Art and More Art

Yes, I know my posts have gotten further apart, but it IS finally summer (70's and sun) on the Peninsula, AND I have been making a lot of ART, as well as working with Great Concentration on the HOT FLASH book during this week off from my regular job. There is nothing quite as Wonderful for me as being totally caught up in making art. This week has put me in touch with fascinating women and inspiring stories from all over the globe for HOT FLASH. Last week it was the art exhibit at Sandy Long's Louisiana picnic that motivated my working late into the night.

So here you go: I've given myself the Luxury lately of concentrating my efforts in one (or three) directions, but not more. As I was saying in an email to Lynne Sward today, we creative types tend to be excited by Everything...and good at Everything, so we can find our energy stretched WAY too thin, not to mention our time and storage space. Limiting basic parameters gives more freedom in a way that I like and gets me doing good work.


Portraits have been my recent passion. Here are Megan (the younger sister of last November's niece's wedding) and her future husband, Maurizio, and the stages of their portrait, from the practice one on paper at the top, through the stages, to the finished one on canvas below. Working with an idea in depth is So Satisfying, and I keep thinking of new things I want to try. I'll be having a portrait show at Karon's Frames in Port Angeles in August, so those of you who are local will see more.





I don't know what you call someone who is married to one's niece, but Mo fits right into the Hastings family because he Loves food as much as we do. Looking forward to great Italian food in Chicago!

I got distracted from portraits while preparing for an art event at Sandy Long's gorgeous house on the bluffs.
I made a side trip back into collage, and made so many small (4"x6") ones that I'll just stack them up below.


A larger one here, playing with some of my paper stash and textures from Golden Paints...I could do collages for months, too!

A few more nudes for good measure, with some collage added...as I say often, the ideas keep spiraling around with new wrinkles...at least I'm keeping myself off the streets...and have paper enough to last for the rest of my life.



20" x 30" on the left and 8" x 8" on the right.















There are a few more to come this week, but I wanted to show you the little guys, and I'll just post them without comment, except that I mounted them on matt board covered with some of the exotic fabric I got at Pondicherry's sale last summer--Arlinka Blair, ever the shopper, alerted me. The small collages...and the paintings...are all for sale. The small collages are at the low, low price of $45 each...or do they need to be $35 in this bad economy? Thank heaven for the day job! My love of making Art must be its own reward, I fear.

I've been working on the HOT FLASH book this week with Wonderful submissions this week! Also did more samples for my classes at Art-Is-You...you'll be Excited! More later.