An Artist's Odyssey

A new mixed media is about to be shown. It is called the "Artist's Odyssey" and has various silhouettes depicting the major events in my life. It is a sculpture with various found materials used to build the "Odyssey".

Coming soon to West Valley Presbyterian Church is a members' art show which will begin on the evening of January 28, 2012. There are artists who have never shown their work before and other artists who are very experienced and professional. it will be very pleasing to all who come to the art show.

I also include another image of "Odyssey" as it is hard to show a sculpture without showing many views.

Collage Workshop-really open my eyes

This past weekend and another Saturday included, I worked in a collage workshop with three others in Marianne Lettieri and Julia Nelson-Gal's studios. This was truly for those of us who want to explore "Mixed Media". Marianne does wonderful sculptures with found materials. Julia is more into 2D work with objects of interest.

I love the pieces I was able to finish. the first is a very simple, understate piece called "Asian_I". How many items can you see on the paper?

This is definitely where I'm headed in my art. I will never abandon watercolors, but the mixed media is so exciting to create. My second piece is a sculpture called Odyssey. It will be featured in another blog.

Our grand daughter, Sarah

Next weekend we are picking up our grand daughter for a brief stay overnight at our house. It is fun to have her so close as she generally is living with her parents in southern California. We are fortunate she now goes to college near us.

Sarah is a very big person on "cats". Her family has two,and she is always eager to take another one into the home. This painting was a recent one I did after one of her cats. Charlie, got out into the backyard. He is a house cat. So the painting is called, "We'll bell the cat".

Sunsets and the Sea, patterns of nature

There are many reasons for painting the almost cliche, sunset on the water. There is pattern and texture everywhere in the painting with the rhythm of rippling waters and the textures of the clouds.

I have painted the Sunset at Shark's Cove which is done on translucent polypropylene, and I have kept the painting in a square format. I like painting square paintings now.

Our daughter-in-law, Kim, lives on Oahu and takes some spectacular photographs of sunsets.

Tomorrow night is the reception from 5:30-8:00pm of the Arts of the Covenant exhibit, "Patterns and Rhythms of Nature". This show will on through October 27, 2011. It is held upstairs at the Pacific Art League, 668 Ramona Street, Palo Alto. I hope you can come.

Autumn Wreath made with Metal Giclee

I was happy to have the metal piece of art done, called Hibiscus. However, it looked a little too small and not defined. I made a frame out of a can of foam called "Great Stuff" which I shaped into a square by using a box lid. It's sort of a novelty, but I'm showing you how metal imprinted paintings could be used to decorate a door or in a protected outdoor area.

You can see the original 8X10 piece before I surrounded it with a frame. This was a fun project and I can see many possibilities to using metal imprinted paintings in the outdoors.

Butterfly-Transformation

This painting was done

in the series of 5 on Transformation. It is of the chrysalis made by the caterpillar.

The next image is of the butterfly emerging from the chrysalis. This was all done at the request of West Valley Presbyterian Church.

The final painting is of The Monarch Butterfly, the adult and fully developed.

View from Hearst Castle

In May we had an opportunity to stay at a friend's lovely home near the beach in Cambria. Four of us then visited Hearst Castle for the basic tour. As you may know, there are a lot of different tours for the Hearst mansion.

What fascinated me the most was the view from Hearst's high dwelling on the hillside. There are many acres to his property, and it is situated on a gorgeous overlook of the ocean. My brother-in-law worked for George Hearst, whom I believe was the grandson of William Randolph. In fact, Jack was working at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, during the time Patty Hearst was kidnapped. That was THE news story of the time.

This painting is a mixed media with watercolor, pastels and acrylic on rice paper.

Feathers and Flowers

Have completed and photographed an acrylic painting of flowers with the repeated feathery edges as feathers. There are so many repeated patterns and rhythms in nature. That is the connection of my faith and art. How do we have such precise mathematical configurations in nature if all is haphazard and not by a grand design? The show coming in October is Rhythms and Patterns of Nature put on by the Arts of the Covenant. This is an ecumenical group of those who wish to express faith intersecting art.

The flower is called "Daneborg Poppy" and it grows to 4 feet with lots of twists and turns. It was a real "find" at the nursery.

Sidney In the Surf

I had fun painting a picture with serendipity guiding what I was going to paint. I did not start out with a plan for Sidney to be in the picture, but he so loves the beach I gave him a small space. The glasses reflect the occasional sea turtle that basks in the sun and Kim sitting and sunning while watching Sidney.

With the fact that I am home with Andre, I am painting quite a bit. In one month I finished 8 paintings and reworked two more. Whew! It is very pleasing to make some progress.

I'm Not Bossy, I Just Have Better Ideas

I completed the watercolor of my grandsons, Ethan stading over Garrett. The colors I hope make the people come more to life

The first started out okay but seemed less real about the skin tones.

I hope this is what my daughter wanted. I better send it up soon before the grandsons grow up beyond this picture.

Metamorphosis

I have been asked to paint a series sowing the progression from a caterpillar to a butterfly. This is now just in the beginning stages, but the first image is of a caterpillar emerging from the egg. The next image is of a mature caterpillar of a Monarch Butterfly. These could also be used in the Arts of the Covenant show in October for the Patterns and Rhythms of Nature.

The painting is about to be framed.

Just finished a new painting. I am trying to get ahead of my commitments to paint for an upcoming Arts of the Covenant Show "Patterns and Rhythms in Nature". This painting I call "Jump right In". I think I like painting succulents. They definitely have patterns and spirals and circles as rhythms.

I had a great time at the Open Studios, the third weekend, at the Granite Rock Design Center. The place is spacious and beautiful. I really appreciate all who came to see my art and purchase too. One couple came all the way from Napa and a long-time friend (from grade school) drove all the way from El Cerrito. Thank you, thank you. I really feel honored.

Sunset right in our backyard

Just finished today photographing my newest pieces. One of the paintings is of an image taken with my Blackberry when my husband was driving down Prospect Road near Saratoga/Cupertino border. It was quite a wonderful sight.

On the weekend of May 21 and May 22 I will participate in Silicon Valley Open Studios at Granite Rock Design Center, 1505 S De Anza Blvd., Cupertino It is less than a mile from where this picture was taken. The link to my online Open Studios is: http://www.svos.org/artist.php?id=2189

I am thrilled to hear several people coming from quite a distance to be at the Open Studios. Thank you all

The "Son Also Rises" art show

There is a show about hope and renewal called, "The Son Also Rises" at the Open Door Church, 41st Street, San Mateo, from now until May 28, 2011.

This acrylic painting is small, framed it is 14" X 14". It is called, "Emerging Spring I" as there is also an "Emerging Spring II"

There is a reception for another show, "Serenity Spring" at UCSF Women's Center for Reproductive Health, 2356 Sutter Street, SF on Wednesday, April 27 from 5:30-7:30. The show will run through July 12, 2011. My 5 art works are shown on the 3rd Floor.

Guardian of the Garden

This little fellow was fun to paint. I think gardens should have touches of whimsy about them. Maybe he will be accepted into the Pacific Art League exhibit soon to be judged. I think the theme, In the Garden, does fit with this image.

I have 5 paintings accepted into the UCSF Women's Imaging Center starting April 13. the show will run until July 13, 2011.

This is open to the public and a reception will be held April 27th from 5:30-7:30. More details to follow with a newsletter.

Archival Art Prints Available

This is one of the first prints available to the public as an archival art print. It was scanned by a special scanner built in Germany so that you can see the textures of the collage down to the finest details. Side by side you would be so pleased with it imaging the original.

Now the archival, limited edition prints, size 8 X 10, are available at $65 I am so excited to offer truly quality art prints for such reasonable prices.

Some work can be reproduced on archival canvas as well. It is really worth seeing the up-close-and-personal.

Fixing the problem painting

I have recently gone through my folder of unsuccessful paintings and decided some might be saved. This time I highlighted the painting with some soft pastels. I work often with mixed media. I am not a purist when it comes to watercolor. I admire those who want to only work in watercolor, but for me art is art and I don't need to keep in a certain restrictive way to paint. Look at the first painting and see what you think of the rework.

I agree it's subtle, but the umbrellas were odd in the painting and the chair in the foreground was off balance. Plus the bush needed some lightening up. It always works best to paint what looks correct on the paper and not what the photograph looks like.

Sunshine, you are mine!

Sometimes the cloudy days are lovely with the cloud formations, but I thought I would do one of a day of endless sunshine. The photo was of a girl, whom I don't know, and there was no background in the photograph. I wanted her to be just peeking out of part of the lower right corner. It is an effect Degas used, successfully I might add, to give the idea the girl is walking along the seashore with the bright sun overhead.

Also there is a show coming up in a few months called "Expressions of Color", and I thought a bright parasol would be most powerful if everything was understated. Let me know what you think.

Soon I am taking a step I have never taken. I am going to have some of my paintings scanned by a professional in printing, and then have prints made. Many have asked me about prints, and I was too concerned to do it with my own printer as the results probably wouldn't be worth it. Anyway, I will know more next week.

florals and figures

Last night I had a class in acrylic, which is a fun brush-up for me. Cathy Zander is a very encouraging person with a PhD in Art Education. I'm having fun and find the time goes by quickly. My focus right now is to have items selling on EBay. Yes, you get to bid and find a real bargain.

My art works that I'm showing are acrylic painted 5X7" panels. They will be unframed. These are very easy to frame, and I will ship for FREE. Check it out. Four paintings should be up on EBay in a couple of days.

Yes, I will also offer a Paypal account you can use if you'd like.

The two paintings I started with are the Plumeria from Bart and Kim's yard and the centerpiece arrangement used on the tables at the wedding.

Toasting the Sunset

Once again I have an image with permission of my friend, Lynn, who captured our daughter, Sabrina, as she was toasting the sunset on the north Shore of Oahu. I have played with lots of texture in this piece. The Japanese papers and the pieces from my watercolors are intermingled. Yes, I do cut up and use paintings that no longer "work". that way I am often able to collage from these cuttings as the watercolors I use will be the same palette.

I love the way the framer has custom-framed the paintings of the Heavenly Light series. He has "floated" them onto the matte with another matte creating a shadow box effect. This makes the piece look terrific and presentation is so important.

Painting snow:-"No Play Date Today"

I have not painted snow very often. I took a photograph of my daughter's backyard in Reno. Jennifer has taken down the swing-set as her youngest is now 8 years old and isn't playing with it as often. I thought the image of a play set with lots of snow was quite the image of abandonment.

I am now painting in a class with Cathy Zander up at the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto. I don't think Cathy knew what this painting was going to be when she saw the image of an all white painting. The details of the snow shadows and the trees made by using parts of berry baskets had not come together until I worked on it for a while yesterday. "Found" art materials are a lot of fun but challenging as you must find the proper color value and the texture needs to enhance the work. This painting is a work of "whimsy".

My website is: www.mesart.com/ashleyarts

Abstractions continued

Often when I'm working on a series, I divert from the "Heavenly Lights" to doing the "Getting Personal with the Computer." There are several works over the last two years that deal with computers and how I feel about them. This painting is a redo and offers a feeling I have when an email comes to me when the unknown person is "phishing" for my personal account information. It is an attack, and I guess that's why I call the painting , "Phishing".

I have a link to my website as I will be much better in redoing it once a week. www.mesart.com/ashleyarts

Also there is a member show of Pacific Art League, 668 Ramona Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301. I have the Double Rainbow painting in the show, and I call it, "Papalua Anuenue" which means double rainbow in Hawaiian. The gallery is open from Monday through Saturday, closed on Sundays.