SECOND ANNUAL OPEN ART STUDIO TOUR, 2012

Along with a group of 25+ other artists from the Northwest Atlanta area we opened our studio to the public on Saturday, November 3, 2012 from 9AM to 5PM.

Amy, Sylvia Molina and I exhibited a variety of work including watercolor, pastel, mixed media and oil paintings plus hand made jewelry and painted bottles.

We had put on other shows before but never in our studio so we were not sure what to expect.  For the first hour and a half, no one came to visit us and we were worried that we were going to have to eat all the cookies and snacks ourselves.  But around 10:30AM, people started coming by and kept coming all day.  Our stomachs were greatly relieved.  Eventually over 50 people visited us!

Our promotion campaign included brochures that we distributed throughout our neighborhood and nearby stores plus signs with balloons at the entrance of our subdivision and our studio on the day of the open studio.  The most successful part of our promotion was word of mouth to friends, neighbors and patrons that had bought art from us in the past.  We sold 4 paintings, over 20 pieces of jewelry and received three commissions for paintings.

We really enjoyed this experience because it gave us the opportunity to present our work to new potential patrons in a casual and relaxed setting and also discovered what type of art people responded to.  What we found was that people were drawn to art that demonstrates unique technical skill (the WOW factor) and also relates to people in an emotional way.

Thank you Marsha Salvage for organizing this event and for all the helpful information that she provided us that made our open studio tour a success.

To find out more about the Northwest Atlanta Artists and the Annual Open Art Studio Tour go to artiststudiotournorthwestatlanta.blogspot.com

MY CAT PAINTINGS

I am continuing to work on my animal themed paintings that are based on animals that have come from shelters.  These paintings are of two cats my daughter Holly named Tom and Mogen.

All the paintings of animals that I have done so far are based on photos for the obvious reasons that they either will not sit still long enough for me to paint them or they will not pose the way I want them to.  By having all animals I paint appear to be looking directly out of the picture at the viewer I can capture an illusion of their individual personalities.

I have done three paintings of these cats so far.  The first one is a 10"x8" watercolor sketch.  The second painting is a more finished 23"x17" watercolor portrait.  The third is a 20"x16" mixed media painting that took me five days to complete.

I hope you enjoy my cats.

Tom & Mogen #1, 10"x8" Watercolor, $125 Unframed

Tom & Mogen #2, 22"x16" Watercolor, $425 Unframed

Mogen 20"x16" Mixed Media, $550 Gallery Wrapped

MY DOG PAINTINGS

I am continuing my series of paintings of places, objects and people that have been lost or are disappearing in the post industrial global economy we now live in.

I was looking through reference files recently and I stumbled across some old photos of dogs that were hanging around me one afternoon while I was painting an old barn in the Tennessee country side.  The dogs were not very interested in my paintings but were really interested in the art supplies in my paint box.


As I remember those dogs were sweet tempered and friendly but they did not have much discipline and they did not look like they were very well cared for. It struck me that our pets are sometimes also victims of the times we live in. With that in mind I decided to do a new series of paintings dedicated to our best friends who ask nothing from us but our unconditional love.


All the paintings in this series are of animals that have come from shelters. I hope you enjoy my new paintings.



"WISE GUY" (A dog I met by the side of the road)
Watercolor 8x10    Unframed $125

"HI THERE!" (A dog I met on a country road)
Watercolor 8x10    Unframed $125

"MOLLY" (A dog I met at Starbucks)
Watercolor 8x10    Unframed $125

"TUX HAVING A BALL AT THE BEACH"
Watercolor 8x10    Unframed $125

"SAMO"
Watercolor 8x10    Unframed $125

"TUX"
Watercolor 8x10    Unframed $125

MADISON PAINT OUT

In May I participated in the Madison Artists Guild Plein Air Paint Out.  Madison is a great town for plein air painters.  There are beautiful subjects to paint everywhere you look and I had a wonderful time.  At the end of the day all the completed paintings were judged and cash prizes were awarded. I was honored with second place and $60 for my watercolor called "Afternoon Dream".  The owner of the house which I painted actually bought the painting from me.  I had a fun time painting in Madison and it was great to go home with some money in my pocket.

PAINTINGS IN RECENT SHOWS

I have been fortunate to have two of my paintings represented in two shows this month.  I was honored to have my acrylic painting "Industrial Alley" accepted into the South Cobb Arts Alliance 24th National Exhibition.  The Georgia Watercolor Society has also included my watercolor painting "American Export" into the members exhibition in Athens, GA.  Both paintings are from my "Twentieth Century Industrial" series which reflects the vanishing American era that I grew up in juxtaposition with the contemporary world.

I identify more and more with the American scene painters of the 1930's and 40's like Charles Burchfield, Edward Hopper, and Grant Wood.  The stories they tell in paint fit in well with the times we are living in now.

INDUSTRIAL ALLEY, 18X24 ACRYLIC, $450

                                                      

AMERICAN EXPORT, 26X20, WATERCOLOR, $425

Horsing Around With The Horse

My experience painting horses in Cartersville, GA.

There were four horses for us to paint.  I chose the one in a corral all by himself, thinking that at least he would not run off on me while I painted him!!  I had to get in the corral with him without knowing what he would do.  Instead of wondering off to the other side like I thought he would do, the horse was very curious about me and what I was doing.  He figured out how to open my toolbox that held all my art supplies and started to go through my paint.  He also thought my brushes were interesting.  I did not know if he liked my painting of him or not, but he knocked it off my easel.  And then he stuck his head over the easel putting his nose an inch from my face, making it impossible for me to paint.  I gave him a hug and a pat and pushed him out of the way, but he kept coming back.  Eventually he stood still long enough for me to do this painting of him and I became the "horse whisperer" for the day.  His name is Magnum!!