Gallery Exhibit

I am very happy to be selected as gift shop artist by the Toe River Arts Council.  There is an exhibit of the twelve newly selected artist which opened last Saturday and will run until May 10th.  Most of the work is from the Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days event of last January.   There will be a reception in the Burnsville NC gallery April 17th from 5 until 7:30 PM.  (Happy Dance!)

October Whitewater
Oil on Canvas Panel 5 x 7

Escape from Winter

A bit of escapism from the snow to Jacksonville Beach.  I prefer pastels on the beach, rather than oils.
After a day of being Spring Break entertainment I moved further away from the entry.

A New Morning
Pastel 6 x8

 

River Run
Pastel 9 x 12

Then a return to the mountains.  The beach was so much simpler, I chose a larger format for the woods, the painting needs much more work.  But I haven't done pastels for 1-1/2 years so it was good to get back to that medium.

Penland Community Day March 1

After Bead Week, the gang stayed to help out during Community Day in the Flameworking Studio.  This is an annual event at Penland, the public is invited to make small projects in most of the studios.
In the photo below everyone seated is making a bead with an experienced flameworker coaching behind.

Community Day in the Penland Flamework Studio

Hello from Penland School of Crafts February 24

Since last checking in I have been working on some of  the paintings from the thirty in thirty in order to submit them to the annual jury for the gift shop of the local arts council.  I've been doing this at the painting group I just joined, Wednesday Painters which takes place at the studio of Sandra Gates.

Here's another painting for the jury.

Highland Lodge
5 x 7 Oil on Gessoed Masonite

 

 

A related art group the Blue Ridge Fine Arts Guild is submitting a proposal for a show in 2015, a group of us are working on that too.  It's called "Sunlight, Solitude and Sanctuary : Celebrating our Highland Home"

Meanwhile at Penland it is time for Bead Week.  This is my fifth year.  It isn't a class, just a week long gathering of bead makers.   Here's the studio.

Photos of beads soon.

 

My daughter, Simone, ran this studio for about seven years, before becoming manager of all the studios.  Due to ill health she no longer holds that position.  It was bittersweet to be here at first, but the energy of the group is strong and I am now much more focused on the work.  Her name in glass near the entry.

It's late and the torch awaits in the morning.  Be back soon.

The first Day after the Challenge

To sum up a collage of all the paintings.   Assembling it led me to remember where I was each day of the month, and to decide which paintings I liked the best, and of course the least.

Thirty Paintings (well 26) in Thirty Days

As they used to say,  it's been real.

Laurel

Day Thirty - The Last Day

This morning I listened to Leslie Saeta's web radio show which were many of the artists' stories from the past thirty days.  Listening gave a human dimension to the paintings that have been posted on Leslie's site.

After yesterday's really bad "plein window" painting, I decided that I just had to do another.  Some painters from North Carolina Plein Air Painters posted snow paintings that they had done outside.  Just too cold for me.  Yesterday's painting was so embarrassing, I posted some other plein air work that I had done previously.  Today I will be happy to post on Leslie's site and on the plein air site as well.

Tree Line 2
5 x 7 oil on canvas board

 

 

 

Tomorrow I will visit Leslie's website again to see the collages of everyone's work. 
I was excited to get an e-mail from Meredith Adler I met thru the Thirty Day event and is thinking about  joining our local painting group, the Blue Ridge Fine Arts Guild.

Day Twenty Nine - Snow Day

Last night I received an e-mail from the my plein air group to go out and paint snow today.  Since it was 11 degrees this morning I elected to stay and paint the view from my studio window. 

Having not done plein air since October it was good to be reminded that before I can mix the right color on the palette it is already changed. 

This image looks more like a Hawaiian volcano than a Appalachian mountain, perhaps a not so unconscious desire.

Mt Celo Volcano
5 x 7 oil on canvas board

 

Tomorow is the last day of the challange.  I hope to hear Leslie's web radio program.