I like displaying and selling my things at the Coffee Society. I'm learning here how to keep a good inventory of things and how to change things to keep it interesting. Then at the same time it's so much fun to talk with the terrific people who work there and with the local patrons who call this place their home almost every morning during the week days. It helps that they have great coffee too.
I thought you'd like to see some of the places where I'm displaying my artwork. Here's Gallery Saratoga, a co-op artist's gallery in Saratoga, CA. Each month we move over to the left a space until eventually we show our pieces all around the gallery.
I painted with my friends yesterday!! It's so much fun to paint with buddies who love the same things. This painting is the second in what will be a series of paintings of this location. The original and prints will find new homes soon, I hope.
Here are two paintings in one. I call it: Deer in the Auburn Woods. And this is my first painting to sell at the gallery! After I came home from vacation I was surprised to hear this great message on my answering machine. What an encouragement.
This weekend we had a great time with family and friends. One of my friends, Beth, painted with me for a day while we sat on the deck at the family log cabin in Nevada City, California. Since we recently had many of the trees cleared, we now have a wonderful vista view, and I have a renewed inspiration to paint, paint, paint. Looking at the beauty of the woods reminded of the bible verses in Isaiah 55:12-13. They say," You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands...This will be for the Lord's renown..." And I say, "Let it be Lord! Let it be!"
Here's a class study of a painting by the amazing artist, Dan-Fong Liang. (I liked it so much I painted it twice.) The photo I took is of my painting behind glass, so you see a reflection of me taking the photo. I went online today to discover more about this artist and what I found out about her is a treasure in itself. She lived life under difficult circumstances and conditions, but these only made her more determined to paint the beauty of the world. You may find it interesting and inspiring to read what I read. Here's the link:
You only have to go into your own yard, or in this case, Deborah's yard, to find something to paint plein air. These lilies seemed to be doing a delicate, choreographed dance while they were blowing in the wind. God's creation is wonderful!
Here's a different kind of painting for me. I saw this tree in a beautiful little garden house at Filoli in Woodside, CA. It captured my imagination and I just had to paint it. In front of the other window in this house was a very large birdcage with two doves in it (a subject for a matching painting to come.) Last year I thought I'd enter them both into a juried art show at Filoli. I planned early and started it well ahead of time. However, it turned out that they changed the subject of the art show to botanical flower paintings! Mine is more fanciful and not as realistic as they may want for a botanical painting, but I may just enter it anyway. What do you think?
Here by a special request from my friend, Beth, is a photo of my studio/guest room wall. This tree was commissioned by my daughter when it was her room. Notice the little sculpture (on the top shelf of my bookshelf) I found at my favorite second hand store after I painted the wall. I didn't know anyone else thought of Bonsai Cherry Trees till I found this...
