Goodbye, Hello

Goodbye to all my stashed pastels! I had boxes of pastels:  some especially for workshops, pristine unopened sets for landscape work, boxes of special pastels I wanted to save. Save for what? I emptied all my boxes into my working boxes. May as well use them now - if not now, when?

I took the hinges and handles off my two Dakota Art boxes and lined them up on a table next to my pastel easel. Next, I rearranged all my pastels with white, gray and black in the middle, cools to the left and warms to the right. No particular reason why other than that I haven't had them arranged this way before. With them all in one place, I was inspired to paint.

Red Trees, 6.25 x 4.25 inches  sold

Red Trees is my first offering on Daily Paintworks since last February! Good news to WA collectors: sales tax is less in my new location. Click here to see this painting on Daily Paintworks. 

The bonding process and floater frames

I woke up early this morning remembering that I agreed to be one of three artists in a Fall gallery show... and here it is, almost August! That motivates my need to bond with my new studio. The painting area is really half the studio. The other half is the sleeper sofa, table and Annie bed. I hope to be back to painting soon in this compact area.

I found floater frames in two styles/sizes, two of each frame - one new and one used (used ones are shown here and have hanging wires attached). I doubt that I will use them again so if you use this type of frame and live within driving distance, let me know. Prices are very reasonable, I just put them on OfferUp.

The top frame(s) is for a painting 18 x 18 inches. It is black with gold front. The bottom frame is for an 18 x 24 painting and is dark brown wood composite with a backing board.

First project out of the new Studio

I'm starting to bond with my new Studio. No art yet but I have a couple windows that need privacy and found a way to get it with clear Contact Paper.

Bathroom window before.

Bathroom window after Contact Paper.This is a tedious process, cutting out each shape with scissors and positioning them on the glass without bubbles. Lots of "aargghhh" but looks OK in the end. This isn't my idea - I saw it online somewhere but I can't remember where.

Thoughts of Home

A few thoughts about what it means to "be home."

Thank you NWPS

I am honored to become the eighth Distinguished Pastelist of the Northwest Pastel Society and to have a feature online interview by NWPS Webmaster, James Geddes on the NWPS website.  Here is a link to read the feature. Many thanks to NWPS and James.

First shots of the new Studio

My new Studio is finally organized enough to share some photos. It is smaller than my old studio but  I have a separate storage area behind the door at left in the above photo. The little niche where the table is was originally designed to have a studio sink, then the sleeper sofa but in reality I like the table there. The stainless steel sink for studio cleanup is just down the hall in the laundry room.

I have two painting stations, the one on the left is my big Hughes easel for oil, acrylic, etc.  The one on the right is my good old MABEF for pastel because it can accommodate the Artists Air Filter System. A huge improvement over my previous studio is the track lighting. I don't even know what these bulbs are but I know they're LED and expensive and should outlast me. Between the two easels is my old Boeing drafting table with a ton of stuff crammed under it for now. My pastels are still in boxes to the right of the pastel easel; I don't think I'll get to them until it starts to rain.

This is the West wall of the Studio looking out onto the back patio and the flower-garden-in-progress. The Studio gets blasted with afternoon sun so all windows and the french doors have blinds. I look forward to painting plein air on the back patio and in the garden where I'll only have a few feet to haul supplies.

This sleeper sofa was gigantic in our old house but it looks small here. This weekend the Studio will turn into a guest bedroom. Look how FEW art books I have kept for the move! I should post a shot of the titles. The non objective painting in this photo is a Cathy Woo and the very small piece in the previous photo of my easel wall is by Carole Barrer alongside a drawing by colored pencil artist, Bill Nelson. These artists inspire me. Wishing everyone a happy Fourth of July.