summer song

I've just been using every spare moment to work on canvas - and I put the varnish on this one Thanksgiving morning before we went to my in-laws for dinner. It's called "Summer Song" which refers to all the birdsong I could hear coming from the trees when I was taking the photos and journaling that day. My new record sized canvas at 30x40", it has two silver gelatin prints collaged on it, as well as my requisite leaves and weeds in heavy applied texture. I'm having so much fun working on canvas, I don't think I'll ever look back...

And here it is on the wall with some of my other new canvas works - I've temporarily moved my studio across the hall at the SAC, next month I'll be moving downstairs, then no more musical studios...

2nd sat at the sac

A few weeks ago I mentioned the new color that I painted the studio doors on my email newsletter, and that I would post it on my blog, but then I got a little sidetracked with trees and art fairs and fun stuff like that...

By now the truly curious have actually come to my studio to see the doors, but I know there are some for whom that would be a mighty long drive, and I managed to remember to photograph my door on Saturday night, which was 2nd Saturday, and thereby my studio was invaded by hordes of art lovers - but I love it, too, so I didn't complain.

In fact, I actually invited people in and talked art and trees and we all had a generally good time - if you do live close, it's plenty of fun getting to midtown for a Second Saturday. But you can come down to the SAC (Sacramento Art Complex) pretty much anytime - okay, there are regular 10 to 5 Monday through Friday hours, which are catch as catch can for some of us and then Open Studio Saturdays noon to 5 p.m. when there should be alot more of us around - come on by this week, I'll actually be there!

So how do you like that green? And are you really surprised?



And finally, fellow Viewpoint member Truman Holtzclaw came by and caught me on film, so to speak...

party time

Big artists' grand opening party at the SAC today - we decorated out front to make it look festive -

I caught my across the hall neighbor, Barrett Manning, painting, like he does, right on his wall -

And Andrew caught me just sitting around -

Plenty of people visited, but not too huge of crowds, so there was time to hang out & chat, including an interview with a California Aggie reporter, who took a group photo out front, too -

That would be Jess, Barrett, Allison, me, Karen, Barry (in back), Marbo (in front), Steve, Kathy, Andrew, Brenda, Keith & Pat!

saturday at the sac

Yesterday was Saturday and I made sure that I was in my studio at the Sacramento Art Complex - also known as the SAC - as were many of my fellow artists. At one point (okay, many points,) I wandered around to catch my fellow artists in the act of creating and sometimes just hanging out in their studios.

I started on the second floor, since that's where my studio is, and caught Andrew Hindman sketching, but he consented to posing for a shot for me as well. Andrew is a big guy who could seem imposing except for his very laid back demeanor and beautiful artwork. We had a great chat about home studio spaces and houses and school districts...

Kathy McMahon is one of the newest additions to the SAC building; she was working on a parrot portrait in pastels when I walked in on her. Kathy is one of our most consistent tenants, putting in long regular hours at her studio here - very impressive!

I caught Marbo Barnard working on a small koi pond image, also in pastels. She had recently received an award plaque from the National Pastel Society, I believe. I think Marbo has received more awards than I can keep up with - at any rate, the plaque is nice on her studio wall, but not as impressive as seeing her actual artwork.

Back down the hall across from my studio is my new friend Brenda Boles. I caught Brenda at the easel, too, fine tuning a big floral painting in acrylics. Brenda was leaving a little early to see her granddaughter's gymnastics meet, which was a very important date, indeed.

But before Brenda left, she came into my studio to catch me at my work table - that doesn't happen too often on film, as I'm usually the one behind the camera lens - but I do manage to get work done in my studio, even on social days like yesterday.

A little later I found my way downstairs, to see what was going on down there. I found Allison Carlos in her studio painting, too, in oils, I think... but she stopped to chat with me a bit.

Down the hall a little I caught Pat Orner in Studio 12 working on a tennis themed piece in acrylics, I think...

as was her studio mate, Keith Hopkins. We talked a bit about upcoming shows and schedules and I remembered that I'm loaning them my canopy for an event in Roseville early next month. I'm sure they would have reminded me before too long.

Time to get back to my own studio - if you find it looking sort of like this you'll know I'm not far away: food & drink on the work table, open drawers with more food (I was hungry!) Sunglasses out, open bag on the floor and empty camera case on the stool...

I really did get work done at my studio yesterday, besides visiting with my neighbors. In between it all, I completed "Garcia Bend" (number three of only ten darkroom prints.) It's one of those pieces I've just fallen in love with: all the colors fell together just right, a sign that there's some wonderful creative energy at the Sacramento Art Complex!

2nd Sat @ SAC

Last night was Second Saturday and in Midtown Sac that means art openings and major party time.

Here in the SAC Building it means artists like Allison Carlos getting ready, putting labels on at the last minute...

Artists like Kristen Hoard bringing flowers in to show off cool metal art vases...

And artists like Michelle MacKenzie just generally pulling themselves together to greet the crowds of art lovers on their way.

Other artists like Misha, have made cool canvas signs to help art lovers find the way through the halls...

Some, like Brenda Boles, greet early guests who know how to beat the crowd and come early.

Others, like Steve Memering, show their attitude for the camera, though Steve is probably one of the least dramatic artists I have ever met...

And finally, my studio mate, Wendell Minshew, uses my little snapshot camera to create a little art at the end of the night.

studio work

Today was a studio day, meeting with a collector, getting ready for Second Saturday & yes, even working on a piece of art.

So just imagine you're standing in the studio, looking at the left corner by the door...

turning slowly to your right, seeing my open drawer (so obviously I'm working)...

and then looking farther to your right...

then peeking over my shoulder to see the amazing tree piece that I'm working on right now. (I think the tree is amazing, don't you?)

Or come see for yourself on Saturday - I'll be there from noon until around 5 p.m., maybe run out to grab a bite to eat, then get back for the party from six until whenever...

new drawers

Sometimes it's the little things that make me proud of myself. This week I went over to my local Ikea (which I've loved ever since I first saw one in Germany) and bought myself a small utility drawer unit for the studio. Gotta have somewhere to put those little things, you know. So I took the box of unassembled pieces with me to the studio today & put it all together - I even had to bend metal for the drawers themselves! (It was made to bend easily, I admit.) It just gave me a real sense of accomplishment to have them all done & start putting things into them!

(You can see my cute little set of drawers right next to my worktable here.)

Oh yeah, and I started painting on a pretty cool piece, too... I'm pretty excited about how this is going to turn out as well. ;)

sac building soft opening

The Sacramento Art Complex is officially open and running with it's "soft" opening Second Saturday reception this past weekend. (That would be the weekend I'm just now recovering from.)

Though the reception didn't officially begin until 6 p.m., there was a trickle of people beginning to come through around 5 p.m., as I was darting out the door to go get a bite to eat, then come back, get changed & freshen up from being at the East Sac Garden Tour Boutique all day. It was nearly 6 o'clock by the time I made it back to my studio and opened it all up.

Wendell had been in the studio all day getting his work up on the walls - which at one point meant knocking mine down on the other side - and had left to shower & change at around 4 o'clock, then he got back right around the time I did. (By the way, no artwork was harmed, so all was well!)

More and more people were coming through by six, and by six-thirty, there was a steady stream of humanity until about nine-thirty, when the crowd started to get thinner. We sometimes had alternating crowds in our spaces, and I managed to think of taking a couple photos during a brief pause in my studio.

The whole building was hopping with art lovers and artists, catching all that they could take in and getting a chance to talk with each other in an intimate setting. There were still people coming through at 10 o'clock, when I finally had to call it quits and shut the studio doors - next time won't be so rough, since I won't be working a weekend show at the same time.

I didn't realize it at the time, but I actually caught another artist friend, Kristen Hoard chatting at the top of this image - it's great how the whole complex is becoming a community of artists - and we've already got a few ideas about inviting the rest of the world into our community for more than just Second Saturdays. I'll be posting more on all that later, I'm sure.

(mostly) ready for second saturday

I've gotten more work into the new studio in midtown Sacramento - that would be in the new Sacramento Art Complex at 2110 K Street, near 21st Street, Studio #21 -

Trying to get everything ready for our "soft opening" this Saturday, the Second Saturday of the month is art reception time here in lovely Sacramento. If you're in the area, you are invited to come see me from 6-9 p.m. Heck, you can come in from out of town, too, if you want!

Lot's of activity going on in the building right now - a dozen or more artists are just moving in now like me, everyone going like crazy to be ready for Saturday. I can't wait to see how everyone transforms their own space. I guess I'm a little ahead of alot of artists, but I've got classes to be in tomorrow & a weekend show to set up & do, too -

One of my print racks is in here, the other one will be with me at the East Sac Garden Tour Boutique this weekend (Sat-Sun 10-4 at David Lubin Elementary) leaving me just enough time to run over to midtown for our first reception!

I've pretty much got everything in that will fit right now - even managed to sit down and get some painting done today, for the first time in quite awhile -

moving into new studio

Went and picked up artwork from the Artisan gallery tree show and took it down to my new studio in midtown Sacramento - I actually got a couple pieces of furniture in there last week - moving in little bits and pieces.

Some of the work is from the Visions of Heaven show last December, too. (I'll be rotating some work through here, as it won't all fit!) I thought that the work would take more space, but I've still got room to spare...

More Heaven art pieces flanked by "Quercus Woodland" tree art - still room for more, so I'll have to bring more in soon.

new studio space

Some of the SacArtQ met with Barry Smith at the soon-to-be Sacramento Art Complex (SAC) Building on K Street yesterday - I'll have a studio space there come May 1st, and so may some of the rest of the Q, more to follow -