Exciting Night!!

In a previous post I had mentioned that I had both of my entries successfully juried into the Scottsdale Artist's School Best and Brightest Show. I had applied for the last two years and did not get in. At that time I was doing landscapes. Since then I have switched to still life which turned out to be my genre! Last night was the opening reception. Bob and I arrived to a crowded reception to find that my piece, "Market Colors" won an Honorable Mention! To top it off.....both of my pieces had red dots on their labels meaning they were both SOLD! They sold during the VIP preview for the reception. "Market Colors" was purchased by one of the Scottsdale Artist's School Board of Directors.

Definitely an exciting night!!!!

Final painting of 2010

I know this is January.....but I did not have time to do a posting prior to leaving for our Hawaii trip over the holidays. I was running around getting last minute things done.....one of which is getting this piece to the framers to take advantage of their sale pricing on framing. This is my final completed painting for 2010. I have another piece that is close to completion but will be finished in 2011. Both the pieces were paintings I worked on as a demo of pastel painting during the Hidden in the Hills open studio tour and sale. It is fairly easy to do the initial layers of a painting with constant interruptions, but when I get to the point of final layers and bringing the painting together I need to focus. As a result I planned on starting a piece each of the two weekends. This piece is titled "Apple Slice". I had a lot of fun painting the cut portions of the red apple.....it was easier than I thought. The slight browning effect was actually achieved with a yellow green color! I was pleased with the results.

This piece and the next piece of chile peppers, which I plan to finish in the next few days, may be the closeout of my "fruit and vegetable" period....although I can't say fruits and vegetables may not be a component in future paintings. I have a hankering to paint some still life pieces that are southwest themed. I have a few ideas floating around in my head that I am excited about. Stay tuned to see where it goes.

Sonoran Arts League Small Works Show & Sale

Each December the Sonoran Arts League holds a juried small works show in their office/gallery. Again this year I had a piece juried into the show. I don't usually paint that small as the maximum size for an entry was 35 sq.inches which is basically a 5" x 7" piece. However, as shared in a previous blog I painting a color study of a single pear with this show in mind. The show includes over 200 entries in a variety of mediums. If you live in the area and have a chance....stop by the show. You may find the perfect gift for several people on your gift list. There is no better gift than original art!!

Hidden in the Hills Reflections

Well, my second Hidden in the Hills Open Studio Tour is now under my belt. After a day of breakdown and couple of days of rest I can look back and reflect on this year's event.
First and foremost is how happy I was to be in an indoor setting this year! I had a great time at the studio I was at last year....but I was outdoors on a back patio. I took my art down each night and worried about wind and rain each day. I lucked out last year in that I only had rain at the very end of two of the days while I was removing my art. This year the Sunday of the first weekend was on and off rain all day. There were a couple of good downpours and even a little wind. The Sunday of the second weekend was very cold and windy....yes, even in Arizona we get some cold fronts that come through. I was very glad I wore tights under my jeans and brought my gloves! Both weekends I would have been desperately protecting my art if I was still in an outside setting! Thank you Toni for inviting me to be a part of your studio with an indoor setting!!
My second reflection is one that is very gratifying to me as a pastel artist. With only a couple of exceptions, my visitors were all familiar with pastel as a medium. This is a big change from past years where I spent a lot of time explaining what pastels are and how they are used. I even had people coming into my booth and saying "Oh, I love pastels!". Definitely gratifying! It follows the resurgence of the popularity of pastels both nationally and internationally that is occurring.
A third reflection is how much I enjoy talking with people about my art. Although festivals and open studios are a lot of work, the opportunity to talk with people about my art makes it all well worthwhile.
A final reflection is how much I learn spending long periods of time with fellow artists in an art setting. We share strategies and resources for making art and marketing our art. I learned last year with the folks I was with and again this year. Fellow artists are so generous with their knowledge and experience....it is truly a great group of people to be a part of!
Well, I am already thinking about modifications of my presentation for next year and how I will use what I learned for my next art festival which is the Sonoran Arts League Fine Art Festival at Stagecoach Village in Cave Creek in February. I am hoping for great weather and lots of folks to share my art with!

Hidden in the Hills Open Studio Tour 2010

The first of the two weekends of this year's Hidden in the Hills is in the books. I am so very happy in my new location. Last year I was at a studio where my location was on the back patio of the host artist. My host was wonderful and I had a great time with my fellow artists.....but I was outdoors. I took my art down each night and worried about the weather each day of the event. Two of the days we had rain at the end of the day as I was taking down my work and trying to get it into my car unscathed. When my friend, Toni, called to invite me to exhibit at her home/studio with an indoor location this year I couldn't say no. I miss my former studio mates.....but I am so-o-o-o happy in my new location! I am once again working with a great group of artists (actually not sure I ever met an artist I didn't like :-)). However, the bonus is setting up my booth and being able to leave it fully set up for the full two weekends of the event. At the end of each day we shut the garage door and my art is safe and sound from weather and any other risks! This was really brought home to me yesterday as it rained most of the day with some wind to factor in as well. I would have been in deep trouble on the patio in my former location. In my new location I was safe and dry.....albeit a little chilly as the storm front brought colder temperatures. Here is a picture of my booth. We had great traffic this weekend despite the weather on Sunday and I am looking forward to next weekend!

Scottsdale Artist's School Best and Brightest Show

I received the exciting news today that both of my entries to the Scottsdale Artist's School Best and Brightest Show were juried into the show. The two pieces are "Market Colors" and "Ripe Strawberries". In addition to the show being on display at the School from January 8th through March 15th, it will also be on display at the ten-week Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona. The artwork will be rotated on a regular basis from the School to Celebration and back. Definitely exciting news!

Breaking the Rule with "A Pair of Pears"

My last two paintings, "A Pear of Reds" and "A Pair of Pears" break one of the basic rules of composition. The rule is that there should an odd numbers of objects in a composition. In the first painting, "A Pear of Reds", I flat out forgot this rule as I played with my setup of the pears I was so enthralled with to get one I liked. In fact I did not even realize it until I was in the middle of this second painting, "A Pair of Pears". Oops!!! At least I caught my own mistake (I comforted myself with this thought). Then I decided I liked the two paintings for the color and the warmth.....so I am not going to try to change them......I am going to consciously break the rule. That's what rules are for.....right??? I plan to have them as part of my display of paintings for sale at the upcoming Hidden in the Hills Open Studio Tour. I wonder what visitors will think of them. It is going to be fun to see what the comments are......I will let you know! Here is "A Pair of Pears".