studio tour, part one

It's been almost a year since I moved my studio to our house. We had hoped to find a place with an out building that would be my studio, but that was not to happen. I still have some dreams-depending on building codes...we did end up with a nice large yard.

My studio is really great and it is well removed from the rest of the house, which decreases the interruptions that having a studio in your home can cause. It is great just to walk down the stairs and be there. I find I often can make use of a small bit of time, instead of a 15-20 minute commute to a studio. Most of the time I relish the solitude of my studio and feel I produce best when alone. I've got two rooms that connect with an open doorway, they both face our backyard at ground level with large windows. The windows face north and maybe a little west, so usually the light is soft and indirect. Bliss!

I didn't straighten up and took these pictures in the midst of a small working frenzy. This is my encaustic studio, it's hard to get a good feel for it without a proper lens for interior pictures. The dimensions are roughly 12' x 14'. It is the smaller of my two rooms, but I chose it for encaustics due to it having a door to the outside, so it has really good ventilation in the warmer months. I find I am able to have 3 encaustic students for classes, it seems to work well with space and equipment needs.

modified drafting table

work space

cart of all things encaustic

storage, storage

my usual work space, end of a painting day

rhythms of the studio

First attempt at plain air hay bales

I have been attempting to set studio schedules and focus on making art really happen on a more consistent basis. In doing this, I am realizing that summer is not the time to buckle down and paint in the studio. Besides the distractions of summer hiking, camping and floating, and the never ending yard and garden upkeep-summer is time to focus on plain air. As I write my new art goals and structure my studio time, I am finding I need to have a different time plan for each season.

Summer's focus on getting out and plain air painting will carry over into fall, anticipating the golden hues of that season. Winter will be class time and using photos and observations from the summer and fall in the studio. I am still developing my strategy for Spring/Fall times.

First draft, getting to know the hay bales, second hay bale painting

Great subject, right in town

It helps having a friend to make sure I get out. Once you are committed, then you stick with the plan I find. I went out myself, but it was chilly that day, and it was easy to stop and go home. At least I did get out.

Quick start on a stormy morning

A little rain shower action

The goal currently is to get out once a week whenever possible and paint. Also to challenge myself and paint out of my comfort zone. As if plain air itself and getting used to oil paints again isn't enough challenge! Trying new subjects-rainy skies, hay bales, water and trying to figure out how to portray the golden yellow of the lower surrounding mountains are on the list.

Getting started at Cherry Creek Ponds

Partway through painting

Today's attempt, partway finished. Some good things, some learning and motivation to study my favorite painting book, "Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting". And to finish today's post-just another amazing Montana Big Sky.

back to the blog

The plan is to pick this blog back up and run with it again. I realize writing about my art is a  helpful tool and plays in to making successful paintings. It's something related to the time spent in reflection on my painting and it's flow-I believe. After a false start last year getting this blog back up and going, I am committed to trying again.

It's Plein Air season again, I have a new friend and painting partner and we are making it happen!

We are constantly on the search for places to paint now. We have found a couple great places already. Above are pictures from our first outing. The Gallatin Valley has almost non-stop vistas, if you can just find a place to park and set up your easel.

untitled, 8" x 16"

After loosening up and getting re-aquainted with oil paints, I was pretty happy with my first plain air painting in a while.

Welcome back to my Art blog-here's to a successful resurrection and many more posts.

Summers end-2014

Moving to Montana upset my writing rhythm for sure. I have been busy and active, just not writing here. But upon reflecting I realize that writing and posting pictures is a part of my creative process and I need to return to it!

I feel I am still absorbing the Montana landscape and figuring out what and why I want to paint here. The last few months have been spent exploring non representational art, portraying feelings and movement with colors and shapes. It has been a good exercise and I now think I am ready to try to return to reality or as close to reality as my art gets. Figuring out what I want to say in the language of painting is even more important in non representational art, I am still searching a bit for that piece.

Here is a quick photo journey with a few highlights of this summer.

Ah....Red Ants Pants, White Sulpher Springs, MT

Really loving the antlers!

Strings of lights and tent-so fun

sort of a crown, Butte, MT

Inspiration for a painting composition

Archie Bray Center fun in clay, Helena, MT

Near Sedan, MT

Wilsall, MT

Always finding patterns in unexpected places

Forest and Field

I always seem to be apologizing to my blog for neglecting it...yep once again.

January was a busy month getting ready for my show at the Flying C Cafe. (From the website, if you click on The Flying C, there is currently an article about my show.) I ended up with 14 new paintings for the show, 10 encaustic and 4 acrylic. The new Studio Space has been absolutely great and is making it so much easier to flip to the creative side of my mind and get going once I am there.

I found out what a wonderful group of friends I have made here in Bozeman. Moving and resettling in is quite difficult, leaving behind all that is familiar and easy. But when I think about all the people who have been forced to leave a country and possibly family behind due to political reasons and either can never go back or their previous lifestyle does not exist anymore, I feel blessed to be in our country. I can go back and revisit favorite places and see friends that have become our family, and I get to do so this month! A little mini vacation to Alaska in February is coming my way.

Now for some pictures of my Opening Reception last Friday and a few other things I've been up to.
I helped my new friend Claudia at the Winter Farmers Market last weekend. I had a lot of fun with her, representing her business,  Claudia's Mesa and interacting with shoppers at the Market. My latest painting inspiration is derived from the market and her "studio" where she holds cooking classes and pop up dinners.

 I was busy talking to guest and did not think to take some pictures of the paintings on display.
Above are some pictures of the flowers I received and the table set ups.

 Newly on the easel, eggplants, among other foods!
As it is almost time for Valentines Day, so I have been experimenting with some embellished encaustic monoprints.

Here is my Show Statement for Forest and Field-

I continue to be inspired to paint forests and fields. They have become a part of my inner landscape. I had not realized how true this was until moving here and realizing my paintings were “Alaskan” and that I had been overtaken with the landscape. I find many of my painting subjects during my daily dog walks. This inspiration can be literal from scenes I photograph for later, or the thoughts that come during the meditative act of walking in a field or a forest. 

Living the past 9 years in Anchorage, AK, I observed natures growth at a rate often only seen in time lapse photography. Each day the change in foliage during the spring and summer is astounding. Before every green leaf has completely unfurled, hints of the yellows and browns of autumn appear. Last winter, knowing I was moving to Montana made my visits to “our” park
(Kincaid Park) bittersweet. While I was so excited to come south, I knew I would miss the trees and foliage of this park I had made my own. Each day while at the Park, I would spend a bit of the time grieving it’s upcoming loss. These scenes inhabit me, as do many other pieces of Alaska.

This fall, being my first in Montana I sought out the changing colors. They were subdued and slightly scarce due to our dry, fire filled summer. I did manage to find some great trees and colors near sunset along Sourdough Road....Montana is starting to seep in.

I do not strive for realistic paintings, instead portraying wonder and a bit of whimsy with embellished colors and edited shapes. I wish to share part of my inner world with you, the viewer, but leave enough unsaid that you can also take an inner walk to places so familiar yet newly magical.

Serendipity

I found a new studio space last week. I'm giving all the credit to serendipity. While I love my new home in Montana, it is so hard to have to give up the close connections with friends in Alaska.
I had the best group of artist friends there (no offense to my Colorado art friends prior to AK-but a little more time and distance has gotten between us). I had a great time at the SMArts Art Show/Bazaar and met some fun fellow artists there, but was on the fence about attending the meeting the following Monday. Heather who introduced me to the group was not going to be there, nor the artists I met at the Bazaar, so I really thought twice about going to the meeting, which for the month of December was really more of a social event-and I knew no one attending. But I decided to go anyway. So upon getting there (there really is a point to this ramble), I looked around the room at the tables, yep-no one looked even vaguely familiar. After the  quick perusal I chose a table near the side with two women at it. There were flyers spread on all the tables with info about affordable studio space for rent, but they did not say where. As I was tearing off a tag with phone #'s I stated, what is this about? To my surprise the woman to the right of me replied that she was the person to contact about the studios. We made introductions and had a fun time talking and sharing mini life story cliff notes and I set a time the next day to see the studio space. After taking Jeff to see the Studios and a couple days to think it over I had an Art Studio.

It has been quick transition to the new space, due to having  a show to hang on Feb 1. We prioritized getting the easel for acrylics and the encaustic area set up and running. It is so worth getting in the car and making the short drive to have the luxury of space. I can already feel the difference it has made, as I can plan more paintings at once. Also being able to step far back and see what is needed in a painting, which was impossible in an 8 x 11 room.

Even the studio name is great-Spanish Peaks Artist Studios and Gallery. Stay tuned for more info as we make plans for an open house/open studio and more.

Day Trip to Billings/YAM

Since my husband had to go to Billings for a class, I jumped at the chance to go with him. I love to go explore new places, see the Galleries and check out local cuisine etc. The Yellowstone Art Museum ( known as the YAM) was on my list and did not disappoint.

The YAM is the largest contemporary Art Gallery in Montana. Quite the treasure in the city of Billings.

 

I did not find out more info about the mobile, but enjoyed it in the entry from the the exhibits. They have a great website that you can access from the link above. I'm just going to show you the pieces that grabbed me. One of the exhibits was about the history of western painting, so I took down a few names to learn more about at a later date. Sorry for some reflections and blurs, also using my new phone for pics and learning to make sure it is focused.

 Bill Stockton,  "Lone Pine", Livestock marker(!) and graphite

Adrian Arleo, "Herd", encaustic and ceramic

Kate Hunt, "2kh FLAG 24", newspaper, rebar and epoxy

Kevin Red Star, "The General"

Isabelle Johnson, "East Fiddler Creek"

Joellyn Duesberry, "Folly Island, Evening, IV", Monotype

A few shots of one of the exhibit rooms, very nicely done! They also have exhibits of young local artists and a small gift shop of local art work. 

A great addition to the museum is the "Visible Vault", it is a separate building a block behind the museum. You can get a key card and go view the storeage vaults for the museums permanent collection, fun to see. It brought back memories of getting to go to the vault in Glasgow, Scotland with Stephen Quiller and see some of his favorite watercolor painters a few years ago. 

 

As there was a meeting going on in the Visible Vault entry chamber, a nice gentleman suggested I visit the studio of the Artist in Residence. I might have been too shy to do so had it not been the case. What a delightful person Artist Carol Spielman is! Not to mention that I had seen her Art around Montana and admired it. We had fun chatting about art and Billings. The studio for the Artist in Residence is a beautiful well lit space and it would be hard to give it up I would think at the end of the residency.

Of the Galleries I found I have to say Toucan Gallery was my favorite, both for the Art they have and their display of it. There is a great vintage shop, Montana Vintage Clothing. I managed to find both a small handbag and a vintage suitcase there, it would be worth exploring further on another visit. Foodie-wise we kind of struck out in that  department, my usual go to tool "trip advisor" let us down, and we had planned on dinner out, but Jeff's class let out at 2:30 instead of 5. All in all it was a good scout mission on my first visit to Billings, our biggest "city".