"Blue on Blue" 14"x28" Pastel
Its that time of year again…… Open Studios. What does that mean? Among other things it means I have to clean my cluttered studio. The hardest part is deciding when to stop painting and start cleaning. I often wonder about other artists’ habits in this regard. Some people by virtue of their temperment and personality are very organized and tidy. I do keep a pretty clean home overall and things are for the most part in their place but somehow I do tend to just want to get down to business when I get into my work space while I try to keep it simple – I can see that I could use some downsizing in the area of useless stored materials. I have promised myself to “get on that” and “deal with the pile” that is taking over valuable real estate that could otherwise be used for secondary painting space. It could be time to hire an organizer because it just seems to not happen and now my guests will have to gingerly navigate through the junk. Its really not that bad. I’d just rather paint up to the last minute!
Open Studios is always lovely because the studio is tidied and presented and paintings are available for exhibition and sale throughout my home and studio space. I have an “Off the Wall” sale where collectors can negotiate on purchase pastels unframed right off the studio wall complete with a discounted coupon for framing at Eureka Art and Frame. There is usually a nice flow of visitors throughout the weekend and my family chips in and hosts our guests and gives tours and offers refreshments. Living in an arts friendly area is rewarding and always amazes me. I’ve gotten to know some pretty cool folks over the years in my own home!
If you are in or near Eureka this weekend please do come by Open Studios. I will be open from 11-5 Saturday and Sunday at 2286 Ralphs Ct., Eureka. Guidebooks will be available in the paper and around town. Posted above is a recent local landscape from a day in Loleta. Winters in Humboldt have their own beauty. As I was painting, the song “Blue on Blue” kept going through my mind, thus the title. I guess its an old song but if you’re a boomer it’ll come to you. 😉
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"Wine Country Afternoon"
Opening on April 7 at Robert Allen Fine Art in Sausalito, California, is “Northern California Landscapes” consisting of paintings from yours truly and a handful of other regional greats. Robert Allen has created a beautiful setting in which to showcase his artists and it is definitely worth the visit.
Continuing at Studio 7 Fine Arts in Pleasanton, a series of recent landscapes can be found. If you are in the Tri Valley Area, this gallery is a must see having one of the largest exhibition spaces in the Bay Area.
Be sure to check the Upcoming Events Section for where to find me in the months to come.
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I’ve been very busy lately. I just returned from the Bay Area where I have now established representation with a great gallery in Pleasanton. Studio 7 Fine Arts has been in existence for over 2 decades and has recently been purchased by local businessman and art lover Dirk Christiansen. Art Director Jan Mahood is a top notch skilled curator and gallery director with many years of experience to bring to the gallery. I am so pleased to have been asked to show my work there and hope my Bay Area collectors and friends get a chance to visit the space soon. In addition to 2 dimensional art they carry a broad range of jewerly, sculpture and mixed media as well as providing a full selection of designer framing services. I have a selection of pastels in their inventory now including this large vineyard painting “Autumn Blaze.”
"Autumn Blaze" Pastel 27"x40"
Studio 7 Fine Arts
Pink Rhododendran
Its North Coast Open Studio Tour time. Artists from all over Humboldt County open their studios during this annual event held the first few weekends of June. My studio will be open the first weekend, June 5 &6 from 11 am to 5pm. If you are in the area and would like to see newly released original pastels, as well as oils, prints and the ability to purchase work straight from the studio wall please come by. Refreshments served. For further information visit North Coast Open Studios .
Hope to see you here!
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"Green Roofs" Pastel
When I was a kid one of my favorite artists was Andrew Wyeth. I had a bookon his art and I remember studying it and admiring the beautiful starkness of mood he was able to create with his gorgeous watercolors and egg tempera paintings, two media that I myself delved into “back in the day.” Later it was Edward Hopper who I meditated on with abandon. My dear friend from art school, Terry Jane and I flew to San Francisco from L.A. to see his retrospective at SF’s MOMA in 1981. We still laugh because we had to carry our luggage through the museum. Apparently we would have done anything to see a once in a lifetime event like that. Hopper’s landscapes propelled the painter within me. The common thread between the two is the sense of stillness, of solitude these artists so beautifully achieve in their depictions of scenes from their surroundings and their travels.
In the series of work I have been developing over the past several years involving rural architecture, I feel a sense of going back to my roots as a painter to the initial inspirations that guided what my painting has always been about at its core. Though my earliest work was decidedly more suburban in subject matter – as was my actual surroundings, the thread of my early obsession with painting masters Wyeth and Hopper was always there.
In my work, and with pastel specifically there is a tendency for it to create a dreamlike atmospheric feeling in the finished work. Since I continue to play with the premise of a heightened sense of reality or a dreamlike version of same, it continues to be my favorite medium of choice. My latest completed pastel landscape painting in the rural architecture series is “Green Roofs.” I was very attracted to this composition for its sense of disquieting calm amidst a blaze of color, pattern and light.
And the journey continues…..
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