I'm taking a break from the usual painting and artistic creations. It is very unusual for us to have so much snow and so much time to get out there and play! I have been working on figure drawings and nudes in preparation for the Unclad show. It's not my usual thing but thought I would give it a try this year. Look closely and you can see how much fun I had making this snow lady angel...she looks pretty cool from the back as well!
Our neigbors got together for a snowperson building extravaganza followed by fresh bread from the oven with butter to go with our egg nogs....we had a blast and because of the cold temperatures our creations are still there for all to see as they slip slide around our neighborhood. We have also made a snowperson birdfeeder that sits facing our front window so we can sit by the fire and watch the birds enjoying the seeds we put out for them. It's just very Rockwell!
What exciting news!! Cascade Valley Hospital has decided to purchase the Hope Series!! The girls will be very happy hanging in the hospital radiating hope to all who walk by. They were painted last Spring when I was preparing for all the summer art events. At those events I got lots of positive comments on them but not much interest in buying them. The hosiptal is the perfect place as all three can hang together!! This year has been transformational for me as an artist and this sale really gives me the boost I need to want to continue. I'm really curious what will be happening next year at this time.
What an amazing organization. This group has it down when it comes to setting up and tearing down. It went smoothly and I was able to vist with some very interesting people. The long day on Saturday wore me down and sales were just not happening! The kids loved my heifer buttons, but I don't have much to send to Heifer as a result of this show. I was overly optomistic thinking I could reach my goal by Aug18th....I do have one more event that just popped up; so, I'm not givng up! It has been a great first year out on the event trail, and I have learned a lot. The main thing being that arts and craft shows are not the main place I need to be trying to sell my art work.
The drive up to Bellingham was beautiful! The colors this fall have been striking. I especially loved the birch trees along Fairhaven drive.
Let's see if the gallery type show later in the month is more of a success!!
Hot off the work bench these creative little journals are just the thing for your holiday gifts!!! Their opening debut is this weekend at the Potpourri of Art in Bellingham...see events.... The journals are all hand bound and made from all acid-free materials in Argentina. Each journal has 80 sheets/160 pages of white, unlined paper. A liner insert is included to help you write in straight lines. I have the fun of getting to design the front covers with recycled jewelry, buttons, yarns, and whatever I think looks cool. They could be personalized with photos or objects of your choosing..just let me know!
Saturday the 18th AAC had their annual auction to raise funds for public art projects in the city of Arlington. I had a blast selling raffle tickets for a "split the pot." The winner went home with 350 dollars! Of course, the real winner was our treasurer who bid on "Solistice" and won at $200. This makes her...Solistice... my highest priced print to date...way to go Jean!! My monoprint, "The Face Off", also went for $200.....since I had that valued at $175..I was very pleased. We will see at the next meeting just how much money we raised for our cause, but it was a very fun evening. I plan to do it again next year!!
The photo is not one of "Solistice" or "The Face Off"..go to gyotaku to see the fish print..the other never made it on my web site. I do have some collographs that no one has been much interested in so..Virginia....come have a look since you didn't get the one you bid on!! I have a very disorganized system for storing my images and can't find the fish at the moment so what you have here is a photo of an encaustic I did and them turned into a holiday card...great colors...caught your eye right??
Here we are at Gallery by the Bay on a rainy Monday afternoon learning how to promote the web sites that Gayle taught us how to build. That's Gayle with her pretty smile. Her materials are wonderful..full of practical ideas. Combine this with her hands on approach to how to do these things and you have a great class. We visited our websites and saw first hand where things were and how to adjust them. Lots of homework, but now I have a list and know what I'm suppose to be working on.
If you need a web site and are just putting it off until..??? then this is the lady to talk to. She convinced several of us that we could do it, and she was right!!
How exciting...my first gallery opening and here to share it with me are two of my neighbors!! Russ has some beautiful pieces in the show as well. He does incredible wood work!!! Clara is my Monday morning walking partner! We had great fun last night, and I learned some very interesting things. A photograher took my card and said he would look at my site and see if he could give me hints on how to improve the photography of my pieces. I have had several (2) people tell me that my art work looks very different (more impressive) in person so..need to fix that!! I would like the photos on this web site to truly reflect my work. Two of my fellow artists want some guidance on building their web sites..we have taken the same classes from Gayle so I'm thinking I might be able to help a little. I was really drawn to the long horizontal pieces and have asked John to build me some wooden boxes in that shape...so a new look for next year is in the works!! Seeing really great work really inspires!!
OH!! Did I mention the savory cheesecake!! WOW!! now the lady that baked those is an artist as well! Gayle did an absolutely wonderful job of hanging all the work and putting this show together. Be sure to drop in if you just happen to be in Stanwood. I am still trying to work out which piece I would buy if...cost were no object and I actually had a place to hang it!! That's always a fun exercise at these events.
On October 18th Arlington Art Council will present it's annual art auction to raise funds for purchasing public art for the city of Arlington. It will be held at the Hawthorn Suites Hotel starting at 5:30. Each of the tables will have 3 small 5" by 7" canvases painted after a famous master. Check out other designs by going to www.arlingtonartscouncil.blogspot.com
My table will be the Picasso table...I had great fun painting these small paintings in his style..using his design and his color scheme....from different paintings but hey..you can tell they were inspired by the master himself! What is really neat about this is that it gave me a great idea for holiday cards to sell at my next event which is the Potpourri of Art in Bellingham on Nov 1 and 2nd.
I just found these while downloading the AAUW event...I had forgotten about that morning that the sun came streaming in across the granite island and set my red vase on fire!! It cast a cool reflection all the way up the refrigerator on the far side of the room....more interesting photos to come!
Here I am in action working on one of three in the new series "Feel the Heat." It was a cold and rainy day but people still came in to see the art work and talk with us. It wasn't as hard as I thought it might be to work while people watched. I enjoyed talking to the visitors as they wandered by as it gave me a chance to explain my process...they got to see the ferns going down and the soft gel being layered on top. How exciting is that?
Helen Saunders Art
