Triptych?

Must a triptych have hinges?  At any rate, you see three canvases, 18 x 6 x 1.5 and three colors.  The plan is to wind up with three trees.

I'll show the red panel tomorrow.  Follow along to see how they go...

Bolivar, Early Morning-WIP

Bolivar, Early Morning, acrylic/collage, 12 x 16

Sold

Two summers ago, I went with my family to Bolivar Peninsula on the Gulf Coast of Texas, just east of Galveston.  We were celebrating my parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary.  The following September, hurricane Ike blew across the narrow strip of land, decimating the small year-round community of Crystal Beach and larger part-time community of vacation homes.

My sister and mom went to see Bolivar about a year later.  The porch of the house where we had stayed had been ripped off, but the house was still there in large part.  Nearly all the houses around it had been flattened.  Originally, it had been on the second row of houses from the beach with a lagoon in between.  It now sits right on the water. 

I painted this from a photo that my mother had taken that summer we were all together.  This day, the sunrise was particularly breathtaking.

Student Work, Too

Corrinne, In the Garden, watercolor, pen, graphite

I took this photo through the framing glass, so it is not wonderful, but, here is the other work in the LibertyTown student show by one of my students from last year.

I teach a little bit about a lot of different things.  A lot of that teaching has to do with helping each student find his/her unique creative viewpoint and expression.  In her journey, Corrinne tried printmaking, oil painting, acrylic painting, and book arts, but she found that she loved watercolor and pen best.  She has been my student for almost two years now and has made huge strides in being able to produce work that she is proud of and is uniquely her vision.  I am truly honored to have been along for the ride.

See you next week, Corrinne!  Did I get your title right?

Bare Essentials Bag

 

Aline's Bare Essentials Purse, canvas/mixed media/fiber, front

Since I've been at LibertyTown, January has been the month to show the work of the students of the artist/teachers there.  Although I taught a great deal in 2009, many of my students are young, and the holiday season is a hard time to stress their parents (and me) out to get something framed for this show.  Which really means, I wasn't willing to push hard enough to get it to happen! Maybe next year....

So, I was very pleased that Aline (who is a Grownup) wanted to show her little bag from a workshop I taught in November called Taste of the Arts.  Two other artists and I teamed up for an all-day, make-and-take fun items workshop.  Some of the participants made gifts to give for the holiday season.  I was glad Aline kept hers, because it is lovely, just like she is.

It is on display in the main gallery at LibertyTown through January, 2010.  I also have one other adult student showing work, but, unfortunately, I don't have a photo of her framed watercolor, Garden.

This is the flip side of Aline's bag.  Blogger freaked and wouldn't let me center this image, oh well.

I will have a new piece I've been working on to share in my next post.  Happy Creating, everyone!

Coffee Break

 Coffee Break, acrylic/collage, 18 x 24

Birds take them, too, you know.  They might even smoke, although these didn't seem inclined to do so while I was painting.  It's in their contract that they get to take time off from singing songs, digging for bugs and hopping charmingly from branch to branch.  Being charming eight hours a day is exhausting.

One More Word

http://kerrisettleart.blogspot.com/2009/12/winter-road-revisited-4x8-oil-painting.html

OK, you creative people, go see Kerri Settle's beautiful paintings, and take to heart the message in the YouTube clip by Ira Glass she's put at the bottom of her post. 

Cheers!

So Long, 2009

What a year this has been for me as an artist, a wife, a mom, a daughter, and a friend.  It has been filled with joys and changes, a milestone birthday and artistic challenges.  I thought I'd share a few of them in pictorial form.  This is only a sampling of wonderful events that made up 2009.

Spending time with my boys has been amazing.

Will, big brother, and Matt, little brother, in my studio

 

Innocence restored.

 

 Kitchen duty at Thanksgiving

My friend, Lynette, and I took ourselves off to Boone, NC in July to take a fantastic workshop in watercolor and collage with the fabulous Jerry Brommer. 

I had two pieces in a show at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA, one of which sold and the other of which was used in all of the publicity for the show.

Why Young Mothers Feel Trapped, mixed media, 11 x 14

My artist-in-residence show opened in September in the main gallery at LibertyTown, and my parents came from Texas to the opening which capped the evening perfectly.

Skyscrapers, mixed media, 12 x 16, poster and postcard image

View of the main wall in the gallery at LibertyTown 

 

And a crazy 19" snowfall the week before Christmas!

In addition to the above, we spent a week in North Georgia with my sis and my folks and my aunt and uncle.   I stood back and cheered as my husband went for a week-long Blues workshop in West Virginia.  He has since begun a cool hobby of making cigar box musical instruments with as much work by hand as possible.  Go Tres!

I look forward to 2010, anticipating the joys and challenges that await.  Thanks to all of you great folks in the art blogging world.  You have also added immeasurably to my life this year.  Happy New Year to you all.