Line Meets light - Summer Workshop

Email me to register!

Double Latte in AIS show

I'm happy to share the news that my painting was accepted to show at the 13th annual American Impressionist Society show! The show opens in November in Indianapolis. Maybe 13 is my lucky number :)

Updates

I've been doing lots of techy things - and making a right mess it. Lots of panic moments, rash decisions, desperate calls to tech support and late nights. I actually deleted my website by accident. I am just not as savvy as I once was and technology has moved light years ahead of me. Unfortunately, it seems to be getting less user-friendly than ever.

Some of my recent decisions involved my website and email delivery system. I decided to drop my template-based website service and use my blog for now. It has everything you could need. Above is a set of tabs with links to all my gallery pages where you can see current inventory for each and their contact information. Also under those tabs are information about me and my work. The blog is also made to be viewed on mobile devices.

Next, I've moved my email subscribers list to Constant Contact. I think it will be a better way to manage and use my list. So all new subscriptions will go directly through them, and I've hopefully correctly loaded my google group list - test in progress! You can edit or remove yourself at any time with the "safe unsubscribe" button in every email contact.

When I was going over my list - I was amazed to see readers, NOT related to me, who have been subscribed since 2006! If you have really been watching me that long, thank you! Its humbling to know that some people have found my work informative and inspiring.

In future, I might get a more traditional website and hope to introduce a quarterly newsletter. Maybe put together a video. But I have all summer to play with those ideas. And clean up my studio. But not until I paint the scene. (Inspiration strikes anywhere!)

Studio Notes

I'm still here!
January always means bookkeeping, inventory, paying taxes, and cleaning up! All those ugly behind-the-scenes things we don't like to think about.
This place was a wreck. I about have the studio back in order and I've finished taxes and a lot of my bookkeeping. That was kinda of depressing too. But after feeling low for a day or two about sales last year, I reminded myself that I cannot help the economy and it wasn't for lack of trying. I had a good year where my art was seen in quite a few juried shows, I attended openings for two group shows here in Texas, I had good press coverage and created some really nice art. SO! Its time to pick up the brushes again and move on.

Speaking of moving on, I am not going to participate in the Moses Botkin Monthly Challenge this year. I was part of Diana's group for about 3 years and really enjoyed it. There are a number of good websites and groups offering challenges so if I feel the need to push myself I can look into those. If you are interested in seeing some of those, I made a list on the "Creative Block." There are yet more, and I think I will create a sidebar actually of those for reference. Putting that on my "to do" list now. :-)

Notice the top of the blog - there are links to my galleries which show the current inventory and I added a FAQs page and a bio. A website overhaul is on the to do list too, but honestly, the blog is really covering all the bases.

Be back soon with some art to share!

New Year, New Projects

Happiest New Year wishes to you all! I am very much looking forward to the new year and new projects. I love this time of year actually. Its also my birthday today, so I start the new year with all kinds of new hope and determination and good feelings! I'm making plans for the year, coming up with new ideas, and setting goals. Some of those I will share here, naturally!

To start, I want to introduce a project idea that I began just before the holidays hit. I'm working on a series called "First Impressions." I hope to show the paintings as a group sometime this year.

Founder's Room
10x12 oil on panel

Having learned that I waste a lot of time looking for the best images or subject to work with, and getting overwhelmed sometimes, I've determined to stop shopping around and respond to my first impression. Usually what catches my eye is light and shadow, but sometimes just the way something seems framed naturally, happening upon a scene as I pass a doorway, things like that. Sort of like with fire, I need to "stop, drop and paint" (or sketch).

Tea For Three
10x12 oil on panel

I paint more instinctively, I think, when I paint rapidly. So I am relying on my trusty timer, and allowing that first half hour to be the pure energy of inspiration. What follows might be some focus on the main area of interest and some cleaning up, but for the most part, I want to leave these paintings loose and undefined. So its an exercise in freedom and restraint! All of the paintings are to be 10x12 and I have a lovely batch of Ampersand gessobord ready and waiting!

I feel more focused than I have in awhile. Last year, to be honest, didn't feel like the best year for me creatively. I hope that trusting my instincts and following my muse will allow me to enjoy the process and create more beautiful work than ever. Cheers!!

Studio News

I keep forgetting to update some of my latest news on here! I had a lovely evening Friday night in Dallas at the Wisby Smith gallery at the Crescent. What a beautiful place. The artwork is really interesting too - ranging from the abstract to Native American figurative pieces. You can see the art on their website. Wisby Smith, like Russell Collection, reps some of the most important artists both living and past so I feel pretty good about being seen worthy of representation to their customers. The show there hangs until the end of December.

There was a video of the Randy Higbee opening reception posted which is fun to see. At least two of my pieces are still available as seen at about the one minute mark. :-)

I think all the gallery events are winding down now, but I have many paintings out there. If you are looking for a gift for someone special, look at pages linked in the side column for each of my representing galleries to see all the available inventory and contact them directly.

My days are now filling up with shopping, wrapping, shipping, decorating, baking, and parties, etc. Tis the season! School ends soon and I am excited that my parents will soon be here to make the holidays all the more meaningful.

I am looking forward to a couple of new projects for the new year! One being the works on paper which I will be sharing more of soon.

Studio Notes

I've completed updating the gallery pages on here now so you can see my available paintings at each gallery and contact them from there if you like. Not only will this hopefully help other people find my work and see what is out there but it will help me keep track! It was kind of fun to go through my lists and visit the work again. I think I'm always working on the next painting and forget about previous work. Good memories there.

Next I'm considering a FAQ page. But since the questions I get generally are about specific paintings or about live event work, I'm not sure what I will put there.

Speaking of the live event painting - I am not taking on any more events. I am scheduled to do two this year and one early next year which will complete a family set. Now if only I can delete all search results that bring my name up I could save myself some of those FAQs. :-)

I'm still here!

I feel a little like a balloon that was suddenly deflated. After all my volunteer activities ended and the opening at Russell Collection, I let a big sigh of relief and haven't reinflated myself! I'm trying to get inspired again. After such a break, its always hard to get motivated again. But I have to think of it not as a challenge but a waking, as if from a sleep... I have to begin gently and not berate myself for inactivity.

In the meantime, I am finishing a special painting for the new Seton Breast Cancer Center. Artists who showed in the Best of Texas show at Russell Collection are each contributing a 24x24 canvas in honor of Susan Lubin. My painting is a little more modern than usual and I'm enjoying it.

Two other things - Salon International opens this weekend AND I had a painting featured in the April Southwest Art in their "Art Values" section - very cool! Though they have put Russell Collection gallery in Dallas, not Austin. But, this means you need to check out my galleries and see what is available to invest now before I get famous! ;)

Studio News

First, let me tell you that I am swamped lately - going a little crazy with Destination Imagination (tournament this Sat.!) and GS cookie sales (ends Sunday!) not to mention getting work ready for a show at Russell Collection in Austin. (some I'm really proud of so far!)

When February is over, so are all my volunteer duties and can get back to work in earnest and actually focus a little bit on it. So, if you've written me, or commented, or asked for a painting, and I am "ignoring" you... please believe that I am just way over my head right now and I WILL respond (just not in a timely manner!)

Onto other things now!
Awesome Austin interior designer Robin Callan of Room Fu has posted a nice little feature on my work on her blog. I can't wait to share the new work for the Best of Texas show! But there is still more to do and I will wait until the week of the show I think.

Hi! Remember me? The artist who lives here?

What a couple of weeks! I haven't painted much because of too many other parts of life getting out of control. I've taken on too many volunteer things this fall. To sum up - weekly Destination Imagination team meetings (I'm the manager so I've also had/will have training days, etc.), Brownies cookie coordinator (really going to kick in during January !), school field trip, monday modeling sessions coordinator, travel, wedding painting events, husband travel, sick dog, daughter and husband, Halloween was in there somewhere, right? My calendar looks like a splatter painting.

BUT - this week is full art immersion (well, starting tomorrow). I am going to study with Kim English, an artist whom I consider a master. I've heard wonderful things about his classes, about his technique for training artists to work quickly and accurately. Its going to be a challenge - and I can't wait. I hope I can post here and there to share some of the fun with you either on the blog or Facebook. So stay tuned.