May 2010

On Saturday I was working in the studio, and when I went into the house, I left the studio door open, as I often do. I came back about an hour later, and a swarm of bees had moved in, maybe looking for a place to build a new hive? I've never had that happen before, and I wasn't sure what to do. I'm fond of bees, but not in the studio. I closed the door, to keep more bees from coming in. Each time I opened the door, to check on the bee situation, a few bees would fly out, but I had to close it quickly so more wouldn't fly in. One by one, the bees left on their own, without me having to do anything except open the door occasionally. I was impressed that the bees were so smart and knew to leave, unlike other insects that get stuck inside.

I've been working on paintings for several upcoming shows, and trying to balance that with my marketing. Is it just me, or has marketing become ever more time-consuming? Facebook, Twitter, blogging, newsletters, mailings -- who has time to paint anymore?!!

I hope you're all finding time for your creative endeavors, whatever they may be!

Best wishes,

The title of this painting comes from the name of one the purple paints -- "Charming Violet." Such a charming name, and I couldn't resist using it for the title! I found the three purples at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility along with the "Autumn Orange" and "Tierra del Fuego." I added the hot pink and a pale yellow to create this twelve-panel piece. Each panel of the painting is 10 x 10 inches, with an overall size of 40 x 30 inches.

Splatter Paint Card 1 , 2009, 7 x 4.5 inches folded, repurposed acrylic latex paint on deckle-edge watercolor paper

For those of you who have been asking, I put some of my Frameable Art Cards on my Etsy shop. There are currently five Ecoprint cards and six Splatter Paint cards for you to choose from.

Frameable Art Cards are one-of-a-kind works of art -- perfect as a gift to commemorate a special occasion, for someone who has everything, or for the budding art collector.

They're not just cards, but collectible, frameable works of art, made on deckle-edge Italian watercolor paper.

Each standard sized mailable work-of-art unfolds to become a 7" x 9" signed piece, ready to be framed, hung and treasured. The inside is a blank insert and each card comes with a matching soft-white envelope.

Meant to deliver a special greeting and to be a gift that is kept forever, buying these cards supports a sustainable environment.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, the cards are available at OBJCT Gallery in Claremont.

What do you write in your newsletter when there's nothing newsworthy to report? I've been doing a lot of "behind the scenes" work this month -- designing a new brochure, updating my mailing list, meeting with art consultants and gallery owners, and looking for sponsorship for an upcoming show. While this is important and necessary work, it doesn't make exciting copy.

So I'll leave you with some images of my paintings in closing, and I promise to have more "news" for you next month!

Explosion of Color , 2010, 6 x 6 inches, repurposed acrylic latex paint on canvas

September 2010

Bergamot Station Cafe
2525 Michigan Avenue, A3
Santa Monica, CA 90404
www.bergamotcafe.com

OBJCT Gallery
536 W. 1st Street
Claremont, CA 91711
909.621.0125
www.objct.com

Pierre Paul Art Gallery
3370 Washtenaw Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734.975.1050
www.pierrepaulartgallery.com

LACMA Art Rental and Sales Gallery
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.857.6500
www.lacma.org