Georgia in Bloom '09 is coming up!

Just click on a page of the brochure and it will enlarge so that you can read all the terrific events taking place at many venues during this extended festival. Don't miss the May 1&2 paint out and auction... I'll update you on that later since I'll be participating. Three of my paintings are in the show with the April 18th reception. I'm looking forward to both!

Peter Muzyka

I'd like to introduce you to Peter Muzyka and his fabulous artwork! Egg tempera and oils are the mediums that he so masterfully uses. His website features originals and prints and his blog has progressive photos of works in progress so that we can see his pieces from start to finish... something we all love to watch. Peter is a fellow artist represented by Art on the Avenue, so I get to see his works in person. Lucky me because the details are worth a really close look to appreciate them fully. Peter & I will be participating in Madison, Georgia's annual art festival "Georgia in Bloom", which I will showcase tomorrow. Hope you visit Peter's sites and enjoy his talent!

Surf Riders

"Surf Riders"
8" x 10" oil on gessoed masonite

It was raining for the third day in a row when I painted this. It helped my mood to create a little artificial sunshine! This is another offering for Karin Jurick's challenge on her blog 'Different Strokes from Different Folks'. I'm glad to be jumping back into the fun!

Art on the Avenue Fifth Anniversary Celebration

...and a good time was had by all!

The gallery was full of fantastic artwork! All of the participating artists made a concerted effort to have brand new pieces displayed. Mary Jane, Ginger and Debbie hung them beautifully and were the consummate hostesses of the evening. I was proud to be in such talented company and be represented by such a caring gallery. It was rewarding to meet art patrons in such a relaxed setting and get their feedback.
I met artists whose work I've admired but couldn't put a face to before this evening. I'll be featuring some of them here on the blog in upcoming days.

Thanks to all who attended!

Tethered

"Tethered"
20"x20" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

"Tethered" is influenced in part by my participation in the 'Different Strokes from Different Folks' challenge blog of artist Karin Jurick. Her paintings of candid figures going about their day intrigue me. My husband takes pictures at the job site of a $51 million school project where he represents the architectural firm. There are several other photos of workers that may make it onto my easel... when I'm up for all those perspectives again!

Art on the Avenue is having a Fifth Anniversary Show & Reception next Tuesday evening and I painted this rather complicated piece this week for the show. I had intended to finish the rodeo painting, but it sold at the Forsythia Festival this past weekend...unfinished! I will finish it up in the next few days for Hazel, who happens to have two other originals of mine. Thanks, Hazel!

" Who in the Woods "

"Who in the Woods" SOLD
8" x 10" acrylic on gessoed masonite
Art on the Avenue

I'm still working on the rodeo series, but I just had to take a brief diversion and paint this guy. After working with the intricate soft patterning of the feathers on this horned owl, I know why you rarely see one in the woods... they are perfectly camouflaged! This one at Dauset Trails Nature Center gave me a warning hiss after I snapped his picture.

Hallelujah! Back at the easel...

Seems like forever!
Some Spring shows are coming up and I've been getting ready for those.
A larger painting in the rodeo series is still on the easel.
This weekend is my hometown's Forsythia Festival where I'll be painting on site to promote my September solo show "Paint the Town!"

Mark your calendar

Ginger Concepcion, MJ Venrick & Debbie Anderson of Art on the Avenue Fine Art Gallery would like to say "Thank you, Middle Georgia!" for your outstanding support of our gallery over the past five years!

Our "Fifth Year Anniversary Show" promises to be a bonanza of fine art and extends through April 20th. Please join us for the opening reception at the gallery, 2368 Ingleside Avenue in Macon, Tuesday evening, March 24, 2009, 6-8pm.

We are excited to have on display works by Tana Selby, Dale Watts, Dianna Day, Joe Adams, Allan Carey, Frank Tarpley, Leslie Hoops Wallace, Peter Muzyka, Gloria Smith, Faith Germishuizen, Reba Cole, Pat Burns, Cameron Hampton, Alice Asbell, Betty Treadwell, Dr. Brenda Cooper, Teresa Griffith and Cindy Davis.

Heads or Tails

"Heads or Tails"
8" x 10" acrylic on gessoed masonite
Xanadu Gallery

This is the first in a series of high school rodeo paintings that I'm doing. The bright afternoon sun was low in the sky and casting fantastic shadows across everything, including these roping steers that were waiting for the events to start... reluctantly, I'm sure. I was very glad to see that the High School Rodeo Association put protective headgear on these steers to prevent rope burns when they were lassoed.

Buyer Be Aware!

I couldn't say it better, so I won't even try... for thoughts on buying art on-line, please check out this blog post... artists and buyers alike!
http://artid.com/members/marylawler/blog/post/2225-if-oprah-bought-a-painting-online

(P.S. I'm trying very hard to wrap work up on the little rent house this week. Will try to squeeze in a few little paintings in the evenings. Thanks for hanging in there with me!)

Tub Painting

I bet you thought you were going to see a painting of a tub... right? Actually, I'm painting a real tub with smelly epoxy paint at that little rent house we are renovating. I've already painted the floors, so I can truly say that I've been doing a lot of painting... just not the kind that I can share with you... unless you want to rent a cute little farm house complete with barn and paddock for a couple of horses. Any takers?

Truck Stop

"Truck Stop"
7" x 9" acrylic on gessoed masonite
Xanadu Gallery

It was not until after I had taken the photo of these gulls that I noticed what wonderful cloud reflections were in the truck window. I hated to run these guys away but, alas, the truck was mine and it was a really chilly day. I'd been out on the pier taking pictures and the thought of moseying on down to the nearest coffee house sounded really good... so SHOO!!!

Bulls in Muck

"Bulls in Muck" SOLD
7" x 7" acrylic on gessoed masonite
4/18/2009 Received 'Honorable Mention' in painting category
in "Georgia in Bloom"

Normally pastoral scenes are luscious green grass and sleek colorful cows...not so, this one! The reference photo of these young 'white' Charolais bulls after an early spring rain was taken in Alabama from the window of my car while stopped at a traffic light. To the right of this pasture was a school and to the left was a car lot. There was a large red barn in the far ground that looked like it was slowly sinking into the ground with age. I'll paint that on another day.

I had fun with this one because I painted it in my lap and allowed myself to noodle to my hearts content with little brushes and do repeated glazes. I purposefully left it 'unprecise' to accentuate the gritty feel of dirt and the fleeting glimpse of this scene as urbanity takes over the land it inhabits.

Symbols of Georgia

"Symbols of Georgia"
8" x 10" acrylic on gessoed masonite

This little painting is a tribute to the Cherokee rose, state flower of Georgia. As the legend goes, when the Trail of Tears started in 1838, the mothers of the Cherokee were grieving and crying so much, they were unable to help their children survive the journey. The elders prayed for a sign that would lift the mother’s spirits to give them strength. The next day a beautiful rose began to grow where each of the mother’s tears fell. The rose is white for their tears; a gold center represents the gold taken from Cherokee lands, and seven leaves on each stem for the seven Cherokee clans. The wild Cherokee Rose grows along the route of the Trail of Tears into eastern Oklahoma today. To me, no painting of this rose would be complete without adding the brown thrasher, the Georgia state bird and a welcomed resident of my back yard. They often build their nest very wisely among the extremely thorny tangle of Cherokee rose branches offering protection to their young.

"Symbols of Georgia" is in January's EBSQ's Flower of the Month contest. Winners are decided by member and patron voting, so please visit, see all the entries and hopefully you'll cast a vote for this offering or "Sunflowers", my previous post and also an entrant.

Sunflowers

"Sunflowers"

12"x36" overall
(3) 8"x8" detachable painted panels
acrylic on gessoed masonite

8"x8" left panel

8"x8" middle panel

8"x8" right panel

Happy New Year! Over this past weekend I finally broke my painting 'fast'! It's not that I haven't been busy in the studio, though... it is now completely cleaned up and reorganized in preparation for a very busy 2009.

This first offering for the new year is a double show entrant. It is physically up for show and sale at the Middle Georgia Art Association's juried show, "Sunflowers". The show runs Jan.16th through Feb.13th and is a really bright spot in the dead of winter.
UPDATE: This painting won Honorable Mention!

You will also find it on-line in the "Flower of the Month" show at EBSQ as the state flower of Kansas.

I opted to mount the floating panels with velcro on a separate panel of blue so that each one could be detached and hung individually if desired. Presently they are framed in an antiqued alizarin crimson frame that coordinates with the sunflower centers.

Food and Culture Magazine

"My" new gallery, Art on the Avenue, is running this ad in the January issue of a really fine middle Georgia magazine, Food & Culture. The painting to the right is "The Bird Bench", so I thought I would give y'all another peek at it here.

Portrait Swap for Jan '09

Portrait Swap Jan '09
Different Strokes from Different Folks Challenge
9"x12" oil on canvasboard

I have no idea who she is! That was the whole idea behind Karin Jurick's challenge for us. This way we could view the photo reference objectively and use it the same way you would use a reference for oranges or apples in a still life. I took some artistic liberties with it, as with any reference, but stayed true to the lovely fellow artist that was in the photo. Hope she likes it! Keep a look-out on Karin's blog for the portrait that this artist does of me... and the names will then be revealed. What fun!!!
Update!!! The mystery artist is Kate Merriman... check out her blog and see the terrific portrait that she did of me. Look at all the wonderful use of vibrant color in her paintings and you'll see an obvious zest for life reflected in her work. I feel lucky that she got me to paint!

Daisy

"Daisy"
11"x15" acrylic on gessoed birch panel

Daisy belongs to Karleen, my 8-year-old granddaughter. . . or should I say that Karleen belongs to Daisy?! She has a sweet disposition and has grown up with the grandchildren, so she is a terrific playmate. That said, know also that nothing gets past her keen eyes and she knows instinctively when something (or someone) does not belong!

Merry Christmas, Karleen!

Callie

"Callie"
9"x12" acrylic on canvasboard

This painting now belongs to my 5-year-old granddaughter, Evie. Her sweet little kitty, Callie, has a great personality and was a pleasure to paint, but don't let her cuteness deceive you... she is the birds' nightmare! Merry Christmas, Evie!

Gabby

"Gabby"
9"x12" acrylic on canvasboard

This portrait is of my granddaughter Brooke's new best friend, Gabby. A mixed lab, she was a shelter pup and is still a little shy but is warming up fast in a home with four children who love her. Merry Christmas, Brooke ... I hope you enjoy Gabby for many years to come!