this week at the studio

Yumm. With the arrival of four new "fatties", that is, stretcher bars that are sized with a depth of 2-1/4", I am off and painting. I've nicknamed them fatties, well, because I'm known for my silly nicknames of things and places, this not being an exception. Carol, does the "love shack" bring back any hilarious memories?

Oh, how I go on about these stretcher bars. Even this week, going so far as to explain to a director at a local gallery the significance of a custom sized, hard wood, hand built stetcher bar built by a local craftsman and wrapped in cotton canvas and gesso'd or "primed" by the artist herself.

If I said it in french, I could raise the price, oui?


Having sold a couple of paintings last week through a local gallery, I am now not loving the school district for making this a 3 week holiday break as I would much rather have hours in my studio right now than hours with my un-occupied, albeit precious offspring.

So, this week, with the limited time I've had in my studio, I've managed to get five paintings either primed, started, prepped, completed, varnished or sketched.

Stay tuned.

Girl friend loves an epic landscape

Which is really like saying " this week in the studio". Cause that is what i did in the studio this week. Epic landscape. Is that appropriate for a title for a series of work? I always have a dozen or so epic landscapes moving in and out and in and out of my mind at any given moment, most having to do with the current weather/agriculture conditions around me. I don't paint Mesa's or canyons, or big sky, or rushing rivers.

My grandfather, the artist said: "paint what you see." Simple.

This time of year, because I live in what in the 70's what was referred to as "The richest agriculture in the world", I am so lucky to see and experience and live in an awesome and unbelievable variety of weather, cloud formations, seasonal change and environmental change.

Geez, that's a really long winded way of saying, "here's what I did this week" Cause I looked out the window, walked through vineyards, looked up into the sky, ate a friends gift of a persimmon. Doesn't take much. I am easily entertained and more importantly satisfied by really simple yet satisfying experiences: Dried cranberries, a new easel for my studio (merry christmas to me), a great pocket knife, a great cup of coffee, a really beautiful map, a terrific rain storm, a very friendly cat.

Simple pleasures, really.

Shameless Self Promotion

Indeed.
My paintings are now at the I.Wolk Gallery in St. Helena, California!



For anyone who doesn't know, St. Helena is one of the communities in the Napa Valley, and a very popular area not only for grape growing, but also for the variety of ways in which one can spend their money on Main Street. (Isn't that a nice way to put it?)

But really, it's a lovely town, surrounded by incredible California agriculture, nestled in the valley. The tree lined streets are straight out of any feature on "small town America" or "charming cities" as they are oft sited in the popular media.

But back to me.
So, the large plum painting is being featured in the front window (!) That's 21 square feet of plumalicious goodness. (3x7')
It's an oil painting on canvas with an overlay of gold leaf.



The persimmon painting, measuring 3x6 feet is equally ripe, featured just inside the door above that gorgeous farm house table. See how the ray of light coming down from the heavens is illuminating it?



I love the paintings with the sculpture.
If you're planning a trip or just want to burn time looking, the gallery link is here.

Thanks to my friend K, for generously taking these photos. Todays post would have looked a might different with out them!

This week at the studio

Paintings delivered, projects started, events prepared... It's all good.

It's been busy week at the studio. One in which I could easily say that the hours were simply not enough. Even employing my sitter for two afternoons, when one has clients who want finished work NOW, time can become scarce. And scarce it seems to have become.

Stretched canvas onto, gesso'd and began three paintings this week for a gallery as well as finishing another for same gallery location.

I am able to have my stretcher bars custom built now and with the addition of extra lumber it now has a hefty depth of about 2 and one half inches. Very sexy indeed.

If you paint and stretch your own canvases and especially if you work in large format like I do, you can appreciate a meter square canvas with a two and a half inch depth, can you not?

To that I say, "ooh, la-la"

This saturday is our first "Second Saturday" event in which we will open our doors particularly to the tourists in Napa, staying at the various hotels. Everyone is looking for an alternative to wine tasting and G studio welcomes the opportunity to show a visiting art lover the inside of the artists studio. At work, making art.

I'll post photos next week as I anticipate a robust turn out and a productive afternoon of making and selling art.