another new studio

Moved into the Kennedy Gallery & Art Center yesterday - Angela came with me, for which I am very thankful. Of course, Sparky always goes where I go, for which I am also thankful. (Good dog!)

We've got it looking pretty good, but we're waiting for lighting, so it will look much better after that.

Our space is arranged different than the one at the SAC, longer and shallow and completely open to the rest of the building, which we all like better. (All of who have moved to the Kennedy so far came from the SAC together, so it's been a group thing in a lot of ways.)


(click to see this one bigger)

We're very pleased with our big wall, and how our work hangs together in general.

Still working on the pedestal thing, but this will work for the moment. So much of art is process, and Angela & I are both big on process.

sketching

(click to enlarge)

east of walerga

May 18, 09
morning
along Dry Creek trail - east of Walerga Road
West Roseville
comfortable, light clouds, slight breeze
high predicted 95*

Lots of birdsong
fairly close to the road here, so nearly constant car noise, too - other trail users pass by on foot & by bike, with a curious look as to what I'm doing.

Sparky is very restless as we've just begun our walk

Ground is covered with knee high dry grasses here - foxtails galore, so I'm watching Sparky closely - of course the right angle for the shot I'm after isn't from on the trail...

First exposure - a little underexposed.

Second shot better but having a little trouble with the initial film pull -

Farther along our walk, I notice several ladybugs on thistles - thinking there might be some little aphids the ladybugs like on those thistles -

cactus blooms

Looked out the back window & saw my little cactus were blooming like crazy! This won't last for more than today, so I had to catch it...

thursday morning

May 14, 09
Thursday morning
Along Dry Creek, Gibson Ranch
comfortable - 70ish - no wind, clear skies

Out with Sparky and full pack for the first time. She hasn't quite got the patience to just sit and wait while I sit and look and shoot and write - she'd rather be moving and smelling and moving and seeing what nasty things she could be getting into.

Birds sing and chatter and twitter endlessly all around us, occasionally flitting from tree to tree but mostly invisible. Knee high grasses and plants are starting to dry out, despite the heavy rains of just a week or two ago. Everything is blooming and setting out seeds before dying back again.



Alot of tree saplings fill the space between the creek and the bridle trail - mostly Valley Oak, some Cottonwoods and the occasional Catalpa tree - a testament to how well suited and potentially invasive the non-native can be.

Full grown Valley Oaks arch overhead, while the Cottonwoods just stretch up as tall as they can, leaves shimmering with the slightest air movement.

Sparky is getting particularly impatient, whining then poking her nose in my book as if telling me it's time to move on.

before...

I'm looking forward to moving my Midtown studio into the new Kennedy Gallery & Art Center - but the space isn't quite ready yet, so I thought I'd take a few "before" pictures:

(Artist Keith Hopkins waltzes through the slow-ish shutter speed.)

The red walls make quite a statement, but not one that is flattering to all kinds of art work. Preview pieces from several of the incoming artists are on display right now - soon there will be some shorter gallery walls up to delineate spaces & create more places for hanging wall art.

Phil Meyers (aka Phil the Wood Guy) doesn't have to wait for walls to show off his functional wood pieces. The rest of us will wait for those walls, new lighting & white paint!

art & wine affair

Busy this weekend at the El Dorado Hills Art & Wine Affair -

My booth (on the left) and Michelle MacKenzie, my art buddy's booth set up in tandem, so we can enjoy each others company all weekend long.

Looking up the row from the edge of Michelle's booth -

right next to our friend Kristen Hoard's booth - a good time was had by all.