Awesome Art Sale-You Name the Price

Still obviously on that moving purge thing I talked about earlier in the year,  so when I was tripping over leftover artwork at the gallery’s storage area this idea sprang to mind...

Not the actual storage area for Artspace Gallery 

but gosh darn it is pretty close. You get the idea

It inspired me to have the first and probably only...

Graphic Design Credit John MacLellan

That’s right, we are selling artwork that has been kicking around that storage area for years.  It was not claimed by the artists after their shows came down.   This is either going to be a really neat event or big headache…time will tell!

Why the headache?  Well because trying to get all this artwork sorted and out there has taken a bit of planning and cleaning.  On the really neat side, this will create much needed room in our storage, bring people into our gallery and we have no sunk costs.   So, we thought it would be a great opportunity try something different.  

Isn’t that kinda our job as artists anyway?  

In this case a good read called, the Four Key Qualities of Pay-What-As-You-Wish Strategy. inspired me to try this experiment in commerce for Artspace Gallery 

How does that work? Well hopefully people will read about how art is priced and then if they are really interested in a piece, they will be willing to 

1. put some $ in a box

 and 

2. fill out a short survey explaining why they paid the amount they did.  

Then it is their art to take home!

We will see if practice follows theory tomorrow at the RVA Earthday Celebrations.  Come on out to Planet Zero  and Artspace galleries starting at 11am 

Wish me luck!!

Very special thanks to Micheal Pierce for the awesome  FB-like page, Jessica Sims for inventorying and poster making, as well as John MaClelland for the cool logo

The Dog Ate (well Licked) My Homework!!

Okay, so is this a sign of appreciation or harsh criticism? Probably just hunger...

My first attempt at reflective transparent surfaces in oil paint

          One of my dogs’ reaction to it about 30 minutes later…  (yum?)  

Oh well, it was back to the old drawing 

(or in this case, painting) board the next morning.

Final Vase

Doggie Protected Until Dry

Hmmm. I think that my dogs did me a favor after all. my second replacement vase turned out to be much more convincingly rendered.  

 
Isn't it just so cool when an accident actually makes things turn out better than before?  It’s one of my favorite things about making art.   

Boring Yet Essential

Well this is sometimes how I see it….

You know these little exercises you do over and over and over and yes OVER again.  Either to keep your life running smoothly (grocery shopping anyone?)  or to help master a skill (throwing a football, practicing piano scales, writing those cursive letters)


This is the repetitive exercise I have been doing…

I am trying to render that pesky rounded egg form convincingly in oil.

Obviously easier said than done.

  I am taking notes, trying to come up with the right “recipe” of paint to oil.  Also I am trying to figure out how much to mass (or block in darks to lights) and most importantly when to leave it alone.  

I blocked off this gessoed watercolor paper into sixteen sections and plan to do a little something different in each one, hoping to hit that jackpot of rounded rendering success,,,

Wish me luck!

What do you do with your work, life or passion that is boring yet essential?  What do you do to keep plugging through all the repetitions?

Kenhide Wiley

Wow Kenhide Wiley is not only incredibly talented but really describes his work in a direct, down-to-earth great way that is actually understandable!

Would love to see this man talk in real life sometime.  

New Display Space

I am so thrilled with this new space to display some of my work…

It’s at CrossRoads Art Center.  A wonderful place to go hang out, take a class and look at a lot of great art.  An added bonus is it is right by one of the best antique store in Richmond!!

Thanks so much to Jenni Kirby and the gang there for making me feel so welcome!

Valentine’s Day Passion

“It’s a good thing I have my library card, because I am checking you OUT…;)”

This is the cheesy valentine devil that makes an appearance in my art room every February 14th.  He is a great way to celebrate, whether or not my students have that "special someone”  (in fact it is really good if they think they don’t and are feeling left out)

some other cheesy V. D. sayings...

“Well, here I am.  What were your other two wishes?”

But what does this have to do with art you may ask? Well doesn’t art help us to tap into our passions?  Either as a viewer or participant?  

“Do you have a license?  Because you are driving me crazy!”

Hope this is a wonderful non-overated Valentine’s Day for you and that you get to indulge in your favorite creative passion!

Let me leave with this final closing V.D. ditty…

“if I could re-arrange the alphabet, I would put I and U together…”

Makin’ It Happen at Boka Tako Kantina

So my husband and I went to this cool place for lunch a few weeks back.  I already knew the food was incredible without having even stepped inside the place (and not just because it is getting rave 4 star reviews from many sources) 

Just how is that, you ask?

Well because it is also one of the food trucks downtown at just about every fun event.

If you want to see a fantastic menu hit this...Boka Kantina. Richmond, Virginia

First thing we notice when we walk in is … bland walls, meh.  Of course, no wonder since food trucks do not have to ever worry about decor!  Which then prompts me to ask Patrick Harris, the owner, if he would just like to display some of my art.  To which he responds, 

“Sure.  Do you do murals?"

Next thing I know we are planning on a series of three of them and the rest is (unfolding) history…

First the rough sketch for approval of mural #1…

Then marking off the space 

(Patrick was beginning to wonder if paint was ever going to hit the wall)

But don’t want to paint it crookedly or not space it right…

Slowly but surely the paint finally did appear...

Every heard of “measure twice, cut once”?  

Well my take on that as a painter is to gesture in and rework easily.  Yeah I know it does not flow like the first saying but I think you get the idea...

Chalk transfers really help with readjustments and composition...

In the end Patrick persuaded me to go darker than I thought would work (I was wrong, he was right).  

A combination of dark rust and tinted highlights help to make the rusted screw “pop” away from the sign

The rust and corrosive metal look was more successful than I had even hoped for

FINISHED!! (I think, guess I should check with Patrick on this)

Now onto the next one…