October

I sure have not gotten into creating much, but I have been enjoying one of my favorite months, October. Here are some photos I took yesterday around my yard. Enjoy!

Loving the Fall Colors

Well, it does not look quite like the peak, yet. Maybe the colors will be in their vibrant full mode by next weekend. I was, however, inspired to do a few little watercolors. Here is one of my favorites from the Blue Ridge Parkway. (SOLD)

Getting Ready...

Part of my creative process is cleaning. Cleaning out my studio space to prepare for what's next; This fall and winter, I plan on trying my hand at using encaustics. Yesterday, I sorted, organized, and tossed things. The rest of this evening is about starting that part of the creative process, finishing what I began yesterday.

Just a while ago, I stopped at Penny's only to find a new flat surface griddle for 19.99 (after rebates). This will be perfect for the encaustic set up which I am in the process of organizing. As I was cleaning, I found a whole new roll of rice paper! It will be perfect for trying encaustic monotypes. Sometimes I fuss about having too many cats, but their empty cat food cans will surely come in handy to melt the wax in. Yes, part of the process is, cleaning things out, but it is also about filling the studio back up. I guess that is something only a creative person would understand.

Fall Colors and Thoughts

the fall of life

young leaf

pale, fresh, crisp green

dancing on a pallet of blooming colors

from the longest of days to shorter days

blistering sun, beating rains, whipping winds

day after day, week after week,

months of pleasure mixed with pain

old leaf

a skeleton of a life

a shell that once held color and life

resembles grandmother's cherished lace.

(C) gls 2009

Art for the Earth 2009

The Art for the Earth Show art Gallery 108 is a fundraiser for the Sustainable Living Center in Catawba. 50% of all sales go to the center. Please come and show your support! The show hangs through the end of October.

http://gallery108.biz//

It Must Be the MOON!

Little Watercolors

New Little watercolors.

Encaustic Workshop

I got a wonderful email from my friend Dreama telling me about an encaustic workshop that was going to take place. I was tickled when I found out there was still space and I got in the workshop! I had always wanted to know more abut encaustics because I felt they would be conducive to the imagery I create and help me enhance the atmospheric quality in my landscapes.

While these are my first attempts, I plan on doing more of these. I am sorry the photos did not show more of the rich color in the mountain portions of the pieces, nor did they show the wonderful textures created by using the wax. The possibilities are endless here and I have only just begun.

Jeff Juhlin was the instructor and he was fantastic. He shared his talent and knowledge with all of us. You can see his work along with two other nationally known encaustic artists at Dialog Gallery in Downtown Roanoke. ( It is a wonderful show, please check it out!)

Thanks Jeff!

http://www.jeffjuhlin.com/

Also, at Dialog gallery until the 30th of October,

THREE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ENCAUSTIC ARTISTS ARE SHOWING ENCAUSTICS!
"LUMINESCENCE", new encaustic work by Jeff Juhlin, Daniella Woolf and Jane Guthridge.
These works will be on display from sept 11-oct 30.
New gallery hours: Wed-Sat noon-5p.m. or by appointment

Encaustic one (C) gls

Workshop day at Ed Dolinger's Studio

I met some wonderful new people and got to catch up with old friends.

Encaustic two (C) gls

Encaustic three (C) gls

Encaustic four (C) gls

New River Art Juried Show

Autumn Lights monotype (C) WON Best in Show! (SOLD)

Davis Campground Monotype (C) NFS

I just got an email from David Eakin telling me I got two pieces in this show! I am so excited! I am so fortunate! There were so many fantastic artists that entered.

• September 14, 2009: Jeffry Cudlin selected thirty works by twenty six artists from 199 entries by 68 artists.

Here's the link

http://www.newriverart.org/shows/2009/2009slide-show.html

Dates: Saturday, September 26 – Work delivery deadline Saturday, October 3 – Reception and Awards Ceremony 6-8pm Saturday, November 21 – End of exhibit, work pick-up

Monotypes part 2

Just a few images from the fruits of my labor this past weekend.

Red River monotype (C) gls (SOLD)

Sunset Over Sugar Loaf monotype (C) gls

Ripplebrook Road, Fall monotype (C) gls

Fall Fireworks monotype (C) gls

Monotypes

Just a few more monotypes. Ah, it feels good to be productive!

Stray Cloud monotype (C) gls

Eagle's Nest Lake monotype (C) gls ( not available for sale, yet.)

Feeling the Urge...

Mountainside monotype (C) gls

Go West monotype (C) gls

I guess I have been a tad bit cranky lately, I have not heard any complaints, but I know I have been . Other than having a horrid case of poison ivy all over my face, neck, hands, and stomach, I have a raging case of creative constipation also! You may not think so, since I have been creating a few small sketches, and playing with acrylics. Tonight was the night. I had to close myself off and get into the 'real' paint. Oils...I love oils. Monotypes, I love monotypes. so, here you go. Fresh on the clayboard.

I feel so much better now.

I feel a productive weekend coming on!

(Snicker.)

Little Landscapes

Acrylic study 0

Acrylic Study 1

Acrylic Study 2

Acrylic Study 3

This weekend I painted some little landscapes. I intended these to be studies for larger paintings later on. Typically, I use watercolor, but after re-organizing my studio, I thought I would play with my acrylics. I am not sure I really like using them. I think it takes a lot of practice, or something, to get them just right.

Acrylic Study 4

Acrylic Study 5

I think my next medium to try is Gouache, but I love the spontaneity of the monotypes the best.

Intrigued

I have always been intrigued by water. While calm and serene, reflecting beautiful skies, it can rise and swell into an angry roar. I am fascinated by the mood of water. This summer, I had a new affair with two (new to me) watersheds. I am determined to visit and paint these places over and over.

First, I visited the McCormick Farm in Raphine, Va. which is now a preserved area, a working farm open to the public, now owned by Virginia Tech. While it is rich in historical content, it is also rich in beauty. The pond there captured my attention for the majority of the time I was there. I have to paint it...again...to get it just right. Here are my first few studies of the McCormick pond.

McCormick Farm #1 Watercolor (C)

McCormick Farm #2 oil (C)

The second place I was mystified by, was when my friend Angie took me to her place on the New River. I was so excited. While we spent the time toasting the end of our summer break and floating down the river on intertubes, I longed to paint it after feasting my eyes on all the colors as they rippled across the mountains and water cast by the changing clouds and light. It's Angie's little slice of heaven and she is generous to share it, as well as her friendship. Soon, I will be posting my studies from there.

Reflecting...

Fall Trees by the Creek oil on canvas (C) gls

Well, school has begun...the crickets are churping, the cicada are getting quiet, the fish are swimming slower in the pond, the end of summer flowers are blooming, and I smell fall, even if it is close to 90!

Guided By the Light

Yesterday photograph (C) gls

Landscape of Time photograph (C) gls

(won 2nd place at the League of Roanoke Artists Juried show 2009)

Spirit Door photograph (C) gls

The Other Side photograph (C) gls

Square Dance photograph (C) gls

Last weekend was the second annual Plein Aire Paint Out for Art for the Earth. This year all proceeds from the art show and sale (featured for the month of October at Art by Night at Gallery 108) will go to the Catawba Sustainability Center. For those of you familiar with a ride over 311 towards the Homeplace Restaurant, it is the large farm just to the right as you come down the mountain. The farm includes 370 acres of beautiful farmland, now owned by Virginia Tech. There are many ideas generating around this property, one idea will be utilizing the land by renting out small gardening spots for local folks to raise crops which in turn are harvested and given to local food banks, etc. The site will also be used educationally in may ways, from visiting local schools to Tech architecture students, to name a couple.

While we were all there to paint, we were over come with the beauty of the farmland, houses, barns and outbuildings. While it was a beautiful day, the wind was quite ferocious, making it tough to control paint, pencil, and paper. I found myself more engaged and taken by walking around the property and investigating the old structures and land. I was intrigued by the smell of the old barns which brought back some of the best memories of my childhood, the days I lived on a Fincastle farm back in the 1960's. I was mesmerized by the shadows and how they landed on the walls and floors inside the buildings. I was excited at all the patterns created by lime stains, cracked concrete, light coming through the old window panes, and the light patterns created inside the old silos. Painting will happen another day since the center is open to the public, and I fully intend to pack my paints and return.

I took two years of photography in college and loved it. I dabble here and there but never show any of it. I think, this time I may show some of my photographs. The images, to me, are hauntingly abstracted forms of farm life and nature. I hope you enjoy them...I'd love to hear what you think!

TA DA.....Check Out This Blog!

YAY! David Eakin has a blog! Check it out!
http://davideakin.blogspot.com/

Lazy Days of Summer

Under a Stormy Sky Monotype (C)

Lazy days of summer. I have been enjoying these lazy days. Rainy or not, hot or not, humid or not. I have been lazy. I just realized it will be time to go back to work on the 12th. Somehow, I think that once I am on a schedule, I can get more done. Why is that?

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Steve Jobs

An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth. Bonnie Friedman


Time is just something that we assign. You know, past, present, it's just all arbitrary. Most Native Americans, they don't think of time as linear; in time, out of time, I never have enough time, circular time, the Stevens wheel. All moments are happening all the time. Robin Green and Mitchell Burress, Northern Exposure, Hello, I Love You, 1994

My mind is full of ideas, time to organize and produce. Time to let go of the dogma. Time to stop being lazy and get away from this computer and do something productive.

If you happen to get a little time, please go check out the impressive BIG paintings at Signature 9 Gallery. I went to the opening last Friday night and it was an incredible opening! Fantastic art and artists and an array of unique h'orderves . WOW.

http://www.signature9gallery.com/

Also, I just wanted to let everyone know about the WVTF ART SHOW OPEN HOUSE:
Friday, August 14, 2009
Time: 5-9 p.m.

Jeffrey W. Allison - Art Show juror from Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Live music from Sage Wright, Lydia Bassett, Mike Mitchell, Benedict Goodfriend and Cara Modisett playing classical from 5 - 7 p.m. followed by The Wright Kids playing bluegrass from 7 - 9 p.m.http://www.thewrightkids.com/

Details at http://www.wvtf.org/artshow.php

The piece Mr. Allison selected was my oil based monotype, Bent Mountain Marsh. (SOLD)

What Inspires You?

What inspires you?

Is it a person, place, or thing?

Is a poem, song, or a painting?

Please comment and share!

For me, inspiration comes in many forms. From objects. From experiences. From memories. From concepts. From people. From places. From everywhere and everything.

I am inspired by...dreams, books, colors of glass, bubbles, the night sky, twilight and dawn, flowers, skies and clouds, green foliage, mountains, watersheds, birds, mammals, amphibians, anything domestic or wild, the smells of coffee, chocolate, or the vanilla air that penetrates my soul when I order ice cream at Brewster's, the smiles of the people I know and love, from thinking back about the teachers I had that pushed me to my limits and made me think and create, from the mistakes I have made (HA!), from thinking back about my childhood escapades, from my exquisite friends, the purr of a cat and the howl of a dog, from the earth, air and water, and right now, from the downpouring rain. As the rain tapdances on the earth, I can smell the dirt, I love that smell. If you are not inspired by something, well............ If you look, really look, inspiration is there.

This summer has been a rainy one indeed, but, it has inspired all the colorful flowers in the new garden. That in turn has gone from my senses to paper.

'Summer Garden' watercolor (C) gls (SOLD)

Shadows of the Sun

Yes, most of my works are small. Typically, I print on an 8' x 8' substrate or smaller, however, I found these clayboard panels that were 6' x 24'. I am really excited about using them. The first one I printed was 'Across the Day' https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOG8Njy41hTD_0aYoBCO0rHOT_Ll-1xKLrLdSkUkvSxat5FTCi-INRc6c2CswlO0E4VET6fXEpNrM6euG791i6VmPH24RTO87OHbsagxeFlATzC0zh48Olr-yefobL-Q6I12O0gFPs_Bw/s1600-h/across+a+day+mono+6+24.jpg







This image is the second one of this size I have done. Working with oils and very little working time due to using the clayboard, I find the larger attempts a lot more challenging. I find my mind spinning with ideas. WOW.

Lately...

Night Shadows photograph by gls

Lately, I have been working in the flower garden and yard. Today I finally finished a 7' x 7' patio made from thick brick-like pavers. Being much older now, I need to be careful following through on these huge whims I have, I feel it, lol. My bones ache. Not even a 30 minute dip in the cold creek made a difference...not physically anyway. It felt great, all the sounds of water falling over rocks and the kingfisher darting all about invoked a feeling of peace. Ah-h-h-h.

I am getting ready to make art now. After tomorrows visit to the local gallery to switch out work, I plan on making prints and painting some watercolor landscapes. The annual pilgrimage to Bath County, to drop off work for the Bath County Show, is this weekend. I do love that ride.

I have been renewing my interest in photography. I bought a new digital camera a while back and have been trying to learn about all the amazing things it can do. My first digital camera was only a 1.7 mega pixel camera and I remember being impressed with it, lol. I found a good home for that camera though! I had a student last year that expressed an interest in photography, she even wants to become a photographer at some level, fashion or medical. I was so impressed with her because this student has a keen eye and the personality to be successful at anything she tries. So, I gave her the old camera, a few typed notes that may be helpful to her, and a jump drive to store her photos on. The day after I gave it to her, she came bouncing in my room, showing me her first photos! I am anxious to see what she does this summer! I tell you, this kid is a natural. I pray she follows her dream!

Well, the night clouds are rolling in. Time for me to move along for now.