enormous tiny art eleven!

I JUST dropped off eight tiny pastels to Nahcotta for the ETA 11 show.  The pastels themselves are 3x6 , framed to 8x10.  Some of these images might inspire some larger works at some point in the future.  I always look forward to this show.  The diversity is so great.  Show dates are February 1-29.  The opening is Friday, February 3^rd from 5-8 PM.  It is always such an electric event!

2012 calendars are in the house!!

It's always challenging to choose twelve images that tell the story of my work, but I am very happy with this mix. Some images are representational, some a bit more abstract: some done in pastel, others in acrylic.

.......now if I can just motivate the staff to get them packaged up!!

Ogunquit Museum of American Art Invitational

The OMAA invitational was a fun and BUSY weekend. Such a gorgeous spot and there was a wonderful and varied group of exhibitors. LOTS of attendees came through and were very receptive to my work :) It was great to see some dear friends who made the trek and I must say a special thank you to my friend who crazily volunteered to help with the set up!!

portsmouth en plein air

I recently stopped into the Kennedy Gallery and frame shop here in Portsmouth. I had read about the show for which the artist, Erin Murray, had committed to painting plein air throughout the city for one month. The results are lovely; beautifully composed paintings capturing the charm of our historical seaside community. The color and light are wonderful. Erin happened to be there, so I had the pleasure of talking with her. I learned that 50% of her proceeds are being donated to A Safe Place, an organization founded in 1976 to prevent and eliminate domestic abuse. And there were LOTS of red dots!! (sales) Luckily there are still some works available and the show is up through June 28th, so check it out!!

AD 20/21

Diana Levine Fine Art, a gallery I have had the pleasure of working with for many years, will be exhibiting at the AD 20/21 show at The Cyclorama in Boston this weekend. With forty exhibitors, the show features a vast array of contemporary art, furniture, crafts, jewelry and more. Yesterday she and her crew worked very hard moving the work over to the Cyclorama and setting up the display. She will be including a number of my pastels and giclees in the mix. I hope it is a wonderful event for all of us!

genius

A friend recently stopped by my studio to purchase a painting for his new apartment. As he was looking around he said he thought he would like to buy a new painting for each season and then rotate them in the same space. What a fantastic idea! I'm pretty sure he is a genius :)

heading to the deCordova!!

I just finished up 19 tiny …………and when I say tiny………….2”x3” pastels for a special event being held at the de Cordova. Kim of Three Graces Gallery will be bringing her Teeny Tiny Art vending machine to the de Cordova as part of the preliminary festivities to their annual gala fundraiser. I wasn’t sure how it would be to work THAT small. But actually, it was fun! Gave me some ideas for a new series!

wrapping things up!

I THINK this is going to be the week to wrap up a couple of important projects. One is my 2010 calendar. I just had the final proofing session with Bill at Phineas Graphics. AND I think my new website which is being designed by Kim at Three Graces Gallery should soon be up and running. YEAH! In addition to my work in pastel, the new site will also include my works in acrylic as well as an expanded giclee offering. AND.....I am also actually doing a little painting, a series inspired by my early morning walks.

works in progress

My studio is currently filled with LOTS of paintings at various stages of development. I have been working primarily with acrylic. Most of the images are abstracted landscapes. I am also still interested in exploring the many textural additives that are available to me with this versatile medium. Yesterday I decided to hang some of the "works in progress" up so that I could get a better look at them. It's nice to see them as a body of work. I need to spend a little more time looking and tweaking. SOME may even be finished.

2009 calendars!

I have been delighted by the response to my 2009 calendar! Almost everyone who sees it says, without any prompting, "Oh I LOVE the size!" It's funny because I was hesitant to make the calendar smaller, 8x8 as opposed to 12x12, for fear it would diminish the visual impact. But it still has plenty of punch and this new, smaller size is much easier to find a convenient spot for. Who knew?? People are also loving the translucent white envelope which makes a nice presentation. (and is recyclable!!) I have also been gratified to hear some encouraging comments regarding the variety of imagery. I tried to mix it up a bit to mirror my creative journey.

lanscape show at Nahcotta

I just delivered some "hot off the easel" pastels to Nahcotta for their 2008 landscape show. Most of the other artists had already dropped off their work and it looks like it's going to be an exciting show! It always fascinating to see the varied interpretations of any given theme. The opening is this Friday, August 8 from 5-8. It would be great to see you there!!!

blog neglect

...........guilty as charged. There is NO excuse. And yet, I will offer this. I have been working REALLY hard in my studio!! My solo show at Nahcotta was such an exciting experience. As I have mentioned before, Nahcotta is a wonderful gallery, right here in my FAB hometown. And.......the show, Explorations, introduced some of my new work in acrylic. The opening was amazing!! The show is up through June 8th, so there is still time to see it!!

Currently, I am working on deliveries to two other incredible galleries, a bit south of here. The Left Bank Gallery in Welfleet on the Cape ..........and the Belushi-Pisano Gallery on Martha's Vineyard. I am very excited about the upcoming Summer season. Stay tuned!

hey, it's been at least 17 hours! Time for another show!!

Good thing for adrenaline. Julie, of course, had everything well under control, so when I got back to Santa Monica we just needed to hang the work, change clothes.....and away we go! They had removed most of the furniture for the event which really opened up the space and made it easy for people to view the paintings. (Also provided great tumbling space for the little ones) Once again, I had some great conversations with some really interesting people. I was truly honored by the attendance of my ninety -year old Uncle Dan who spends part of the winter with my cousin, Cara and her family in Woodland Hills. It was such a fun night, after which just a small group stayed for a relaxing dinner........PERFECT all around.

It’s hard to convey the appreciation I feel for those who hosted and welcomed me so graciously. I hope it is just the beginning of more such events as I work my way toward becoming ”bi-coastal pastel-girl”.

and now the work begins: LA

After a quick flight to LA, Deb went to stay with friends who had recently moved there and I got to work!! It was great to see my cousin and her family. Julie is a fabulous cook, so once again, I was treated to some amazing meals. I really enjoyed having the chance to visit with her and Paul and their very special son, Flynn. Flynn turned six during my stay there, but I'm pretty sure he has been here before. Thursday night we unpacked the work as one of Julie’s friends had requested a sneak preview. Then Friday AM I packed up the rental-mobile and headed to Huntington Beach, to the home of my friend, Toby. I have known Toby since childhood and she has become one of my biggest collectors.......even though we live 3000 miles apart!! When I first proposed the possibility of going out West to have some small shows, Toby was totally excited to host one. After a little reunion, she and her daughter and I got to work setting up the paintings and getting the food and wine all set up. It was a mad dash, but it all worked out beautifully. Shortly after 7:00 the house began to fill up. Toby was great about bringing me around an introducing me to her guests. It was a great chance to meet a new group of people and many of them seem to feel a connection to my work………which is a supreme compliment. At the end of the evening, we were regaled by one of the guests with hilarious stories of their days working together for Disney. A really fun night with a great group of people. A late night rolled into an early morning and after breakfast, it was time to pack up the work and head back up to Santa Monica fro the Saturday opening. Oh my.

Pastel Girl goes to LA!!!!

I am excitedly preparing for my upcoming WEST COAST TOUR!!! The plan was hatched in my studio last Summer when my cousin, Julie, her husband, Paul and their beautiful boy, Flynn all came to visit from Santa Monica, CA. Julie, who I would LOVE to hire as my director of marketing, thought it would be fun to have a little opening reception to introduce my work to her friends in her new home. At first, just the work was going to make the trip to Cali. Then she decided I actually needed to be there to, well, schmooze. (When in LA......) THEN a dear friend of mine, living in Huntington Beach also graciously offered to hold a soiree. So I will be busy with back openings, but it should be a lot of fun. I also hope to do a little touring around and visiting with relatives while there. I have been sorting through the work and getting it packed up and ready to go……….