and about the journey rather than the final outcome.   It is precise and repetitive and easy to let your thoughts go as it is made.  Zen time, really.  This one took a long time… way longer than I thought, so I had lots of zen time.  Brain quiet time is kinda nice.  I don't know about you, but my brain runs on overload all the time, non-stop.  Dropping into wordlessness (do you know about Martha Beck?) is hard for active brain folk like me, but I am getting better.  I just have to keep telling myself - ssshhhhhhhhhhhhh.  The Mandala process made me realize the importance of a little brain down time each day.  This website offers free meditations and so does this one. 
Want to know more about making a Mandala?  Go HERE or HERE. Want to see it in its true form?  Watch this time lapse video

Happy Paint Party Friday everyone!!  Be sure to follow the link and visit the other amazing artists who participate.