Portrait Society of Atlanta - Spring 2014 Juried Exhibition of Members

I am very honored and excited that two of my portrait painting were juried by Rose Frantzen into the Spring 2014 Portrait Society of Atlanta Juried Exhibition of Members.   The exhibition opens Friday, August 22nd at Roswell Visual Arts Center.

A Few Recent Original Art Sales on Etsy

I am thrilled to see some of my favorite pieces are off to new homes in the past couple of months.  Saying "good bye" to some of these has motivated me to create some new work!

Pastel drawing from the live model on dark blue paper.  More original pastel drawings available.

Original pastel drawing from the live model.  I love that 70's green fabric!  More original pastel drawings from the live model are for sale.

This was one of my favorite paintings for a long time.  The monochromatic pink color scheme was based on a beautiful photograph of some delicate pink roses.  More original oil paintings are available.

I love working with pastels on colored paper!  The fuchsia pink jumped from this olive green paper.  More original pastel figure drawings from the live model are here. 

Two watercolor sketches from the live male model.  They are a combination of purples and browns.  I love working from the live model, finding and losing shapes in the chest and abdomen as the model breathes.  More original watercolors are in my Etsy shop.

It's Your Turn to be a DaVinci Storyteller!!

Last year, I was truly blessed to experience one of the best weeks of my life.  Surrounded by talented, wonderful people, amazing food, plentiful wine, and heaven-on-earth landscapes everywhere I looked, I was a 2013 DaVinci Wine Storyteller.  Now - it's your turn!  There are only a few days left to apply - good luck!

2014 DaVinci Storyteller Experience

With my fellow 2013 Storytellers Karista Bennett, Jim O'Donnell, and  Leela Cyd

Springtime...and my favorirte word...Potential

Spring has sprung in Georgia, and although our winter was not nearly as bad as many parts of the country, I don't think I have been this excited to see budding trees or sprouting tulips in a long time.  I wrote this piece last summer, and thought it would be a good time to share it...as potential is all around us!

***

On a recent trip back home to Western New York, I spent an afternoon with a dear friend and one of my former painting teachers.  Even though we are over a decade apart in age, we have children the same age and have both been married for about the same amount of time.  As we reminisced we discovered that our lives have many parallels.  

We talked about our families, compared notes on marriage, and spent a long time sharing the names and paintings of artists who are inspiring us at this stage in our Artistic growth.  We shared our struggles of wanting to be good mothers, while still being able to feed that part of us that makes us Who We Are – our Art.  The goal to always be growing – always be improving – always be producing Art - is strong in many artists, and our lives are often moving at too quick a pace for us to fulfill our desires to be in the studio.

As she showed me around her home, her studio, her garden and even her garage, one story really resonated with me.  Last summer, her husband continued his tradition of hatching cocoons for their two daughters.  That year, however, one cocoon did not thrive, and at the end of the summer her husband tucked it away on a shelf in the garage, forgotten.  (Both being artists, neither parent could throw away what could be a subject for a later sketch or painting!)

This summer, not realizing that she found a rejected cocoon from the summer before and not one of the new cocoons ready for this year, she set the cocoon up and prepared to watch it fulfill its’ destiny.  Her husband pointed out that this was probably not going to happen.   Imagine my friend’s surprise as she walked into the garage one day and discovered the butterfly slowly emerging, damp wings curled.   She ran to get her camera as the delicate creature spread her wings, allowed them to dry, and made her first feeble attempts to take flight.  My friend witnessed the butterfly fly out of the garage and into the sun.

There are many parts of our lives that we put upon a shelf, tucked away for a later date, to be retrieved when there is money in the bank, fewer items on the “to do” list,  or time on our calendar.  Those parts of us that make us happy – learning to salsa dance, taking a painting course, finally trying out scuba diving! – are not a priority when the kids need to be fed, the lawn has to be cut, and the laundry is piling up.

 

For one day, take that tucked away and forgotten bit of potential down off the shelf, dust it off, and give it a chance to emerge and come to life.  Take a class.  Learn a new skill.  Go out dancing!  It’s not too late, and you are never too old.  Potential.  It’s one of my all-time favorite words.   Potential cannot be predicted or measured.  There is no end, there is no maximum amount to be reached.   That cocoon may have been tucked up on a shelf, but its’ potential never died.

***This article originally appeared in the Towne Laker Magazine, Woodstock, GA, in 2013

Current and Upcoming Shows and Exhibitions

Hello dear friends and followers...I am so sorry to have neglected my blog for so long!

But I am back with lots of good news to share so let's get to it!

Back in December I was lucky enough to paint a young man I met through my yoga studio.  Not only did I get a great portrait out of the experience, but I made a new friend, as we chatted and laughed and bonded during the painting session.

My original plan was to paint a simple head shot, 16" x 20" portrait.  But my model had other ideas in mind!  he wandered around my studio looking for props, and settled on a skull...but removed the jaw.

So we set up a pose and I pulled out a 18" x 36" inch canvas to accommodate his portrait, his hand and the skull

I got quite far in our three hours together, but further refined the piece using reference photos

I was very honored that this piece was selected for the 2014 LaGrange National Exhibition.  It was beyond thrilling to find out that the museum decided to purchase this painting, which I titled "Cessation of the Mind", for their permanent collection.

I'm also honored to be a newly juried member of the Women Painters of the Southeast, and to have two pieces in their 2014 member's Show

"A Step Back"

"Mona in Turquoise Scarf"

The show will be held at the Magnolia Art Gallery in Greensboro GA March 28th through April 15th.

For the fourth consecutive year I am proud to be part of one of the biggest and fastest growing Art Exhibitions in the area - the Cumming First United Methodist Church Festival of the Arts.  This year three pieces were juried into the show

"A Gentle Soul"

"Anna"

"A Deceptive Calm"

I am consistently impressed with the size and scope of this show, and the entire program throughout the two week run celebrates Art and Music.  Be sure to check the schedule and attend one of the wonderful concerts when you visit the show.

The show runs from march 22nd though April 6th.

A Portrait of an Italian Gentleman

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The Story of Chef Anna

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