I am pleased to announce that I have original watercolors for sale in the Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve gift shop! Of course Beechwood was interested in my reuse of corrugated plastic election signs. All 7 works are mounted in this Eco-Friendly way. You can see them pictured on display. It is no small feat to gain wall space in this delightful but crowded space. I am honored that they squeezed me in!

I recently made a huge purchase - a roll of watercolor paper. How big is a roll you ask? Just 55” by 11 yards. Yes, 11 yards. I am having so much fun with these large scale works. I am sharing a photo of a work in progress photo of 'Iceland', a large abstract. This 45" x 21" monster will be mounted on reclaimed elections signs.  I am still refining mounting large pieces, since it requires connecting multiple signs into a seamless finish.
​
I am trying a new brand of paper on the roll. This is a big investment for an unknown, but I am confident in my decision. First, I know many professional artists use this paper, so I believe the product is sound. Also, any new product or supply will have a learning curve, so as long as I commit to allowing myself some time to master this product, I can use it with the same success as the more expensive brand. I think too many artists give too much credit to supplies – they are overly concerned about which brand, pigment, brush, etc. another artist is using. Trust me, if you are using professional grade materials, everything else comes down to practice.

Next week I'll share my philosophy on investing in art supplies.
​
Don't forget, 11 works are on sale (clearance sale pricing, I do not want to bring these home) at Ruckus Coffee Gallery and Café through June 28. Most are framed works from 2017-19. They represent some of my best works from that time period (hence they were framed).

Like everyone else, the pandemic turned my world upside down. Fear, anxiety, denial, frustration... Changes in household, kids home all the time. My art career was ideal for being a mom. I could work while the kids were in school, making my own hours with flexibility when necessary.

Well the flexibility came in handy, but the work went to the back burner. In winter/spring of 2020 my kids were suddenly home and needing help. We did it, we made it through.
​
Summer of 2020 I came back in force. The kids were still home, but did not need the help. They are old enough to play with neighbors and entertain themselves. I finally started my Etsy shop. What a great education. With that under my belt, I created a shop on my own website, which is my only on-line store at this point.

Artistically, I was obsessed with a theme I call the Imagined Woods Series. I painted colorful skies and atmospheric backgrounds. Once that dried, I added a forest of bare branch trees and ground foliage. I could not get enough of this idea. Some were dark and foreboding, others were bright and hopeful. The spontaneity of the process was just what I needed during this time.  They spoke to others as well. They were instantly a best seller and are still popular today.

I often start with a wet into wet background. Sometimes I have a plan – areas I will leave lighter so I can paint the main subject later. I may also create an atmospheric effect by adding hints of a color, suggesting more of the same in the back. Wild Salvia, pictured, is an example of this method. The background flowers are hinted at by the soft focus purple in the distance.

Other times, I will start the painting with no end in mind. Usually this is inspired by playing with new pigments or new tools. It's an opportunity to learn the new materials without the pressure to have a finished product. These backgrounds may go on to be a finished painting and sometimes they do not. Below is A Moment's Rest is an example of a painting that was born out of playing with new materials with no plan.  

See me at The Block at Northway on June 17, July 8, July 15, Aug. 12, and Aug 19.

I want to go back and talk some more about my journey eliminating framing from watercolor. For my next challenge, I wanted to use a glossy finish that is applied as a liquid. This is a challenge since watercolor is water soluble even once dried on the paper. Previously, I applied a wax finish which was drier at application. In both cases, tried it first on some paintings I was not pleased with, so I would not be upset if my experiments failed.
I learned a few exciting things:

1. I could put a gloss finish over my watercolor paintings. (YAY!)
2. It brought back some of the brilliance the paint had when it was wet. (even better!)
3. There were wrong ways to do this...
4. Sometimes it actually takes away from the painting

Watercolor has a value shift when it dries (in art lingo, value is a measurement of light to dark). The colors are lighter and less brilliant when they dry. I think of this as finding a beautiful stone in a stream bed. I pull it out of the water and it is full of beautiful color. I put it in my pocket to take it home. Later, when I pull it out of my pocket, I wonder what I saw in it. Once it dries it looks duller and less colorful. Watercolor paint will also be less brilliant when it dries.
I wanted to see if I could get some of that brilliance back in my watercolor paintings by applying a glossy finish. And yes, I could!

One problem – even though I apply an initial layer of spray varnish to set the pigments, they occasionally smear. I have to move carefully and strategically to avoid ruining a painting.
Finally, I learned that sometimes the gloss finish actually detracts from the painting. I used a glossy finish on a fragmented piece painted exclusively with an amethyst pigment (pictured below). The pigment is made up of ground up amethyst and has a natural sparkle. Unfortunately, I find that the gloss finish interrupts the sparkle of the pigment.

Overall, I am over the moon about cracking the code on how to make my paintings brilliant and well protected by applying varnish whether it be matte or gloss.

Below is a photo of Amethyst Anemone. It is a fragmented piece that would have been better served with a matte finish that would have better highlighted the pigment's natural sparkle. We live and learn.

See this painting and 10 more original works at Ruckus Coffee Gallery from June 9 through June 29.

I recently had a great e-mail conversation with a past student. She is interested in what her next steps might be, but she is not an artist. This makes me smile. She sent me some photos of some beautiful work, but since she does not paint every day, she does not consider herself an artist.

Unlike being a dental hygienist, a doctor, a volunteer firefighter, an electrician and many other designations, no one is in charge of calling you an artist. This designation is up to the individual. You might think this means everyone calls themselves a artist. I actually think it works the other way. We CRAVE confirmation and when you don't get it, we tend to assume that we are not enough.
That sentence about not being enough, lead me to think of parenthood. The world is ready to call you parent – if you have a child under your care, you are undeniably a parent. But how many of us feel like we are ready for that? I was not. That was a classic case of 'fake it till you make it' LOL. I did not know what I was doing, but I never questioned if I was a parent – I had a baby right there to prove it! So yes, I was a parent.
Are you an artist? Do you create? Art takes many forms: paintings, drawings, gardens, a home cooked meal, a piece of music, a haircut, make up... I think there are a lot more artists then we think there are.   


Below are some of my work from 2015.  That was when I started recording and saving them.  I suppose I was not an artist in 2014?  
​

I am not talking about gazing deep into the eyes of a soulmate. I am talking about when I sell a piece I almost didn't offer for sale....

What do I mean? Sometimes a piece is just a little too weird. Crazy colors, a mundane subject, too abstract, it was too easy. The last one is a big one. I am pretty sure I am not alone when I doubt the value of a piece if it just kind of fell off the brush. Those magic moments when a painting “paints itself”. So cliché but so true. How can I defend such a ridiculous statement? Simple, I have tried to recreate some of these – and I CAN NOT. There was magic and alchemy involved.

But I should really trust the magic. I give up trying to guess what people will like and even more what people will buy. More than a few times people have latched on to a piece I almost didn't bother to bring! Maybe they watch as I flipped through paintings still in the box, or I decide to hang it 'just for me'.  They ask to have a closer look.  Then it reminds them of something or someplace, and it's sold.

Don't get me wrong I always like the piece, or it truly would have gone in the garbage. If I kept all my failed attempts I would run out of room for the new stuff. It's just a surprise and exciting that someone sees it the way I do.

The bottom line – someone got it. They saw the gem that it is. The one-of-a-kindness, the flow of the pigment, the magic that happened to create this very special piece. Or maybe it just matched their sofa. Either way, a piece of my heart is on its way to a new home.

I am a teaching artist, so I see my share of beginner mistakes. Knowing better and doing better are not the same thing, so I am not above executing my own cliches and faux pas. This week I am featuring – the lollipop tree. Yes, this is my painting... No, I did not do it on purpose so I could write about it.

Sometimes my hand seems to have a mind of its own. We are prone to making the kind of mark we are used to making. Habits are hard to break. Did you ever get a new hair style and within a week it looks the same that it always did? We revert back to old ways pretty quickly.

What do you keep doing that you wish you could stop?

If you are trying to do something different, good for you. Don't be too hard on yourself. We seem to think that learning is for children. Or perhaps learning and making mistakes to be more exact. I promise this is not the case. Professional athletes practice, professional musicians practice. Everyone wanting to improve must practice and thereby somethings fall short. Balls are fumbled, notes are missed, voices crack. It truly happens to everyone, so get yourself a lollipop and go ahead and paint another tree.

This Saturday you can find me at The Allegheny Fire Police Craft Show at 27 Crescent Street, Pittsburgh PA 15223 (Etna Ball field) for 10:00 – 3:00 If you are there, please stop by to say Hello.

An artist's journey is just like life - learning, practicing, playing, improving working. And just like life, sometimes we feel like we are going backwards, sliding downhill, loosing grip on what you used to do well, what used to feel good and come more naturally.
I have a theory about this. As you learn and seek to be a better artist, you are trying to incorporate more knowledge, more techniques, more possibilities. Or maybe you are trying to correct a 'bad' habit. I say 'bad' because this is art, not chemistry. Nothing is going to explode if you mix the wrong thing. Still maybe you realize something you do is hindering something else you would LIKE to do.
So now you are ready to create with new perimeters swimming around in your brain. The times you try to do something new you are likely to 'see' the TRY. It might look forced, overworked or just plan wrong. Don't despair, remember you are trying to learn something new – good for you.
I like to draw an analogy to watching my daughter play soccer. In the young years I called it the 'swarm of bees' technique. Every kid on the field is following that ball trying to get a foot on it. This is an important learning stage. They are practicing kicking, dribbling, and if you are really lucky - passing. My girl followed that ball with the kind of killer instinct that can not be taught!

Then they had to start playing positions. Suddenly, she was so focused that some of the joy came out of it. She looked awkward and slow and far too reserved. But she was learning. She had new rules she was trying to incorporate. That takes a lot of focus.

Eventually, she got it. The new perimeters became the second, second nature. And she looked good out there again. And most of all – she enjoyed it again.
So push through those tough patches. Don't give up on trying to improve – you can do it. It just takes practice. Practice until it becomes the second, second nature. Enjoy that phase. Celebrate by painting and painting and painting. Then try to improve again..

This Saturday "Invasive ll" will debut in North Hills Art Center's show, 'Art of the Earth'.  This piece is 24 x 18, it is fragmented into 6 pieces - 3 up, 3 down.  It is pictured in my backyard among its inspiration.  Yep - I have bamboo in my backyard, yep - it's invasive.  Trust me, buy the painting, do not plant your own bamboo.  In my defense, the bamboo lived here before I did.  I just try to keep it at bay, it's not easy.

All sales from the "Art of the Earth" show benefit Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, and the artist.  I wanted to submit 'Invasive ll' for this event, because Beechwood Farms works hard to educate the public about the danger of invasive species.  My kids and I spend a lot of time at Beechwood.  We even enjoyed visiting the goats hired to clean up some invasive plants a couple of years ago.

'Invasive ll' is mounted on reclaimed elections signs (see pervious posts to learn more) making it truly Art of the Earth.

I will have 2 other works in the show too - 'The Thaw' and 'Seagulls at Dusk'.  These paintings are also mounted on reclaimed election signs.

I am one of 70 artists on exhibit in this show of 153 pieces - That's a LOT of Earth love.

One more note - A free ASWP Household membership ($50.00 value) is included with the purchase of any artwork from this show, courtesy of the Audubon Society of Western PA. 

Paintings successfully displayed unframed – check. Fragmented design successfully executed – check. Now I'll circle back to wanting to have an Eco-friendly presentation. Next step – fragmented design on election signs. I did it!

Introducing - The Thaw. This monstrous piece is 38.5 inches tall by 21.5 inches wide. There are three levels of panels. The plastic signs have unfinished edges, so I wrap all the edges with artist's tape before I affix the painting to the substrate. I also cut the substrate slightly smaller than the painting, ensuring that you can't see the plastic peeking out from under the painting.

Below are some photos.  The final photo is of the back of the artwork.  It is wired and ready to hang and given its large size - remarkably light weight.  The second to last photo is under direct light, so you can more easily see the layers.
Learn even more about The Thaw here.

Once I learned I could safely display watercolor unframed, I wanted to revisit the 'fragmented' idea. I had a full sheet watercolor painting that was part of the Imagined Woods Series. I decided to give it a try. This time the painting would be on wooden panels rather than in rickety frames, I could use wood glue and screws, rather than fairy dust and good intentions (first version).
I loved it, and I learned so much. In the future, I needed to think about how the piece would balance. If I want it to be displayed at a gallery, it must hang straight from just one hook. This one worked out, but I realized that it could have been an issue.
This piece debuted at Ruckus Coffee Gallery, in Shaler. They were newly opened, and I was honored to be their very first artist to display in their cafe gallery. The piece did not sell while on display, but a man got in touch with me hoping I still had it so it could Christmas gift for his wife. They had seen it at the cafe, and she really liked it.

Success! People liked the fragmented painting.

The next question on my mind was - what would it look like to plan a painting with the intention of fragmenting it?