The Foundation of the Painting

Sometimes I really struggle with a painting.  I will take it back to my easel numerous times, never being to accomplish a finished piece.  I Look back at those paintings that seemed to give me so much grief,  and I now I can see what most of them had in common.  I rushed the foundation.  Let me elaborate a bit on this.  When I begin a painting, I lay down a basic foundation of color.  This foundation determines many things about the finished piece, such as the color scheme, where the light and dark values will lie, and how balanced they will be, and even where the focal point of the painting will be.  All of this is decided before anything that even resembles an object has been brushed onto the canvas.  If these first layers of paint are not working, then the painting will not work. 

I know that this seems obvious, it really applies to so many things in life.  If you are building a retaining wall, and first layer is not level – the wall will not be level, and it will not be stable, and may eventually topple.  Even though it seems obvious, it wasn’t really something that I thought about with my paintings until recently.  This revelation though, has helped me to become more consistent in my painting style, and I believe that I am a better painter because of it.  From now on, I will not rush the foundation.  Here is one of my more recent paintings…

sunflower 14x18

St. James Court Art Fair

I just arrived home from Louisville Kentucky where I was selling my paintings at the St. James Court Art Fair.  This is a big deal in Louisville – they even close the schools on Friday in the that area.  I have never been to an juried show that was as large as this one - I think there are a total of 750 artists.  The show is located in a historic district in Louisville, and the houses in this area are amazing.

I had a wonderful show, and met some wonderful people in Louisville.  The show was well run, and had a very festive atmosphere.  I loved discussing art with the patrons that stopped by my booth.  I also met some other great artists from all over the country.  We were also blessed with beautiful weather.   What a wonderful way to bid farewell to summer.  Thanks to everyone in Louisville for making this a great event.

Green Lake Fine Art Show – Best of Show

Just this last weekend I was at a show in a charming little town called Green Lake Wisconsin.  The town is on a huge Lake by the same name, and it was as beautiful as the town.  This was my first time at this show, and I was very excited about winning the ‘Best of Show’ award, especially with all of the wonderfully talented artists that were exhibiting.   While in town, we stayed at a resort/motel called BayView Resort.  It was right on the lake, and it was a wonderful place to grill out and relax after the show.  I met some wonderful people at this show, and am excited about returning next year.

Best Of Show

The Simple Things

Finally it’s here.  After the long, cold, snowy, icy, dreary, miserable Winter, Spring has finally arrived here in Minnesota.  Sunday afternoon, the sun warmed us up to about 75 degrees.  I opened all of the windows in the house and let the warm breeze fill it up with that spring smell.  Sunday night as we sat around the fire pit in the back yard, I was able to sit quietly and listen to the songs of the crickets for the first time this year.   I love all of the sounds of spring – birds singing, bee’s buzzing, leaves rustling – but the sound of the crickets at night is my favorite.  There is something very peaceful about that sound.  I love to sleep with the window open and let them sing me to sleep on spring nights.  This is one of the simple things that I have learned to appreciate. 

Every once in a while, I like to step back and take a look at my life as a whole, to contemplate whether I am on the right track.  Over the years, my husband and I have accomplished many things including raising our two boys, buying a house, taking some awesome vacations.  I look back at our humble beginnings, when we had nothing, and I think how wonderfully our lives have turned out.  But when I look closely at my daily life, and compare it to my life when I was young and poor, there are several things that I used to truly enjoy, that I had forgotten.  Sometimes I become so busy filling my life up with things, that I had lose touch with the simple things that really make life enjoyable.   I am making a personal goal of mine to take some time each day to enjoy some of the simple things in life like the crickets on a spring night. 

Artist / Poet Collaboration

I have finally finished my painting for the Artist/Poet Collaboration for the Crossings Gallery in Zumbrota.  This piece was really a challenge for me, even though the poem was fabulous.  I wanted to express the overall meaning of the poem, yet be true to my expressionistic style of painting.  I actually re-did the painting – entirely – twice.  I am happy with this third and final version though, so it was worth all of the effort and turmoil. 

 The poem ‘Country Girls, City Girls’ describes one summer that the girls spent in the country with Grandma, and how it changed who they were.  My painting ‘Both Worlds’ combines city and country images to show how we are a combination of our experiences, and how we can feel bound to multiple places at once. 

Poetry reading and opening reception: Friday, April 18, 7pm at the Crossings Gallery in Zumbrota, MN.

About Argentium Sterling Silver

When I first starting making jewelry a few years ago, I knew that I wanted to sterling silver for my designs.  I put a lot of thought and time into my designs, so it didn’t make any sense to implement them using cheap metals.  A few months into the process though, I started to realize how much work it was going to be for me to keep all of my pieces polished. 

I started researching ways to keep my sterling tarnish free for longer periods of time.  I found some great information about air tight containers and tarnish strips.   One day when I was searching for other anti-tarnish ideas, I came across the website for Argentium Sterling Silver. 

A silver alloy can be classed as sterling quality so long as it contains at least 92.5% silver.  The remainder of the alloy can be made up of any other element or combination of elements.  In Argentium sterling silver, germanium is combined with the silver which gives it a unique tarnish resistance. 

Before trying this new sterling silver out, I read reviews by a few other jewelers, who seemed to love this new silver.  I now only buy Argentium sterling silver, and it has saved me endless hours for polishing.  It is unbelieveable how long my pieces with remain tarnish free.  Even when they start to get a little yellow, they clean up very easily with a little soap and water.  Argentium is more expensive then regular sterling silver, and with the rising cost of silver, my jewelry has gotten more expensive to make, but I still believe that my designs are special and deserve to be implemented with the best materials.

St. Paul Art Crawl

I’ve been busy getting ready for the St. Paul Art Crawl.  This will be my first year participating in this event that is now in its 17th year.  The mission of the Saint Paul Art Crawl is to create an artist-run venue which facilitates a mutually beneficial and meaningful interaction between the arts community and the public. 

I will be showing my work on the 7th Floor of the Rossmor building.  The building, which was built in 1916 was originall a Foot Schulez & Co. building, a shoe and boot manufacturer.  The property was later used as affordable housing for artists.  The building was remodeled in 2002 and now contains 129 condos on the upper 6 floors, with retail spaces on the first floor.  The building is still home to many artists, and the building is one of the art crawl sponsors each year.

 This year, there will be food and entertainment in the Rossmor as well as artists showing there work on each floor of the building.  The hours for the Crawl are …

Friday April 25, 6-10 pm – Sat April 26, 2-10 pm – Sun April 27, noon-5 pm

You can print out a map in advance, or pick one up at the Rossmor.  The easiest way to see all of the artists is to take the elevator to the top floor, and take the stairs down after you have visited all of the artists on that floor. This is going to be a very exciting weekend for both artists and patrons.  Hope to see you there!

Burnsville Art Fete

I currently have 5 of my paintings at an exhibit in Burnsville, MN called Art Fete.  The exhibit runs through March 16th, and it is in the Burnsville Shopping Center on the upper floor near Macy’s.  There was a nice opening reception on February 29th, and the Mayor was there to give a speech.   The Burnsville Visual Arts Society hosts this great event that gives regional artists an opportunity to display and sell their work in Burnsville.  There is a new Performing Arts Center currently being built in Burnsville.  I am very excited about this, as I am a big fan of performing arts.  The new center will also have a an area dedicated to displaying visual arts, so it will provide opportunities for all artists in the region.

Is Winter over yet

Winter in Minnesota just doesn’t want to let go this year.  With such an early start to the snow fall last fall, the season seems endless.  It is difficult for me to find inspiration in the bare trees, and blue/grey snow, so for the most part this winter, I have drawn on my memories of autumn.  I dig through my snapshots searching for interesting subjects, and then picture myself back in that place with the sun, the warm air, and the magnificent colors all around me. 

I remember my last outdoor art show last fall was in October, and the temperature was in the 80’s in Stillwater that weekend – which is very unseasonable.  I knew that it would be the last summer-like weather for quite a while, so I really tried to take it all in and enjoy every second of it.  That feeling of grasping onto the last bits of summer was the inspiration for most of the paintings that I have completed this winter.