The 10th Annual Big 500 Show

Pioneer Place Mall, Portland,Oregon

December 9th thru Dec. 24th.

#big500show     https://www.facebook.com/Big500ArtShow/

Here are my three paintings for this years Big 500 show in Portland. They are all acrylic on panel measuring 8"x 8". The big 500 show is an annual fund raiser for Oregon Food Bank, an organization I am proud to support. If you are in the Portland area I hope you can attend the opening and buy very reasonably priced art for a great cause!  Opening and sale starts at 2 pm. December 9th 2017.

  This was a great exercise in painting fast! No time to think, (or over think for that matter!) work from my subconscious and get them done!

Quilting and Painting - my hybrid artwork

  My latest piece titled "Sleep" is another in my on going exploration of the ways to combine acrylic painting on canvas with fabric piecing and machine quilting. I still see the challenges and the untaped possibilities of my two passions. I have been thinking about using wood as a painting surface, and how in combine that with fabric. I feel like an explorer in a exciting new world.

My newly completed painting; Adam and Eve

   I have finished my painting Adam and Eve, Acrylic on panel, 18"x24"   This piece is my interpretation of the classic creation story. I see creation as not about two humans but about the biosphere as a whole. Adam and Eve are not jut two individuals, they represent different energies coming together to create life as we know it. "God" is an observer of creation not a judge of who has "sinned".  One of the most challenging parts of the painting was copying part of Genesis written in Hebrew text along the sides of the piece. I only undertook this because I knew my husband could proof read the hebrew.  I do feel a responsibility when copying someone else's holy text, so I did my best to be accurate.

Progress on my painting Adam and Eve

  Working away on Adam and Eve, for my upcoming show at Short Term Gallery, Baker City Oregon in June.  As you can see there is still much left to do, nothing is settled into its finished state. I spend lot of time working on this piece in my mind, auditioning color choices and other possible variations. But of course there are times when what seemed like a good idea must be painted over and  
redone. Stay tuned for further progress reports.

Adding my own twist to an old story........

             

Inspiration sometimes takes me to unexpected places. As an agnostic who was raised an atheist I never expected to suddenly have a image of Adam and Eve pop in my head, insisting on being painted! How do I paint a biblical image that has nothing much to do with the usual classical interpretation? Well I just except it....... I strive in this image to not only be true to my inspiration but also to respect the religious and historical significance of the subject. Did I mention this is HARD!  Stay tuned for later updates on my progress...we will see if I can pull this off!


  Here is the drawing I started the painting with.

Finding Inspiration in everyday life

       I never know when inspiration will grab me. Sometimes I just look at something, in a store, during a hike and.... boom, there go's my mind. What starts as a tumble on free associated images gradually congeals into a image.  Sometimes it's a landscape sometimes a character.   Then there are the big ones......the times when an entire painting arrives in my minds eye. I have at times needed to stop what I am doing and sit quietly for a few minutes until the image is completely gelled in my brain, I once had to pull over and stop driving. After that the image in my head will "bug" me until I draw it. After that starts a process where through small and sometimes large changes this initial inspiration becomes a painting.

Painting my grief

  Sometimes global events really get to me. One day I sat down at my easel preparing to start my afternoon painting session, when the BBC informed me of the latest atrocities preformed by ISIS and the extinction of the Northern White Rhino.  I felt overwhelmed with grief and my helplessness to do anything about this. From my feelings sprang the beginning of this painting.

Laluzapalooza 2017

I am pleased to announce that three of my pieces have been included in this year's Laluzapalooza show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles California.    http://laluzdejesus.com/laluzapalooza-2017/         The show runs from March 3erd to April 2and.

The Whole World is a Tiger

Apex predators are the top predator in a particular ecosystem. When humanity removes that predator devastating changes can take place in that ecosystem. Humans saw this clearly when wolves where reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. The elk population was kept in check, which changed the tree and shrub mix, which changed the environment for fish, birds and insects.There are so many unintended consequences to our a actions we can’t even imagine. We must tread very carefully on our natural world.

One of my latest works

This is one of the last paintings I finished in 2016. I call it "The Thief", its a fun painting about a god like creature who finds a hidden universe and steals one of the planets. I can't be serious all the time, sometimes I just have to have a little fun. Often I feel like I am illustrating a book that hasn't been written yet.   The Thief is acrylic on panel 16"x20".