just about there...

yep, I think this one is in the final stretch. Took a rather under-water turn, didn't it?

Open at the Atelier: One Day in May

Saturday, May 22nd, noon to five, a number of the artists (& small businesses) in Graton's Atelier One will open their doors.

Graton will be hosting a "Party for a Park" that same day, with music (the Hubbub Club & more) food & games down at the street level.

Come join us if you can!

Something Else Entirely

If you're a long time visitor here, or you know us personally... you'll know of these big pieces Tony & I & others have done collectively, under the moniker "Art Farm Motel."
Originally conceived to be taken to Burning Man, (three different years), they've been shown numerous times since, and quite a bit this Spring. Three of the pieces are out on display just now: "The Boy" is at Project One in SF through May 9th, with a closing party on the 9th; "Headgames" and "Portrait of a Girl" are still up at Kuhl Art in Oakland through the end of April. (Two others were included in "Sideshow", at Sonoma State's University Art Gallery, now closed).

Art Farm Motel has also recently been nominated for a SECA (Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art) Award through the SFMOMA, and I've been working on our application process for the last couple of days. A real long shot, (200 nominees, 3 awards), but an honor in any case. Wish us luck!
(Each painting is approx. 8 x 12 feet, and the surfaces are covered with hundreds of drawings, by many contributors. Click on images to enlarge, and visit the blog to scroll back in time through their creation.)

On the wall today

(in progress)

Here's something I've been working on, and haven't posted about here yet. It would appear that I am firmly in the middle of a Green Period. (click on image to enlarge)

As in the theme of the post before last, this painting is being resurrected from a state of abandonment. Somewhere down the line I'll show you the painting which it has evolved from. That curly bit on the right is a vestige of its former self, and perhaps it'll have to go.

Below, it's shown with another painting which has been not abandoned but stalled for some time, awaiting my renewed attention.

Nature Bits

Nature--particularly the botanical world-- is the richest source of inspiration for me.
These were taken on a recent walk nearby. I tend to call it Spanish Moss, but don't know if that's what it truly is. The third picture shows that it's growing like crazy, whatever it is, as a result of so much (endless) rain this year.

...and below: other recent moss, fungi & lichen, seen either in our yard, or on a recent hike near Calistoga.

Calling it done...

Well, for now at least. There's a Picasso quote I sometimes mention to my students that says something like..." a painting is never finished, it just stops in interesting places." That's come to mind a few times in the studio recently, as I resume work on some pieces begun long ago.

This canvas was one of those, started (my iphoto records reveal) in 2007. It spent most of two years hidden in the racks.
I've been working on it in recent weeks, and it's already up in a show, the one I hung at the Santa Rosa Country Club yesterday.

(scroll down for some exhibition news, & click on photos to enlarge).

Photo 2 shows 'Source of Spring' together with a couple others (liking the three foot square, I gotta say); photo 3 shows an early phase of the process. Somewhere along the line the canvas was flipped.


(Google alert: well, research shows the quote above attributed to Paul Gardner (?), not Picasso, and also give us this, from Da Vinci: "Art is never finished, only abandoned."

Creating Pattern Repeats

I love fabric designs-- but had no idea how one worked out a repeating pattern (like this recent fave, called Chiang Mai Dragon, by Schumacher). So I love the simplicity of this tutorial, over on Design Sponge. (sorry, can't for the life of me remember whose link sent me over to it.)

I've also enjoying gaining insight into the process of the pattern designer over at the blog of Tula Pink.

Paintings on the move...

After a comparatively quiet winter, a number of my paintings are heading out on display in various venues. I'm showing several paintings (mostly 'Trees') out at Local Color in Bodega Bay, together with Susan Ball's beautiful work (show continues through May 16th). Wednesday, I'll be hanging paintings at the Santa Rosa Country Club, (showing together with glass artist Kate Black-- there'll be a reception Friday, April 30th); and finally, here in Graton (though not open to the general public) , a number of my paintings are being featured in the lovely guest cottage of Spirit Hill.

(to the left above: paintings at Local Color: three below: paintings at Spirit Hill. click to enlarge)

flickr fascination

If you've become hooked on the Flickr photo site as a source for endless inspiration & admiration, you'll probably find these diagrams interesting. They compile the changing colors of photos submitted around the calendar year. More info, explanation, links et al here.


A glance at my most recent page of flickr faves shows an upsurge in coral, with accents of turquoise and, as always, yellow.

Final week for Bob & a Beer!

If you live in the East Bay, you have through the end of March to catch our friend Bob Stang's paintings hanging at the (awesome) Albatross Pub in Berkeley, and enjoy a pint of your favorite ale at the same time. More of Bob's work can be seen here.

Nature & Numbers

Similar theme to one posted here a while back (see here), but I never get enough of this sort of thing...

created by etereaestudios.

Studio Views & Details

Over on facebook someone commented about these: "...organic dreams, like penetrating the abstract chemistry of spring." I like the sound of that. Thanks Suzanne!

"dear ada" and celebrating Spring

I've been visiting "dear ada", the blog, for a coupla years, off & on, by now. She posts an assortment of what she finds beautiful & inspiring. Scrolling down the current blog page, it looks as though she's on a roll, and feeling the Spring (not sure where she's based)-- like we are. Thanks for bringing us so much magnificence!



top to bottom:
Fiona Hall,
Ruth Van Haren Noman,
Jennifer Bain.

Visit "dear ada" for much more, + links.

Detail of a painting in progress-- actually working over the top of some started looong ago & never resolved. This flower-like form is one that actually grew out of a jellyfish for me, and is now showing up in a number of my paintings.

beatriz mihazes

Hey peeps, if you are in fact still out there.
Long time no see. And when did we last have a shot of the pure, design-y exuberance of Brazilian painter Beatriz Milhazes?
See also links & video here.

Paintings at Thumbprint Cellars

(One of the (somewhat older) paintings-- from my 'islamic tile period' recently featured in the Thumbprint show. And perhaps this one has found a permanent home...?)

First of all, let me just say: Facebook ate my blog.
Perhaps you've heard of this thing, this Facebook. Bloggers who I used to visit, they started saying they were spending their internet energy over there, and now I can see how it happens. I have been neglecting this space miserably.

Now: I have paintings, six big ones, hanging up at the new location of the Thumbprint Cellars Tasting Room in Healdsburg.
Not entirely my most recent-- after seeing the space I chose the paintings that I thought would fit best there. (Alas, show now closed)

SRJC Art Faculty Exhibition-- (2 more days!)

The bi-annual Faculty Exhibition at SRJC (where I teach) will open tomorrow (Thursday, November 5), with a reception from 4-6.
I've seen a sneak preview, and it looks like it should be a strong show, so if you're in the neighborhood, check it out. Two of my paintings are included.

The show will remain up through December 12.

"Dualities"

... that's the name of the show opening Thursday evening at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. This earlier painting of mine, called "Rhyme or Reason" is one which will be in the show. (It's about 5 x 8') For several years, all my work was in the form of diptychs, and dealt with contrasts of one sort & another.
Not so much any more.

after ARTrails

Well, the two weeks of Artrails are just past. As many of you know, I took the year off "on sabbatical", which allowed me to go out and visit several artists each day-- mostly ones within a couple miles of me here in West Sonoma County-- and be here to be support to Tony as he participated in our back-yard studio. My apologies to my faithful visitors who may have been disappointed to find me not in the catalog... I expect to return next year, but most likely showing down the street at the Atelier. We weren't sure how the split-location would work out, and when the momentum was there for a AtelierOne building-specific opening in September, I decided that would be my one Fall Open Studio Event for this year.



(details of work in progress)

I've been leaning more purely abstract in the studio the past year or more, and as things incubate & shift, it's been helpful not to think too much about having a lot of visitors & the whole commercial end of things. Sort of an on-going see-saw for some of us.

I really enjoyed visiting with my colleagues out on the 'Trail'. As well as enjoying the fruit of their artistic output, I was impressed with their level of professionalism, and happy to be able to experience ARTrails as a viewer for a change!

September's Studio

Here's the digital review of what was on the walls last month when the Atelier One in Graton held a Building -wide Opening.

Before the studio slowly reverts to its full working mode, I photo-graphed all the walls, as well as what was up in the hallways.

If you click on any image, you should be able to see 'em nice & big.

Now-- back to work.