"Aaarrrrh! It's feast or famine!!!

                           ("Tension" mask -hand carved birch wood 7"x5")   
The summer has been so busy that I've barely the time to post recent work and events!  I was in sequim during the lavender festival and last weekend which is still looking good if you are looking for a nice outting. This weekend I can be found painting the gardens of Wild Birds Unlimited off HWY 101 in Gardiner, on your way to Sequim. The store is awesome with great stuff but the gardens are a slice of heaven off the highway. Swing by with a picnic or grab a coffee from the cafe.
    Also opening Aug 2nd is the 13th Annual Juried Maritime Exhibition at the Museum in Gig Harbor through Sept 4th. Saterday August 11th, the museum is hosting an event I plan to attend “Paint the Shenandoah”. From 8 am-5pm artists have been invited to come and paint as they unveil the new viewing area for this 65-foot purse seiner. Hope to see you there!
 

From garden to garden

Each year various cities across the nation organize garden tours where for a fee you can buy a ticket, usually benefitting a good community organization. The admission allows one to visit a collection of private properties that invite people to come view thier gardens. In my community I have been invited to be "artist in the garden" and paint one of the 7 showcased properties of my choice. In 2011 I had the pleasure of working on site at a whimsical garden with quite the collection of birdhouses (Herb houses 9x12). In 2012 the magic was found as curious ticket holders looked inside the dutch door, discovered a teddy bear tea party and turned to leave with genuine smiles of nostalgic memories from childhood. (Cottage 9x12).

 

Early morning on the harbor.

Last summer I painted from the Eddon Boat dock looking back towards the building from the  20'x20' floating dock. The painting was done in the late morning, had half a boat, the Eddon Boat shop and shoreline on a cloudy day. This year , returning to the same place, the sun was shining in the early morning so I thought it fun to include another boat half, (the same one?), looking out into the harbor at other boats. Unlike my usual 3-4 hour struggle, I zipped through this in under 2.5 hours and was pleased with the piece. ("Docked" 9x12)

There will be days like this...

   If I had to wait for a sunny day there would be few less oppertunities to paint and so lately I find that despite the cloudy days, I need the practice. Although the contrast weakens and the drama of light minimal,  life is far more abundant outside the studio. When I originally sited this homestead there was a deer walking one of the upper ponds on the property while the swifts darted marrily above. On the next morning when I painted I was serenaded by frogs while flickerings of colored birds darted through the stillness of the tall grasses. ("Ponds in Sehmel Homestead"- 9"x12")

Both sides of the coin.

   While painting at a garden off the horsehead bay area before more than 1500 participants this weekend, I shared my postcard with many interested spectators who were watching me paint a cottage scene en plein air. Thier reaction was curious to learn that this more graphic image or semi-abstract piece was also a painting I did last year. In reality my past was rooted in graphic arts and photography for 20 years before retiring from traditional meathods in the wake of the digital revolution. I am intrigued towards surrealism, texture and layering. While I admire the photographic work of Paul Caponigro or many of the mixed media artists like Dave McKean, collected in the book "Art Revolution" by Lisa Cyr. I tend to work from life, or out of my imagination and am not interested in using the computer as a tool. Nor can I afford much play time to experimentation or sustain the inspiration during a lengthy "build-up" process as patiently as most mixed media artists. As it is, many of my creations take 30-50 hours just to render a scene, figure or still life painting. Thus very few of these such projects make it to success or completion as this work has. ("Grey matter" 17"x26").