I'm Mobile

I now have an iPad. Just getting used to it so my blogs may be a little short for a while, but the real reason I haven't posted recently is that my camera broke! Yikes! But fear not. I've ordered a new one and should be up and running with photos of new work soon.

Consequences of recent non-activity

That's what I get for not keeping up with my posting.  Changes have been made to blogger and now nothing looks familiar.  Not sure how to create a new post and more importantly can't find the "edit" or "delete" function.  Yikes!

Nothing I've tried has worked.  Wanted to change the layout, eliminate the old and uninteresting stuff but ...  Guess I'll just have to keep trying.

In the meantime, here is some recent work.

This last painting was done as part of a workshop with Karin Jurick that I attended last week in San Francisco.  I did three others as well, but my camera has given up the ghost.  More later (after I go camera shopping.)

What's going on?

Hello???  What has happened to my blog?

Wonder if anyone noticed...

that the painting from the last posting has been changed.  Now that the floor is finished and I'm back in the studio I couldn't resist doing more to the palm tree.  Made a lot of adjustments in oil over the acrylic and I like it a lot more.  The two landscapes below are very early works in progress - both oils.  Currently working on those as well as some clay heads, well faces really.  No pics of those yet.

This week in the studio...

we're sealing the floor, so the studio wasn't open for the 3rd Thursday.  It rained all day yesterday, and quite heavily at times, so I'm a little nervous about checking to see how well the seal took.  Have to wait until Friday before we can paint on a finish.  In the meantime, everything is stacked in piles in one half of the studio, so the painting below was finished at home.

Concord Gallery Show Opening

The opening was a success with many attendees, friends, music and food.  The gallery is open Thursday thru Sunday and the show will be up thru March, so if you get a chance stop by.  In addition to my 3-D works are really wonderful watercolor paintings by gallery members and lovely art quilts by another guest artist.

 My corner of the gallery

 Oops!

Counting the Minutes

This piece has a working metronome built into it.

 Art Dog

 The band

Some of the usual suspects...

Judy, Maureen, Michelle, Bruce and Sharon

Jan and Mandy were also there and Jan put up a lot more photos on her blog which you can see @  http://pinkhousepages.blogspot.com/

Concord Gallery Show Opens Friday, January 6th!!

For Winter 2011, Gallery Concord announces its newest show, "Serenity," which will run from January 5 to March 25, 2012. The opening night reception will be Friday, January 6th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Light refreshments and beverages will be served, and music provided by The Dana St. Jazz Trio.The "Serenity" show will feature Wendy Oliver, a watercolor artist from Walnut Creek, California. Wendy Oliver is a Bay Area native and grew up in Walnut Creek. She always enjoyed Art Classes all through her school years. After her children were grown she decided to return to her passion for painting, signing up for a class as a birthday present to herself from local artists to learn techniques and develop her own style. The mediums she uses are Acrylics, Oils, or Watercolor. She especially loves to create realistic paintings of beautiful landscapes, flowers & wildlife. Wendy always takes her camera with her because she believes that you never know when you are going to see something that will inspire you to paint it. She has taken lots of art workshops and classes for the past 20 years locally & across the United States and Europe with many famous artists. The artists she has studied with include Charles White, Gary Bergren, Leslie Wilson, Myrna Wacknov, Nancy Collins, Sandi Delahanty, Nicholas Simmons, Kathleen Conover, Janet Rogers & Cheng-Khee Chee. She has won many awards at the Contra Costa County Fair, Alameda County Fair, and Art Association Shows. Wendy Oliver is an active member of the Alamo DanvilleArt Association, Blackhawk Gallery, Las Juntas Artists, East Bay Artists Guild, CWA &GalleryConcord,Toll Bridge Tolers & Professional Women's Business Exchange.  

Our guest artists for the Winter Show are Nancy Ryan (Fiber Art) and Susan Shore (3-D Art).

December's 3rd Thursday

The weeks seem to fly by and the 3rd Thursday Art Walks here in Point Richmond get closer together.  This month Ann from Santa Fe was here and she snapped a few photos before we opened the doors.

Who's your mommy...?

Me pricing new work

Left at the altar

We'll miss the January walk as the studio will be closed while the cement floor gets painted/sealed.

Skating to Boston

The Skater is going to a new home this weekend.  The shipper is coming to pack him up and take him away to a loft in Boston.  Perfect spot for this large, 6.5' x 3' painting.  The Skater is a two-dimensional, slightly abstracted, version of the sculpture that was done first.  He's painted on a cradled fir support using a palette knife and fingers.  Lots of fun to paint.  Betsy says he will make her smile when she sees him each morning.

SOLD

Where is everybody...?

Guess most people are still going to the malls.  However a select group of friends and supporters scooped up the best of the handmade gift items and some unique art pieces (along with cookies & beverages) and it was nice to have time to chat with those who stopped by.

Jane and Judy getting things ready.

Thanks to all of you who stopped in.

Holiday Fest

Arts of Point Richmond is sponsoring a Holiday Fest this Saturday, 12/10/11, from 11am to 5pm.  The main venue is the community center, but I'll be in my studio just a few yards away.  Other shops, galleries and restaurants will be open as well, so it should be a fun afternoon.  There will be all kinds of affordable art and crafty gift and decorative items for sale.

I've been busy making some pretty sachets from vintage laces and trims.  Some filled with fragrant, hand picked California lavender, others with lavender brought back from France.  Come on out and join us!!

The Last Ones

I've just completed the last of the recent dog commissions for the holidays.   Hoping that the folks getting them are going to like them and think that they look like their beloved pets.  That's kind of the nature of the beast with commissions. I say (to myself) I'm not going to do any more, then give in and always end up spending so much more time on them than is reasonable.   Now off to the PO.  Happy Holidays.

HENRY

PANCHO & CISCO

Third Thursday in November

A threat of rain was not about to dampen spirits at Thursday's ART WALK.   This courtyard outside my studio door filled up quickly this friends, prospective customers and of course other artists.

New Works - Wall Sculptures

I 've been working on some smaller pieces lately for the upcoming Point Richmond Art Walk - this Thursday - and also for the January show at the Concord Gallery.  They are one of a kind wall sculptures and the special embellishments create the individual personalities.  So far there is a bride (above), a mermaid, a "Sea Being", a native American, two Red Hat Ladies,  and a dowager.  Once I form the clay, they pretty much decide for me what they are going to be.  

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

Martini anyone?

This painting was done for my newly painted kitchen. I took down some old shelving which left a blank wall and a perfect reason to do this large, 30 x 40, acrylic on canvas painting.

It was a lot of fun to do and took only a few hours. Some are easier than others.

Back to my sculptures. Doing some smaller pieces for the January show. Still haven't finished "Dancing With The Moon". but hope to have it done by the end of this week.

Point RIchmond Art Walk

October's Art Walk was a great success. Lot's of sales of dogs and nudes. Still have "Sad Eyes", but...

... "Pinky" is gone to a good home.

Here are some new additions to group.