Art and Craft for the Holidays

One of the things I love most during December is going to all the different Art and Craft Shows in our town.   I find myself inspired by all these artists that seem to LIVE TO CREATE.   The ideas never cease to amaze me.   Bellingham may get less sunshine than any other american city, but clearly there in an abundance of creative energy here.   Is it in the water, or maybe the coffee.???   Who knows!
Clearly the "low sky" does not seem to affect the imagination.

Art Show and Sale... not to be missed

The annual art show at the KALE HOUSE BED AND BREAKFAST is coming up Nov. 18, 19, 25, 26.
This is an outstanding art show in a unique venue.   Kale House is located at 201 Kale St, Everson. www.kalehouse.net.   Some of my art will be in the show.    There is a wonderful collection of artists here this year and a variety of mediums represented from craft to fine art.   I am honored to be part ot this show this year.

Calendars are available...

My new calendars for 2012 are now available.   Please contact me if you are interested in receiving one.  I do believe this is my best calendar to date.  Cheers!!!

Ah, Finished Last Painting

Not only is this the final painting for the 2012 calendar it is also a self-portrait... something I have always avoided.   But....I am more than happy that I surrendered to this challenge.   I like the way it turned out and it says so much about the importance of deep, healthy breathing and restorative poses.

RELAX

Just finished this one!     I can see my calligraphy training is seeping more and more into my paintings.  I love letter forms.   They have their own personality.   In this painting I chose mostly cool restful colors except of course for the warm orange which creates a nice balance.    I find myself breathing more deeply just looking at this painting.   :)

BE PRESENT...

This was so much fun... to begin to add a word or phrase to the image.   I love the colors and the composition worked out well.   Experimenting with and finding just the right color in these little paintings is a great practice for me.  I feel myself breaking away a little with adding letter forms.   Wasn't so sure about that idea before, but am really liking it.

Today I finished "Blackberry Yoga Man". This was a challenging painting for lots of reasons.
Firstly it was a struggle to get a facial likeness. Sometime I can capture a subject fairly well and other times it seems to allude me. However I did finally capture some of this model's unique look and expression...
The background is abstract with shapes and colors that seemed to flow out of this strengthening pose as well as reflecting the blackberries, sweet but very prickly. It seems in this town we are surrounded by huge mounds of blackberries at this time of year. Also I was working towards a masculine energy in this painting... a feeling of strength and power, yet the gentleness of the model shines through.

Blooming Lunges

Lunges are such wonderful postures to strengthen and release tightness in the hips and legs . They are energizing and stimulating. In this pose the model is revolving towards the back leg... reflecting the spiraling nature of the clematis vines and the wide open spirit of its beautiful flowers.  Really pleased with this one.

Peach Pie

This is not a calendar painting.   I just wanted to work on something else between photo shoots.
 I have entitled this one "Peach Pie".     Must have had a craving when I picked the reference image for this piece. Those peaches look pretty juicy.!!!

Sweet Peppers

These sweet peppers are like jewels and I think highlight the model in "pigeon pose", which, by the way, is a wonderful hip opener. Nichole is a beautiful model and expresses the spirit of this pose with graceful shapes.

Butterflies Are Free

Loved painting the butterflies into this one.... Liberation is one of the key elements of yoga. These butterflies and this yoga image embody the concept of freeing the body- mind- spirit allowing and inviting so many possibilities to grow and flourish.

Come Fly With Me...

Come fly with me....
This painting is complete and I am excited to find that I am including other aspects of nature that I love in these pieces. I may even entitle this calendar "A Few Of My Favorite Things!" Birds are certainly one of them.

I love this painting... so happy that these birds flew in and joined the party!!!.   . I am not sure I am quite finished with this. The model needs to be grounded a bit. And the bird on the left is not quite finished. But just had to get in posted.

Birds come to the 2012 calendar

This is pretty amazing. I have been slow in moving into this painting trying to find something that will bring excitement and delight to this pose. I had been toying with the idea of birds and just had to work on a way to render this idea. Voila! It happened. Last week I picked up a beautiful bird book at a used book store. It opened up a new world for me and allowed me to play with birds, their expressions and shapes and then create fantasy birds!!!!
Anyways, this is where I am so far. I now have so many wonderful ideas bubbling up for the paintings ahead.... butterflies, dragonflies, fish, rabbits.... am I getting carried away...????? Just stoking the imagination.

Broccoli Boy Finished

Broccoli Boy is finished or at least almost finished... and I love how it came to life at the end... I was not sure how to handle the background. Malleck, my little grandson, is the model for this painting. He loves broccoli and is one of the most magical little children I have come across. When I leaned into this magic, sparkling quality, my paintbrush just seemed to want yellow, sunny tones to express his amazing curiosity and imagination.

Installation

Yesterday I installed a beautiful batik panel in my yoga room to separate the yoga room from my art room. It is a gorgeous piece of fabric that picks up the tones and hues of color in the yoga space and at the same time honors the creativity and magic and always the unexpected that goes on in my art space.
This has been a long time in coming.... I have been trying to find the perfect fabric to separate these spaces in a respectful and beautiful way.
I think I did it.

New painting in process - Broccoli Boy

Just working on this new one with little "broccoli boy". Yes that is his favorite veggie!!!
He likes it "just lightly steamed so it is still crunchy". :)
This little pose is a great foot stretch.  "Happy Feet" is the name of this painting.

My Cup of Creative Juice Does Not Always Flow

Sometimes I step away from painting for awhile as if I really do need to get me head somewhere else. Usually it is another creative endeavor or sometimes more reading. I am not really sure if this is a way to "stall"or if it is just a needed withdrawl. I suspect the latter.
I find that I have to "do the work" when the creative juice is flowing. If it is not flowing I turn somewhere else for awhile.
I have been working steadily on a knitted lace sweater and that has taken up a lot of my extra time. I use another part of my brain when I am knitting which feels quite different from painting.
I have to be so much more sensitive in my painting and it takes more focus and concentrated effort.
Yesterday I finally sat down and did the preliminary drawing for the next painting. Once I start into it again it seems to take on some momentum, but I do need to feed it.

Bending Into Fall

I am still pondering this painting. It is a fall, sort of blustery scene and yet the model seems peaceful and at ease with the falling of the leaves and the crisp air.
I may make a few adjustments but essentially this one is finished and I am very content with how the tree reflects the pose, without looking forced or contrived.
The model has willowy, graceful arms and hands and the tree responded to that almost like they were having a conversation.

Trees

Trees seem to be coming up again on my current calendar painting.
Fantasy trees are more fun to paint then attempting to duplicate a "real" tree and at the same time "real" trees have so much information to give us as to what they are all about.
Fall crept into this painting with the fallen leaves and  bareness yet beauty of this tree. Trees, I think are sometimes even more beautiful in their nakedness... their form shines through and we see something deeply personal.

An Awesome Experience at the Unclad ART Show

On Saturday I drove to Stanwood with a friend to attend the opening day of the Unclad Art Show... Fine Art of the Figure. It was an amazing time for me. My painting was displayed in with a cluster of other small paintings, where it seemed to fit nicely. I still could not believe my painting had actually made it into the show and here I was one of the "artists". They gave me a little name tag to wear which designated me as a participant in the show... it was a little surreal.
The interesting thing about this show is that everyone gets really excited about it!!! It is very unique and so there is sort of a bonding of people who have made the show happen as well as those interested in it. I wish I had taken some pics... maybe when I go down again, the last day of the show I will take my camera.
Also, I ended up purchasing a piece from the show. It is art photography by Michael Seif. He does a lot of work with beautiful nude bodies swimming underwater. It is lovely and it is a conversation piece.

www.uncladart.com

This piece entitled "Spring" will be showing in the members show at Allied Arts this month.

Clean and clear....

Above you can see what my palette looks like after the last refinements of my latest painting.
When I have finished a painting it is important for me to clean and recharge my palette. I also clean up my work space, so it is back to some sense of order.... When I am working on a piece my work space can get really messy... it doesn't bother me while I am in the midst of a piece. But when I am finished that piece I yearn for a sense of a clean, clear set up once again.
I am someone who thrives on a certain amount of order . It calms me... and when I am calm I do my best work.
Not everyone works this way... some artists do wonderful work amidst what to me would appear chaotic. It is essential to know what we need to do our best work.
I often paint with music... especially when I am feeling nervous or daunted or completely puzzled by the next step in the painting. It helps me to let go a little, to not hold back, to just go for it.

"Three Trees" finished.

Can you see the adjustments? I defined the horizon and made some adjustments in the hair and skin tones, and added a little definition to the scarf.
I do believe I am now finished.
I love the fingerless gloves with the hands wide open . Those were hand knit gloves... a perfect reminder of the wonderful "winter craft" of knitting.

"THREE TREES" for Yoga Calendar 2012

Tree pose is a perfect winter pose.
I'm not sure I am quite finished with this painting yet. Maybe a few subtle adjustments. However I am pleased with the mood of it for "December" or "January".
The challenge in this painting was that I had to do the figure a bit smaller as I wanted it to be a horizontal painting rather then vertical in dimensions. When I paint figures smaller it is harder to get the kind of detail in skin tones etc. (All my paper is cut to certain dimensions).
However it was fun to do this variation on tree pose, with a little whimsy and to add the trees.

UNCLAD ART SHOW

THIS YEAR'S ART SHOW CAN BE VIEWED AT WWW.UNCLADART.COM

Yoga Philosophy and ART

I am sometimes drawn to combining my art with yoga teaching ... making little token gifts for my students with aspects of what we are studying during that session. So last week they all received a" Yupo heart" with the reminder of beginner's mind (a fresh perspective, awesome moments.) Yupo is a type of paper that allows for all kinds of interesting effects with watercolor.

Ruth Duckworth Memorial Video

I came across this the other day and was touched listening to this artist. She says the most creative thing we can do is PLAY. I am bringing the element of play more and more into my art practice. I am hoping the playful, the whimsical will be more and more evident.

Tulip Girl

It feels good to have finished my first painting for my 2012 yoga calendar.
I love her little feet. Kids do that with their toes... curl them.
This is her "turtle pose".
Zakara is a model I could paint over and over again and not get tired of.
She is very expressive in her little body.

Tulips brought indoors have this wonderful expression of life. They start off closed and tight and then gradually open so wide exposing all that is inside. Lastly, the petals fall, one by one.
I never throw them away until all the petals have fallen.

Turtle Pose... In Process

"Turtle pose" with Zakara is starting to emerge. I rarely do a painting with full face, straight on. However this painting seemed to call for that. It is more challenging I think and not always as interesting and yet even "straight on," the two sides of the face are never really identical.
It is February and we are seeing lots of wonderful tulips in the flower shops and grocery stores. They are so abundant right now I had to invite them into this painting. "Tulips and Turtle Pose".

Starting paintings for the 2012 Yoga Calendar

Yes, it is time to begin paintings again for the new calendar...
It begins with finding my models and getting inspired to make this one even more fun then the last one...or... at least unique in itself.
I keep my eye on flowers, veggies and fruits... I have decided to keep the theme of nature in my calendar paintings. Almost everyone can relate to botanicals and how they manifest in interesting and delightful ways in communion with yoga poses. Stay tuned, I will post the paintings as they emerge.
In the meantime let me know if you have any fantabulous ideas. :)

****Here is a little painting I did last summer after a visit to the Farmer's Market.

Painting Juried into Art Show

A lovely surprise this week... my painting "Baby Love" was juried into the 2011 art show, UnClad, The Fine Art of The Figure, in Stanwood Washington. Very exciting.
Go to www.uncladart.com and click on "view the art" to see this year's line up. Some amazing art will be shown this year. Can't wait.

Birthday Card

This week my project was to make a birthday card for a friend for her Mom.
I was thankful for my calligraphy classes from way back.
Here is what I came up with using Yupo paper. I will cut and paste into a card.
FUN!!!

Finished Piece

Finally I am done adding small refinements.
I sign the painting. I am pretty happy how this turned out. It does capture my niece.
Hope she likes it. :)

Background and Finishing Touches

I have now worked the background in and continue to add finishing touches. I don't want the background to overwhelm the subject. I want it to enhance and ground the model. I often use this splatter technique because it is subtle yet helps to create balance with color and texture. As you can see I leave a lot of white so the painting has a simplicity to it.
Finishing touches might include just a small spot of color here and there to draw you eye in or to balance darks, color or temperature, or even another light layer or glaze over an area to make it richer, such as the pillow. I almost always try to put a little red somewhere where it works.

Details and Layers

I continue to create more definition in the clothes and add layers and shadows to skin.
I am always pondering what I will do for background... this is one of the most challenging parts for me.
You might have noticed that the feet are large because they are closest to the observer and also because this model has narrow, long feet. Feet are very unique to all of us. They are almost like faces... very specific and unique to the individual. Sometimes I spend time just trying to capture the personality of the feet!!!

Evolving Portrait

Now you can see by adding color and some definition the painting starts to come to life...
Skin tones in the face are always tricky. Layers are added very carefully.

Evolution of a painting

One of the ways I stay connected to my painting journey is to give myself projects.
I have done this for years, but without being really consistent. Now my journey requires that I paint regularly and have something to show for it. It doesn't have to be GOOD, it just needs to BE.
For her birthday in October, I gave my niece an opportunity for a watercolor portrait.
We started this week with the photo shoot. Photo shoots are daunting (hence it took some time to get her into my studio) but usually they end up being fun.
I take up to 20 pics and then pick one. Once I receive a hard copy and blow it up a bit, I begin a preliminary drawing. After I play with that for a while, I recreate a light pencil drawing on my watercolor paper. Then the fun begins and I start to add color.

NEW ART SHOW AT THE BAGELRY!

Paintings are up for two months at The Bagelry, Railroad Ave, Bellingham WA, starting this week.
These paintings are selections from my new 2011 calendar, IMAGINE.. A Yoga Calendar.
Please come downtown, have a bagel and enjoy the art.

UNCLAD 2011

UNCLAD 2011 is the annual art show dedicated to celebrating the nude figure in art. This is a juried show and I am excited about entering my work. The show will run from March 12th - 27th at Gallery by the Bay in Stanwood , WA. I am working on several pieces that I will be entering.
The first one is entitled "Spring". The second one is "Baby Love".