Westhaven Center for the Arts, 501 South Westhaven Dr, Westhaven, CA, will be hosting an opening for my neighbor, Glass Artist, Susan Bloch, and me on Sunday, September 8th, from 1 - 4 p.m. We are excited to be showing our newest work in this beautiful venue. We hope to see you at our celebration, but if you can’t make it, this exhibit will be available for viewing during regular gallery hours, Friday through Sunday, 1 - 4 P.M., until October 26th
North Coast Open Studios 2019
I will be participating in North Coast Open Studios this coming weekend, Saturday June 1st and Sunday June 2nd, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To accommodate any handicapped visitors, I have decided to use my garage as the venue to share my art .
My neighborhood fiends/artists, Myrtletown Makers were honored with an article in the Times-Standard newspaper on Friday, May 24th… https://www.times-standard.com/2019/05/24/myrtletown-makers-are-back/
We are very excited about sharing our spaces and Art with the community
Utility box finished
It’s been awhile since I finished this, but I thought I should share my finished utility box with you. It is located on the corner of 6th and H Streets in Eureka. To really appreciate it you will need to walk to it … the traffic is usually quite heavy there.
Utility Boxes
The City of Eureka has started a program to bring the visual arts to the community for all citizens and visitors to enjoy. They have partnered with CalTrans to have the traffic light utility boxes painted by local artists and sponsored by businesses and individuals.
Several boxes have been completed and are now decorating various corners of the City with bright paintings.
I decided to add one of my creations to the mixture. My sponsor is Donna Wright, the executive director of the Eureka Chamber of Commerce, and her husband Philip. Donna envisioned having butterflies on a box, and I enjoy painting them, so it was a perfect fit.
I cleaned and primed the box last weekend, and Monday morning the first coat of paint was applied. After a second coat the box was ready for the butterflies, along with some flowers, to brighten up a very busy corner in Eureka.
If you're in the area, it's on the northeastern corner of 6th and H Streets. I hope you'll drive by and see the development.
I will be posting photos of the box as it transforms from unnoticed utilitarian to a piece of community art.
Thank you City of Eureka !
Plant or Alien Invader
I admit that I am smitten by pampas grass - at least from a distance. When the light hits it a particular way, especially when a light breeze rustles its flowers, my brain says "eye candy!".
Why is it that I am attracted to viscous plants (Freud could have several comments about this)? Last May I was very busy painting Joshua Trees and now I just finished my second painting with pampas grass, and it is the "star".
There is an abundance of this plant along the Northern California and Oregon coasts, which is unfortunate for native habitants. The leaves (which are extremely sharp) and flowers are messy, which smothers nearby plants and I doubt that either contributes to the local food supply. It is perfectly suited to it's rugged homeland, the southern most part of South America, and seems to find this area quite hospitable.
Our local Native Plant Society does their best to remove it, but many property owners actually plant it. On-line is an article about using it as a hedge ... an invitation for this invader to take over the yard! Perhaps there are some gardeners who can control it ... I do have my doubts.
I do know that I won't be one of those gardeners. The pollen from the flowers are unfriendly to my nose - sneeze powder comes to mind.
Well, one of my favorite things about painting is allowing the time to really explore something visually, putting what I have learned on canvas, and inviting that image into my home or office without having a "downside".
I realize that everyone has their vision of beauty ... my art is a reflection of mine.
May "eye candy" with no "downsides" be yours throughout this beautifully emerging Spring.
Visiting the Oregon Coast
I took a week road trip North to visit the beautiful Oregon Coast. It is amazing how much the coastline can change in only a few miles. The first thing that I noticed was the temperature change. Brookings, Oregon was warm - in the 70's and then it got a lot colder.
Oregon has these magnificent sand dunes with trees and marshes between them and the Pacific. I understand that Humboldt Bay was once configured this way and then in 1700 a mega-thrust earthquake turned it from marsh into bay. Oregon experienced the same earthquake, but it produced different results. The geology is fascinating and the shoreline is stunning.
I created this painting from a sunset I enjoyed while visiting Gold Beach - an earlier stop along my travels North. I hope to exhibit more new pieces as I complete them.
Happy Springtime!
Blossoms
Ahhh ... Spring is finally here! Actually, I enjoy all of the seasons, just had enough of Winter for now. I am remembering last year when I visited the Mojave Natural wildlife refuge, and collected several photos of the Joshua tree forest. They are amazing plants. They look like wizened people struggling in one of the harshest places on the planet, and making a community of it.
My favorite painting of these ancient beings is a close-up of the first faze of a flower in the early Springtime. It's certainly an unusual Spring flower, it doesn't smell good nor would a florist desire it as a "cut" flower, but like all flowers, it is the offering of new life with the hope to continue the species.
Happy Springtime, Everyone.
A Selfie
Saturday I entered a “selfie” into the Redwood Art Associations Spring Show. It’s not a typical selfie and is unusual for me. Coming from a family that emphasized humility, it is odd and uncomfortable for me to take selfies … but this one I can embrace.
This painting began last summer when I visited the residence of a “gym buddy”, Carol, who is a long- distance horse rider. She rides her horses into wilderness areas and travels many miles over days competing for the fastest time traversing these amazing areas. She has 2 Arabian mares, Shelby and Dancer, who help her accomplish this journey. These horses intrigued me and I wanted to take photos of them for potential paintings. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but I knew that I wanted to paint horses. Thankfully, she agreed to help me out with some models.
While looking through my photos after the winter holidays, I noticed that in one of the pictures Shelby’s eye looked odd. Taking a closer look, I surprisingly discovered, reflected in her gaze, a silhouette of me taking her picture. What Fun, a “selfie” with a horse!
I found my future painting and could make it a reality.
Painting can be like that … the artist just needs to open up to that which surrounds them, and wonderfully unexpected things can happen.
I am happy to share my “Selfie with Shelby”, and hope you will enjoy this portrait of a beautiful, tranquil athlete on a lovely summer day.