New Experimental Painting Group

I wrote earlier that I was going to have a second experimental painting group at my studio, and the first session was this past Wednesday. It is so wonderful to get together with a group of artists who share similar interests and get excited by the same things. Binky Bergsman wowed us all with a transfer method using parchment, which can be reused again and again. Tonnie Wolfe showed us embossed paper made out of toilet paper! There are an unlimited supply of new ideas out there, and we want to know all of them. We can learn so much from each other. Sometimes there are so many things I want to do, that I find myself paralyzed and unable to create anything. Fortunately, that always passes. I just have to sail into a new project and see what happens.

Something Different

For some reason I just love this little 8x8 piece. It doesn't look much like my work because the colors are more subdued. I don't think I have ever used gray!

Sales, Sales, Sales

Hooray! I sold the three paintings above at Parklane Gallery in November. I have had a bit of a dry spell there, so the sales were even more welcome than usual. As you can see they are all from the same series. The first one and third one were purchased by the same people from Texas.

Experimental Painting

Well, I see it has been a long time since I have written here. It is probably because I only write about art related activities, and I haven't been having many. We spent the last week in Palm Springs getting warm, so no art was being created then. I have so enjoyed my experimental painting group that meets at my studio on the first Wednesday of each month that I moved it to the second Wednesday this month so that we wouldn't miss it because I was out of town. So, yesterday the group (actually three of the seven artists couldn't make it) met and had a fabulous time creating and sharing. Most of the artists that I know are so generous that no one has any problem sharing new tools, ideas, papers, whatever. Recently I have been copying everything to do direct transfers with. An old piece of loose weave burlap, a tray with holes in it, a piece of wire mesh, decorative paper, whatever crosses my path gets copied on my new laser printer. Yesterday the whole group was involved in copying and doing direct transfers. Even though we were using a lot of the same copies to do transfers, none of our work resembled anyone elses. I had a wonderful time and it inspired me to get back in the studio today.

Because there are more experimental artists than I have room for in my studio, we are starting a second group that will meet on the third Wednesday of each month. So, I get to have all that fun twice a month from now on. I think that working with other artists really stimulates creativity.

New Series Sales

I am so happy to report that my latest series of paintings is selling! I paint because I love it, and I can't not paint, but it is just the cherry on the sundae when they sell as well. I seem to constantly move from one series to the next, and some sell and some don't. Some I love and some I don't. Lately I have found myself painting over the ones that I don't love and trying again for something I do love. I seldom need to buy canvas or boards anymore since I started repainting those that I do not love.

Barbara DePirro Workshop

I had the good fortune to attend a three day workshop put on by Barbara DePirro last Saturday through Monday. What a good time was had by all. She is a terrific instructor and always teaches such interesting classes. All of the supplies are provided, which is a big deal because you always need a lot of supplies in her classes. The class was called Collage/Decollage. It was the decollage part that I was attracted to. It involved sanding, scratching, tearing and grinding your paintings. How could that not be a fun thing for an experimental painter like myself?

I also have big plans for the coming weekend starting on Friday. I intend to spend a good share of it at home and in my studio. Yeah!

Painting Again

Hooray! I am finally painting again. I thought I was broken. I have managed to get into my studio and paint three or four times this week, and I am actually finishing some paintings. I can never figure out why I stop painting. Every once in awhile I just dry up creatively. It is usually because I am ready to start something new. However, this time, since I have gotten back to the studio, I am painting the same things, mostly figurative.

I finally had a sale at Parklane Gallery (the above painting). It was a long, long dry spell for me there. I also have sold 12 paintings at Matthew Robert Salon and have another two weeks there. What a great place, owned by wonderful, art loving people. They get so excited about the art that it flies off the walls. It is also up for three months, which I think makes a difference. When I hang my art at Parklane Gallery, it is only up for a month. Sometimes that is not long enough. I have started leaving some of my paintings up for another month to give them more exposure. You are supposed to change at least 50% of your work each month.

Today is experimental painters day at my studio, and I am really looking forward to being with this great group of women artists who are constantly discovering something new to add to their paintings. I am sure it will be a great day.