Great Weekend, Great Show!

Am just winding down from the Whatcom Art Guild Art by the Lake Show that was part of the Ski to Sea weekend in Bellingham.  It was a good weekend over all.  First, I was awarded a first and a second [shown below],  and, I sold three paintings.  Woo hoo! 

For the first time, I had a half booth, which worked out to be just the right size.  I am getting a bit long in the tooth to commit to a full booth, in terms of staffing and in terms of building a larger booth by myself.  The thing I knew even before doing this half booth was that I don't ever think I will be doing another booth outside again, particularly in the Pacific Northwest where the weather can ruin your day!

In any case, the booth was good and I enjoyed myself.  I was pleasantly surprised that I ran out of business cards, because people were interested in taking classes from me.  Neat!  Now if they all follow up!

Anyway, with a good booth experience, and sales to boot, the awards were icing on the cake!



Carolina Girl ~ Watercolor Batik 18" x 24" mounted on canvas 1 1/2" deep sides
Awarded First Place WAG Art by the Lake Show  SOLD



Northwest Shopping Day ~ Acrylics 18" x 24" canvas 1 1/2" deep sides
Awarded Second Place in WAG Art by the Lake Show
$225.00

And The Series Continues ...

Coneflowers ~ Acrylic on Black Gesso 12" X 12"

This is the sixth painting I have done since last Thursday as a result of taking a workshop on Experimental Acrylic and Mixed Media with instructor, Jacqui Beck, who is also a creativity coach in Seattle.  She helped me loosen up and access a better creative me.  Doing a series and "beating it to death" is not an original concept, but I "got" it this time.  As well, I read a recent post by Skip Lawrence on painting at least twenty paintings of a series.

What I need to try for my next "go" at a series, is to paint the same thing over and over again different ways.  I have heard that before, and, being an Aries, I get bored too quickly.  Jacqui suggests that we paint the first one, and then paint from that first one, and then the next one, and the next one ... etc., always asking "what if." 

When the student is ready, the teacher appears!   

Sunflowers and Poppies

Stylized Sunflowers ~ Acrylics ~18" x 24"

Poppies and Pods ~ Acrylics ~ 8" x 10"

Am still "in the flow" of all that I learned in last week's Jacqui Beck Workshop [jacquibeck.com], although I felt myelf tightening up a bit.  I planned to do another painting today with a promise to self to stay loose and to not overthink.  Can I do it?  We'll see.  Am still enjoying the process and still trying to not be wed to the outcome.

Daffodil Time Again!

Daffs ~ 11" x 14" Acrylics

Daylight saving time, spring equinox, taxes, art shows, and daffodils in Skagit Valley.  You know it's spring when the little green heads begin to pop, and pickers are out in droves cutting the "pregnant" stems just before they open, so they will be market fresh.

These have "opened" and are trumpeting the promise of spring! Part of me is SO tempted to get back into the painting and tweak and fix, but the new playful artist self in me says to leave it alone.

Jacqui Beck Workshop

Just got home from hosting  two one-day workshops at two of my teaching venues, the Anacortes Senior Center and the Burlington Senior Center, taught by Jacqui Beck [click here].  Not only is she a wonderful painter of intuitive, sometimes whimsical, often symbolic, acrylic and mixed media paintings, she is also a creativity coach, who is generous of spirit aside from being remarkably talented.  The two classes were full, and almost to a person, they want more.  We are hoping to schedule a TWO-day workshop in the area in the early fall, if we can secure a venue.

Last fall, I went to one of Jacqui's one-day workshops in Edmonds, and was taken by the way she approaches her teaching.  She is not a "how-to" instructor, she really does coach the students, and certainly helped me unlock a few of my creative places.  I just knew my painting friends and students would get a great deal from a day spent with Jacqui as I had.  And they did ...

And I got to be a student and particpate both days.  Woo hoo!  I am so pleased with all that I learned, and hope to really punch through again.  Yesterday's work was good, but I'm not loving it yet.  Today's was much better, because I allowed myself to play with absolutely no intentions.

Here it is ...

Sassy Tulips 18" x 18" Acrylics Texturized Underpainting

Still Playing With Backgrounds

Am still snowed in, but rain is washing it away and temps are rising .  Even so, today was not a good day to be out.  The governor declared a state of emergency, well justified south of here.  We, up here in Skagit County dodged the bullet, but snow and ice were still hazardous.

So, in an effort to not go too stir crazy, I did a quick sketch of my granddaughter who was a Flower Girl in her ballet school's Christmas Nutcracker production in Portland.  I want to do a more formal series of her as a dancer, so I was just testing the use of a black gessoed 'bad' watercolor painting as a background.  I thought it might be a little more theatrical. 

Well, I like the black, but still have to test how to treat the background by creating some interest without getting too busy or frenetic.  So, back to the drawing board before I start larger pieces. 

This is all like nailing jello to the wall.  Maybe soon, something will stick!

Tango in the Square

This painting was submitted to this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge  ... It's the Tangerine Tango Challenge.  Who knew?

I am playing with a technique new to me that I learned in a Jennifer Bowman workshop on Sunday.  Although I have used black gesso before [successfully IMHO], Jennifer showed me a technique of dragging a loaded brush over the gessoed  canvas, allowing some of the black canvas to peek through.  Clearly, I am having touble with it.  On the one hand, I need to load the brush with enough paint to not look wishy washy or "limp," but on the other hand, if I drag too much paint acroos, then I lose the black.  What to do.  Oh I know, war and world peace, the economy, climate change and other issues are way more important than my breaking the code with my painting, but dang if it doesn' just gnaw at my insides that I can't do this!  Promise to self to master in the next several weeks.

Here it is, painted from a photo I took of tango dancers in Pioneer Square in Portland in August.

Tango in the Square ~ 12" x 12" acrylic

More Polo Players

From 2010 Governor's Cup in La Conner, Washington Acrylic 18 x 24 on black gessoed canvas

These were a little more fun than the little project below.  It still falls under the heading of "experiment," because of the black gesso.  I like the effects of the black peaking through, but I have concerns that I might have left it a little rough.  Although I really am trying to be looser, I am not sure what looks "loose," or unfinished.  For me today, I am calling this done.  It may not be finished, but it is done!