another tree in the house

It's Christmas at our house this year and all I remembered to take a photo of was the tree - is that really surprising?

Oh yes, and the little Sparky-dog, too.

Hope yours was merry.

new hope tree story

I got started on the next tree story piece, this one will be on display in my studio at Kennedy Gallery for the month of January where I'll be one of the featured artists and our theme is Inspiration:Hope.

Hope as the inspiration for artwork is one of my personal recurring themes, so I'm happy to be chosen as a featured artist for this. And since this was the next Tree Story that I was going to work on for March's show, it seemed a good fit & a way to preview one of the pieces - you can see more of how hope ties into this work at my Tree Stories blog.

snow in the foothills

We got an unusually cold storm here in Northern California this morning, bringing snow to lower levels than we've seen in many years. Of course this was the morning I was scheduled to go uphill to Auburn and move my artwork from one wall to another... I waited a little to let some roads clear up, which proved to be a good strategy. I got my artwork moved and added a little - you can see more detail by clicking on the image here.




On the way home I had to stop to take a couple pictures:

Noonish
Dec 7, 2009
Newcastle - off of I80
just below 1000 ft

Cold, breaking clouds, snow rapidly melting and falling off the valley oaks in large clumps. I've been dripped on a fair amount but I don't really mind, this snowfall is such a rare sight of beauty this low in the foothills.

back in the studio

Getting back to work again - and back to a previous project - Tree Stories: Chapter Two will be showing in a real-world gallery in March 2010, which means I need to start working on pieces for that show. There will be a couple re-worked images from the first Tree Stories series and several new stories as well. I began studio work on the first of the new stories just last night, collaging, adding texture & even a little pencil work...

Some detail from the new piece, I like how the texture is picked up by the light coming in my studio windows. I'm still deciding if I should preview the new works on my blogs or just leave them for a surprise when I show in March. (I'd post them online then, too, as I know not everyone will be able to make it to Northern California for the show.)

michelle, meet michelle

At the Crocker Art Museum's Holiday Art & Craft Festival for the final day today and my good friend Michelle MacKenzie (left) brought me over to meet her new friend Michelle McKenzie (right), the Crocker Museum store's manager - now I have a good friend times two!

poor doggies

What do artists do with their dogs in the studio? Oh dress them up for the holidays and make them pose for pictures - you'd think these two were tortured regularly but you couldn't find two more spoiled babies...

My little Sparky-dog is wearing the antlers and Michael's dog Charlie is in the cute sweater...

through the trees

I've been working alot in the studio & not always posting, but this is one of my newest, a tall narrow piece on cradled wood panel, which I hope to work on more in the future...

It's called "Through the Trees" and it's 6" wide by 24" long - I'm pretty happy with it for my first real attempt at a long vertical.

commission complete

The commission piece "Faith" is now complete - with text from my original journal entry and the final varnish. (You can click on the image to see it larger.)

Now on to the next project...

more studio progress

The continuing progress of the "Faith" commission art piece:
(click on an image to see it larger)



This was actually the status late Wednesday before I left for class, beginning to build up layers of acrylic glazes.



And first thing this morning, with more layers - it's getting closer but not quite done yet -

dragon house

Had lunch with my art business group & then a quick field trip to a house in Curtis Park that has become known as the "Dragon House"...

An untold number of tiles cover the house in a wonderful mosaic that features a tiger

and a dragon on the side of the house that faces the alley...

creating an amazing piece of 'public' art.

And this is just one side of this artistically covered house!

One tile on the alley side credits the artists with the date, but work seems to continue around the other sides.

The front garden includes a creatively painted fire hydrant, moving sculptures and more tiles around and between all the plantings.

We spied a scaffolding on the north side of the house, speculating more creativity or upkeep...

faith

The progress of "Faith" - added pencil color detail, changed bird to leaf & acorn by request, first layer of acrylic glazes - many more layers to go...

(Click to see it bigger.)

progress

Working on "Faith" - adding textured leaves instead of the real thing -

Took Sparky to the dogpark while the texture dries -

Getting the first bit of color on with pencils -

on to the next

Began working on the next commission piece, a slighter larger version of "Faith." Just got the photos collaged on.

collected

Sparky was so antsy while I was trying to work that I decided to take us both for a walk at Gibson Ranch earlier. I ended up collecting a bunch of leaves & a couple acorns to possible use in the next commission I'm working on...


Valley oak (quercus lobata)

valley oak


valley oak


valley oak


valley oak (above)


blue oak (above)


above: blue oak twig & leaf, valley oak acorns

I arranged them on my flatbed scanner to document them, might incorporate them into work as acrylic image transfers...
(click on an image to see the leaves up close & personal)

mckinley park

Had a few spare minutes in East Sac, so decided to take Sparky for a walk around McKinley Park - one of the big old zelkova trees there -

finished work

Finished the pieces I had been working on & delivered them last week to the art show at the Davis Cemetery they were created for. Getting around to posting them now in an effort to catch up on postings.


"Renewal"
acrylic image transfer from digital capture in mixed media collage on 16x20" canvas


"Breath"
acrylic image transfers from digital capture in mixed media collage on 24x30" canvas


I'll post more about the meaning in these soon on my Visions of Heaven blog -

studio work!!

After a great break in Yosemite with the family, it's time to hit the canvas to make my Friday deadline for the Davis Cemetery pieces - (check out the Sept 22nd entry)

This morning, with the acrylic transfers still wet & the collage work drying, I applied the texture to several spots as well, but white on white doesn't show up much in this photo...

Had to use the heat gun to get it all to dry enough to keep working and by this evening I've got all the basic pencil work done.

Tomorrow I'll get the painting started & just keep at it until I make the deadline...

until next time

Oct 11, 09
midday
Yosemite Valley
warm, sunny

Visited the Ansel Adams Gallery after checking out to of the motel this morning, pretty cool with real darkroom prints by the man himself, as well as other nice work. Coming home with a calendar of John Muir botanical samples & notes, something different & wonderful.

We stop one last time in the valley before leaving, catching a view I had admired driving by but never had the chance to stop at before, looking east back into the valley across the Merced River.

A quad of images to create a panorama, something I'm playing with alot right now:

Raven in lower right corner one of a pair that made some noise at us but wouldn't cede their space to us, maybe hoping we'd leave something behind. So many of the animals here are no longer afraid of humans and see us rather as a source of food, we have to be careful for their good & ours.

Deidre's final stand in Yosemite - until next time.