Paintings In-progress

I have been working on eight new acrylic paintings in my "Metamorphosis" series for my exhibit in May. Usually I work on two or three at a time — but never this many simultaneously. It has been interesting to work this way. At first I just wanted to get the color brushed on all of the surfaces (which is how I begin with these). Then I began in earnest on one piece moving my brush strokes from that random stage to making more deliberate decisions allowing my inspiration to guide me. As that piece dried I moved on to another one and so forth. We'll have to see if progress continues this way or if I end up focusing on one or two at a time until complete.

Art Framed for Exhibit

I just picked up some of the art for my upcoming exhibition in Ogden at the Gallery at the Station (in the historic Union Station). These are some of my gouache paintings. I still have paintings in process but it feels so good to have some finished and ready for the show! The exhibit opens on Friday, May 3rd with an Artist's Reception from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Metamorposis 6

The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) recently held it's annual fundraiser which was an elegant and fantastically successful event. My acrylic painting above, from my new "Metamorphosis" series, was among the art sold in the art auction.

All of the invited artists created work that was 12 x 12 inches and signed their name on the back so that the patrons would purchase art without knowing who the artist was--meaning that they would be guided by their aesthetic reaction to the art rather than look for a famous name. Since this painting was from my new series that hasn't had much public exposure it was exciting for me--and I was pleasantly surprised by who ultimately purchase it.
"Metamorphosis 6", acrylic on board, 12 x 12 inches

The Creation of a New Series

Do you ever feel like doing something different? I have been doing some exploring with my painting lately. A new series called "Metamorphosis" where I allow myself to paint intuitively whatever comes up rather than pre-planning my composition. The work is currently evolving and I am really enjoying it. These paintings were in the annual fundraising show at Art Access (which ends on Saturday) called "300 Plates." All the artists are given the same size metal plates (with two holes in the top) on which to paint or create.

"Metamorphosis 4" gouache

"Metamorphosis 5" acrylic

These two were my paintings and both sold at the opening night event. I am excited to see where this series leads and will keep you posted.

Breakfast with Art

This morning I stopped at Caffe Niche to snap a few photos of my paintings there and someone was nice enough to take a shot of me.

I liked seeing people having coffee and breakfast amongst my art hanging around the restaurant.
One of the things that I enjoy about being an artist is hearing people's comments and thoughts about my art. Please stop by Caffe Niche, have a look around and let me know what you think. Thanks!

Enjoy an Artful Meal at Caffe Niche

Hungry for an aesthetic experience...or just plain old hungry? Treat yourself to a delicious meal at Caffe Niche surrounded by my art throughout the month of June!

The paintings on display are works from three recent and ongoing series. The gouache pieces are based on my interest in allegory, symbolic representations of nature, women, and colorful themes. The watercolor and oil paintings are expressions of my love affair with pottery vases and the exuberant feelings I get from flowers. The acrylic on plywood paintings allow me to paint intuitively and spontaneously brushing and scraping paint, leaving the grain of the wood revealed to express a raw emotional quality in contrast to the calm and peaceful figures. At the heart of my art—besides my love for lyrical line—is a pursuit of harmony in color interaction and balance of shape and form. I hope my art offers you feelings of serenity, contentment, and a sense of discovery.

June Art Display

Sixteen pieces of my art will be hanging at a local restaurant for the month of June. I overcame some pre-show angst by pulling out the artwork and leaning it around the floor of my studio so I could see it all together. Some new pieces and some from past series all looked nice together and it was good to see a body of work sitting there. Usually I work on one or two paintings at a time or I'll refine my sketches during a period of days, doing all the drawing and compositions when that is flowing. Then the color work is painted one or two pieces at a time. When a painting is finished I may live with it for a bit, move on to the next piece, or put it safely away in the flat file drawer until I have a batch of art to be photographed. I always have pieces hanging in my studio but it still feels good to see a big group of paintings ready to go on display and share with the public. I'm excited!

At Palmers Gallery

The opening reception went really well with a steady flow of people coming throughout the evening. It has been wonderful to share my art with so many people. I am thankful to everyone who takes the time to go to the gallery to see my exhibit and especially grateful to those who are purchasing the paintings. Here is a photo of me in the gallery and one of the dwindling crowd at the end of the opening. You can see some of the paintings in my exhibition on my website in the "Gouache" section.

Show Opening Day

The exhibit is hanging and looks great. It has been previewed, and started off successfully with two paintings sold the day before the opening. I am so thankful, happy and excited about the opening tonight!

Art Ready for Delivery

Here are some of the smaller pieces just back from the framer and ready to be delivered to the gallery.

Upcoming Art Exhibit

One week from today my first solo show at Palmers Gallery will be opening. It runs from March 20 until April 11, 2009. I am really excited and have a few butterflies in my stomach in anticipation. The postcards have been sent and the emailers go out today. I am really happy with all of the new paintings and will pick up the last three from the framer this afternoon. Here is the gouache painting, "Woman with Violins", that we selected for the postcard.

My DaDa Box

I allowed my inner Dada to come out recently in the creation of this box. I was one of the artists asked to participate in a Dada-inspired art auction recently as a fundraiser for the Salt Lake Art Center. Each artist was given a shadow box and could create whatever they wanted within a Dada theme. To create my concept "Mixed Message" I painted puzzle pieces randomly and put them back together, cut four books and reassembled them to make one, and had an antique mixer "mix" strips of money, book and journal pages, and other collaged pieces. For the sides and top I used collage and painting to create different faces communicating mixed messages.