This series of landscape oil paintings was inspired by places in California, Ireland, Alabama and Georgia. They will be featured in a solo exhibit at the Madison Artists Guild in Madison, Georgia, May 5- 31. A preview of some art will be on view at my studio for the Art Walk, April 23 in Chamblee at the Urban Art Collective.
Visiting Madison, a quaint town about one hour east of Atlanta, makes a nice day trip to peruse restaurants, antique and assorted other shops in the center square. Madison also features many restored homes from the 1800s.
The opening for the Madison show is May 5 from 6 pm to 8 pm. Mark your calendar!
This art show at Trinity School in Atlanta opens Monday, January 30. It showcases art from Atlanta artists and some out of state artists. I’m looking forward to the festive (and crowded) reception! I’ll be showing oils and watercolors this year.
I spent some time drawing in the SCAD Fashion museum in Atlanta and on the 5th floor deck overlooking midtown. The exhibit was draped clothing. It was interesting seeing all the different examples of draping fashion. I used a water soluble pencil in the galleries and then added watercolor afterwards. For the city view I drew in pen then added watercolor.
Artist participation is by invitation only, and the collection is selected with great care each year. Spotlight on Art has developed a reputation for introducing art lovers to the best up-and-coming talent, as well as new works by established artists.
I like to get my crafty hat on once in awhile. This year I’m making cards, bookmarks, mini sketchbooks and origami things with watercolor paper, thread, glue, sequins, markers, buttons, mod podge and whatever else is around. These items will be for sale at the holiday art show December 3 and 4. Let the fun begin!
We’re all busy at the studio working on things for our next open studio in December. I’m using the next few weeks to complete both oil and watercolor pieces, frame works and just get everything looking good. We’re open for two days this year to keep it more manageable with crowds. I will have works in various sizes and price points. It will be very festive and fun. Hope to see you there!
I’m inspired to create work that connects to the season. The exuberant sprays of daisy mums growing around the neighborhood caught my eye and led to this watercolor composition.
I look forward to autumn for many reasons but one of them is looking closely at the fallen leaves. The variety of color, line and pattern never get old. Each leaf is unique and amazing. I enjoy trying to capture the exact colors and markings on a fallen leaf. I placed a group of leaves on one sheet to allow for comparing and contrasting.
Overall my vegetable garden was average this year. However, I really got a bumper crop of squash. I didn’t plant them but they came up and just took over a lot of real estate. They seemed to be a hybrid winter squash of butternut and delicata. I’m enjoying painting all of the variations and patterns. I will be selling the watercolors at our December 3 and 4 open studio at Urban Art Collective.
When arranging items for a still life I choose things that appeal to me for their color and shape but also for sentimental or personal meaning. My newest work includes a piece of pottery I made, a figurine given to me by my grandmother and a cross stitch cloth made in the 1950s by my husband’s grandmother. In my last still life painting I chose a piece of pottery made by one of my oldest friends, a wooden carved bowl and a painting from Guatemala.
The still life genre can be traced back to Dutch painting from 17th century. As the middle class grew in Europe, artists began creating art for homes, rather than churches or institutions. The art from this “golden age of Dutch painting” continues to influence some realistic artists today who hold the high level of finish these artists created as a standard of excellence.
The still life affords the artist control over composition, lighting, color and meaning or symbolism. Post-Impressionist artist Paul Cezanne painted the still life so he could study the objects over time, rejecting the idea that only transient light effects that the Impressionists focused on were important. Picasso and Braque used the still life to explore how three dimensional space could be translated into two dimensions differently by emphasising shifting angles and overlapping forms, without reference to local color or specific light effects.
I use the still life motif for its flexibility and challenge. What color, composition and form problems can I solve? What can these objects say to each other or to me?
I’m participating in two art shows in early December. I’m looking forward to meeting the other artists in Roswell and reconnecting with my friends and fellow artists at my studio in Chamblee.
Portfolio of art 