12 x 12 Show - Studio Place Arts

A couple of months ago, I met an artist who suggested that I get involved with SPA. Initially, I thought she was talking about a place for massages and saunas.

After clearing the confusion, and learning more about her show last winter at Studio Place Arts in Barre, Vermont, I visited their website with the intention of becoming a gallery member.

The Call to Artists section of the website had details about submissions for the upcoming '12 x 12' Show. On the wall near my desk hung three 12" x 12" oil paintings. Serendipity!

Rather than simply joining SPA, I decided to submit paintings for the show. The process was pretty simple, and with no expectations, I sent off the application later that day.

Two weeks later, the 'We are pleased to include .....' letter arrived.

Yesterday, I delivered two paintings. I'm looking forward to the opening reception Friday, June 19th from 5:30 to 7:30. The show will hang from June 16 through July 25th in the Second Floor Gallery.

To visit the Studio Place website +click here+.

My trip to Barre also included a delightful surprise called LACE. To read about it - visit my food blog by +clicking here+.

Yellow

Sunshine, lemons, buttercups, gingko leaves, butterflies, pears - the beginning of a list.

What do you think of when you think of  YELLOW?

Blue

Painting refines my eye and makes more visually aware. A word like 'blue' opens the door to infinite possibilities.

On sunny, cloudless days, at the horizon the sky is cerulean blue and directly overhead it is cobalt blue.

Prussian blue is important when painting blueberries and blackberries.

Chicory flowers range from cobalt, to periwinkle, to baby blue.

Blue eyes have flecks of silver or green.

Dark veins on leaves have touches of ultramarine.

Shadows painted with blues bring life to a painting.

Cerulean, cobalt, and ultramarine are always on my palette. I keep manganese, Prussian, and pthalo close at hand. 

To see some of my paintings ***click here***

Painting in Progress

I've been working on this painting for the last couple of days. I wanted to work with whites, yellow whites, pink whites and blue whites.

This painting is in a state of  'middleness' - a time of judging and editing.  Should the flower that is falling off the left side of the canvas go away?  how much darker can I make the background? should I use a cloudy white glaze on the table? which white will be the best for the bright white highlight needed on the vase? 

The process of paintings, like all creative endeavors, is an inverted arc.  At the start, the image is clear in my mind, my goals straightforward and exciting.  In the middle the image has become confusing, my goals unclear and it is a struggle to finish.  

Another point of view is helpful, a postive response is even better - so with a very wet painting in hand I walk out to Charles' studio and get both, plus some constructive critism.  

I'll let the paint dry a bit, incorporate his suggestions and finish this painting, hopefully arriving at the end of the creative arc pleased with what I have done.  

Meanwhile I've begun a new yellow house painting.  

Oil Pastels

Since returning from the Vermont Studio Center, in my struggles with the issue of creativity,  I have been experimenting with a variety of media.  

Yesterday, a wooden box of 120 Sennelier pastels arrived in my studio.  With a wide color range and wonderful creamy texture these pastels are luxurious to work with.

This painting was inspired by nearby fields and the countryside near Tolousse.   

Bookstock Poster

Creating  art for an event run by a committee is an ongoing process.  With the possibility of selling tee-shirts and/or canvas bags as an additional money raiser and means of promoting the festival, and because one color printing is much more economical, I wanted to created a sepia version of the Bookstock poster.

I began with the color art and using Photoshop, I removed the color, adjusted the contrast, colorized the image and in a few minutes had a monochromatic poster.

Pears, Pears, Pears........

An explanation of  why my avatar is a group of pears. 

I worked with clay, made  jewelry, created quilts and other needlework, before  I was inspired by a package from my mother. She sent me nine tubes of watercolor paints and a note, ' Give it a try.' 

I bought watercolor paper, a few brushes and a number of books and began to paint.  A pear seemed like a good subject - its form is recognizable even if not expertly rendered.  An apple might be mistaken for a tomato or pepper but pears are pears.  One pear led to another.  I enjoyed the challenge of painting a pear that transitioned from red to green with pink, orange and yellow in between.

Big, small, lumpy, round, elongated, red, green, maroon, without noticing, for nearly a year I painted only pears.

Now I paint with both oil and watercolor and create all sorts of paintings, but if I'm stuck, stumped by a blank piece of paper or an empty canvas, often a pear or group of pears appear.

This is the painting for the first in my series of fruit note cards.

 To purchase note cards  ***click here***