b.a.c.

big. ass. canvas.

that's what is sitting in my studio right now.  i generally don't work large.  36x36 inches is kind of overwhelming for me, but i'm gonna give it a try.

we recently did a master bath upgrade.  we lived with terra-cotta, dark green, and cast plastic countertops for 7 years.  we have finally updated the look.  we went for a light spa blue, white, gray, and black color scheme.  unfortunately the oranges, reds, and greens in the master bedroom clashed quite a bit.  the two color schemes right next to each other got me off kilter.  so i have been working to change the bedroom into something more complimentary.  i'm going with blues and greens, which will allow us to keep our painted green bed frame and the slightly lighter green walls.  

i know the golden rule of art is not to "match it to your couch" (or in this case to your bathroom), but i just could not live with the huge orange, red, magenta, and green painting over our bed.  hence, the canvas.  yup, i am definitely too cheap to buy a painting that large.  so i will make do (hopefully) with my own creation.

i have an obsession with houses.  a few years ago we did a vacation in southern colorado.  while i was there, i snapped some pictures of old houses in various states of decay.  i am thinking i will try out this sketch, loosely drawn from one of the photos. 

i have also decided to do a smaller painting first.  it's 10x10 inches.  i have gessoed the canvas black.  i'm going to try and old technique i use sometimes.  the black with actually come through as the outline in the final painting.

wish me luck!

please join us!!

snow day!!

it's hard to believe that one week ago i was walking on the beach, eating dinner outdoors, and jet skiing with the dolphins on the gulf of mexico.

we have had two snow storms already in colorado.  we have had almost as much snow this winter as we did the whole of last winter.  crazy.  the trees still have their leaves, and we lost one big branch on the russian olive in the back yard.  i put a yardstick into the pile of snow on our outdoor table, and it said 9 inches.  but that was hours ago, and it's still snowing.

my friend jane and i took our dogs to the park to play this morning.  her dog, zoe is the blonde, vinny is the tall dark and handsome one.  with the ridiculous tail.  they had a blast running in circles,  joy in every leap and bound.  now vinny is fast asleep on his bed as i type.  

i do love the snow.  it always feels all cozy and warm in the house, and it's so quiet.  i think i need to make a hot cup of tea, and then get back to work.  i have been making some things to sell in the shop for the holidays.  here is a sneak peak at one of the assemblage pieces.  more to come!!

trek to pagosa springs

entrance to the show!

denise coffee, marti bledsoe, kathleen isberg, sandy applegate

family photo series

marti bledsoe

gail hershey

we made trek to pagosa springs for the reception to the INK invitational.  it was a great trip.  we saw some terrific art, and met some great people!  great thanks to denise and michael coffee for the wonderful show!!  they worked really hard to put together a fabulous collection of prints.

on the way home, we also got to see some spectacular fall colors, and some awesome colorado scenes.  they are below for your viewing pleasure!

aspens in wolf creek pass

south fork

la veta pass

on the ground as we walked the dog at la veta pass

what a great weekend!! 

 thank you pat and sylvia for accompanying us to the show! 

okay, so i cheated.

ah, winter!

this is my "plein air" painting for today.  ok, i didn't exactly go outside, as you can tell from the subject matter.  it was over 90 degrees, and i just couldn't bear it.  so instead i found a great snow shot, and worked in the comfort of my air conditioned home. i don't often work from photos, and usually when i do i take some major artistic license.  in this case, there were about a million branches, which i edited out to only a few.  i figure that at least i practiced!

3 days of printmaking on the schedule for wednesday-friday.  i am going to try a painting a day, too.

this one is acrylic, and is 11x14" on canvas panel.  

plein air monday

view from shadows

wires

i sucked it up and stood in the sun for a few hours, dragging painting gear with me.  luckily this beautiful place has a handy parking lot and rest room nearby.  these are 8x10" studies, each took about 20 or 30 minutes to complete.  it felt good to be outside, and it felt good to paint.  i have really not painted with any seriousness in about 2 (gulp) years.  so here you go.  i feel pretty good about them.  the third one is not shown...my brain lost all conscious ability after the first two!!

sk3tchbook!

some of you have never been to the shop in littleton, so i thought i would share a few shots of the place.  the space is pretty small, about 420 square feet.  i that space we have a kiln, slab roller, potter's wheel, a big architect's desk for working upon, a cash register, several show cases, and lots of artist supplies.  we reallly try to get as much art in there as we can.  early on, we put in ledges instead of trying to put nails in the wall for framed work.  it works out really nicely.  we also did some shelves made from brackets on to which books sit.  then work can be placed on the books.  it's a nice look, but unfortunately we found teresa's pottery is not steady enough on the books.

anyway, some shots for you to enjoy wherever you are!

and don't forget to click on photos for a larger view.

tom's work in clay

teresa's pottery and radios

the "book" shelves with ruth's work and collage materials for sale

the work table, re-purposed for the moment, as display space

the register, as positioned for our may show