Something to think about......

Title: "Fertile River of Gold"

Oil on linen - 24" x 18"

Again, I apologize that this photo of finished painting is a bit darker then what the original is.  Here's my thoughts when I placed these objects together.  Starting at bottom left & moving clockwise around the work.

1. Eggs represent ideas - thoughts yet to be manifested as visual representation; musical interpretation; mathmatic equation,; IMAGINATION 

2. Tea pot - heated water to help with growth of ideas.

3. Portrait of Einstein - Genious at work ( this tile painting was a gift to me by a close friend & talented artist that created it, Deb Baughman)

4. Flowers - represent ideas brought to life / manifested.

5.  Glasswork behind flowers - Transformation!  Glass is a product made of a solid, transformed into a liquid by using extreme heat, then cooled to create what we know as glass.  It's pure Alchemy.  This piece is also placed so a corner is pointing up....a symbol of heaven/ enlightenment....we could go on & on here.

6. Espresso cup & spoon - well, simply stated as ENERGY created by pure caffeine to stimulate the brain & firing of neutrons in the body.  And, no, I'm not addicted to coffee, but I do drink a Mt Dew now and then.  I like caffeine :D

"Blue on Blue" (with a kiss of Orange)

24"x18" - Oil on Belgium linen 

Here's the set up

During this winter, I've been embracing the magic of the Still Life.  Working on something like what you see here is helping me connect the dots between drawing and painting.

"Blue on Blue" is the third in a series of works I've started and I just realized, I'm subconsciously working with "SYMBOLS".  

I was introduced to the importance of symbolism when I worked in the Stained Glass industry as a glass painter / designer.   Our primary work load was restoration of church windows.... where I became very good with replicating Munich style windows that were popular during the 1800's in American churches.  

Man's need for visual communication dates back to the caveman and when glass was introduced to openings in cathedrals, storytelling continued with the stained glass created for this space.  Hidden inside a lot of church windows were designs of fertility, pagan symbols, and the more obvious of Christian symbols for the Trinity.  This included the colors chosen to represent higher conciseness.   

One example in my painting here is the 

"Pear".  

in Chinese culture - symbolizes immortality/longevity of life.

                                      Christianity - the pear represents the Virgin and Child.

                                      Korea - Grace and Nobility/ the Pear tree represents comfort.

                                      Koren Legend - the pear gives fertility which is interpreted as creativity 

                                                                 to  women.

In other folklore - represents affection/ bond of two people in love / justice / strength/ fruitfulness/ and salvation.

What I've noticed is there are a lot of like minded artists in the universe.  We seem to gravitate to the shape of the pear and will incorporate it in our paintings in many different ways. 

One more share here....I took the above finished work photo indoors. (and still have no way of adjusting color, etc. on my computer...it seems dark to me)   Below is a photo taken with the canvas outdoors.  Man-o-Man....the Blue really dominates.  Geez!

Work in progress...

Finished oil  14x11

It's been awhile since I've posted a work in progress.  I have moved my studio space at home to a different room so now I've been enjoying more room to maneuver around.  It also accumadates  the larger canvases I've been working as commission work. 

Looking forward to creating a whole new body of work this year that expands on favorite themes of mine.  

Among Friends!

48"x 24"  Oil on Canvas

Click on images to enlarge 

Just finished this work.  I'm hoping the paint will be dry enough to take to the next art show i'm scheduled to participate in.    Of course, there's always the possibility I can say SOLD before then.  Otherwise, plan to check it out at the annual event in Reiman Gardens, Ames, IA , July 9th 9-4pm.

Portrait of Iva!

Click on images to enlarge

Finished painting.... Oil - 24"x30"

I was given the challenge to create a portrait of this loved member of the Piper family who live near Pulaski.

I had created a painting of their first home years ago using Soft pastel.  I was honored when asked for my help in creating a beloved portrait.

We decided on using Oils this time to fit the size of the portrait without the need to put the work under glass & keeping a frame as an option.  I painted this work on Gallery wrap canvas ( sides can be painted to match the front...no frame required).

Both Plein air & Studio

This first image shows the first wash of pastels with Mineral spirits  to capture shadows.  My substrate is a primed mat board.  I used Art Spectrum  Colourfix fine tooth multimedia  clear primer.

2nd wash filling in basic colors.

Here's the final painting.  The underpainting wash technique was done on location.  I ran out of time ( had to be somewhere else) to finish the work outdoors.  I snapped a photo  and used it to finish the work in my studio.

8x10 on board

"Let's be Friends"

8x10 Oil on panel

This still life composition was set up by one of my oil students a few weeks ago.  The challenge was to focus on how the light creates shadows with these shapes.  I really liked what she had done and had to paint it as well.

Why all the black around the image?  Well.....I have a new computer and am still learning how to work the programs on it.  No "crop" tool like there was on my old Windows 7.  With a bit of studying, I'll figure this out and know I'll have a better way of filing photos then what I've done in the past.  I have a heck of time finding something right now.  My filing system is....well....there ISN'T a system.  That's about to change!  

"Walking in South Dakota"

18"x 24" Oil on stretched canvas

The inspiration for this painting is from a visit I made a couple of years ago to my brother's place in South Dakota.  Him and my sister-in-law were walking in front of me, heading back home from a hike we made to see an abandoned Mica mining spot.  Their home (33 acres) sits in South Dakota where 2 sides of the property touch a National park. 

"JULY"

16"x 12" - Acrylic on canvas board

Well, here's something totally opposite from what I normally do with paint.  I've been wanting to try my hand painting  abstract designs and I think I've discovered a new love.

I absolutely love the flowers in my garden which believe it or not, totally make me feel so inapt (inept?)  at painting florals.  I think the solution for me is to approach this subject matter with a free spirit expressed by keeping paint fluid looking.

I'm excited by the end result with this first abstract.  Be prepared to see a lot more, very soon.

Poster announcement

Here's this years pastel painting for Tassel Ridge Winery's Iowa Nouveau Poster.  This makes the 6th poster design I've created for the winery.  

Every year I have a different model.  Only one of the models I've used has actually had red hair.  This is such a fun project.  I love Art Nouveau and of course, my inspiration comes from the fabulous work of Alphonse Mucha.

The poster will be released in November.  

"Open" sign

(click image to enlarge)

Oil - 14"x 11"

This is the sign that lets everyone know the Iron & Lace store in Bentonsport, IA is open for business.  Betty Printy (the Potter and owner) has a variety of plants growing along the side of the porch and building.

I'm using colors Raw Umber, Prussian Blue, and Turquoise light on my palette these days.  They weren't "standards" for me in the past but I've grown to like the mixes I'm coming up with more and more.  Here's my current oil palette:

Cools:     Naples yellow (optional since white and yellow ochre does the job)

                Yellow Ochre             Ultramarine Blue (optional)      Turquoise light

                Alizarin Crimson        Prussian Blue

Warms:  Cadmium Yellow Light        Cadmium Red Light       Venetian Red

                Raw Umber

Titanium White and Ivory Black

I use Naples Yellow a lot to mix in colors to get a lighter value.  White mixed with Naples Yellow and sometimes Cad Yellow light make my "whites" .

I also check a painting's values by removing all the color.  The image here shows this process before I adjusted the "shadow" area to match closer to what the actual painting looks like. 

 I always have to double check the images I take with my camera.  They either come out really washed out or on the "blue" side when I photo artwork outside.  

           

Sort of Formal!

10" x 8" Oil on board

One of my oil painting students brought an old silver creamer, platter, and this tea pot to class a few weeks ago.  I couldn't resist setting up this little still life to paint. 

Bentonsport - Opening Day!

April 16th was 2016 Opening Day for the retail businesses in Bentonsport, IA. 

 (B & B's stay open year around.)  I plan to have the "Parlor Room Studio" open on as many Saturday's as possible this year.  The only reason for it not being open to the public 10-4pm would be do to workshops, other art related commitments, or a family emergency.

The Herman Greef House is located on Sanford St. in Bentonsport.  The street is the first road East of the downtown retail businesses. (a few feet from the last business along the strip in front of the Des Moines River....walking distance from all feature locations in Bentonsport) The brick home faces the Mason House Inn, Bed & Breakfast.  

Here's a shot of the main room.  I'm standing at the front door so this is the first thing you see when walking into the Herman Greef House.  The artwork and display panels here will always be changing.  So, we're hoping people will come back often to see updates.

 Here's artist MaryBeth Heikes working in the studio on a new Poppies collage. She plans to work at the studio at least 2 Saturdays a month so she may share her inspirations and techniques with others.  She has original artwork, prints, and some notecards available for purchase in the main room.  MaryBeth is also a member of the Co-op Gallery in Bentonsport.  

......and here I am posing in front of some of the originals I have in the main room at the moment.  These are a mix of "Plein Air" oil paintings of Bentonsport and a couple of Soft Pastel works .

The next date the Parlor Room Studio is open to the public is May 7th, 10-4pm.  

"Kitchen Friends "

Oil on 8"x 10" panel

Here's more photos of what I've been working on with my students at the Courtyard Gallery & Studio, Bloomfield Iowa 

We go back & forth from working from photos as reference material to challenging students to set up still life arrangements.  

I'm hoping to get more Plein Air painting in this year with the oil painting class.

Home work space....beginning of 2016

A couple of my painting friends have posted where their home working space is.  So, keeping with the groove of sharing....here's pictures of the current conditions of my home space.

First off, I actually use 2 different rooms in our small Bungalow style house.  We don't entertain at home, so this first picture is of the "Dining room" converted to work space.  I used to give individual art lessons here and could comfortably have 3 people.  No more!!!! 

 It's turned into STORAGE! 

I dug out my old metal easel and have it set up for a station to work on pastels.  The table to the right is our Parson style dining room table....covered with foamboard to protect the surface.

Here's a closer view of the Pastel workspace.

This is a NEW addition to the room.....I purchased a metal shelf rack (found it at a bargain for less then $20.) and added small round dowels the vertical length.  It's a GREAT space for wet canvases.  As you can see.....I've already filled a lot of it up with canvases yet to be painted.  On the right is a double stack of book shelves where I have art books, painting supplies and more paper for painting.

This is the opposite side where you see the dining room table with a shelf unit my daughter gifted me with.  I think it came out of a home that was being torn down. The original intent for it was to have nothing but still life objects stored here.  Currently, the table and shelves are a mix of supplies, files, and objects.  

This space has also become my "work-out" area for my Gazelle glider.  It was stored in our bedroom.  As you can see....it leans against the tall shelving unit when I don't use it.  

Having the exercise equipment here has motivated me to use it more....to get back into the habit of daily walking.  Too cold for me outside.

Next is the 2nd room....the other "bedroom" on the main floor of our home.  I had this all organized and a cover on the side of my drafting table - converted - to - framing - table.

Full sheet matboard and frames line the walls. This room is in the NW corner of the house and I usually leave the door closed to keep the cats out.  It does help a little with keeping the cat hair down.  Thus, the space heater in the foreground.....it gets chillier in here then the rest of the house.

My hubby didn't want to get rid of his old entertainment furniture so, as you can see here, it didn't take me long to fill it up with more "STUFF".

I purchased a nice Epson printer to create my own archival giclee note cards. It sits on the top along with primer paints, and other items I keep in reach ....handy for when framing.

And....last but not least, MY OFFICE :D

I took the doors off the bedroom closet and placed shelves and a desk here.  This is the spot for our home computer (where I'm typing now) and our paperwork for almost everything we need to keep track of.  

The window here faces the North.  I have soooooo fallen in love with working from this light  that I cleared out the corner and created a painting space here.  I work mostly with oils in this spot.

Now I've shared with you how I've taken over most the main floor of our home.  I also have space in our basement for painting large panels, a stained glass area with kiln that I haven't fired up yet, (it's been sitting 2 years now) and my husband builds my frames, so his woodworking area is housed down there too.

We have one big room upstairs which has now become a very large storage unit.  I have extra frames and boxes for putting finished work in up there.  

What was originally to be a minimalist "guest" room has now turned into a storage unit for ourselves and family members.  There are designated areas where our kids, a sister and nephew have keepsakes.  

I keep watching the "Tiny House" movement and see all these really cool spaces posted online.....thinking how neat this would be.  Our house is 750 sq ft per level and to be honest...I realize now how  a smaller space JUST WOULDN'T WORK!

I currently rent a room in Bentonsport so I can teach and work in that area of where we live (East of Pulaski).  I also give on going painting classes in my friends studio in Bloomfield.  It covers teaching to the West of Pulaski.  

The ideal,of course, would be to not travel so much and have an area large enough to accommodate everything from teaching,working, storage,.....Guess what?!.....WE HAVE A METAL BARN THAT NEEDS ATTENTION :D  It has a loft and would be so cool to create a 10' x 10' deck at the top to set on and paint Sunsets.  YES....I CAN DREAM !!!!!! 

"Looking Up"

14"x 11"  Oil on board

You'll be seeing a lot of "Skyscapes" in the next few posts.  These will be on exhibit and for sale at the up and coming 2 Person show titled "Of Earth and Sky" at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa.

Accomplished Metal and Glass artist, Mika Sorak (who happens to be my daughter) is the other artist represented in this show.  Her work can be found in a few galleries and floral shops across Iowa and is in private collections across the United States.

The Show will be hanging Feb 1st - March 7th, 2016

Bentonsport 2016 Brochure Cover

I can now announce that the Van Buren Conservation Board approved the use of my painting shown here as next years cover for our 3 fold flyer on Bentonsport's businesses, B & B's and Campsite/Trails.

Soft Pastel on LaCarte Sanded paper.  I donated the original to the DNR.  It's size is 25"x 11.5"

Businesses shown here are all along Hawk Dr., across from Riverside Park and the Des Moines River. The building at the top is known as the "Odd Fellows Hall".  The second floor is set up as a museum showcasing ritual memorabilia and meeting room of an "Odd Fellows" chapter.  The organization is much like the Masons.  NEW IN 2016 the main floor will house the business 

"Paddle, Pedal, and More".  A kayak, bicycle rental  and gift shop.  Odd Fellows Hall is located near the boat ramp to the Des Moines River.  The business owns a pontoon boat in which they plan to give tours on the river. 

Next is the front of "Iron & Lace"store.  Below it is a street scene  - left to right - Iron & Lace, The Quilt Shop, Greef General Store, and Artisan Coop.  Below it is "Forever Sweets Creations" fudge and sandwich shop.

All the businesses are closed now (except for the B & B's in town.....they're open year around).  The retail shops are open Mid April through October during the week and both Saturday and Sunday.  November and December All retail businesses are open Weekends Only.

In 2016, I plan to have the "Parlor Room Studio"  (located in the Herman Greef House shown above) open to the public most Saturdays  10am to 4pm  April through November when there isn't a workshop going on. 

 My dear friend MaryBeth Heikes, who is an established nationally known watercolorist, is planning to be in the studio two Saturdays a month giving demonstrations.

Here's a picture of MaryBeth working on a collage in the studio.

Largest "Skyscape" so far.....

Here's how my  palette has looked through out the process of creating the "skyscape" you'll see in this post.

Above is a view of the work showing the red underpainting and where my palette sits to the right.  Working from my plein air set up has truly become habit...indoors or out.  After seeing how sturdy my friend Jessica Kirby's tripod is that she uses with the Lammert plein air set, I had to order myself one and I've fallen in love with it.  The painting box my husband makes works GREAT with it.

 Oil on 3- 36"x 24" Gallery wrapped stretched canvases. (36"x 72" shown here). 

 I've painted the sides so the canvases can be hung with space between them or as shown here.    The camera really doesn't give this piece justice.  The magenta color and blues near the horizon line aren't as out of focus and as bright as they appear here.  No matter how I adjust the camera or try adjusting the image on our computer, it still reads as you see above.

This painting will be part of a group of skyscape works I'm creating for a 2 person art exhibit  Feb. 1st -March 7th at the Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, IA campus.  The other artist is my daughter, Mika Sorak.

  IHCC has a fabulous high end gallery that can easily showcase up to 120 or more paintings plus sculpture space.  Hopefully I'll remember to take a few snapshots when we have the artist's reception when the show opens.

At Rest

Oil on 20" x 24" Stretched Canvas

Here's the last of the Civil War themed works that I'm painting for awhile.  I accomplished to get 9 paintings done in the last 3 weeks.  That's a record for me, unless you count the small 6"x 6" daily paintings.  Most of the works I've been showing of late are 20" x 24" in size.  

I've used the same approach to detail in all....leaving them like a "vignette" style where I place no detail in the background, only on what I want the viewer to focus on.  Even that area is created with a "painterly" flare.  

One more thing....I have to thank artist John Preston for introducing me to  the Turquoise color.  I'm using Turquoise Light more and more in shadow areas of my work.  It was used in this painting on the horses.  Absolutely LOVE the color when I'm using earthy shades. 

"Strategy Meeting"

20"x 24" -Oil on gallery wrap stretched canvas

There's actually richer color on the right side of this painting then what this photo shows.  I think I had some glare when photoing the oil. I tried a do over and still wasn't giving the original justice.

 My reproduction skills are still a work in progress.

This is yet another in the Civil War reenactment series. These guys were having their own little "pow-wow" during the fight.  Awwwhhhh....to eaves drop on the conversation....maybe discussing plans to hit the local coffee shop after they tied the horses up?  Hmmmmm more like  discussing plans  for supper.