MSGodfreyArt

Newest River Inspired Painting

2012-01-26T17:44:00.000-08:00

I started this painting with a concept. I wanted to combine natural rocks with petroglyphs (rock carvings) with an Asian look. Here's a quick sketch of my idea.

I began the painting by getting my paper wet and putting on a loose acrylic underpainting. It doesn't look like much, does it?

I knew I was going to add a lot of texture for the water and the rock bank at the top of the painting, so I cut out rock shapes from contact paper and placed them on the right side of the painting to reserve those colors.

Next I added rice paper and gesso to the top, and applied gesso to the rest of the paper, using a handmade tool (notched credit card) to create a flowing water effect. Some of the underpainting is revealed in this process.

After all this dried, I started applying paint again. Watercolor paints will work on this surface, as will acrylics. Many things went into creating the water. I watered down my pigments and poured them, then rocked my paper around to move the paint the way I wanted it to flow. I used inks, watercolor pencils and pastels. Then I made more colors using white ink and acrylic pigment. This part was really fun.

At this point I have peeled the contact paper off, and painted more structure to the rocks and just cutout construction paper squares to get a better idea of how it would all work out.

I added some warmer colors--violet and burnt sienna. I added collage pieces to some of the rocks and created more defined rocks at the top of the painting. I created my own petroglyph symbols for animals I see on the river, as well as a water symbol. And here is the finished piece: Sing me the Legends.

Sing me the Legends, 18 x 22 inches

A Trip to New York City

2012-01-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

This was an anniversary trip of sorts. Mike and I met in NYC (Greenwich Village to be exact) almost 43 years ago, got married 42 years ago and haven't been back to New York since. After all these years of talking about returning, we finally did. It was a fairly spontaneous trip with a desire to stay in G.V., wander our old haunts and do touristy things on a small budget.

The budget was what led us to finding an alternative to hotels. We rented a studio apt. for about $170 a night. Here's a photo of Mike in the entryway to the place on Sullivan Street.

And our street.

Our first day out, we decided to take the ferry ride out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which leaves from Battery Park, near Ground Zero.

Seven buildings were destroyed that day. As you can see, reconstruction is happening. Just across the street from the World Trade Center, this old church and cemetery were unscathed.

Our trip out to the statue and Ellis Island was ideal in that the sun was shining, but the temperature was 21 degrees F. I'm so glad I bought this winter hat.

Our second day we started our string of museums with the Guggenheim. The "Void" of the museum was filled with Maurizio Cattelan's retrospective. I had never heard of him, but at age 51, he has retired from the conceptual art world and all of his work is hanging in the Guggenheim.

After several hours in the gallery, we were happy to walk across town through Central Park.

The rest of that day played out as a perfect New York day. We got frustrated trying to find a coffee drip cone in the huge stores on 34th Street. Then we hopped on the subway back down to Washington Square (definitely a landmark for us from our courtship). In Washington Square, while I was taking a photo of Mike and a musician, a man and woman started a screaming fight with each other. When he threw her down on a bench and jumped on her, I yelled (at a safe distance), "Do you need help?" After yelling the same question 3 times, he got up and they stumbled away from one another. She gave me a weak "thank you." In my back story of this couple, this kind of event occurs regularly, but I felt satisfaction in stopping this particular round.

When it was dark, we returned to our apartment to find the street taken over with trucks and lights and catered food tables. They were filming "Law and Order: SVU" right there.

What a lot of NYC crammed into one day!

While in New York, we went to two Broadway plays--"Godspell" and "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert." While I enjoyed both, "Godspell" was by far my favorite. To make things even more fun, a couple days after seeing the play, we were having a midnight drink in a small bar near our apartment when one of the actors from "Godspell" walked in. We bought her a drink and talked for an hour or so. Great fun!

Our further adventures included going to the top of the Empire State Building. Did you know that at the time it was designed and built, that spire at the top was intended for docking dirigibles. In the design drawings at the ESB, they had illustrated people descending from the blimp in elegant clothing to the roof of the building. With the wind and and weather and the end of use of dirigibles, it was, of course, an abandoned idea.

Of course, we went to more museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. Here I am with a painting by Matisse.

We visited other landmarks such as Grand Central Station. Although I'd been there many times in my youth, I'd forgotten how vast it is and how the people scurrying around to catch trains look like ants. I'd also forgotten the beautiful ceiling of constellations.

As all good things must do, our week in NYC came to an end. Although we had endured most days in the mid 20 degree temperatures, there was no snow until our day of departure. Isn't that a sad scene-- Mike pulling our bag through the snow to the subway.

More Before and Afters

2012-01-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

I'm still working on the 4 pieces I'm planning on sending off to various competitions. This is the week to make the changes and make decisions about which painting goes where. Some of the changes seem so minor, yet I've found that the little improvements: additions, subtractions, opening up an area cleaning up a messy spot can make a real difference.

River Strata--The changes in this piece are subtle. There is more white raining down on the bird and the top of the wing has more white. At the bottom of the wing's feathers where the inside of the wing and body attach, the area has been softened. Finally, I broke through the white line a bit on the left-hand side.

River Strata--Before

River Strata After

Food Web--When my friend, LaVonne Tarbox Crone described the heron as being in a cacoon, it was easy for me to see how to open up the space around the bird, and use the mysterious petroglyphic symbols as the space fades out into the surrounding, more defined areas. Again, it's not a huge change, but the piece seems even more etherial to me.

Food Web Before

Food Web After

Cross Section: Deep in the Rogue River Canyon The changes to this picture are slight. I've lighted the edges of the slopes on the dark, left-hand side in order to make the distinction of each slope more visible. I also took the gold color further out at the bottom of the large rocky shapes, connecting the colors more.

Cross Section: Deep in the Rogue River Canyon Before

Cross Section: Deep in the Rogue River Canyon After

Now I have to think about the strength of each painting: Convocation (changes made in previous post), River Strata, Food Web, and Cross Section: Deep in the Rogue River Canyon . I'd love to hear what you viewers think. I'll be sending off entries by Friday.

"Convocation" Before and After

2012-01-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

With several watermedia competitions coming up, I am spending some time tweeking (with hopes of strengthening) some paintings from the fall. Before Christmas I took them by my friend's house to get her take on them. LaVonne Tarbox Crone has a great eye for the small stuff that takes a painting from good to really good.

Following her advice on "Convocation," I emphasized the herons with more white and broke through the window of the painting from the top and sides. Minor changes, really, but they help fasten the interior of the painting with the edges.

Before

After

Improved? What do you think?

Goodbye to 2011

2012-01-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

To feel like I'm ready to move on to the new year, I am compelled to write one last post remembering the last two weeks of December 2011. It was a very full holiday season for Mike and me. We followed many of our old traditions and added a few new twists to the celebrating. It was really quite wonderful, but as I sit here at the computer, I'm looking forward to the wrap-up today and the new post and art that will come with tomorrow.

Here's a photo essay of December.

Getting the Christmas tree (niece Cathy and friend Norm)--Yep, it's a good one.

My sister, Janice, helped decorate our tree before she took off for Senegal.

The day after their winter break started, I took Angelica and Marin to the Nutcracker.

Marin and Angelica had a week in Blue River before Christmas. (Marin with Little Bit)

Angelica is climbing up to the loft, where the girls tossed hay down to the horse and checked the barn kitty's food.

Marin in the loft.

As always, we spent time in the studio. Here's Angelica hard at work.

I was amazed by her drawing.

Our oldest granddaughter, Kelly, joined us to work in the studio

and bake cookies.

Two days before Christmas, the rest of the gang from Vancouver showed up.

Noah and Angelica got on Little Bit.

Hannah's not too sure about the horse.

Looking at fish in the pond in the safety of Dad's arms is more her style.

We were joined for the holidays by two young women from Europe, Stephanie and Karolina. They experienced their first "American Christmas" with us in Blue River.

We always have a big Christmas Eve dinner with friends and family. A new addition to the festivities was the entertainment the grandchildren put together.

Angelica was the MC as well as performer.

Marin played "O Christmas Tree."

Noah was supposed to sing, but ended up just "bustin' some moves."

And the evening moved on with lots of food and visiting and laughter.

And at the end of the evening all that was left to do was get to bed before Santa arrived.

A week later, Mike and I celebrated the new year coming in with family in Sun River. Whew!!

Happy New Year to all you readers. May 2012 be good to us all!

Rogue Heron Flies to the Desert

2011-12-15T11:45:00.000-08:00

This week I got the news that Rogue Heron has been accepted into the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies 37th Annual Exhibit 2012. 100 paintings were selected from 1034 submitted with 479 artists participating. Eleven states are represented in this organization.

I've got to say that I feel pretty happy to have a painting accepted in such a steep competition. I also have to say to my friends who didn't get in that, as we all know from experience, it's only one juror's opinion.

The hosting state this year is Nevada, so I'll have to think about traveling to Las Vegas in April to see the show.

Cross Section: Deep in the Rogue River Canyon

2011-12-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

Cross Section: Deep in the Rogue River Canyon
22 x 18
Mixed Media

Although it is harder and harder during the holiday season to get out to the studio, I do not want to lose the momentum I've experienced as I work on this current series. I am so enjoying finding different ways to express my experiences and feelings about rivers.

In this one, I wanted to emphasize the depth of the river canyon, so using a cross section for the river portion helped convey that. The heron in this one is a symbolic sentinel of this timeless place. This is inspired by the fall mornings on the river when the sun rises after the raft has been launched, and its warmth is hungrily anticipated.

Don't forget, it's not too late to give the gift of art!

The Passing of the Seasons

2011-12-03T07:49:00.000-08:00

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I took this photo of a dogwood in its full fall colors, and now it stands leafless. Fall has passed and winter is moving in with bare branches, frosty mornings, and thoughts of Christmas.

Our November was full of activity, ending with having grandchildren Noah and Marin visit us for the days before Thanksgiving.

Mike and I were the ultimate grandparents for those few days, as the kids baked cookies...

made Christmas ornaments...

rode Little Bit...

gave the swing a workout...

and slowed down every once in awhile for some loving.

Then we were off to the coast for a gathering of our kids and their families. Our oldest granddaughter, Kelly, drove over for one overnight. It's great to have all five grandchildren in one space.

Kelly at a lighthouse

Kelly and Marin baking

Angelica and Noah engrossed in an electronic game

So what comes after turkey day? Well, yesterday, I officially moved into the Christmas season and decorated our front doorway.

Powering Through Artistic Paralysis

2011-11-16T09:24:00.000-08:00

Last week I started this piece. It was quite different and exciting, but I painted myself into a center (not a corner:)). This was a painting that just flowed out of my brush without much planning. As you can see, I got to a point where I couldn't figure out how to resolve the area around the heron. Every time I looked at the overpowering white amidst the colorful painted areas, I just was paralysed with the fear of ruining something that I liked. I tried out certain ideas with pieces of paper, just to cover the glaring white, but I really couldn't get a clear vision of the completed piece, thus postponed working on it.

Yesterday I returned to the studio with determination to finish the painting. I started with extending the rock pattern from one side to the other, behind the heron, connecting the sides. Then I wet the upper portion and softened the edge so I could continue the petroglyph wall to the heron. I suggested petroglyphs and let it fade out. I decided to put water below and indicate water with some flowing symbols, and make the enclosed blue areas into puddles with circular marks.

I'm not sure where it came from, but it seems to have some power.

Food Web, 15 x 22

Celebrating Grandparents Day

2011-11-14T10:57:00.000-08:00

We were invited to Vancouver to celebrate Grandparents Day last Friday with our granddaughter Marin. We arrived at 11:00 to take her out to lunch.

Mimi (me) and Marin at Burgerville.

When we returned to the classroom, Marin's super organized teacher had a project for Grandparents to do with the students.

Marin's teacher giving instructions.

Marin with a question.

Dabbadoo (Mike) and Marin working on their project.

The grandparents then left for coffee and cookies before heading to the auditorium for a Veterans Day program.

"See you later."

We spent 2 nights at my sister Barbara's house and enjoyed her company as well as visiting with our nieces and nephews and their offspring. After returning to Eugene Saturday night, we had dinner with more family before heading up the McKenzie Highway.

We have driven rural forested roads for nearly 40 years, and this was our first head-on collision with a deer. The doe jumped out into the road from a brushy area, smack dab in front of the car. There was no time to swerve. The deer was dead on impact and our car suffered some external damage. It was lucky that we were in the 4-Runner--a higher vehicle. Mike and I are fine, but the accident shook us up a bit.

And since I hate to end my entry on a sour note, here are a couple of photos of my lovely zygocactus truncatus, aka Thanksgiving cactus. Just in case you think I don't learn anything while blogging, I did a little reading and found out these plants are native to Brazil where they grow off of trees. Wouldn't that be a sight to see them blooming there!

Sticking with a Painting and a Theme

2011-11-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

Convocation, 22 x 18 inches

This is truly a mixed media piece that was born out of my dedication to a theme/series and experimentation. My goal was to use a low horizon vertical composition because I find that a visually delicious format.

I started with pasting a few pieces of rice paper on the rocky area with gesso. (Something that is new to me.) Next I put on color in the background and rocks and grasses with transparent watercolor, my most familiar medium.

As soon as that was dry, I experimented with tinted gesso to create the upper background. Prior to putting that on, I'd notched an old credit card in preparation to scrape through the opaque gesso while it was wet. You can see that method reveals some of the transparent watercolor underneath. When I left the studio at the end of the day, I thought the two portions of the painting (watercolor on the bottom with opaque gesso on the top) was a disaster, but that was Thursday and yesterday was another day.

When I went out to the studio yesterday, I faced trashing the painting or trying more experimentation and chose the latter. I thought creating a window effect would unify everything, so I taped a pleasing sized paper to protect the inner part of the painting and used my mouth atomizer to spray a darker blue-green, trying to use gradation--darker at the bottom, lighter at the top.

The painting was shaping up, but the top was too vacant. The question was how to make it interesting, yet tie the whole piece together. I'd recently carved a stamp of petroglyph images (Native American rock carvings) on a rectangular stamp. That was cool, but too big, so I carved on the edge which was about 3/4 inch x 4 inches. Again using petroglyph images. After stamping with acrylic paint on a sample sheet, I recarved the edges to be irregular and more stone-like. Then I cavalierly plopped the stamp on the top of the painting.

When I stepped back, I realized that the stamp was WAY off center! Had I measured--no. I immediately took a wet cloth to the paper to remove the acrylic before it dried. That's when I messed up the surface in that area. Geez, just when I was beginning to like the painting.

So that's when the dark rectangle at the top came into being. I did that with more atomizer spraying. The smudging was a brilliant mistake, because my cover-up created a lovely showcase for the stamp. I used a little bit of stamping on the rock to add more unity.

Up until this point, the herons had not been painted. I often leave the detailed work to the last. Why paint something detailed and lovely, only to ruin the rest of the painting? So I painted the birds in watercolor, used pen and ink to add some line and calligraphy work to the piece. I'm glad I kept going. I learned a lot, built confidence in my ability to problem-solve and ended up with a pleasing painting, don't you think?

A question to my fellow artists. Is putting natural colored rice paper on your surface as a preparation to paint considered "collage"?

San Francisco Gallery

2011-10-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

Mike and I just returned from a four day get-away to San Francisco. The primary purpose was to transport 5 paintings to a San Francisco gallery where my art will hang for 3 months. The secondary purpose of our trip was to have a couple of fun days in a city.

We left home on Wednesday, driving well past dark to Vacaville, CA where we found dinner and a room. I'd arranged to meet at the S.F. gallery on Friday when they opened, and we had only a 1 1/2 hour drive to make from Vacaville.

Being on Blue River time, we arrived early at the gallery and waited a few minutes for someone to arrive. (It's crazy to us that stores don't open before 10 or 11 o'clock.) The gallery,The Artist's Alley (http://www.galiara.com/), is on Mission Street, between 4th and 5th. Luckily it was very easy to find as it is just off the Bay Bridge in downtown S.F., across the street from Bloomingdales.

We were soon meeting with Rachel, the young woman I'd been talking to for a couple of months. She opened the gallery and showed me the space where my work would hang.

After dropping off the paintings we went to our hotel, checked in and decided to look at some other galleries in the city. We found one building full of small galleries, each showing just one artist's work. What was amazing to me, was that the norm in these galleries was to be totally ignored by the staff. Each gallery seemed to have one or two people sitting behind a computer, never looking up. We finally found one gallery with a very friendly person who was informed about the artist's work and was open to sharing that information. The more he spoke about the artists, the more interested I became in the art. Now that's the kind of gallery to be in!

We also enjoyed some street performances,

riding cable cars, and going to the California Academy of Sciences. Another thing we really enjoyed in S.F. was some amazing food!

On Friday, my art was up on the walls, and we attended an event being held at Artist's Alley, celebrating Filipino Recognition Month.

We left San Francisco on Saturday morning and visited my niece and her husband in Davis. We had a great day there looking at bees (Kim's work) and visiting a walnut orchard (Carolyn's work). I now know a lot more about both subjects. Since they were harvesting the nuts, we were able to see big equipment and giant sorting machines.

Here we are having lunch in Winters where the temperature was around 78 degrees.

Kim and Carolyn

Mike and me

We left Davis yesterday morning. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and the air was warm. We drove about 9 hours to get home to Blue River where it was already dark, raining, and building a fire in the house was the first order of business.

Seeking More Sybolism

2011-10-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about adding a more personal approach to my paintings. After listening to several speakers at the last Watercolor Society of Oregon Convention, I began taking an inventory of things I am most interested in, connected to, and feel passionate about.

I've chosen to paint a series focusing on my love of Oregon's landscape, my connection to rivers through rafting, and interest in wildlife (birds in particular.

I also thought about the elements of design that I like doing the most, so I'll emphasize patterns and lines in this series.

I'm going to use the GBH (Great Blue Heron) as my symbol for river wildlife, so you can expect to see herons in every one of this series.

To create this painting, I thought about the strata of the river canyon--the sunlight, the water, thick forests, rocks, gravel bars, rock cliffs, etc. In this painting, I was trying to express these elements in an abstract way, while keeping design elements and composition in mind.

River Strata, 21 x 14 inches

A Second Try at Resist

2011-10-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with the first ink and resist painting (the one of Mike and the cat) that I decided to try it again. This time I used white gouache to resist the ink and painted on a smaller piece of paper (11 x 16). I was able to do more detail using gouache, so decided to use a subject I've used a number of times, the Sheldon McMurphey Johnson House which is in Eugene.

After letting the gouache dry completely, I put black ink over the surface. I let that dry overnight and this is what I got after rinsing the painting completely.

I decided to paint portions of the framed area. Did I make the right call on leaving the sky white, or should it be painted?

Victorian Lace, 16 x 11 inches

Here are my other interpretations of the SMJ House.

Proud Lady, 21 x 18 inches

Checkered Past, 29 x 21 inches

The Evolution of an Idea--Comedy/Tragedy

2011-10-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

I've been asked to post the photo and first painting I did of the Roman ruin that has inspired two pieces.

Here is the photo.

And this is Ancient Voices, the first painting I did.

From there I went to the idea of Comedy Tragedy masks, and I'll post the photos of that painting as it evolved.

This is the painting as I left it 2 days ago. I darkened the corners to keep the eye from being drawn out of the painting. I also added more connective lines and passages to pull things together. And finally I enhanced the writing on the banner with darker calligraphic marks.

Comedy/Tragedy, Mixed Media 21 inches by 29 inches

Following an idea from "Painting from the Inside Out"

2011-10-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

Last spring I was fortunate to be in a workshop given by Betsy Dillard Stroud. She is amazingly creative and has way more ideas than can fit into a week-long workshop. This led me to buying her book, "Painting from the Inside Out," which has 19 different projects in it.

Ever since I read about her "ink and tempera resist with watercolor" exercise, I wanted to try it. I think it was the photo of spraying a painting down with a garden hose that really hooked me.

I chose a sketch I'd worked on awhile ago of my husband with our cat in his lap. Finding the actual photo, however, took an entire morning, as it was on a backup disk. (Technology can be so aggravating sometimes!) After doing my pencil drawing on an 18" by 22" piece of 140 lb. cold-press watercolor paper, I did the required underpainting. In her book, Betsy emphasizes letting every step dry completely, so I left it overnight.

The next step was using white tempura paint (which will wash off in a later step) to paint over the areas you want left light. The process is painting the entire piece negatively, so in the end, everything you have not covered with tempura will be black, and everything you have covered will have the hues of the underpainting.

Again, letting this part get completely dry is very important.

The next step is potentially messy, so I went outside for this. I painted the entire piece of paper with waterproof India ink, using a sponge brush.

I could hardly wait until the next morning when I could get to the part that excited me in the first place, hosing down the whole painting to see what was left. It's quite mysterious and takes a bit of trust that it will produce something other than gray mud.

After the hosing off, here is what I had left.

I started thinking about ways to sharpen the edges. I felt there was a story there, but the images needed more definition. At this point, I also could have just given up. But that doesn't seem to be how I operate.

In the end, I realized that I had nothing to loose. I took the painting to my work table with pen and ink and just started in creating patterns and sharper edges. Without any preformed thought, I just followed my instincts. The further this process went, the more fun I had. I became more confident in my own finishing process.

A Cat's Life, mixed media 18"x22"

I like the old style of this piece. I feel like I might have seen something like it in a book from my childhood. It makes me feel like I'm in a library, opening a dusty old book to find this illustration.

Most importantly, this exercise taught me more than the experience of following a painting exercise--it taught me that following my own instincts and believing in my own creativity serves me well.

Comedy Drama--Going a Different Direction

2011-09-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Jarring--that's what I realized this painting was, jarring. It also had no follow-through with a theme or content. I had started the painting because I love the stone ruin idea. This ancient Roman ruin face just had to have a place in the modern world, and I was determined to make it so. I took heed of comments on the first painting I did when people thought it was scary, so I created the happy face to go with it. The rest of the painting really had no purpose, and was just covering space.

My stubbornness often doesn't let me quit. Adding black to a painting like this is how I've finished many of my collage pieces, but I really didn't like that solution. I decided that toning the painting down with veils of acrylic paint might add some mystery to the piece and get rid of the jarring quality. So I mixed up matte medium, white, blue and black acrylic paint. Putting this over transparent watercolor was new to me, so I didn't know how the under-painting might react. I created a new stamp copying the pattern from the statue (ovals and lines) and created more interest and continuity.

My thoughts then went to the question of how to give this piece some content beyond the masks and I came up with the solution of using banners with play titles on them. I did this with more white acrylic, and scratched calligraphy. Can you read the play names in this photo? ( Clouds by Aristophanes, Hamlet, Our Town, West Side Story, Twelfth Night, and The Doll's House.) I'm not sure that's it's done yet, more calligraphy to enhance the play names, perhaps.

And in the midst of this creative process, I finished another Matisse inspired piece.

Aloha, Mrs. 29"x21"

Comedy Tragedy

2011-09-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

I've had the beginnings of this piece in a drawer for a few weeks. I painted this Roman ruins face awhile back, but people responded that it looked scary. I love the face and the background of the photo I'm working from. A friend took the photo while in Turkey. It was laying on the ground with other remains of Roman grandeur. I decided to take away the scary and add a second face to create the dramatic masks theme. I'm also using a very different color pallet.

I really enjoyed creating collage paper using a stamp I made in a previous workshop. The collage solved the problems I created by putting an opaque acrylic blue on this transparent watercolor. It just deadened the painting. The blue collage brought back life to the opaque passages.

Comedy Tragedy, 22"x30"

Usually I add some black passages to this type of collage piece. Before making it permanent, I taped on some black pieces of construction paper to help me decide if the black adds anything. What do you think? Black or no black?

Comedy Tragedy, 22"x30" (with black accents)

End of Summer-2011

2011-09-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

I'll do my best to recap the summer. It is a way for me to feel ready to move on to the fall and winter which will be much quieter and more focused on art.

Family--The Highs

Grandchildren were a huge part of this summer.

They lept over tall objects.

They rode horses.

They sat in our kitchen for breakfast.

Family--The Lows

My mother's physical health declined to the point we had to move her from the memory care facility she's been in for the last two years, to a nursing facility. The move has increased her mental decline. Most visits now, she asks me who I am.

Around the Place

I love this shot of a small snake surprising me in the garden.

Once again we took down the 30 or so swallow houses,

emptied out the nests and chased off yellow-jackets,

found creepy baby bird mummies,

and kept records of each nest.

Due to a cold spring and late summer, we had many fewer successful nests.

Art--High

After reworking parts of this painting, it was accepted into the Watercolor Society of Oregon Fall 2011 show.

Art--Lows

I had 3 other paintings rejected from other art competitions this summer.

I roasted at the McKenzie Art Festival--95+ degrees, and ended up in the red financially.

My classes at the Vida Community Center Ended.

Rogue River Rafting

We felt fortunate to be invited on a Rogue River rafting trip this September, since we did not get a permit ourselves.

Kayaking Mike displayed one of the many dead salmon we saw on this trip.

This heron was one of several we saw.

And the bears were out, although we never saw one in camp. This guy has a salmon nearly as large as he was, and further down river, many salmon remains lay on rocks at the river's edge.

Our friend from New Orleans, Julie, enjoyed being rafted into a small waterfall--a nifty way to cool down!

And the take-out: all that was left was packing up all this stuff into a trailer, driving 5 hours to home, cleaning and putting away the raft gear until next year.

Next on my to do list is putting away art fair stuff and cleaning my studio. I will be happy to have that behind me and paintings ahead of me!

McKenzie Art Festival 2011

2011-08-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well, my summer has once again swept past at high speed (a common thread). I am now preparing for the McKenzie Arts Festival--a two-day affair up the McKenzie River at Tokatee Golf Course, Labor Day Weekend, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 am to 6:30 pm. The festival has food, drink, arts and crafts, and live music.

The theme of my booth is primarily Hawaii. I have originals which are all framed; giclee prints which are all matted, some framed (starting at $25). I also have decorative tiles created from my art. I hope to have something, fairly priced, for everyone.

So if you have memories or dreams of Hawaii, come see if there is a peice of art to hang on your wall to keep those memories or dreams alive.

Lavascape # 12 (mixed media) -- This small, framed original is priced at $60.

Lavascape #14 (watercolor and ink), is a large, framed original selling for $475, my upper end.

E Kipa Mai is a large, framed giclee print selling for $300.

Other subjects of the art I'll have at the festival feature people at play,

waterfalls and more.

I hope to see some of you this coming weekend!

June 2011--Once Again a Busy Month

2011-06-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

June has whipped by somewhere between a wild wind and a tornado. It started out with a week of having two grandchildren visit. In this photo I captured a rare nice day and a calm moment.

Marin is learning the joy of spotting birds, and we are thrilled to have another future birder on our hands.

And, of course, art is an important component of any visit.

Exercise is a must also: walking for me, bike riding for Marin, and in the lead, Noah on his Spiderman scooter.

The highlight of this first week of summer vacation is the arrival of Little Bit. We now have a well trained, kid friendly horse for grandchildren to learn horsemanship.

Noah is the first one to ride her.

We returned Marin and Noah to their home in Vancouver, WA, to witness our daughter Rachel's 2nd Marathon finish. In May she ran and finished her first marathon in Eugene.

The following weekend, with the help of Rachel's husband Josh and master barbecue chef, daughter Meg, we returned to Vancouver to throw a surprise 35th birthday party for Rachel.

After the birthday bash, we scooped up granddaughters Angelica and Marin to return to Blue River with us for a horsey week. We arranged with Little Bit's former owner to do some instruction. The moment we arrived, the girls were in the pasture with horses. Angelica renewed her friendship with Tuscany, a beautiful Arab mustang who is not trained.

And, believe it or not, no one else, with rare exception, can even touch this horse.

So this week is one of learning how to work with a horse who knows its job is to cooperate with people.

Marin and Mike groom Little Bit.

We are grateful that Nichole is willing and available to share her wealth of information on horses in general, and specifically Little Bit.

So, here we are at the end of the month of June. The rain has returned for the day, but the schedule is definitely one of summer. With all the activity of the day, we are eating dinner at eight, going to bed later, and the grandchildren are sleeping in.

Today is Tuesday, art workshop day. I'm thankful to have this one day set aside for art, since it is a struggle to make time in my own studio. I am feeling very thankful for these long days so full of wonderful activities.

2nd Week at the Vida McKenzie Community Center

2011-06-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

What an enjoyable way to spend a Tuesday afternoon--painting with other artists! I'm thankful that this Workshop/Studio time is working out because it is inspiring to be around other painters. If you are reading this and want to try it out, feel free to drop in. We will meet June 21 and 28, and skip July 5 because of the holiday, and begin again on July 12.

My goal as an instructor is to show at least one technique or use one composition style each week. Participants can use it or not, but they leave each session with more art information. I also am taking several books each week (I have a library of art books) for use there or to borrow.

This week I extended the idea of last week which was using an underpainting. I added lifting paint from the paper this week to create an interpretation of this Scottish bridge.

I began with an underpainting made with Antwerp blue, Aureolin yellow, and Burnt Sienna. After drawing the bridge on the paper, I lifted all the underpainting colors off, to create a nearly white bridge. From there I tried to simplify the scene as much as possible, using a lot of the underpainting to create the background trees and water. I see a few things to correct or add at this point, but I do not want to overpaint this one. I love the simplicity and the implied vegetation.

My New Weekly Studio-Workshop

2011-06-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday afternoon, four artists joined me at the Vida McKenzie Community Center to paint, get some instruction, and receive pointers on improving their work. This will be a weekly event, Tuesdays noon to 4 p.m. The Community Center is about 25 miles up river from Eugene/Springfield, and 12 miles down river from my house in Blue River. There is plenty of room for a large group. I'm charging $25 a session. Feel free to contact me, or just show up.

The idea I shared was to work on a sheet of watercolor paper with an underpainting. I prepared 2 sheets the night before, both using a triad of primary colors. The following 2 paintings were painted over an underpainting of alizarin crimson, aureolin yellow, and cobalt blue. The floral was painted in Tuesday's session.

I haven't figure out how to finish this piece, but it's been fun dropping in a mixture of colors and painting around the shapes.

Gifts from the Universe

2011-06-03T16:25:00.000-07:00

There are weeks that bring me gift after gift, and this was one of those weeks.

My friend, Ruth, invited me to her house to paint on Monday. What a great start to a week! She has a studio large enough for several painters, really, but on Monday it was just the two of us. We talked, we were quiet, we were talkative, we laughed, we shared ideas, and critiqued the ongoing work. A great day!

In the last few weeks I have twice seen a GBH (great blue heron) fly out of our front pond, but never with the camera nearby, nor really time to catch the bird in a photo. So seeing this magnificent creature is one thing, but I loved the tangible proof I found of it's existence. As I was walking along the pond's edge at dusk the other evening, I found this large feather. Who else could leave such a lovely quill?

Two days ago I was talking to my friend, Dan, who enjoys birds as I do. We were comparing notes, and both remarked that this was an outstanding spring for birds and bird sightings. And then he told me that he had several of my favorite birds, lazuli buntings, eating at his feeders. I was jealous, as I had not seen one yet, and only hoped that because he is six miles down river from me, the buntings hadn't made it as far as my house. Well, sure enough, this morning I discovered 4 pairs of these darlings eating seeds left by the weeds in my driveway. Beautiful!

Another bit of welcome news, I had my follow-up appointment after last week's physical this morning. I seem to be in great shape, according to the lab work. Best news of all was that the small skin biopsy taken last week is not malignant! Again, a wonderful gift.

Now, if it's not asking too much, I will be much relieved to have Mike return in one piece from rowing the Colorado River down the Grand Canyon (a 3 week trip). He gets off the river tomorrow and flies home Sunday night. I will be so happy to have him home again in Blue River.

Three Small Paintings

2011-05-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

I've spent a lot of time in the studio this week. Mike is rafting/rowing the Grand Canyon, so I've had very few distractions.

One project I've worked on has been creating 3 small paintings for an upcoming show at Vistra Frame Outlet in Eugene. My three paintings are in 6 x 8 frames and will sell for under $200.

Sweetheart Abbey is inspired by a ruin I saw recently in Scotland. This piece is covered with collage, then painted over with acrylic. I've got to say that it is a challenge to use collage on such a small painting.

Lavascape #12 is the smallest I've ever done of this series. I began these lavascapes several years ago in Hawaii. This one is acrylic with some collage.

Liz Matissed is a small rendition of a painting I did in the Betsy Dillard Stroud workshop I took in April. The original is on a full sheet of watercolor paper and I was curious how it would translate into a small piece. It seems to suit this size also.

If you are in Eugene, stop by to see this show of small art pieces. Many artists will be represented in this show, and the work will be affordable.

London and Scotland Trip

2011-05-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

We missed the Royal Wedding by 2 days, but England was still abuzz with excitement. Our first glimpse of London was from a Double-decker bus, where we could really enjoy the celebratory flags hung across the streets.

We had our first meal near Piccadilly Circus (Mike in the middle) . . .

where we enjoyed our first pint of English beer.

From then on, it was a lot of sightseeing with lots of walking, tube and bus rides, and one boat trip down the Thames River to Greenwich.

Our first day we tried to get into Westminster Abbey. The queue was ridiculously long, and we decided against the wait. And even by the end of our week there, the crowds were daunting, so we never did get in. I guess everyone wanted to see the trees and flowers brought in for the Royal Wedding.

But there is plenty to see from the streets. Across the street from Westminster are the Houses of Parliment.

Walking down the street from there, you pass Downing Street.

All over London you see what a passion for gardening the residents have. They do so much with pots and small bits of soil.

London's situation on the River Thames makes it impossible to avoid the many bridges across the river. Here's a great view of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

We really enjoyed a boat trip down the Thames to Greenwich.

Here's a nice view of the Tower Bridge from the river.

And then a day in the British Museum, just touches the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. One could spend weeks and not see everything there. We only got through Egypt, Assyria, and Greece.

Do these cat statues remind anyone else of the Pink Panther?

And, of course, the Greek Elgin Marbles are there, too.

After a long day of sight-seeing, I found a place to put up my feet--Ye Old Cheshire Cheese. This pub was a favorite of Dickens, Tennyson, Samuel Johnson to name a few. This had so many little rooms and nooks and crannies, it was amazing. And, man, did I enjoy a place to stretch out and drink another pint!

We could easily spend a month or two in London and not see and do everything. We did our best to cram in a lot, while enjoying ourselves, but then on day six, we packed up and headed to the airport. We met up with my sister, Barbara, niece and nephew, Cathy and Dave at Heathrow Airport and flew to Scotland.

St. Andrews, Scotland is where Cathy and Dave's daughter, Emily, is winding up her term abroad. We all found that was a great incentive to visit Scotland.

We rented a people mover, which is what the Scottish call a 6 passenger van. Mike, somehow, became the first driver. I'll tell you, it's not easy being a passenger traveling on the wrong side of the road, so I can only imagine how terrifying it is to be a driver. At first, every time a car came around the corner on the left side of the road, we would all gasp. Luckily, Mike handled the driving quite well. We didn't add any dings to the vehicle, and we didn't kill any bike riders!

Our Scotland crew, left to right: Mike, me, Dave, Emily, Cathy and Barbara. The ruins of St. Andrew's Cathedral are behind us.

Oh my, Scotland is beautiful and rich with history. First of all the countryside (and there is plenty of it) is stunning.

The yellow crop is rapeseed, which is made into canola oil.

The fields abound with sheep, lambs, cows and calves. The Galloway cow, or belted cow (in the middle of this photo) is an amazing example of breeding for color.

Scotland's history is rich with dramatic, bloody, and romantic stories. The castle and abbey ruins we visited in Southern Scotland were built in around 1100 to 1300. The British raided and took possession for awhile, then another bloody battle would lead to the Scottish taking over again. And so it went for hundreds of years. Here are some of the ruins we visited.

Caerlaverock Castle

Sweetheart Abbey

Hermitage Castle, which has a great story involving Mary Queen of Scots. Oh, and it's haunted, too!

Melrose Abbey

Famous for it's great exterior sculptures.

It was a fabulous trip full of fun, a bit of adventure, with a new interest in the history of the British Isles. Maybe we can return someday.

But now I'm home, fighting moles, unpacking, doing laundry and sending Mike off for his first-time-ever rafting trip down the Grand Canyon. I hope to make my way out to the studio once the jet lag is over.

If you've made it this far and aren't sick of photos, here is the link to our picasa web album.

https://picasaweb.google.com/mikegodfreyblueriver/LondonAndScotland52011#

Finishing up the Workshop Pieces

2011-04-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

Life got busy, so today was the first day of this week I had to head out to the studio. I wanted to work on a couple of the pieces from the Stroud workshop.

This is the piece we started day 4 of the workshop. The beginning of the piece was covering at least 1/2 of the paper with black gesso. After that dried, we worked the piece up with acrylics, stamps and some collage. This is what I came home with. I felt it was a good start. I like the colors and the Middle Eastern feel to it. I started seeing doorways and maybe a flying carpet.

So today I began having fun with the stamps. I would paint inside them and enhance the impact. I also worked on tying more of the golds together throughout the painting. I printed a copy of the Arabic alphabet to make my marks more authentic to the feeling I got from the piece.

Arabian Nights 22x30

I also took the piece I posted last week and tried, once again to make it more coherent. My last attempt made it way too busy, so today, I mixed a light blue opaque color, to create a calm backdrop for the very active leaves and patterns. Here are all three versions.

Memories of Blemished Leaves 22x30

I enjoyed creating the skeletons of leaves and once again using a blend of positive and negative painting to finish up this painting. And because this was inspired by leaves I found in the winter, it seemed fitting that the would be partially decayed, leaving remnants.

And finally, one more attempt to make Civita: Maria's Treasures work. (This was not a workshop piece.)

Before

After

Civita: Maria's Treasures 14x11

I'd love to get some feedback.

It's Official: I'm Painting with Acrylics

2011-04-21T17:29:00.000-07:00

After the Betsy Dillard Stroud workshop, I made the commitment of buying the proper equipment to really try out painting with acrylics. My recent purchases are a butcher tray pallet (the enameled metal surface allows acrylic paint to be removed), a 3-inch brush, Speedo stamp making material, and some liquid gesso.

I'm still focusing on the full sheet paintings I brought home from her workshop. This piece was done on day 2, and I found it very challenging. The technique was to paint with acrylics in a transparent mode. We were to draw an repetitive organic shape and insert geometric shapes over that. Every time you come to a line, you have to change colors, or paint around the shape rather than paint the shape. I really found this mind boggling, but I was a good sport and tried it out. This is what I came home with.

I was not very happy with this, but decided to just keep going and try to work with it until I had made more of a connection throughout the painting. It got very busy.

So I'm not crazy about this painting, but I did have a lot of fun with the stamps and enjoyed the challenge of the whole thing. I also ended up with some very interesting shapes, hardly any of them boring! This is definitely a Betsy "thing," but now I will try to integrate what I learned from this to enhance my own paintings with greater texture and interest.

I have one last painting from the workshop to tackle. The before and after of that one are yet to come.

New Ideas from the BDS Workshop

2011-04-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

A week later, I am finally feeling back to normal after the big effort and push to run a successful 3 day convention and week long art workshop. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of help involved with these events, but as a co-chair and workshop coordinator, I felt a lot of responsibility to make both the convention and the workshop as great as possible.

These last 2 days I've found myself out in the studio looking at the paintings I brought home from the Betsy Dillard Stroud Workshop. Under her guidance, we all produced the starts to 4 full sheet paintings, each following one of her ideas. Betsy paints in a lot of different styles, using an abundance of interesting techniques, so it was a real challenge to just dive in and paint. It was an extremely stretching workshop for me, but I know I took in a great deal of knowledge.

Day one we watched Betsy start her own "imago ignota" or unknown image. We learned how to make our own stamps--how fun! And before I knew it, I was on my way to painting my first fully acrylic painting.

Some of the big lessons here are to create neutral colors and grays to clarify the focal point. Also painting in veils of neutrals over vivid colors really creates a mysterious mood to the painting. So after some time in my studio today, the painting has evolved to this--

MSG on Imago Ignata 30x22

I think it is apparent that with the grays, I've gotten some control over all the colors and busy passages. I don't know if it is done, but it has much better organization now.

On day three we were challenged to go " Matisse" with a painting. I used a photo I had of Liz, my gardening friend, and put her into a Matisse like interior setting. Here's what I came home with.

I know Matisse painted flat, but I felt the table and drapery were too much the same. I also wanted to add more patterns and recreate the black outline we started out with.

Liz Matissed 30x22
I had fun creating a new stamp for this. You can see it on the purple wallpaper and lower part of the table. I used a pattern from a Matisse painting for the stamp.

And finally, I reworked Civita--Maria's Treasures.

A critique group convinced me that the left side with the mortared wall did not work. What do you think? An improvement?

Civita--Maria's Treasures 14x11

Busy Times--A Redo

2011-04-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what has happened with the blog and Picasa, but with Mike's help and reading a blogging forum, I've gone around the problem I hope. Let me know if the images come through this time. Thanks for being loyal readers who let me know about the initial problem.

For the past two years I've been working as a co-chair for the Watercolor Society of Oregon Spring Show and Convention 2011. We are now 2 days away from the arrival of the Juror, Betsy Dillard Stroud, and the April 1-3 Convention. We expect something like 250 participants. All events are at the Eugene Hilton and the Jacobs Gallery. The planning has been quite an effort, even spread among 3 of us. As you might guess, it has been quite time consuming. After the convention, I will be facilitating (as the WSO representative) the 5 day workshop that Betsy will be giving April 4-8.

I entered a painting for the show, but it was rejected. It was a bit more bitter than usual, because I am so involved in hosting this event. However, in the last two weeks I've had two paintings accepted into 2 national shows. Chetco River will be in the Emerald Art Spring Exhibition 2011--juror, Judy Morris.

Chetco River 21x29

A day or two after that announcement I found out that my painting was selected for the National Watercolor Society's Members Show. Juror, Marciano Matinez, chose Orchid Eruption for the show in San Pedro, CA. I know you've seen it before, but this war horse of a painting has finally made it to the national level.

Orchid Eruption 21x29

And in spite of the remodel, convention planning, and family visiting, I have found time for one small painting in the last 3 months.

Civita: Maria's Treasures 14x10

Now I'm going to add a few family photos taken last week when daughter, Rachel, and her 3 kiddlywinks spent spring break with us.

Visiting my mom at Birch Home: Marin, Mattie the dog, Noah and Hannah in Great-grandma Margaret's lap.

Hannah is not too happy about bathing in the new kitchen sink!

Hannah is now eating solid food, but making quite a mess.

Rachel reads Noah a bedtime story,

and Marin, too.

It's not a real visit at Mimi's house without art. Here are Marin's efforts.

And then we say goodbye!

Blog Troubles

2011-03-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

For some reason, my photos are not posting on the last blog entry. I've taken it down until I can figure that out.

Also, out of no where, Italy popped up today! Who knows what's going on. Anyway, I am going to be at a convention and week long workshop for the next 10 days, so I solve the mystery when I get back.

Sorry to send you wacky stuff.

Margaret

Margaret, Oh Margaret, Where Have You Been?

2011-03-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

I've been wrapped up in an extensive kitchen/family room remodel since Dec. 28. Mike, being a project manager, had put a one month schedule together that allowed us to be completed mostly by the end of February. If you've been there, you know that living in the midst of a remodel has its challenges. For us, below freezing temperatures in January, without a heat source was top of the list for awhile.As our friend/contractor Dan would say, "Some folks wait for good weather to tear up a kitchen."

But that wouldn't be us!

Here are some photos of the project in the demolition stage.

And then the putting back together--still a mess.

The moment I'd been waiting for--putting my art into the backsplash. Anyone can do this. I just sent my art in digital form to a company that puts photos on tiles. I got one mural made, and the rest single square tiles.

And now pics of the new "aloha" kitchen/family room.

I put tiles above the doors.

Our new wood stove creating a cozy corner.

And our new (we lived with the tube tv until now) media center.

For those of you who just can't get enough of remodeling ideas, here are more photos on the Picasa Web Album.

https://picasaweb.google.com/mikegodfreyblueriver/CompletedKitchenRemodel?authkey=Gv1sRgCK7f7srH5bqPVg#

And I do have art news and new paintings, but that will come on my next post.

Three Day Workshop

2011-02-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

I felt so fortunate to get the chance to teach a 3-day watercolor workshop on creating dynamic abstract shapes, with paint and collage. It was touch and go for awhile to see if enough artists would sign up for the workshop to take place. (I think the holidays were a factor.) But as the time limit approached, a few more people signed up and it was a go. We even had two folks from out-of-state.

The Emerald Art Center is a lovely venue for a workshop. Not only is it a great space, it is also a gallery, so you are surrounded by art as you create your own. I had two facilitators helping out. They painted when possible, but also made sure the workshop participants had coffee, snacks and lunch. Judy and Lou were also very ready to help out participants throughout the day.

The Watercolor Society of Oregon will be holding the Betsy Dillard Stroud workshop at the EAC in April, so I have another event to look forward to there. It is a great facility.

As always, I have quite a few photos I took during the workshop. Here are Mary and Judy getting started.

Judy gets started creating a nonobjective abstract shape.

Bev is having a good time!

Most of my photos show how deep in thought people are as they create. Here's Bobbie totally absorbed.

Mas contemplates his next step.

Tali begins her painting.

Taken from the upstairs, you see color, color everywhere!

Lou concentrating on her work.

Mas was so into it that he completed two paintings during the workshop.

And here are Bobbie, Nancy, and Bev working on the finishing touches.

For me it was a great three days. I learned a lot about teaching this particular type of painting. We probably could have used a fourth day, but I think the people in the workshop enjoyed the process. The time certainly flew by. It was inspiring to be amongst so much creativity and openness to try new things. I hope I have many workshops in my future.

Here's the piece I created as I demonstrated various techniques throughout the workshop.

Two Paintings off to the WSO Competition

2011-01-30T14:18:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I took two paintings to my critique group. I was hoping to hear "send them both off as is." I should have known better! Ask another eight artists about a painting, and you will get sixteen suggestions. I think my friends helped me strengthen the painting, which will give it a better shot at getting juried into the show.

Blemished Leaves before

and after (the color variation is the image, not the painting)

Blemished Leaves 21 x 29 inches

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions.

The second entry is a painting from this summer.

Red, White and Blueberries 12 x 21 inches

Two questions for you: Did you like the changes in Blemished Leaves?

And, if you were a juror, which painting would you choose for an art show? I'll let you know if one of these paintings gets into the show.

This coming week I'll be teaching an art workshop at the Emerald Art Center in Springfield. I'm very excited to be back to teaching! And I'll be sure to blog about it.

Watercolor Workshop First Week of February

2011-01-15T07:28:00.000-08:00

Come join me at Emerald Art Center, February 3, 4, and 5 to learn how to create an abstract piece of art with strong design, watercolor, collage (using your old paintings and rice paper we'll paint in class) and a small bit of acrylic black paint.

This is a very reasonably priced workshop, $150 for members, $180 for non-members. It is 3 full days of fun and learning!

Call Emerald Art Center 541-726-8595 to register.

We need 4 more people to sign up this week to make this workshop happen!

Orchid Eruption

Clear Sailing

End of Year 2010 Wrap-up

2011-01-06T18:06:00.000-08:00

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. ~Oprah Winfrey

The holidays came and went quickly, but we had a great time. We feel so lucky to have wonderful family members and friends to come celebrate Christmas with us. Our tradition is to have a huge Christmas Eve Feast. This year I will keep with me the memory of the rattling little red wagon which Meg and I pulled to the house next door (needed more oven space) to pick up our ham. Then the rattling back with a little beagle trotting behind with hopes of an attack or accident. It's a symbol of the sort of quirkiness I love.

Our Christmas Day was full of grandchildren opening their presents, the Matriarch (my Mom) coming for the day, toys spread around, food as good as the night before and fond farewells as part of the family left that afternoon. I felt a wave of melancholy as my sister, Janice, drove off with Mother. It seems likely this will be her last trip up to Blue River. She turns 95 on January 9, and her body and mind are pretty worn out. Traveling and having a lot of hubbub are hard on her.

Here's a brief slideshow of the holiday.

Rachel on Christmas Eve

Meg on Christmas Eve

Angelica and Marin opening one gift on Christmas Eve (Noah fell asleep!)

Noah and Marin Christmas Morning

Angelica and Noah

My mom with grandkids

Hannah in her Santa gift--a Bumbo chair

And everyone loves a baby. Hannah caused a lot of adults to act crazy for one sweet smile!

My sister Janice with Hannah

Mike's sister Eve with Hannah

I'm about to hit publish, but here's upcoming news:

I'm teaching a workshop February 4, 5, and 6th at Emerald Art Center. Interested?

We're remodeling our kitchen/family room. Right now it is super torn up! I'll post some photos soon.

I am one of 3 co-chairs to the next Watercolor Society of Oregon's Spring Convention. It's a BIG job!

I hope to enter a painting or two few competitions in the next couple of months.

Cheers to a great 2011!

January 2011 in a Nutshell

2011-01-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

I began January with a little bit of art life--hanging a small show at McKenzie River Clinic. I was happy with how well the art looked on the walls.

Next came the beginning of the kitchen/family room remodel.

Dan and Dave tearing down the chimney.

And, of course, the weather turned very cold.

Mike takes the saws-all to the kitchen counter.

In the middle of this we celebrated some birthdays. My mother's 95th. . .

And granddaughter, Angelica's 9th.

The birthday girl in her new Western wear.

There was a several day trip to Vancouver, Washington to help out with grandkids.

Hannah, Noah and Marin.

I entered a painting in the Northwest Watercolor Society competition.

Checkered Past, 21 x 29 inches

When I returned home from Vancouver, I found much of my kitchen out in the carport.

And the interior emptied out.

And here is where I'm sitting now--my office, workspace. Everything is crammed into our living room.

But here is the dream. . .

Floor tiles.

Patterned stainless steel counters.

The wall color, back-splash pebble tile with my art on ceramic tiles.

So we are hanging in there living in chaos, but in a few weeks, we will be enjoying a marvelous new space.

A Painting from Start to Finish

2010-12-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

The other day, while taking a walk with Mike on a woods road, I came across these lovely leaves. When I first picked them up, they were a vivid yellow with wonderful spots of gold and brown. It occurred to me that these leaves could be interpreted in an abstract painting, using left whites, patterns and movement across the paper.

The Inspiration

I took a full sheet of watercolor, 22x30 inches, laid the leaves down on a piece of freezer paper and sketched in pencil a shape, leaves touching leaves, making the large shape go off the paper on all four edges. I included suggestions of branches the leaves might be attached to.

The sketch

Next I put a very light wash of color around the large shape, including one area of an opposite temperature. The majority is a pale yellow (warm) with a bit of blue (cool).

First wash of watercolor

After the initial wash dried, I added a darker color in 5 spots. Yikes! That's enough for one day!

Adding the first darks

The next day I started building colors. I chose to use colors we find in Nature, yellows, reds, greens.

Building colors and patterns

Next I decided what parts of the painting I wanted to keep pure white, and masked that off with masking tape. Then I carefully cut around the shape to be left, peeled off the outer tape, and took my mouth atomizer to the painting, spraying away some of the left white, and enhancing color and texture.

Masking off parts to leave white before spraying

After the spray was applied, I started looking at how to add detail and interest to the painting.

After the spray of watercolor paint was applied
While the paint dried, I made a stamp of spots to apply to the leaves. I then "blemished" the leaves, added some veins using both positive and negative painting.

Adding details

Next I started sorting through my old painting scraps and rice paper I'd painted to find pieces to collage with. I love this part because the collage adds so much life to the painting.

With added collage pieces

In the final step, I use construction paper to plan where I will add the black acrylic paint. This black paint really makes parts of the painting pop. I feel it pulls the whole painting together. After planning the black areas, I use tape and cut shapes to leave the areas on the painting to get the black paint.

Blemished 22x30 inches

Revisiting a Painting

2010-12-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

Earlier this fall, my husband and I traveled over to the far Northeast corner of Oregon. We stayed a couple of nights, one in Enterprise and the other in Joseph. The Wallowa Mountains are really grand and offer wonderful artistic inspiration.

Unfortunately, my plein air attempt at capturing this beautiful country fell short of wonderful. Earlier this week, I pulled the painting out of my travel folder and took it to the sink. I washed off all the pigment I could, but as always, a ghost of the old painting remained. I worked on it, trying to convey from my memories, the feeling of the mountains, valleys, and trees. This is what I had midweek.

I decided that the mountains were lost, never to be revived into a shape or formation I could like. Also there was too much water. So I took this full sheet-22x30 and cropped off both the top and bottom. I then saturated the back with water and stapled the remaining painting onto a stretcher board.

I felt that the dark evergreen trees had become muddy and dark, so I decided to use some gouache to give the trees new life. Here is the beginning of the revival, so you can see the dark and muddy to the left, the added gouache to the right.

After having the fun of using gouache to cover some of the original mistakes I'd made with the transparent watercolor, I had a pretty nice traditional landscape. The next question is how best to crop and frame it, to show off it's strongest points. Mike likes the square/slightly verticle, showing some of the mountains.

Wallowas, 22x18(verticle)

And here is the more traditional horizontal landscape.

Wallowas 18 x 22(horizontal)

Which grabs you as the stronger painting? Please let me know!

And not to be wasteful, I took the sky and water strips and washed off most of the paint. I then took my new stamp, painted watercolor onto it with a brush, and created some new textured paper for upcoming collages.

Stamp with paint on it.

Strips of newly patterned paper for future collage work.

First Snow

2010-11-23T15:25:00.000-08:00

It's unusual in our neck of the woods to get snow before Thanksgiving, but here we are on November 23 with several inches of the white fluff covering the ground. Last night we had a lot of wind and hard rain until sometime after midnight, when Mike woke up with little white snowflakes blowing through the window onto his face.

Snow on my last roses.

We are traveling to Vancouver, WA tomorrow (knock on wood) to spend Thanksgiving with our children and grandchildren. I'm taking the desserts. So this morning I had a mostly empty schedule, with only second pie to make, laundry to move from washer to drier on my list of "must dos."

My version of Penzey's Spices recipe for Chocolate Walnut Pecan Pie.

Normally what I'd do with an open schedule would be head to the studio, but I've been feeling ambivalent about my art since a failed painting two weeks ago. But this morning I read a post on Facebook from my friend Liz Walker. She was sharing a website http://www.art-adventures.com/tip06.html telling how to make a crystallized texture with acrylic paint on smooth paper in freezing cold weather. This was perfect for me--no skill involved--just a quick creation to work on later.

So here is my route to the studio. Mike found bear footprints out by the barn earlier this morning.

I followed the directions which included mixing fluid acrylics in water to pour over the wet paper.

I was working outside of the barn's shelter as I wet the paper and poured color over the paper. As I worked, snowflakes drifted onto the paper, and I wondered if that would effect my final product. As I finished the pours and moving of the paint around by tilting the papers, I laid the papers out on the barn floor to freeze.

Before leaving the studio area, I could already see some crystals forming, although they are very small.

Now I have faith that after we have our feasting and celebrating our older daughter's birthday (which is tomorrow), I will have the inspiration to go paint. Probably only other artists understand the ups and downs of the process of putting something of yourself on a piece of paper in hopes it will be "art."

And as for the disappointing painting--I won't show the whole, but here are a few small bits.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

A Totally New Take on an Old Painting

2010-11-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

I think I posted this painting as a failed piece a couple of months ago. It was a full sheet of watercolor paper with a fairly good drawing on it, but as you can see below, I got very lost along the way. I had an idea that didn't please me, so I ended up scrubbing off all the paint, leaving a ghostly image of what once was.

And there sat the paper, still taped to a board until this week. I have several old bits of work just hanging around the studio, so I decided to attack this one. What did I have to lose?

I started with a fresh pallet of pure colors and just started to have fun with shapes and patterns. And I just let myself paint quirky stuff. Every time I stopped to question myself, I just shrugged it off and repeated, "What do I have to lose?"

As I moved along with the background I saw problems to be solved, so I conjured up some little cabbages (among other fixes) to place in the foreground.

I love those cabbages!

As you can see, my biggest dilemma was how to bring the architectural reality into the fantasy I was creating. It took a considerable amount of just going forward and not thinking too much.

At this point, I just started doing what artists do: ask questions. Is it balanced? Are there pieces that don't fit? Are there bad shapes?

After some tweaking, here is what I felt was finished for today.

Checkered Past 30 x 22

If I were to start over, I would make the house more out of whack to begin with. Putting this realistic home into a fantasy did not work as well as a more whimsical abode.

I can hardly wait to hear what you think. And saying I'm nuts is really okay.

Card Making

2010-11-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

Playa Del Ray by Henry Fukuhara

I recently read an in memorium article on Henry Fukahara who died this year at the age of 96. He was a remarkable watercolorist from the Edgar Whitney school of painters. I've long admired his way of abstracting, using shapes, colors, marks and lines. He is also an example of how art helps a person live a long and interesting life. He only gave up teaching in the last couple of years!

Reflections by Henry Fukuhara

The article reported that Fukahara sent many notes to friends and acquaintances, always creating art for his notes. This is not the first time I've heard of this, but it is such a personal touch and something I admire.

It struck me that I, too, could add this personal touch to my communications, and I had two cards to send out. One a thank you card for a gift, the other a happy birthday card for a 6 year old granddaughter.

So I headed out to my studio ready to make 2 cards. And a great thing about this task is that it was not the daunting idea of covering a 22 x 30 inch piece of WC paper. All I had to do was put art on a 4 x 6 inch surface.

Here's the small collage I made for the thank you note.

And this is the front of the B-day card.

For the inside, I rendered Mike and me to cartoon likenesses and put them on a paper spring so that we would pop out of the card.

Give it a try! It can be a jumpstart to the 22 x 30 white paper.

Family, Family, Family

2010-11-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

What does an artist do when the grandkids arrive? I drop the brush and play!

Weekend before last, Rachel brought down all four Vancouver grandchildren (her three plus Angelica) for a weekend in the country. Mike and I arranged for the two oldest to have a horseback riding lesson.

Marin on Mocha

Angelica riding Bloomer

After the weekend of fun on the ranch, Mike and I headed up to Vancouver to stay with Rachel and her kids, while her husband went to Amsterdam for work. On the way North, we stopped by Birch Home to introduce my mom to Hannah, her youngest great-granchild.

Hannah with Great-grandma Margaret

Great-grandma Margaret with Angelica, Marin, Noah, Rachel and Hannah

The week in Vancouver whipped by. The week had very few outings, but we were really busy none the less. Rachel and I did take Hannah over the river to Portland one day to visit my sister and niece.

Hannah and sister Barbara

Hannah and neice Becky

Both of my daughters lead very busy lives. But Rachel is especially busy with 3 children now and her return to graduate school. Luckily, one of the most helpful things I could do was hold Hannah.

Me nodding off with Hannah

I ended my week with a morning of baking with Noah. I had a dinner party to attend Friday night and Noah was great help making brownies for dessert.

Noah cleaning up

Finishing "One Sunday Morning"

2010-10-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

On my way out to the studio today, I had to stop and smell the roses. As lovely as this looks, without the fragrance, you really cannot appreciate how wonderful this rose is.

For those of you who know me well, or have followed my blog for awhile, you know this is the fence covered with my deceased sister's climbing roses. As I went by today I had to say again, " Thank you Mary Jo!"

When I entered the studio, here is the painting as I'd left it a week ago.

One Sunday Morning, 10 x 14 inches

Several of you out there had sent me suggestions about where to go from here. Some ideas I followed, others I ignored. But the first thing I did was get rid of the plant.

I had originally included it for two reasons: it added to the creation of an interior space and it was there in the photo. (Just because something is in a photo is the WORST reason to include it in a painting!)

After the plant was gone, I could really see that it did not add to the story. So I moved on to other improvements. I had to reclaim the exterior horizon. I also lightened the floor to the right side, and lifted some paint from the table legs to keep the negative space of the table legs which I really liked.

As I looked at the painting, I was very happy with the really strong design elements, but felt the colors were too harmonious, making the painting dead. So I picked cad orange to add pizazz. It is scary to start adding an accent color, but I just kept telling myself that I was the artist and that I needed to follow my own instincts.

I then put it in a mat--always a good way to look at a piece near it's finished point--and smiled.

One Sunday Morning, 10 x 14 inches

What do you think?

One Sunday Morning-a painting

2010-10-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I read the Donna Zagota article in the Watercolor magazine, and decided I wanted to try a painting based mostly on shapes. Following her work, I wanted to also start from an intimate subject matter. The handiest scene to photograph was Mike and Shredder, our furball cat. The light on this particular Sunday morning was inspiring.

The inspiration

After trying a few thumbnail sketches, I settled on a composition with an exaggerated figure and strong diagonals. I transferred the sketch onto a small piece of 300 pound Arches, a paper I rarely use. The sketch sat on my work table for a month until I had time in the studio this weekend. I used a limited palette, 4 colors to be exact. The under-painting was done with yellow ocher and manganese blue, a combination that creates some great greens. I did all my mixing on the paper, not on a palette.

The underpainting

I used cobalt blue and burnt sienna to create darks and began to add details to the figure. The cat was poorly positioned (too close to the center) , so I tried to make the cat part off the figure shape and downplay its importance. In this photo, the L-shaped composition is clear. I've left only hints of the exterior landscape.

The painting taking shape

From here on out, I added detail, used gauche to regain some white, softened edges, created some positive/negative interest in the bottom of the painting.

One Sunday Morning, 10 x 14 inches
Now that I'm looking at the painting on the computer, I see that I need to soften the edges of the white swoosh under the hands. Now it is competing for interest.

I do have some questions:
- Is there too much empty space out the window?
- Do the hands need more detail?
- Should there be more transition of value in the floor?
- Is the plant between the figure and cat too busy?

Love your feedback!

Who ya gonna call? MOLEBUSTERS

2010-10-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

All summer we've been chasing moles around our lawn. This has been their best year--our worst. Up until yesterday, we were sticking a stick of "Giant Destroyer" down the hole one day, and finding another pile of dirt 2 feet away the next.

We recently got a tip from an exterminator, telling us to use a bucket and our leaf blower to really push the gases into the entire tunnel system. By cutting a hole in the bucket, fitting the tube of the blower into that, we are able to do some real damage.

My job is to dig into the dirt pile, find the entrance into the tunnel, light the bomb, and step back. (All done in my pj's.)

Then Mike steps in with the MACHINE.

This is the entertaining part, we watch as the sulphuric gas begins to rise through the grass, traveling deep into the tunnels. Yes, maybe I should feel a little bit bad for the mole, but they are the trespassers here. They can dig up all the 3 acres of pasture they want, but I want a green lawn without mounds of dirt!

So what do you do to top the morning's mole hunt? Yesterday we spent the afternoon floating the McKenzie. Let me take you along with a few photos highlighting this beautiful river on a fall afternoon.

Ready to launch

Mike at the oars

A lunch of Greek salad, bread and beer

Fall colors

An osprey nest on the far left

Looking back after passing under one of the bridges along this stretch of river

The fall light makes it hard to see these rocks until you are past them, looking back

The low light makes these deciduous glow when backlit

September---A Raft Trip down the Rogue River, A Painting Heads off to Hawaii, and Hannah Grace Carter is born

2010-09-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

September has been quite a month! It has flown by and many different aspects of my life have collided, making the month memorable.

First we had a five day white water raft trip to prepare for and experience. This year we invited our friend Julie for her second trip, and Joe for his first. Julie we met in Hilo, Ha, and she has since moved to New Orleans. Joe is from L.A. Although they don't have much rafting experience, both are enthusiastic volunteers who pitch in whenever/however they can.

Preparing for the morning launch.

Julie arrived two days early and we spent an entire day in the kitchen as Julie prepared a dish to trump her last year's jambalaya. This year it was shrimp in picant sauce, certainly equal to the jambalaya. And then her cookies and salad to accompany the main dish were to die for!

Julie and Mike on the river.

Our group consisted of four rafts and one hard shell kayak. We planned a longer trip, 5 rather than 4 days, which allowed for a layover day. That sounded like a great idea until we got a week of fall rain prior to the trip. Sitting on a raft or in camp is not nearly as fun when one is wet and cold. However, the morning of our trip, the weather changed to a lovely, sunny day and that weather continued throughout our trip.

Our group.

As always, the Rogue River is rich in wildlife. We saw more Great Blue Herons than ever, and they were not shy.

David (Mike) worked diligently on his skill with a sling, in preparation for meeting Goliath (bear), which never happened. But look at the rich stock of ammunition he had!

There are many things I really enjoy about a fall trip, one is certainly the autumn light, lower and richer in color. I especially like the morning light.

My niece Cathy, back lit with morning light.

Although no one in our group wears a helmet, it is not a bad idea. Our friend Joe came prepared for adventure and any mishaps that might occur.

Joe wearing helmet.

And were there any mishaps, you might ask? We did not flip, or even have a tube go underwater, but Mike did once again come up against his personal Rogue River Nemesis, Mule Creek Canyon. Or should I say #@$$%# Mule Creek Canyon. This is a stretch of water where the river narrows into a long rock cliffed canyon. The hydrolics are amazing, unpredictable and have parts named the Coffee Pot, because you go in and get percolated!

On the next to last day, we got on the river and had the two hardest parts of the trip ahead of us: Mule Creek and Blossom Bar. This means that all rowers start getting pumped full of the adrenalin necessary to maneuver the large heavy rafts through these class IV sections. Mike is always particularly nervous about Mule Creek and this time was no different. We were third in line (the kayak and its paddler were on a raft through this.) We watched as the two rafts in front of us traveled through the early sections and it looked like a pretty smooth ride for both.

We inched our way forward into the most turbulent part of the canyon. Suddenly the river god reached up with a hand, grabbed the raft, and nailed us to the canyon wall! It was incredible, because here in this amazing water, we were just still, not moving anywhere. There was a slight sideways to and fro, but the stern was stuck, right against the wall. Mike pulled on the oars with all his might for several minutes, but nothing happened. I got a bit alarmed when he announced he was taking a break! How the heck do you take a break in a situation like that? But soon I heard him making the most primeval growl imaginable. I felt,through the raft floor, his entire body push against the water with the oars and finally we broke loose. Later we talked about how long we were paralyzed by the river--the guesses were anywhere from 3 to 30 minutes. No one was watching a watch!

But we weren't done yet, we had Coffee Pot ahead of us. And our rower was almost tapped out. As luck would have it we had to take a spin or two there before we were done and on our way through the last milder part of the canyon.

I'm including a link to a video of someone else's ride through Mule Creek, in case you are interested in seeing the place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNFht-5Y0-s

It's hard to tell how much that experience is going to effect the rower's ability to do the next rapid, Blossom Bar. In this case, Mike did an incredibly clean run through Blossom Bar. We didn't kiss a rock!

On the last day, on a wide smooth stretch of river, I took this photo of this lone tree, attached to a rock. Once again we said goodbye to a wonderful trip through the Wild and Scenic portion of the Rogue River.

Arriving home, I had a letter of acceptance from the Hawaii Watercolor Society. Last month I sent off two digital images, and my painting "Jungle Ginger" was chosen for the HWS Open Show. Inserted into the letter were comments from the juror, Linda Kemp. This is a first for me and a very nice touch. I think every artist wants to hear why a painting appeals to the juror.

"Both of these paintings are interesting and dramatic! The broken shapes, pattens and use of texture are quite exotic. My choice was influenced by the rich darks and less defined forms in Jungle Ginger."

My month is ending meeting a new grandchild, Hannah Grace Carter. My younger daughter had an induced labor, so Mike and I were able to be there to help out with the other two children while Rachel and Josh concentrated on the new baby. I'm staying here for a few extra days while Rachel and Hannah rest up and the rest of the family adjusts to this change.

Hannah is perfect in every way!

Rachel and Hannah this morning.

Red, White and Blueberries

2010-09-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Ruth, for the idea to use a dark color rather than black to add the punch to this piece. Although, I see that on my monitor the darks look almost black, they are a dark maroon/purple. The black was too harsh, but the added darks enhance the playfulness in this painting.

Something I did differently here was to use watercolor paint rather than acrylic for the added darks.

Red, White, and Blueberries 14 x 21

Inspiration for a Fun Piece

2010-08-31T18:10:00.000-07:00

Just by getting out and painting everyday, I have broken through the block I was feeling a couple of weeks ago. I produced two nice realistic pieces, one loose, quick figure study and continued into a more abstract creation yesterday. My inspiration for this piece was a green, one pint berry box and 11 pound of blueberries my husband and I picked on Saturday.

I started with a white shape, and pulled out a couple of collage sources.

Next I started a background, keeping in mind the round shapes of the blueberries.

I continued to add color and more circles to the background.

Then I added the basket and berries.

Here's the piece with color added by the mouth atomizer.

Now the collage pieces have been glued on.

Red, White, and Blueberries 14 x 21

Just before leaving the studio tonight, I taped on a few pieces of black paper. I would use black acrylic paint to make permanent marks. Now I have to decide whether I like the additional black or will I leave it with only the reds and blues. I'll sleep on it and take a second look tomorrow morning.

Am I Done?

2010-08-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

As with the painting "Sisters," this picture of the two Italian ladies continues to be fine-tuned.

After cleverly changing the hand using the flip/mirror image trick, it was obvious that the hand was misplaced. Her arm was awkwardly elongated. Yesterday I scrubbed it out, to replace it closer in on the figure's lap.

I also removed some of her right shoulder that was too angular and broad. I also scrubbed out some of the back to add back in some variety I'd lost with the many washes. I also let some warm color wash down through the bottom part of the painting.

So is it done now?

From Tight to Loose

2010-08-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I once again joined my friend La Vonne to work on another painting from Italy. You've seen it before, but I took it to La Vonne's for her expert critique. Although I felt it was done, she was able to help me improve it in one large way and several small.

Here is "Sisters" before.

The large improvement was to wash down the street to get rid of the "connectors" I had added and lightening the street in the distance and to the left. I did a bit more of a wash in areas and then redid the splatter, ending up with a much better street.

I also curved the skirts, blouses, pants and nun's wimple, changing the rather straight, stagnant shapes.

I also worked on softening the edge of the shadow to light on the left, reshaped the plants, and finally added the touch of color several folks mentioned a lack of by adding a red logo patch to the backpack and red trip to the nun's bag.

And here is the result--I consider this painting a job well done!

Sisters 18 x 21

So after finishing this rather tight, realistic painting in my studio, I took off on a different approach to a figure painting--loose and juicy. This is my interpretation of Liz, poet/gardener--done in one afternoon.

Liz 21 x 18

"Sisters"--The Painting Process

2010-08-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

In June I traveled to Italy with a group of family members, including 2 nieces. Of course, I have many photos, but I was drawn to an idea based on several photos I took in Ovieto. My long-legged American nieces were walking along the same street with some short and stout Italian nuns. All were dressed in white and black, so the theme of "Sisters" was irresistible.

Since I am working in a more realistic style for awhile as a way to ease into my more abstract work, these Italian photos are perfect inspiration.

Here is the drawing of the concept--two pairs of "sisters" in a shadowed street, with sun bleached buildings on the left, providing contrast potential.

I began the painting with an under painting of all areas that will be in the shade.

The next step was painting all the darker areas, including the figures skin tones--warm tans for the nieces, cooler protected skin for the nuns.

At this point, I have added some details, darkened areas, but have left the figures blank.

After putting several washes on the street, I have a very buckled paper, so I wet it down on the back and stapled it down on a board.

The painting is almost done at this point, but I've waited to put a pattern on the backpack and bag the nun is carrying. I want something to tie them together and add a modern feel against the old Italian background.

You'll see I stuck with the black and white. After adding the zebra print for a whimsical element, I had to go back to other areas to add more dark and readjust so that the zebra print didn't "stick out" too much.

Sisters 18 x 21

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the painting--critiques are always welcome.

Staying With A Painting

2010-08-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

This painting is based on a photo I took in Italy earlier this summer. I was fairly happy with the figures, but I felt the background was presenting the same problem I have regularly with figure paintings--it just doesn't do anything to support the figures.

Queen Bee and Friend, 17 x 17 (before)

Last week I took it to my friend La Vonne's open studio, hoping to get some help with it. She is a great "fixer" and does wonderful backgrounds. She noticed several minor problems with the figures, and I worked on those. She showed me a nifty trick of using the shape of one hand to create the other hand with the mirror image. I copied the left hand onto a piece of clear plastic and then flipped it to create the figure's right hand. The background got layers of washes, pushing it further and further back. The lines I'd created to show the marble blocks mostly disappear (a good thing). Now the painting is clearly about the women and their conversation. What do you think about the improvements?

Queen Bee and Friend, 17 x 17 (after)

The working title is "Queen Bee and Friend." I'd love some suggestions. Something Italian, perhaps?

When a Rejection is Good News

2010-07-31T08:04:00.000-07:00

For those of you who consistently read my blog, you know that for the past few months I've found little time to paint. Between trips to Italy, raft trips and spending time with family, I have not created a new painting for a very long time. And when I'm not painting regularly, I can't just walk out to the studio and create something I'm happy with without some warming up.

Given those factors, I felt very pressured to hit the studio this week and do the impossible--create a new painting to enter in the Watercolor Society of Oregon competition. (The entry deadline is tomorrow, August 1.) I really wanted to enter something in my own local society's competition.

I started one painting, a pattern painting, that was based on a decent concept, but a poor rendering. I had a plan, albeit a loose one, and the painting was showing more of the "loose" than the "plan." When I saw that painting was going poorly, I decided to try another piece, so after going through my photos of my recent trip to Italy, I picked out a shot of two older Italian women sitting on a stone bench in Pienza.

It may surprise some readers to hear that it is easier for me to paint something, even people, in a more realistic style than it is to paint something out of my head. So I started this vignette of the two women engaged in a conversation. To begin with, I was just creating a stony textured background.

So on Wednesday morning I went out to my studio to reflect upon my two unlikely prospects as entries into a competition.

A: A painting I didn't know where to go with next, or...

B: A background with no figures.

Then I started hanging out at the mailbox, waiting for the mail. I knew that the letters of acceptance/rejection would be coming soon from Watercolor West. If my painting "Rogue Heron" was rejected, I would have something I would feel comfortable submitting to the WSO. Alas, the mail came and there was no letter. That forced my hand. I had to try to make one of the above work.

I started with the face of the Queen Bee, the storyteller and focal point of the piece.

Then I began filling out the flesh of my two figures.

And finally I got around to the fun part and the part that felt the most genuinely mine, the patterns and clothing choices.

At the end of Wednesday, I had a painting that was mostly done, but not fabulous. The figures still are a bit "cut out" looking, the background is monotonous, and the queen bee's right hand should go in front of the bag, not look cut off as it does now. Oh, and quite miraculously (or poorly painted) the queen bee's weight appears to be pressing down the rock she is sitting on.

I look at this piece and see that it has potential, but needs some work. And I'm not sure I will immediately know how to fix it's problems. But a greater issue for me in entering this in a competition is that it does not represent the body of work I am currently building on. I don't think it's a bad thing to paint in a variety of ways, but, personally, I want to develop a certain recognition of a "Margaret Godfrey painting."

So given all of the above information, you might agree with me that when my letter of rejection came on Thursday, it was good news. I could enter "Rogue Heron" into the WSO competition--a painting I consider good work, a painting that represents my style, and a painting I have confidence in.

Rogue Heron 22 x 29

June--Part II, Granddaughters and Rafting

2010-07-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

Mike (having returned from his sailing trip while I was in Italy) picked me up from the Portland airport the night of June 26. It was wonderful to see each other after a long, but full, two months. But we did not have time to revel in our reunion, since we had a raft trip planned starting just days away. The next morning we drove back to Blue River with two of our grandchildren who were going on the raft trip with us.

In the few days at home, I managed to unpack, do laundry, go to the local clinic to get diagnosed and treated for whooping cough, shop for a 5 day raft trip and visit my mother. The girls and I had lunch at Birch Home one day where we enjoyed the sun on their patio.

Marin, Angelica and my mother at Birch Home

I have to include this photo of Angelica and Marin playing "Spy Girls" while eating dinner on our pond's bridge.

On June 1 we headed off to Clarno where we were going to meet a large group of family members and friends to launch seven rafts on the John Day River the next morning. The majority of the group were new to rafting, so we had chosen a calm river with very little rowing skills necessary. By noon on Friday we were all afloat, leaving none of our party of 28 behind. (A vision of a new version of "Home Alone" passed through my mind as we loaded gear, food, and 28 children and adults on the rafts.)

Once afloat I was so happy to look back and see my favorite rower pushing our raft down the river.

Part of our group were very interested in fishing.

While others were happy to just float and enjoy the scenery.

Most of the time on the rafts was spent like this: letting kid's handle the oars and experience nature.

Of course, I absorbed scenery, colors and patterns for future paintings.

So now we are home for a week, but leave for more rafting and camping tomorrow. My cough is better, although I'm still a bit tired. But as the saying goes, I'd rather wear out than rust. And I know my studio awaits my return, after the summer activities are over.