paint under the fingernails

i think my head has been clearing. a lot has happened this year already. after almost two years of fighting, my aunt passed away in mid january. the months leading up to her death were a total nightmare for me. as much as i usually used art as a means to cope with my feelings, i was frozen. i think i was in shock at the realities of life...or actually, the reality of death. i'm still stunned every time i remember that she's gone. now, the clean up. meetings with realtors, lawyers and CPAs, oh my. i've spent the last week getting the house ready for showings. i live in a sterile environment and i'm now happily parked in the only place in the house that i can still make a mess and it's a plus....my studio! we're finally warmed up in santa fe and my garage studio is at a bearable temperature.

i started with a piece that i promised to do for a habitat for humanity charity auction...on a shovel. i wish i had done a lighter scene, but i've been wanting to work on my night scenes. of course, the deadline was on the 15th...so i will take a semi-wet painted shovel to habitat on tuesday and hope it's not too late!

once i get my hands dirty, i am very willing to keep getting dirty. i had a vision of a raven painting in my head. i picture a lot of movement, almost feathery. so tonight is my first attempt at a figure in a painting. i usually do landscapes and abstract pieces that focus on value and color. the background is my brushstroke style and there is some of it in the body of the bird. there are more ravens in my head with different colors, looser brushwork and a closer cropping of the head. it's good to be back!

stuff i want

living in an art town is very dangerous. through small (really small) payments, i am slowly building up a collection of art. i'm about to move outside of the safety of my own gallery. so, in lieu of my own art, which is at a standstill due to a crazy long head cold, i'm posting pics of things that i want!

first up, Wendy Chidester with her minimal green background and stately little camera. i've seen this piece several times down at giacobbi fritz gallery and i am totally in love with it. imagine my horror when i get on the website...and it's sold. ugh! okay, i knew i'd never get it, but at least i have the pic to remember it by.

next up is a cool bronze bunny by Jim Budish. i catch his work at waxlander, our 'sister' gallery down the road. i don't know why necessarily...i'm not a huge animal as art fan, but this little guy just makes me smile. this may very well be my next purchase as i've talked to my pals down there and may use a christmas bonus as a downpayment. weee!!

i went down town a few friday art walk's ago and found Rik Allen at blue rain gallery. now, i'm a bit of a geek. i loved x-files and lots of sci-fi shows and movies. there's something fun about the idea of a spaceship. this work is totally made out of blown glass and the body of the ship is painted with 'metallic' paint. oh how i love these and want one of my own! they are so delicate and feel so solitary. time has aged them, the colors are faded, but their purpose and fortitude in the face of the universe is fascinating!

this piece, also by Rik Allen, is pretty freakin' cool! it's as tall as i am and made from parts of an old plane/rocket...something like that. upon looking closely, it's a spaceship with an escalator that leads all the way to the cockpit, where sits a red chair. so simple. you expect a cockpit with buttons and levers and.....well, stuff. but instead it's like a viewing area. maybe you control the ship with your mind. it invites you to walk up there and experience it yourself. looking in from the tail end through a hole, you have a view of what it would actually look like if you were sitting in the chair. this one is way out of my price range, but i love it!

accepted!

my alma mater is having a juried alumni show. i sent in four drawings and they chose these two to be in the show. the blue piece with the low horizon is a smaller piece, 8" x 5", and the grey one is a larger endeavor at 20"x 15". my arm about fell off after that one. i couldn't finish it in one session! i'm pretty happy with them. it's hard to see in pictures, but there's a lot of detail and many colors in each piece even though the overall effect is of a singular hue. i'll have to post a detail pic sometime.

now to get them framed and shipped off to west virginia! wish i could go to the show, but my family will be visiting and it's a bit of a trip. any suggestions on titles? i hate titling my work....

at it again

i broke out the pastels again for some art venting. these pieces are great for me because the movement is fast and vigorous and i put a lot of my emotions into them. i call them abstracts, but they are very much related to horizon lines and the new mexico sky. the pink one has a high horizon line with a touch of oranges and yellows for the warmth of the setting/rising sun. also, the blue piece has a faint glow of yellow at the bottom. the actual horizon line is hidden, or can be the natural line of the end of the drawing. my main focus was trying to successfully show a progression from dark to light and in the pink one, to be able to show a change in subject/space without completely dissecting the canvas. i want it to be a soft flow, nothing to harsh.

the empty bowl success

here's my little spot at the Empty Bowl animal charity auction. i was happy to watch a little bidding war go on for my bowl! the 'winner' also took home my bio so may even be seeing this as we speak! hello buyer! so glad you like my bowl! i was rather happy with it myself and almost didn't want to give it up. it actually gives me some ideas for brightly painted objects with a thick glaze on them. i'm not sure about fish-shaped bowls, but maybe found objects?

walking toward inspiration

i spent the  4th of july weekend in the studio for the most part.  i felt the need to do some drawing.  i measured and taped off my perfect little squares and rectangles and went to town with my chaotic drawing language and created these two pieces.  i "looked at" or really glanced down every once in awhile at some cloud pictures for these, and the square even actually resembles some cloudness, but the larger piece kind lost it.  either way, i was inspired to do the blue after my artwalk on friday.  i saw a beautiful little pastel cloud piece at Hahn Ross gallery and it inspired me.  i think i'll make the friday art walks a habit.  

another large landscape drawing is on the way.  i started it this weekend as well and i'm about 3/4 of the way through.  the question now is....where the heck am i going to put all of these pieces?!

therapy

sometimes i forget that art makes me feel better.  doing art, that is.  seeing it...just makes me jealous!  some people garden, some people cook...i make art.  i have lots of things in my head and they're all fighting to get out.  i need to listen more and set them free!

so, this big revelation came while working on a small piece for the Heart and Soul Animal Sanctuary benefit called "The Empty Bowl".  i picked the cat bowl which is shaped like a goldfish.  i was a little hesitant as this is a big benefit with some celebrities and some really well known artists.  but then i figured, they're just like me...they like to art, too.  the woman who is organizing the event told me that Elizabeth Taylor sent them a painted dish!  wow!  she also said that it was pretty bad, but who cares, Elizabeth Taylor did it!!  santa fe has some great connections!  either way, i have my dish and it will be at the auction right next to Tom Hyland (who's night time jackrabbits i've been drooling over at gabriel's restaurant) and Elizabeth Taylor.  will it make any money?  i hope so...do i want to know?  no, i'll remain blissfully ignorant...unless of course people like it and i get a healthy bid!