Seattle Men's Chorus Auction

The last Seattle Men's Chorus JustArt Auction was held this evening. I am delighted to report that my painting, Graffiti I, sold for more than the asking price of $775. Someone bought it outright for $1088! I just love it when that happens.

It's Over!

The Edmonds Art Studio Tour is now over, and it was a fabulous weekend. I just get so excited by all the people that I meet and get to talk to about my art. I also see people that I know that I do not see very often. Then there are the people that I know from non-art related venues that come to see my work for the first time. This year it was people from my water aerobics class, neighbors and my dentist. I get to stay in my own studio, talk about art with great people, share my space with other talented artists and sometimes sell paintings. What is not to love about that!

It was especially gratifying to sell "Daisies & Fire" to Carla. I hope you are reading this Carla. Carla and her husband already own a couple of my paintings, and I loved having the opportunity to spend time with her and talk about my work.

For the first time I had a discount table at the studio tour. Although some artists think that this is devaluing my work, I disagree. I love to paint, and it is the process, not the eventual painting, that really gives me joy. If I do not sell my paintings I will run out of room someday! I believe a number of people purchased items from my discount table that would not have been able to enjoy owning original art if the price had not been discounted. People are really worried about money right now, and I am happy that they are willing to spend anything to own a piece of original art.

I will definitely be particpating in Edmonds Art Studio Tour 2010.

Day One of Tour is Complete

The studio tour gets me so wound up that I can barely stop talking. When we shut down at 5 p.m. I just collapse. I fell asleep on the floor before 9 p.m. and staggered off to bed at 9. Today I am ready again and just as excited as yesterday. We had some good sales even though there were fewer visitors than last year. I set up a discount table which was a huge hit and a great way to move some paintings out of my home into someone else's home. There is nothing I enjoy more than talking to people about my art in the comfort of my own studio, and if I sell something, it is a bonus. It is so much more satisfying than selling in a gallery where you may never meet the people who are enjoying your work.

Even if I don't sell a thing today, I will consider the event successful because I had so much fun.

Edmonds Art Studio Tour

It's here at last. The tour begins in 3 hours and I am ready and waiting. Nancy Thompson has set up her work in my family room, and Meredith Arnold should be setting up in an hour or so. Meredith had a family emergency and couldn't get here to set up yesterday. We are crossing our fingers that she will be able to make it today. However, if her family needs her, than that is the way it will be. We will miss her if she cannot make it.

I handled preparations for the tour a lot better this year than I have the past three years. I did a little each day, slowly moving toward the tour. By the time it came, I was all ready, with no stress. What a concept!

Sidewalk Sale

Yesterday I worked the sidewalk sale at Parklane Gallery. It was such a beautiful day. Perhaps the last beautiful weekend of the summer, but I hope not, as the Edmonds Studio Tour is next weekend. There were so many lovely things in the sidewalk sale, that I did really good to only buy one piece. I bought a small watercolor by Donna Wallace. Oops! I did buy one other thing, but it was a birthday present for my friend Nanci, not something else for me.

Her Seven Best Friends

Edmonds Art Studio Tour

Only eight more days until the 4th annual Edmonds Art Studio Tour! I am rushing around organizing my studio so that visitors can walk through it. I figure I will be ready if I just keep doing a little each day. I am going to show fewer paintings this year. I think the number of paintings I normally have hanging in my studio is overwhelming to most people, and it is easier to focus on a painting that has a little open space around it. It is hard not to put out everything I have, so that I will have a chance to sell everything. Even after pulling all the older paintings, I still have a lot left.

If you haven't recieved a brochure for the tour, contact me, or go to www.edmondsartstudiotour.com and check us out there. You can also print a map from the website.

Two Weeks Until Edmonds Art Studio Tour!

Today is the day that I am going to begin preparing for the Edmonds Art Studio Tour. Actually I have been preparing the last couple of weeks by getting some paintings completed. Now I need to begin the organizing of the studio and surrounding area. One of the most difficult things I have to do is take down my Artists I Know Wall. For those of you who have not seen my artists wall, I have 50 or 60 small paintings by artists friends arranged on one wall. I have finally gotten it to look the way I want it to, and it is complicated to arrange. So, a photo has been taken of it and now I need to take it all down. I would leave it up, but visitors to the tour get so interested in it they don't look at the work that is for sale! It is too much competition.

I have a huge 4'x8' piece of plywood in the center of my studio. The first year that we lived here I left it in the studio during the tour. Big mistake! It created traffic jams and people could not get around very well. So, that has to come out and be replaced by something a lot smaller. I will start to organize the studio and one thing will lead to another until I am cleaning and organizing all the shelving and going way beyond what I really need to do for the tour. Now I must get started doing the work instead of writing about it.

Experimental Painting Day

Today was the day that the experimental painting group met at my studio. Only five of the seven artists attended, but we were producing some fine work. I actually think the magnificent lunches that we share are as much of a draw as the painting we do.

We are all participating in the Edmonds Art Studio Tour that will take place on September 19 & 20. Check out the website at www.edmondsartstudiotour.com for more information about the tour. This will be our fourth year. It seems like only yesterday that a few friends and I started this thing that has now taken on a life of its own. I still serve on the steering committee, but luckily we have Barb Childs to chair the committee, and she has done a magnificent job for the last 3 years. I hope that she will continue for many more years. In any event, there is a lot to do around here, and I had better get started. I have been working on the most important part, which is getting paintings done. The other stuff, such as organizing my studio, moving some furniture out, and cleaning, remain to be done.

The painting above is one I did last week.